Come join your fellow Front Runners at the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge!

Run the Brooklyn Pride 5K:

The annual Brooklyn Pride 5K run kicks off in Prospect Park on Saturday, June 8 at 10 AM.  Registration for the race is nearing capacity, so sign up soon!  For more information and to register, click here.

Volunteer at the Brooklyn Pride Street Fair:

Front Runners has a booth at the Brooklyn Pride Street Fair.  We’re looking for a few volunteers to look cute and answer questions about our running group.  It’s a really fun time and a great opportunity to market Front Runners and meet/flirt with prospective runner.  The booth is open from 11am to 6pm and you can volunteer for whatever amount of time works for your schedule.  If interested, e-mail Brendan Moroney for more details.

March in the Brooklyn Pride Parade:

Represent Front Runners by marching in the Brooklyn Pride Parade.  The parade goes down 5th Avenue from Lincoln Place to 9^th Street. Contact Karl Rutter if you are interested in participating.

Attend a Post-Brooklyn Pride Party:

Front Runner and Brooklynite Mike G. is hosting a Post-Brooklyn Pride Parade Party at his place on 670 President Street, Apt. 3C, between 8 PM and 11 PM. Mike’s apartment on President Street, just a few blocks north of the finish of the Parade.  Bring your favorite beverage or snack to share.

In the first week of the Spring 2012 Beginner’s Running Clinic, we focused on the most important equipment you will ever spend money on, your shoes. While you may not realize it as a new runner, the shoes you wear can make the difference between a 6 minute mile and 6 weeks of recovery. It’s important to invest the time to choose the most appropriate running shoe for you.

This can be an overwhelming task given the various styles, colors, brands, levels of support…you get the idea. There are also a lot of ever-changing research on the best practices of how to run and what shoes to wear. Don’t go it alone. Let an expert help you out. Many running stores have very knowledgeable sales people who ultimately want you to find the right shoe and perform well in it. (After all, the more you run, the more often you’ll be back for a new pair of shoes.) A few stores, such as JackRabbit Sports and The Running Company in New York, even have treadmills and will video tape you running to gauge your gait and stride. 

Before you go to the running store
Here are some tips to help you make the most of the trip:
• Shop in the afternoon when your feet are at their largest. Your feet will expand while running.
• Bring your old shoes with you when you go shopping. Wear and tear of your old shoes will assist the salesperson in determining your degree of pronation.
• Wear or buy the socks you’ll wear when you run.
• If you wear orthotics, bring them also. You need to see how the shoe fits with the orthotic inside.
• Do NOT buy the latest fad shoe. It is highly likely this will not be the ideal shoe for you.
• Do NOT purchase your shoes based on the color or style. Most likely you will not have a choice in color once you select the best fit shoe for you.
• Make sure the salesperson measures both of your feet. Often, one foot is slightly larger than the other. You should be fitted for the larger foot.

You should also be ready to answer the following questions. This will help the sales person in determining your needs as well:
• How long have you been running?
• How much mileage are you doing per week? (or would like to do if just starting)
• Are you training for a particular event?
• Where do you do most of your running? (i.e. – streets, trails, etc.)
• How much do you weigh?
• Have you had any foot, leg, or other potentially running related trouble in the past?

The sales person should bring you out several pairs to try on. Don’t stop at the first pair that feels good. You want the pair that feels the best. A little extra time here can save you a lot of time and money later.

One More Thing…
Not sure if you even need a new pair of running shoes? Here’s a tip. Most running shoes are recommended to last between 400 and 600 miles. Seems like a lot, right?

Think of it this way, if you started running at the beginning of the year and ran 3 times a week at an average of 5 miles, you will hit 400 miles by July and 600 miles by October.

If you can see where the tread is fading away it is definitely time for new running shoes.

If you can’t remember when you bought your running shoes, chances are it’s time for a new pair. You’d be surprised by the difference it can make. It also doesn’t hurt to rotate among a few pairs of shoes if you can keep track of the mileage on them. It can help prolong the life of the shoe and can ensure that you always have a pair of shoes that don’t need breaking in.

Thursday, 9:00 AM: The lanky black-haired guy in a Yankees hat and radiant red down jacket virtually jumps the steps into Penelope, a cute little down-home hotspot at the head of Curry Hill. He was up at 2:18 when he emailed a double confirmation, so he had to scramble to get here. But you get the sense that this guy isn’t late for anything.

“I was going to go to sleep early but I’ve been so stressed over these essays, I had to go out and have fun,” he says rapid fire. The essays are for a scholarship application for the vaunted Vassar writing program. Telling his own story is a new concept for him, he explains, even though he’s spent the better part of his adult life selling himself for the camera (We’ll get to that shortly). “How do I tell them about my whole life and answer all the questions they ask within the cap?” he asks.

Before you laugh, I should tell you this 25-year-old student has toured the world as a brand model, competed in six Junior Olympics in two different sports, and penned a regional newspaper column for three years running. Not so easy to fit into 500 words.

Global pose

Josh grew up in a village of 3,000 outside Calgary, where “sports were my life.” Ironically enough, he never ran cross-country or track, and only discovered distance running last year. He started with dance, baseball, and badminton; played hockey for the team his dad coached; and then diving found him. Literally. A diving coach spotted the lithe 12-year-old at a birthday pool party, had him try a few moves, and immediately called over his mother and signed him up. Josh went on to swim for Canada in the Junior Olympics the next four years, and on two of those trips also played on the Canadian volleyball team.

Then volleyball got him a ticket around the world. A modeling scout approached Josh at a volleyball tournament during his senior year, and said he could be working immediately in Toronto. Even though he’d already earned college scholarships for swimming and volleyball, Josh headed for the city as soon as he’d finished final exams.

“School was never a big priority for me, and college was never a requirement in my family or my town,” he says. “I was so burned out my Mom had to do my homework while I practiced. I had no idea what I wanted to do in school, so it would have been a waste.”

He certainly didn’t waste the modeling opportunity. He got to New York the first year, built a portfolio, and then traveled the world working three months at a time in 10 countries on four continents (including Greece, Turkey, Thailand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and London).

After five years, though, shuttling between casting calls in a van from 9AM to 9PM took its toll. On a Sprint audition in New York early last year, the panelists’ questions exposed a raw nerve. “I felt ridiculous telling a panel of people what my favorite app on my phone is,” he says. “I suddenly hated everything about the experience, because it really didn’t matter what I said, it was really about whether my face could make them money. I felt like I wasn’t doing any good for anyone else. When I walked out I called my Mom and said ‘I can’t do this anymore.’”

Positive writing

Ironically enough, he got the job, and his face still greets customers at Sprint stores across the country. Then he stopped modeling, switched his visa to student status, and landed in the Class of 2016 at Manhattan College. There he’s found professors he can admire and learn from and relate to, most notably the advisor who’s sponsoring his Vassar application. Ultimately, he has his sights on an Ivy League school.

He’s already a published author. Three years ago, after writing his way through five journals, he pitched his hometown newspaper on a column focusing on “positivity and perspective.” He’s been writing it monthly ever since. To hear him tell it, sharing his positive outlook is nothing short of a calling: “I want to make people think in a different way about things that are sad, hard, or unchangeable.”

He gets the attitude in large measure from his family. His sister, “an adventurous hippie to say the least,” tours the world on a whim with nothing but a backpack. His parents are nothing but understanding. “My family’s incredible,” says Josh. “They’re the biggest part of my life, and their support is the reason I’m doing what I’m doing today. There’s never been a lack of support in any area of my life.”

He’s not exaggerating. After he came out to his sister five years ago, she danced through the kitchen. His mother gave him a hug he could feel all over and said, “This only brings more color to my family.” After he broke the news to his father, the former hockey star known locally as Bull called the next day to thank him for coming out to him.

It’s more than rubbed off. “Josh has overwhelming compassion for life and for others,” says friend and FRNY teammate Tony Majewski. “He lives every day thoughtfully and to the fullest, and he makes sure whoever he’s with gets a piece of that.” 

Accidental obsession

Like his other passions, running found Josh. He was asking around about volleyball leagues a year ago when he met Front Runner Tony Forte. Tony told him about doing 9+1 to get into the next year’s New York Marathon, and suddenly Josh was signed up for the Scotland Run 10K. He’d never run more than three miles before, but his competitiveness kicked in and he “just went.” He was hooked. By the end of the year, he’d run 13 NYRR races and established himself as a local elite runner. Now that he has access to training, he’s ticking off middle-distance PRs and building his distance toward this year’s NYM.

“What got me obsessed was that I got to see what I did, where I placed, where I was faster or slower, and where I was relative to everyone,” he says. “You get out what you put in. There’s a direct connection and nobody else has a say in it. I love that.”

Tony got Josh to a fun run last spring, and the welcome he received drew him back. Then he experienced the unique team camaraderie of the Pride Parade, where he met a soul mate in Tony Majewski. The Armory made him feel like a world-class athlete again, and Awards Night drove home how much members care about the club and each other.

“That’s who Josh is,” says Forte. “He’s a genuine person. I’ve never had to go to him for a crisis, but if I needed to, I know he’d drop everything on a dime for me. He cares about people more than he cares about anything else.”

In Front Runners, Josh has found a place that returns the energy. “I feel so connected to so many Front Runners already, and I’ve just started,” he says. “I couldn’t ask for a better support system, or a better group of people to open myself up to on every level. I can be myself and be vulnerable and grow here. My life will never be the same, because Front Runners is opening door after door.”  

1. • Current members (members in good standing) will receive credit for any applicable Participation and/ or Club Points Award Race.
   • Former member (members that have not renewed prior to the grace period of March 1st) will not receive credit for any applicable Participation and/ or Club Points Award race  until the membership is renewed.  Upon renewal, they will receive credit only for races going forward.
   • Non-Members will not receive credit for any races
2. All submissions will receive a response stating that their race has been recorded
3. Submissions for a Relay must include all the participants
4. Submissions for races with a single participant must be submitted by the participant.

• Salsa, Blues & Shamrocks 5k (Mar. 3)
• Scotland Run 10k (Apr. 6)
• Brooklyn Half (May 18 or 19)
• NY Mini 10k (Women Only) (June 8)
• Portugal Day 5M (Men Scored Only) (June 16)
• FRNY LGBT Pride Run (June 29)
• NYRR Club Championships (Double Points) (Aug. 3)
• Fitness 4M (Sept. 7)
• 5th Ave Mile (Sept. 29)
• Grete’s Gallop Half (Oct. 6)
• ING NYC Marathon (Nov. 3)
• Ted Corbitt 15k (Dec. 14)

  ]]> http://frny.org/nyrr-club-points-races-2013/feed/ 0 http://frny.org/jonathan-warner-candidate-for-director-at-large/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jonathan-warner-candidate-for-director-at-large http://frny.org/jonathan-warner-candidate-for-director-at-large/#comments Sat, 29 Dec 2012 23:29:56 +0000 mazzara@mac.com http://frny.org/?p=2118 Continue reading →]]> Candidate for Director at Large

Front Runners New York has been a significant part of my life since I moved to New York in July 2010. I came to my first fun run after less than twelve hours in the city and haven’t looked back. My involvement in the club has been extensive, as I am a firm believer in giving back to the positive people and things in life. I have spread the club’s name throughout the trail and ultra running

communities. I am bringing our runners to these communities, too, and have raced with teammates in NJ, WV, CO, and TN. This past season, I brought my passion and expertise in long running to the FRNY coaching program. I helped create a training plan for the season, found locations, mapped routes, and established refreshments for each week.  I answered questions from both novice and experienced trainees and was constantly amazed as runners grew and made gains week after week.

At the culmination of the season, I directed the Blue Line Run in which we were joined by the Dashing Whippets and North Brooklyn Runners for a total of nearly 200 registrants. Logistics involved coordinating bike marshals, drivers, and volunteers and supplies for five aid stations; providing runners with necessary information to safely run the open course was vital. The run was called a great success, despite unexpected setbacks. The Queensboro Bridge path was not scheduled for closure, but I nonetheless found it blockaded after starting runners in Prospect Park. I was able to quickly coordinate with volunteers and marshals to re-route runners across the Williamsburg Bridge and through Manhattan to keep mileage consistent.

As we all know, the 2012 NYC Marathon was cancelled. It was a tough day for all, but I helped our runners find alternate races so that their months of training weren’t in vain.  Immediately after the cancellation announcement I researched regional marathons and rallied club resources so that that very night and the next morning over fifty would-be NYC Marathoners were able, with generous assistance from the club, to register for marathons in Richmond, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.

If elected Director at Large, I will use my positive energy, resourcefulness, and good relationships within FRNY and with other clubs to further the aims of Front Runners New York.

I’ve been a Front Runner since January 2010, and in these three short years I have become more honest, more open, more loving, and more confident than I could have ever dreamed possible. Front Runners has given and continues to give me so many gifts: a strong understanding of myself, a supportive and caring group of friends, and last but not least, my loving wife.

The reason I am running for the 2013 board is because I want Front Runners to continue to provide limitless opportunities to the next GLBTQA person who walks through the door. I want the newcomer and current members to feel welcome. I want them to come to fun runs, workouts, multisport races, and social events. And I want them to feel that they too can somehow find or perhaps create their own place in this large and diverse group of individuals.

In order to achieve these goals, I will 1) work closely with the board and membership to address any possible gaps / misinterpretations currently within the bylaws, 2) promote health and wellness through the continuation of the beginner running program, and 3) improve the communication around racing that would help us organize attendance, cheering, and training preparation for upcoming races.

As for qualifications, I began in Front Runners as a participant in the very first beginners’ clinic in 2010, I was Director at Large on the 2011 board, and this past year I was a Race Captain. I’ve held bagel taste testing to improve the quality and reduce the costs for our Saturday morning breakfasts. I’ve also participated in countless points races, track meets, triathlons, bike tours, and crazy overnight relays, and I’ve supported, cheered, and encouraged many of my fellow Front Runners.

I fully understand the importance of this club to its members and would be deeply honored to play a larger role in ensuring its continued success for this coming year. Thanks for considering me!

Five years ago I was recently out of college and to set a new goal, I signed up for my first half marathon.  After my first race that spring, I was hooked.  I fell head-first in love with running and racing.  Soon after, I was invited to a fun run with the LGBT running club, Front Runners.  I was very excited to find a place where I met great people that shared my new passion for running!

In these past four+ years as a Front Runner, I’ve grown tremendously as a runner.  I have set and accomplished goals that I never knew were possible.  I am so grateful for everything that we have to offer outside of running including the close friendships and great social events. However what I appreciate most, is the commitment to our sport.  We are a running club and on the board, I will work to keep our focus on programs that are going to help each one of us achieve our athletic goals.

This year I had the privilege of serving as a FRNY Race Captain.  It has been amazing to celebrate your incredible accomplishments!  I’m honored to give my support to Front Runners in their racing.  I will stay committed to providing quality running and training programs to help keep those PRs coming!

In my professional life, I work for an advertising agency in account management.  This requires close attention to details, clear communication and simply, getting things done!  I offer those same skills for the position on the FRNY Board.

I see tremendous value in our member’s voices.  Through personal conversations and surveys I hope to hear your thoughts and ideas.  I also want the club to grow and ensure that the people who come, stay in our community.  On the board I hope to create plans for growth, outreach and retention.

I am committed to helping FRNY provide diverse programs that are accessible for all people.  This truly makes FRNY the best LGBT running group in the country.

In a time when our club needs healing and movement forward I am ready to serve.  I am very grateful for this club and all it has given to me. Now I would like to give back in this upcoming year as a Director-at-Large.  Thank you for your commitment to Front Runners and thank you for your consideration.

In the past six years I’ve seen the positive impact that Front Runners has had on my life, and on the lives of many others. My vision for the club is expansive and I’d like to see it reflect, rebuild, and move ahead to realize its full potential.  I am running for Director-at-Large because I believe that:

Front Runners New York is an important community organization that can and should inspire and support LGBT runners of all ages and abilities throughout the city of New York.

To achieve this goal will take the work of many people, and a strong organization to guide them.  For 28 years I’ve taken leadership roles in communities and organizations I’ve been part of and hope to assist the club strengthen its bylaws, its procedures, and its leadership, and long-term vision. I offer to the club my experience as an organizer, an educator, an athlete, and now a coach:

As an organizer I’ve founded or served on the Board of three for-profit businesses, four non-profit organizations, and four educational organizations. I’ve volunteered for LGBT groups continuously since 1985.

As an educator I’ve taught for two years at the university level and seventeen years in public and private high schools.  I also worked in the high tech industry for six years. I have two degrees in Engineering and now teach Physics, Engineering, and Design.

As an athlete and coach I’ve participated in Front Runner groups in San Francisco and New York for sixteen years, and was a member of Team New York Aquatics for four years. I’ve competed in two triathlons.  I’m now coaching a high school Cross-Country team with 32 members; I founded the team four years ago.

I look forward to serving you, the members of Front Runners New York, and LGBT runners citywide in the coming year.