“You never slow down, you never grow old” Tom Petty

Mary Jane’s Last Dance

“Ah, but I was so much older then/I’m younger than that now”

Bob Dylan

My Back Pages

Do You Listen To Music When You Run?

Read on to see what others listen to…

Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash

Contents

President’s Message

What Music Do You Run To?

Member Spotlight – Jeremy

Meet Our New Member – Mitch

Juneteenth

Board Member – Teresa

Board Member – Terry

Board Member – Gini

Sun Bare Whispering 5K

Through The Lens – Robert

T-Shirt Winner

Track Club Trivia

Board of Directors

TCTC Services

TCTC Race Singlets, T-Shirts, and 1/4 Zips

Okay, I Joined, Now What?

President’s Message

Chris Tuohy

In the last flyer, I talked about music and how it can stimulate senses and memories. For our runs, we have our favorite songs and playlists that remind and inspire us about past great races and experiences. It is amazing how powerful and easily one’s neural connections recall those episodes and transmit

those emotional events. It is seamless to link a personal event to a song, what happened, and then be able to remember the exact year of the song through that nexus. But ask us to remember a birthdate, and many of have instant amnesia (your smartphone, however, now solves that problem).

These are the same mental tricks the ancient Greeks and Romans used to link thoughts to locations in a building. The term, called a “memory palace,” was legendarily invented by Simonides of Ceos and popularized by Cicero, a Roman orator. The technique links data to places in a building for rapid and better recall. Interestingly, we do this instinctively and without deliberation with music, memories, and related emotions. I love the feelings from my childhood when

I hear songs that my dad played like “Cat’s in the Cradle,” “ High- wayman,” and Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Evita.” But other songs also remind me of painful things, too, like break-ups and other personal losses.

The greatest beauty of music is the way it paints and adds sound to our life. And those sounds can be so unique. Unfortunately, one of the most innovative and inventive creators of my youth, Eddie Van

Halen, recently died. He created original sounds on his guitar with  a technical style that popularized a new direction for rock and roll guitarists. I am not a musician, but it was fascinating to read the accolades from so many of his talented contemporaries that were influenced by him. So, his passing inspired me to create a new run- ning playlist with songs that blew me away the first time I heard a particular guitar riff, bass line, or drum solo. Enjoy and let me know

yours, too (for my fellow slackers, if your playlist came from a Maxell cassette “mix” tape played in a Walkman, that is even better!).

Crazy Train-Ozzy Osbourne

Kashmir-Led Zeppelin

Bizarre Love Triangle-New Order Where the Streets Have No Name-U2 Bangarang-Skrillex

Cherry-coloured Funk-Cocteau Twins

Biko-Peter Gabriel

Born to Run-Bruce Springsteen

Lose Yourself-Eminem

Down Rodeo-Rage against the Machine

Song 2-Blur

Jump into the Fire-Metallica Bird Set Free-Sia

Give it Away-Red Hot Chili Peppers

When Doves Cry-Prince

Head like a Hole-Nine Inch Nails

Brain Stew-Green Day

Ball and Biscuit-The White Stripes

In the Air Tonight-Phil Collins

And, of course —Unchained-Van Halen

What Music Do You Run To?

Yes. My running playlist automatically starts when I start Runkeeper (which I keep meaning to stop using, but has my all my old data in it). The playlist is mostly upbeat music and classics. I really need to give it an update though because it is so familiar that it fades into the background most of the time. In the past, I have created a new playlist of more intense songs for a specific race.

Grumpy Old Runner

Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.” – David Bowie

If you have read my articles from the very beginning, you will know that I am not a fan of listening to anything when I run other than the sounds of Mother Nature and those people and automobiles around me, Dog Gonnit!

Now, if I were to listen to music when I run, it would be the following:

John Prine – When I Get To Heaven, “Yeah, I’m gonna smoke a cigarette that’s nine miles long”

Tom Petty – Mary Jane’s Last Dance, “If you never slow down, you never grow old”

Bob Dylan – My Back Pages, “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now”

The Who – My Generation, “Hope I die before I get old”

Pink Floyd – Time, “You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today / And then one day you find ten years have got behind you”

Rolling Stones – Time Waits For No One, “Time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me”

Dusty Springfield – Yesterday When I Was Young, “I ran so fast that time and youth, at last, ran out”

Ramones – Pet Cemetery, “I don’t wanna be buried in a pet cemetery I don’t want to live my life again” – Dad BlastIt!

Member Spotlight – Jeremy

(But I’m also known as) … JBush, JB, The Commissioner

To sum myself up in a nutshell … I’m a happy-go-lucky, easy-going guy who loves life, adventure, and having fun!

and I’m originally from … North Carolina (except for my first 2 years of life in West Virginia)

I’ve been in Winston-Salem… 25 years

A proud member of Twin City Track Club since … 2017

Been a “runner”… 8 years

The longest distance I’ve ever run is… 26.2 miles

Memorable running experiences:

Rave run… Anywhere I travel I try to find somewhere new and exciting

to run! I love to run Central Park in NYC!

Race… Richmond 2019. I’m a student of the marathon and this was a

day I felt like I put it all together. I PR’ed (2:53) and finished so strong. It was magical

Gone postal run and/or I’d rather forget … September ‘16. Navy/Air

Force Half. Washington, DC. Heat, humidity, and trying to run above my fitness level made for a miserable last 3 miles. Ugh.

These are a few of my favorite running things:

Vice … Bees, bugs, anything dive bombing my head!

Device … Shoes! I usually have at least 6 pairs in rotation.

Advice … Find your purpose in running. Enjoy moving through space. Have fun!

Running footwear … Nike everything, especially the NEXT% for racing.

Pre-run/post-run fuel … I always run fasted, so pre-run it’s nothing but water, but post-run it’s hard to beat some watermelon, freshly cut fruit, or chocolate milk.

My motivation to run is … Running is the best part of my day. I love the experiences and friends that running has given me. Running is FUN!

But when I’m not running, I enjoy … Watching Seinfeld reruns, music, the beach, going out with friends.

One thing running has taught me is … You are capable of more than you think you are. Do work, be consistent, you’ll be amazed.

I wish I could … Play guitar like Eric Clapton or dance like Michael Jackson!

Most people don’t know I … Am a huge Parrotthead (avid Jimmy Buffett fan!)

Member Spotlight – Mitch

My name is … Mitch Hargis

To sum myself up in a nutshell … I’m an ICU physician at Forsyth Medical Center

I am originally from … Oklahoma and Texas

I have been in Winston-Salem… 4

years

I became a TCTC member because … I started running when COVID hit because I needed my lungs to be healthy. Someone invited me to a race.

My motivation to run is … to be more healthy and I can’t go to the gym and lift weights right now.

Been a “runner” since… cross coun- try in high school

When I am not running … I enjoy playing with my kids

Juneteenth

by Chris Tuohy

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery 155 years ago in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. Today, Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.

This year, Juneteenth is an especially meaningful day, reminding us of the continued struggle in the Afri- can American community for equal opportunity and treatment. As runners, we seek to celebrate freedom and inclusiveness by running as one community to achieve a common goal.

The event was a complete success with 142 participants blowing past the mileage goal, reaching 884 miles. Then runners showed out even more impressively raising $4,286 for the Winston-Salem Urban League. In the accompanying photo, Chris Tuohy, TCTC’s president, delivers the contribution check to the Urban League’s COO, Kenneth Pettigrew.

Board Member – Teresa

Serving as treasurer of the Twin City Track Club is the perfect blend of Teresa’s professional abilities and personal interests. Teresa was born in Albemarle, NC. She has an undergrad in Business Administration and a Masters in Accounting from UNC-Chapel Hill. In her first few weeks at Carolina, she met Lucas Inman, now her husband of 20 years and an ENT at PEN- TA. They have three boys that keep their schedules full. Twin 15-year-olds attend Mt. Tabor where one runs cross country, one plays soccer, and both run indoor and outdoor track. Nine-year-old Noah is also on a competitive soccer team. Just before the twin’s first birthday, Teresa ended her full-time job as a tax professional in a public accounting firm. The stress of having infant twins, a husband in residency, and trying to work full time was difficult. But, that change brought the opportunity to do part-time work and to utilize her professional skills

for volunteer purposes, both for her kids’ schools and well as in her personal interests.

In addition to the job as treasurer of the TCTC, Teresa has served in many volunteer roles such as the president of the Junior League of

Winston-Salem, chair of the Board of Managers of the WGW YMCA,

treasurer of many PTAs (Whitaker, TJMS, and MTHS Athletic Board), treasurer of the Whitaker Circle of Commitment, Crazy Running coach, and board member

of Camel City Track Foundation.

Aside from her family, her main passion is running. Teresa

started running competitively late in life; thus, was on an upward curve, trending faster for a number of years. (Age, now 43, may have leveled this trend in the last year or so.). She was introduced to structured training by Julie Dover. Her general love of running and accounting/numerical details generated a love of training theories, pace strategies, and workouts. Teresa started running more races and chipping away at milestones one after the other. The marathon is the distance that has monopolized her focus

the most over the years. Teresa ran her first marathon, Charlotte’s Thunder Road in November of 2012. Since then she has run every Boston Marathon, and completed Boston to Big Sur in 6 days in 2015. Her current and, potentially lifetime, marathon PR is a laughably tragic 3:00.03. She might not achieve the sub 3 milestone, but loves every minute and detail of the training. So, she will continue to happily run and challenge herself however possible.

Board Member – Terry

Terry has lived in the Triad area since graduating from UNC-Wilmington in 1998. He grew up in Yadkin County where he played a variety of

sports including football, basketball, baseball, and tennis. Running was always more of punishment until 2009 when he ran his first 5K. Since then he has run several 5Ks, 10Ks, a couple halves, and one marathon. His running goals include a 50K, 50 mile, 100K, and 100 mile ultramarathon.

Terry became a member of TCTC in 2017 when his son, Cameron, needed volunteer hours for Crosby Scholars and decided the track club was where he wanted to “work” since he loves to run. Hi

s wife, Laura, and daughter, Ashley, have each completed two 5Ks; while Cameron has run several 5Ks and just finished his first 10K last year.

Since joining Terry has been a part of the timing crew, Membership Director, and now Race Timing Coordinator. In addition to volunteering with TCTC, he loves working with Trivium Racing as part of their crew, Course Coordinator, and Race Director putting on races of all distances. Terry says just being around runners is inspiring!

Board Member – Gini

Gini was born and raised in Florida and landed in North Carolina in 1998 by way of upstate New York. She was at work one day on one of New York’s snowier May (yes, May) when a headhunter called about a job opportunity in Winston-Salem. Within a week, Gini had been to Winston-Salem, interviewed and

accepted the job, and was making plans to become a new Southerner. She has never looked back.

Gini arrived late to the running party at the age of 50. In 2013, her daughter joined a Girls on the Run group with the goal of running the

Mistletoe 5K. When Gini learned she needed an adult running buddy, Gini was all in. The only problem was, Gini didn’t run. But she thought, “how hard can it be to run a few miles?” Little did she know.

Gini was athletic when young (tennis bum), but like many others, kids and a demanding career led to her putting physical fitness on the back burner as an adult. She took other runners’ advice and joined a new runner group at her workplace, Hanesbrands. With this group and the Couch to 5K app, Gini was off and running… well, sort of. At first, Gini and her training group could barely run the 90-second running intervals, but day by day, little by little, they all worked up to the 5K distance. When they crossed the finish line at the Mistletoe for their first 5K, they strutted around as they’d just taken the gold at the Olympics, but more importantly, they realized they’d formed a bond as friends that was like no other. A year later at that same race, Gini placed in her age group. Thereafter, Gini worked her way up to half and full marathons.

Ironically, her daughter stopped running after that first race was over, but, for Gini, running has been transformational. She learned that you can get fit at any age; that being fit as an older adult is the best gift you can give yourself, your kids, and your employer; and that you can push your- self mentally to survive anything. Gini has also learned that running can provide a tether through tough personal times, a constant when traveling for work, and quietude when thinking your way through a complicated issue. But one of the best parts of running is the people you meet. Through running, Gini has met and become friends with people she likely never would have crossed paths with had it not been for a group run, training class, club activity, or race. As Gini says, we tend to live and interact within our own bubbles, but running takes you outside of that.

the club has members of all paces and has so much more to offer its members than just race discounts. As one of two Activities Directors, she was introduced to TCTC’s breakfast runs, hash runs, $5Ks, Salem Lake group runs, BTH volunteer opportunities, a scavenger hunt, the winter seminar, and other social and community events. Gini found that TCTC members are dedicated runners, but they are also helpful, supportive, engaging, and fun people to hang with. She notes that later in life it’s sometimes difficult to forge new friendships, but finds TCTC events are a great springboard to do just that. While life in COVID times makes hosting club activities much more of a challenge,

TCTC does have them and Gini encourages each of you to continue to participate in them as you feel comfortable and stay involved with each other’s progress through our social media sites. As Gini said above, running provides a real constant in our lives – and in a time where constants are lacking, your TCTC running buddies are here to support you and your running efforts. Run-on.

Sun Bare Whispering 5K

by Stacy Tollie

Bart Yasso included a chapter in his book about having run a naked 5K, Runner’s World wrote about naked races in 2014, and the NY Times published an article at the end of August about naked racing in a pandemic. This has been a crazy year, without many live racing options. Why not run what might seem like a crazy race? Though I was nervous as I pulled into the resort, now that I’ve done it once I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

As soon as I parked, it was time to drop all clothing other than my running shoes. What was most weird was how it didn’t really feel weird. After all, everyone else was in the same state. There were many shapes & sizes, and ages from 20 to 70. Nobody was judging your body and you weren’t judging anyone else’s. Make no mistake- there was nudity, but nothing sexual. It was very freeing.

Since there’s nowhere for a bib, your race number was written on your arm in magic marker.  Once the race director yelled GO! we were off and running just like at any other race, though the feeling of fresh air over ALL of my skin was different and pretty wonderful! The course was well-marked and over dirt road and grass. The resort’s race volunteers and other members were very welcoming, providing a water stop and lots of cheers during the race.

After finishing, each person remained to cheer in all the other runners. There was beer, water & ba- nanas available. The awards ceremony followed, where everyone got a T-shirt,

and as medals were handed out there more cheers and many congratulations offered. I chatted with the other runners & the resort members just like I would at any other race. It didn’t feel odd at all to be having these conversations in the buff. Although I had to hurry back to Winston-Salem for work, with your race fee you’re welcome to spend the day at the resort. There’s a pool, hot tub & clubhouse, as well as a meal of barbecue (that had been cooking all night long!) and the fixings.

Some helpful info if you’re thinking of running a naked race: Since you have no place to carry your car key(s), find a place up under your bumper or on a tire to leave them. No one’s going to take your car. This race is at 10 am in Sept. which can be HOT. Remember, you won’t have a shirt to wipe the sweat off your face so you may want to carry a small towel. Sunscreen. I don’t think I need to explain that.

My last bit of advice? Naked races aren’t for everyone, but if you’re thinking about running one, JUST DO IT! You only ever grow if you step out of your comfort zone and this was truly one of the coolest races I’ve ever run!

Through The Lens – Robert

Robert Hill Flyer Editor

Due to COVID-19, TCTC has had to cancel a number of popular events or change them to virtual races. Early in March, it appeared that the Ultimate runner was destined to be one of those events, not run for the first time since 1987.

Well, thanks to Sandy Wetherhold, Bill Walker, and a host of other track club members, the Ultimate Runner did in fact happen in 2020. On the 5th Saturday in August instead of the customary 4th Saturday in June, 44 brave souls gathered at Hanes Park for this annual event. While the total number of runners was less than half of a normal field due to the governor’s limitation on the total number of people allowed to gather outdoors, the spirit of the event was not diminished. Missing were the many family and friends gathered under tents and along with the shade of the creek but, a few tents were erected and a sparse group, socially distanced, sat along the creek to cheer on their loved ones. While the numbers were down, the enthusiasm was not.

Due to the efforts of the folks mentioned above, 44 runners were able to assemble at Hanes Park and do what they love to do and TCTC volunteers were able to assemble and do what they love to do.

For results and photos: https://runsignup.com/Race/Photos/NC/WinstonSalem/UltimateRunner