tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80375852074203104332023-11-16T00:01:22.868-08:00Upper Peninsula Road Runners ClubUpper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-84296609571844826242022-10-31T08:35:00.008-07:002022-12-13T06:40:42.782-08:00How Do I Know When it’s Time?One of life's great challenges is to know when the time is right. <div><br /></div><div>In my running career, I did not have the opportunity to make the choice of when to retire from racing. I was forced into hanging up my fast shoes (due to health concerns) long before I was ready to give it up. I suspect that due to my competitive nature, I would have pushed myself physically well beyond the point when I should have given it up. In professional sports, seeing a top athlete walk away from the game when they are at their peak is difficult to understand -- but when you see athletes hanging on when they are well past their prime with diminished skills, it all makes sense. </div><div><br /></div><div>While the definition of when the time is right to make a decision is unique to everyone, most agree that in hindsight that they waited too long to walk away. For the last year, I have struggled with the decision if I should continue to serve as the webmaster for the Upper Peninsula Road Runners Club. This has weighed heavily on my mind. </div><div><br /></div><div>First of all, I strongly believe in the UPRRC mission of promoting the benefits of running, jogging, biking, and swimming as means of improving physical fitness and maintaining overall health. I also recognize that as a small club, our success is fueled by volunteerism. I think a lot of people would like to help, but not everyone has the time or capacity in their lives to take on a position within the club. In late 2013, I realized that not only did I have the skills required to help with the club's website, but I also had the passion and the time to devote to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Prior to 2014, the club's website was managed by Gary Barrett, who did a fine job of it. So when I first thought of getting involved, it was to help Gary out. Gary said that he didn't really need any help, but if I wanted to take on the role of webmaster, he would be willing to pass on the duties to me. At that point, I had already developed a prototype of the new site, created a list of requirements, and prepared my proposal for what I would like to do as the club's webmaster. When I got the official nomination to proceed I was overjoyed and immediately began the work. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was very encouraged by Gary's review of my first prototype as I remember his feedback was that the UI (user interface) was very "slick." That is exactly what I was looking for! A new and improved experience for our members to interact with the club and get the information they needed. There have been quite a few iterations of the site since those early days as we have continued to make improvements. Specifically, here were some of the things we were able to make:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Enabled the site to be responsive, making it viewable from computers, phones and tablets</li><li>Created a form for race directors to complete electronic when they want to submit a race for our club calendar and have that event automatically appear on our online calendar</li><li>Created a way for members to renew their application online using RunSignUp</li><li>Created this blog for sharing of thoughts to supplement the newsletter</li><li>Created pages for all new hall of fame members that includes the write-up to accompany their induction </li><li>Published the current membership roster</li></ul><div>Ultimately the larger purpose of modernizing the website was to retain existing members and promote the club for potential new members. As the popularity of running and races experienced a slight decline (after a boom in the early 2010s), we were able to maintain steady with our membership. From that perspective, I would like to think that my time spent as Webmaster was a success. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>For me, I knew that I had made the right decision to hand the webmaster duties off to another volunteer after I talked to Bill Sved and I felt a great sense of relief. I was so worried because it felt like I was letting him (and the club) down, but that was not his reaction at all! He understood and was very appreciative, thanking me for my time. His reaction was a reflection of his true leadership with this club and that is something I admire in him as a person.</div><div><br /></div><div>To help Bill out. I created a list of the tasks that I perform as the Webmaster to help with his recruitment of volunteers to manage this going forward. I also said that for whoever is the new Webmaster, that I would be willing to work with them for as long as they needed and be available for questions and support. Though I will be moving on, I still want to see the club carry on successfully and will do whatever I can to ensure a smooth transition. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last week I met with Maija Niemi, who has agreed to take on the role of UPRRC Webmaster. Maija lives in Ishpeming and works in the technology field so her skill set was perfect to take on this new role. She was very excited about the opportunity, as she believes that we can grow the awareness of the UPPRC and all the good things that we do through our digital presence. Maija is leaps and bounds ahead of me when it comes to website development knowledge and experience, so I suspect that you will see great things to come from her running our website in the future. </div><div><br /></div><div>I would just like to thank the UPPRC board for their support and collaboration for the better part of the last decade. WE were successful together because of what each and every one of you do on a daily basis to keep the club going. My tenure may be over, but I am excited to see all of the many great things that I know the next Webmaster will do with the club's internet presence! </div><div><br /></div><div>Happy trails UPRRC... Eric Charette</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-25024912503440158652021-11-03T10:15:00.010-07:002021-11-03T11:51:12.566-07:002021 Webmaster Notes for Annual Meeting<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is
with great pleasure, that I present the UPRRC Webmaster annual report to our
distinguished board and entire membership on this the 6th day of November,
2021.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UdttEDV1hfw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While the world in
2021 did not return to the pre-pandemic normalcy we had in 2019, it was much
better than the lockdowns of 2020. Social distancing and masking were
still part of everyday life but running (in groups) and racing came back.
Two of the spring Marathon Majors (London and Boston) were pushed back to this
fall, making it a busy marathon season along with Chicago and New York. At
the Olympics in Tokyo this fall, Americans had strong showings with Galen
Rupp finishing eighth in 2:11:41 and Molly Seidel had a breakthrough
performance, capturing a bronze medal in a time of 2:27:46, which launching her
from unranked to #42 in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For the UPPRC, the
volume of races started to make a comeback as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using the UPPRC online calendar as a barometer,
there were 27 events on listed for this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While this was only half of the 53 events listed from 2019, it was more
than double the 11 events on our calendar from the pandemic plagued 2020 year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here are the specifics
on our website from 2021.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Website Traffic</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Overall traffic to our website was steady in 2021 when compared to 2020</span></li><ul type="circle"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3,544 page views in 2021<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3,510 page views in 2020</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The heaviest volume of page views was during the summer months of June and July. </span></li></ul>
</ul><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo9F71xd3kfLWlfcB_GQoow4T-gRqhygElisMIZzFdoymOWSLWNi4ivqU6Y-LhkKCbWzVB5atAhZenumsk0kNTyMfqyKZWVLR-kf60-yoeVGXfNFy8FNafWkM-oWrCmpkvWeb6buibX0z/s932/usersbymonth.PNG"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="932" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo9F71xd3kfLWlfcB_GQoow4T-gRqhygElisMIZzFdoymOWSLWNi4ivqU6Y-LhkKCbWzVB5atAhZenumsk0kNTyMfqyKZWVLR-kf60-yoeVGXfNFy8FNafWkM-oWrCmpkvWeb6buibX0z//" width="85%" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><ul style="color: black; font-size: medium;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px;">Since we launched the new website in 2015, we have had 45,460 page views</span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After the <a href="http://www.uprrc.org/" target="_blank">home page</a>, users visit the calendar views the most often, making up 55% of all page views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <a href="http://www.uprrc.org/calendar_monthly_view.html" target="_blank">calendar monthly view</a> is about twice as popular than the <a href="http://www.uprrc.org/calendar_list_view.html">calendar list view</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Users spend an average of 1 minute 37 seconds on our website per session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li></ul></span></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Website Demographics</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our website was only slightly more popular with 25-34
age bracket (215) than 35-44 year old’s who made up 19% of all
visitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Age brackets 45-54, 55-64
and 65+ made up 16% each and 18-24 year old’s were the smallest group at
10%.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzZrZmOOQ7wQ0VuacIEOH1z-GbmwWiY_VPI_-WoQY2JZTwhYI0fu12qvruQwTnskp9_i1z17Di32C38WAmZiOHDnexgsGFbhco7THxRco3skJ2GNZF89bF1RrEzOnnjz7pkEaUlWPrqVQ/s461/demobyage.PNG" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a></li></ul><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTtvLGMf48VBHLFOqHBgCHPmY7ADhiNavS4yqRjOQKcGfVEF2LXUDtbhQlFPI7OUIHa2-Z1p6EuVyIphnJnBJkkYOjO7XqxvkeznEmk2jdiKtYno2kPvsUcnRHCrZDtc3EN7V_xsTjHQ6/s461/demobyage.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTtvLGMf48VBHLFOqHBgCHPmY7ADhiNavS4yqRjOQKcGfVEF2LXUDtbhQlFPI7OUIHa2-Z1p6EuVyIphnJnBJkkYOjO7XqxvkeznEmk2jdiKtYno2kPvsUcnRHCrZDtc3EN7V_xsTjHQ6//" width="85%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #444444; line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While in previous years our site was accessed about equally
by males and females, this year the traffic was 55% male and 45% female</span></li></ul><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHF2W2Z_ZOKoixUir1isFXHEwU5TPATBp5X6Kc___ZcC0PeX5M2EIIzuVG6joL1JhS9i6S_Q9Sa_ANrve3C8U3htE5XhL0aKTNqAYD4ZpTekEwIDBe5YCbTWLdosP7TMh2Eo46wIu4uZF/s345/demogender.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="345" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHF2W2Z_ZOKoixUir1isFXHEwU5TPATBp5X6Kc___ZcC0PeX5M2EIIzuVG6joL1JhS9i6S_Q9Sa_ANrve3C8U3htE5XhL0aKTNqAYD4ZpTekEwIDBe5YCbTWLdosP7TMh2Eo46wIu4uZF/s320/demogender.PNG" width="320" /></a></div></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Accessing the Website </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Google Chrome was the most popular web
browser to view our website, used by 46% of people (down slightly in
popularity over 2020). Safari usage was up from 26% in 2020 to 38%
in 2021.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edge, Firefox and Internet
Explorer make up the remainder of browser activity.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The website was accessed from desktop
computers 53% vs. 47% from smart phones and tablets. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of the mobile users, over 69% of those
were from Apple devices, which is a significant increase from only 50% in
2020.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The geography of users with the highest
sessions were 54% from Michigan, 11% from both Illinois and Wisconsin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ohio, Minnesota and other regional
states make up the remainder.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our site was accessed by people from 42
different states, which was up from just 35 states in 2020.</span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #444444;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-1cKunS2pSw3n6k3rG9Ky4hyphenhyphenqGPkEVWRodYpgwIqizqM-1r29FOCdq1Ad6Ptv76rFLijopadwsNLcLRCONdGhiciDbvGBR46bRL3sezMW-914HKcTA2UNTAWV0CGloSWlYMe7KLWNdjE//"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-1cKunS2pSw3n6k3rG9Ky4hyphenhyphenqGPkEVWRodYpgwIqizqM-1r29FOCdq1Ad6Ptv76rFLijopadwsNLcLRCONdGhiciDbvGBR46bRL3sezMW-914HKcTA2UNTAWV0CGloSWlYMe7KLWNdjE//" width="85%" /></a></div><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div><span style="color: #444444;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></span></div>Online Club Registrations </span></b></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This year we processed 34 online memberships, which is an increase of 20% increase over 2019.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The website for signing up for a UPRRC club membership is </span><span color="windowtext"><a href="https://runsignup.com/Club/MI/Marquette/UpperPeninsulaRoadRunnersClub"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://runsignup.com/Club/MI/Marquette/UpperPeninsulaRoadRunnersClub</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
are always taking suggestions on improving the website. Please submit
those to </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8037585207420310433/2502491250344015865"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: blue; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">eric.charette@yahoo.com</span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cordially, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
</span><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Eric Charette</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">UPRRC Webmaster</span><o:p></o:p></p>Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-74031671148005928862020-11-03T05:19:00.003-08:002020-11-03T05:19:55.020-08:002020 Webmaster Notes for Annual Meeting<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial;">It is with great pleasure, that I present the UPRRC Webmaster annual report to our distinguished board and entire membership on this the 7th day of November, 2020.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;">This year presented some unique challenges the likes that we have never seen before, possibly in our lifetime. Just as the race season was beginning to ramp up at the end of winter, the United States was just about to shut down due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. To flatten the curve, the Governor of Michigan declared a state of emergency on March 10th, all K-12 schools were closed three days later and a statewide remain at home order was in place within two weeks. This also meant that public gatherings were limited and everyone was maintaining 6' of social distancing, which put an abrupt halt to all (running) races. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">The UPRRC leadership team </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">began </span><a href="http://www.uprrc.org/covid-19-impacted-events.html" target="_blank">updating the website</a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;"> almost daily beginning in Match as race directors began to cancel or postpone their race events. By the end of the season, nearly 50 events were cancelled and 14 more held virtual only events. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">Examining the <a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/03/20/michigan-covid-19-data-tracking-case-count-cases-by-county-deaths-cases-by-age-tests/" target="_blank">data from October 24</a>, the U.P. has had just under 100 deaths attributed to the virus, which represented just over 3% of the total confirmed cases in Michigan. Thankfully the fatality rate in the 15 UP counties was only 1.85%, which is less than half the state wide average. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">While the true impact to the UP was slow to ramp up compared to Detroit and lower Michigan, by late fall, the UP was buckling down to limit the spread and races continued to be impacted. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">Thankfully we have tools like Zoom to help us with our club business and reach you today. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">Here are the specifics on our website from 2020 and the impacts that COVID-19 has had on our club.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;"><b>Website Traffic</b></span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the period January 1, 2020 to November 1,
2020, we had 4,265 page views (down from 5,286 in 2019 and 7,801 in 2018)</span></li><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We had 1913 unique
visitors (down by just 1 from 2019)</span></li><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Summary is that we had virtually the same number of visitors but they visited our website 20% less often. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial;">Users spend about 2 minutes and 55 seconds on our website per session and visit an average of 1.58 pages with the calendar being the most popular with 1/3 of all page views. </span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As compared to previous years when our peak website traffic occurred during the
summer months, this year we hit peaks and records for users, page hits and new users all in March at the beginning of the pandemic. </span></li><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our rate of new users was 86% which is 3% above our average for the last two years</span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMigfNAIDZT-10f7va8xXJlBR4BwRmMICKtpu8C21vDChhZ5mnudGtXih3Y8h0XYVc7RsgdGsK-t5hYUn_iF41VMV16nK61fFqt3jofukpWDd5l5jg5YicZ9zJ3AUJQ3t6VwbUHrkjUQeN//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="2134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMigfNAIDZT-10f7va8xXJlBR4BwRmMICKtpu8C21vDChhZ5mnudGtXih3Y8h0XYVc7RsgdGsK-t5hYUn_iF41VMV16nK61fFqt3jofukpWDd5l5jg5YicZ9zJ3AUJQ3t6VwbUHrkjUQeN//" width="98%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Website Demographics</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;">Our website is most popular with 25-34 age bracket but that number only drops by 6% as you get to those over 65 showing that our content appeals to people of all ages. Previously it was older age groups that were accessing our site most often.</span></li><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;">Our site was accessed equally by males and females</span></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIguj3JIRGet4YRaEnQrxyIBu2usAAesaAB6MzOFDdDG3-453JbxxzeP34U8wXyFVEt0Ea9nn92QALenkgkEUkhA4eXssl5dH8BRGuKgPmjvARWmpE0jaWEJakxyJle5bmpy1SMmc0Tyy//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="983" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIguj3JIRGet4YRaEnQrxyIBu2usAAesaAB6MzOFDdDG3-453JbxxzeP34U8wXyFVEt0Ea9nn92QALenkgkEUkhA4eXssl5dH8BRGuKgPmjvARWmpE0jaWEJakxyJle5bmpy1SMmc0Tyy//" width="98%" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;"><b>Accessing the Website </b></span><br /><ul><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Google Chrome was the most popular web browser to view our website, used by 50% of people (up 9% in popularity over 2019). Safari was 26%, Edge/IE was 9%, Firefox was 3% and the remainder were other browsers.</span></li><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The website was accessed from desktop computers 55% vs.45% from smart phones and tablets. Of the smart device users, over 50% of those were from Apple devices. </span></li><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;">The geography of users with the highest sessions were 55% from Michigan, 10% from Illinois, 9% from Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota 2%.</span></li><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;">Our site was accessed by people from 35 different states.</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvD3nNt4M5MmgtbwaxGeLkIUBpzwTpbwfIereUyCbLJvOU7q16OmoWdBWgLRjSIRzZ4ApmNjksAW4w10xPu6jjQN1vnKaLQy2fUmOEVafE1tJr-_LTAFY_L_TvpJiWTSa41b0qNO8lnShb//" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvD3nNt4M5MmgtbwaxGeLkIUBpzwTpbwfIereUyCbLJvOU7q16OmoWdBWgLRjSIRzZ4ApmNjksAW4w10xPu6jjQN1vnKaLQy2fUmOEVafE1tJr-_LTAFY_L_TvpJiWTSa41b0qNO8lnShb//" width="98%" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;"><b>Online Club Registrations </b></span></div><ul><li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial;">This year we processed 28 online memberships which was in a similar range as to last year using </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8037585207420310433/7403167114800592886">https://runsignup.com/Club/MI/Marquette/UpperPeninsulaRoadRunnersClub</a></span></li></ul></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">We are always taking suggestions on improving the website.
Please submit those to <a href="mailto:eric.charette@yahoo.com">eric.charette@yahoo.com</a></span><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">Cordially, </span><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><br /><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #444444; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Eric Charette</span></i><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #444444;">UPRRC Webmaster</span></span><p></p><p></p><p></p>Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-91002680162413855462019-11-07T19:01:00.002-08:002019-11-07T19:01:40.917-08:00Webmaster Notes for Annual Meeting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">Attached is the annual report from the UPRRC Webmaster for 2019, to be presented by proxy at the Annual Meeting on November 9, 2019.</span></div>
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<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">In the period January 1, 2019 to November 1, 2019, we had 5,286 page views (528 a month or 17 a day) by 1914 unique visitors.</li>
<ul style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">This is lower than the 7,801 page views from 2,865 unique visitors we had for this same period in 2018 </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">The page views per month peak during the summer months.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheR0giBlQs3UzCn6bSpGPpg1GH49VRIkw_25SXu3qFkteNdAvxFw7SXhrlfhQulXNhmgSrEP5ZYL_97TZm9IlAmZugVQ19zejAY4ZFJGn_UQm1aTevL_F3ANxAnBJ25-iGT3C1wcFomgfu/s1600/view.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="1031" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheR0giBlQs3UzCn6bSpGPpg1GH49VRIkw_25SXu3qFkteNdAvxFw7SXhrlfhQulXNhmgSrEP5ZYL_97TZm9IlAmZugVQ19zejAY4ZFJGn_UQm1aTevL_F3ANxAnBJ25-iGT3C1wcFomgfu/s1600/view.PNG" width="99%" /></a></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Users spend about 80 seconds on our website per session and visit an average of 1.73 pages</li>
<li style="border: none; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">The Monthly Calendar view is the most visited page (39%) followed by the Monthly Calendar List view (36%)</li>
<li style="border: none; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">New users still represent 83% of all visitors in a year over year comparison</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1DVGOt1a3eElaIXYjgHgxc_B6GpkudhEXtLtzPbmY6oOB2Avpv4TBr1ZcOP-nsk4qfTFd5N7KLReo4-96skqRDO7UjwAV3OodJXE4xZUwFGLL4Ukzk74bR-fS30pGELNgBvBGZbfXyiI/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="414" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1DVGOt1a3eElaIXYjgHgxc_B6GpkudhEXtLtzPbmY6oOB2Avpv4TBr1ZcOP-nsk4qfTFd5N7KLReo4-96skqRDO7UjwAV3OodJXE4xZUwFGLL4Ukzk74bR-fS30pGELNgBvBGZbfXyiI/s320/Untitled.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">This year we processed 32 online memberships compared to 40 in 2018 using <a href="https://runsignup.com/Club/MI/Marquette/UpperPeninsulaRoadRunnersClub">https://runsignup.com/Club/MI/Marquette/UpperPeninsulaRoadRunnersClub</a></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">The geography of users with the highest sessions were:</li>
<ul>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">13.29% from Chicago</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">5.94% from Escanaba</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">3% from each of these (Iron Mountain, Houghton, Marquette)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Google Chrome was the most popular web browser to view our website used 41% of the time. Safari was 32% and others made up the rest. </li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">The website was accessed from Windows computers (43%) vs. Apple computers (31%)</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Apple iOS was the overwhelmingly most popular mobile browser used to access the site at 66% of the time, with Android at 32%.</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Where data is available (which is on 42% of our site hits) the top age group is 45-54 years old.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8OIZruX1ZX2ycMDnFFanOb1hVtnlontrNR1Rbg7Cq7z6NT5j7NB_M5mh-hpoInagswtSNmHV86vjDA2a31GnPzEzKvbC1mBmJMDlUKAJDJf73N2duF9sLvuv8u4owWBoN3UgDuVJiWas/s1600/age.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="532" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8OIZruX1ZX2ycMDnFFanOb1hVtnlontrNR1Rbg7Cq7z6NT5j7NB_M5mh-hpoInagswtSNmHV86vjDA2a31GnPzEzKvbC1mBmJMDlUKAJDJf73N2duF9sLvuv8u4owWBoN3UgDuVJiWas/s320/age.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Our website is visited by slightly more male visitors (51%) than female.</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLKmfqKKPiIbgix711ypS_L7vzj-9va_MBpWcYaA7p2lMUX65uilvZNYBe66ABIHztrZFdzGHfHGFYGR0aIh0vacvrXZ6LRdP_d68fbP0DnBJNhNIKvkCufgbOU1i1pzLqOTG2HOZ2wMy/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLKmfqKKPiIbgix711ypS_L7vzj-9va_MBpWcYaA7p2lMUX65uilvZNYBe66ABIHztrZFdzGHfHGFYGR0aIh0vacvrXZ6LRdP_d68fbP0DnBJNhNIKvkCufgbOU1i1pzLqOTG2HOZ2wMy/s1600/Capture.PNG" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">We are always taking suggestions on improving the website. Please submit those to eric.charette@yahoo.com</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Cordially, </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><i>Eric Charette</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">UPRRC Webmaster</span></span></div>
Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-60474444953558151702019-10-27T17:52:00.000-07:002019-10-27T17:56:20.728-07:002019 UPRRC Annual Meeting<b><span style="font-size: large;">2019 UPRRC Annual Meeting</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Date</b><br />
Saturday, November 9, 2019<br />
<br />
<b>Location</b><br />
<a href="http://queencityrunningco.com/" target="_blank">Queen City Running Co.</a><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Address</b><br />
119 W. Baraga Ave Marquette, MI 49855<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2744.3506737415883!2d-87.39670988440615!3d46.54074947912839!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x4d4e20996a9c9405%3A0x2e4743daea606f0f!2s119+W+Baraga+Ave%2C+Marquette%2C+MI+49855!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1537744094802" style="border: 0;" width="400"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<b>Schedule</b><br />
Meeting to start at 12:00pm noon Eastern Time<br />
Note there is no formal run planned for prior to the meeting. <br />
<br />
<b>Agenda</b>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Officer and Staff Reports </li>
<li>Financial Overview</li>
<li>Set membership dues for 2020</li>
<li>Appointments</li>
<li>Hall of Fame Nominations </li>
<li>New Business </li>
<li>Set Meeting Date for 2020 </li>
</ul>
All members are invited and encouraged to attend and refreshments will be provided!Upper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-21037981220126228312019-08-30T09:44:00.001-07:002019-08-30T09:44:17.844-07:00Rediscover RunningWe all have had periods of long time where we were not able to run. <br />
<br />
I am not talking about a weekend when your in-laws are in town or it rains cats and dog for three days making outside running difficult. I am talking about the times when it is weeks, months or years since you have run. This might be because you can't run, like coming back from an injury -- or times where you just don't want to run because you've lost the desire. <br />
<br />
If you are in this state right now, I'd like to suggest that you rediscover running today. <br />
<br />
Let's look at two examples that define what I mean. <br />
<br />
During my competitive running career, I went through periods where I struggled to find motivation. One particular time I recall was when I had plateaued with my race times and no matter what I tried, I just couldn't take that next step with my time goals. I still ran every day, but I was just going through the motions. Living in Alabama, you literally can train year round because even the winter weather is tolerable. I had been training nonstop, year round, for 5 years with no break. I felt like I was in my peak years for fast times, so I was unwilling to take a break and lose any fitness. I knew that unless something changed, I was going to ultimately burn out and either walk away from running, or risk injury and not be able to run.<br />
<br />
I knew that I needed to rediscover running. Not that I had forgotten how to run, but I had forgotten what I loved about running.<br />
<br />
So, I started to trail run, much more often. I still did my quality running on the roads and track for temp and VO2Max workouts, but on most other days I could be found in the woods on single track. For me, being alone in the wilderness is just about as good as it gets. It doesn't matter if I am crushing a hill climb, working on my footwork on a technical downhill or just on an easy jog with my dog, I feel so alive when trail running. <br />
<br />I noticed that my joints stopped hurting so much from the less from the softer surface of hard packed trails. My road running quality actually improved because I wanted to make the most of my actual workouts. And for once in a very long time, I actually started looking forward to running again. It just took a change of where I ran to mix in more trail running, and I was able to rediscover why I loved running so much.<br />
<br />
I was able to rediscover running and it changed my life. <br />
<br />
Fast forward nearly a decade to present day. I have been retired from competitive running since December of 2016 when I went out on top with a Boston Marathon qualifying time at Run CIM in Sacramento, California. But with medical issues, I really have not been able to run (fast) since hanging it up. <br />
<br />
There is an old saying that reads "<i>If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.</i>" Well I didn't let running go, I had to walk away from it, even if it was on my own terms. But the yearning for it was so much greater because I was still at the tail end of my prime and I knew that I had more quality miles left in my legs. How can you continue to do something that you love so much, but not at the same level you could once?<br />
<br />
I knew that I needed to rediscover running. Not that I had forgotten how to run, but I had forgotten what I loved about running.<br />
<br />
I quickly learned that I needed to redefine what running was for me. Because it will no longer be repeating quarters on a track at sub minute miles or going out for 3 hour long runs. Running is now closer to jogging than running. Running is taking the dog out for an hour where I rotate running for a minute followed by walking for a few minutes. Running is being in a new city and exploring on foot pre-dawn to experience new places. Running means something different to everyone, and can even change what it means for each person over time. <br />
<br />
I was able to rediscover running and it changed my life. <br />
<br />
With winter fast approaching, if you have been on a break with running, now is the perfect time to rediscover it. Start slowly to avoid injury or burnout, but build up a routine before the snow flies. Depending on where you live, you have 1-2 months before it gets really cold to create a new habit of running, <br />
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Be sure to understand that what running was to you before you stopped may be different than what it is to you when you start again. Maybe once you rediscover running you will actually enjoy it more (or differently) than you once did. <br />
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Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-37159139241023734652018-09-23T16:10:00.002-07:002018-09-23T16:10:33.012-07:002018 UPRRC Annual Meeting<b><span style="font-size: large;">2018 UPRRC Annual Meeting</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Date</b><br />
Saturday, November 3, 2018<br />
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<b>Location</b><br />
<a href="http://queencityrunningco.com/" target="_blank">Queen City Running Co.</a><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Address</b><br />
<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/LL4nBqvuwk92" target="_blank">1</a>19 W. Baraga Ave Marquette, MI 49855<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2744.3506737415883!2d-87.39670988440615!3d46.54074947912839!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x4d4e20996a9c9405%3A0x2e4743daea606f0f!2s119+W+Baraga+Ave%2C+Marquette%2C+MI+49855!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1537744094802" style="border: 0;" width="400"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<b>Schedule</b><br />
UPRRC 5km fun run to start at 11:00am Eastern Time<br />
Meeting to start at 12:00pm noon Eastern Time<br />
<br />
<b>Agenda</b><br />
Agenda items will include reports by the officers, newsletter editor, webmaster, treasurer report, membership dues, appointments for 2019 and review of the 2018 activities. Additional items may be added to the agenda at the meeting,.<br />
<br />
All members are invited and encouraged to attend!Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-77079853746201405842018-09-23T13:21:00.001-07:002018-09-23T13:25:45.911-07:00Looking back to 10 years ago<span style="font-size: 28.8px;">Charette Returns Home, Wins Classic</span><br />
<br />
By ERIC CHARETTE, Senior Writer<br />
August 2, 2008<br />
<br />
IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. - In a closely contested battle, a runner with local ties outlasts the rest of the field in the 2008 Lake Antoine Classic 5-mile race on Saturday. Eric Charette, now of Huntsville, Alabama won the race by a mere 5 seconds over his closest competitor, capturing his first race victory in 100 career attempts.<br />
<br />
"The race played out almost exactly as I had scripted it in my head when I developed my race plan," Charette said, after returning back to his home town specifically to run this race. "I've always said that running races starts with training, is followed by a well planned strategy for the race, then it all comes down to execution."<br />
<br />
Charette later indicated that his plan was four-fold; to go out hard in the first mile, possibly taking the lead in order to set the pace. This would separate the serious contenders from the rest of the pack. Then to run a relaxed pace through the middle miles over the rolling hills on the west side of the lake, pushing hard but not all out. Then at the beginning of the last mile to lower the pace as to take the potential kick out of anyone that trailed closely, as he knew that he doesn't have the finishing speed of other runners with younger legs. Then after the last turn, to take a glance behind him to assess the situation in order to determine how he would need to run the last quarter mile.<br />
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<img src="https://lh4.ggpht.com/ejcharette/SJUlXdnJyQI/AAAAAAAAEt4/94YMmkXLX7g/s400/IMG_0353.JPG" />
<br />
<br />
As the race began shortly after 9am, the sprinters quickly took the lead before exiting the park and out onto the road with Charette among them. It was wasn't until just short of the half mile mark that Charette took the lead. As planned he pushed the pace early, clocking a 5:22 in the first mile, building a lead of 8 seconds over the nearest runner.<br />
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"I felt pretty good early on this race, despite having to run into a mild head-wind on the way out," Charette said. "I knew that the first mile was run much faster than I could hold for the entire race, but this was part of my plan and I had executed the first part flawlessly."<br />
<br />
The "Classic" course, now in it's 31st year, runs around Lake Antoine on the roads and provides little shade for runners. The course is mostly flat, but provides some short rolling hills in the middle miles that challenge even the best runners when running at top speed.<br />
<br />
Charette held true to his plan, running the middle miles at a pace closer to what he would average overall. His splits came in at 5:36, 5:47 and 5:38 for miles two, three and four. The third mile was comparatively slower paced than the other miles as this would include the hills along Devereaux St and Lakeside Dr. In the section of the race, the nearest runner to Charette, Tim Hebert from Fort Collins, CO, closed in on the lead, making it a two man race.<br />
<br />
"I knew that he was lurking behind me and that he was getting stronger and faster in the middle miles," Charette said after the race. "There aren't many tight turns where you can look behind to see the chase pack, so I could sense him there but had no idea how close he was. I did know that I was dictating how the race was being run and running relaxed was part of the plan for this part. I was preserving energy for a hard push in which I would try to build more separation over the pack before the home stretch."<br />
<br />
Eric Charette had been in this position before, having recently lead a 5 kilometer race in Florence, AL before he was out sprinted in the last 100 meters by two younger runners, resulting in a 3rd place finish.<br />
<br />
"I wasn't about to lose the lead like I did a few weeks ago. I knew that in order to stay in first, I would have to show the field that they would have to run 10-15 seconds faster than me in an already break-neck pace from miles 4 to 4.5."<br />
<br />
Charette, who has now been running competitively for merely 5 years, just topped the 10,000 mile mark for his career. He also owns 60 top 10 finishes and averages in the top 10% of his races more than 90% of the time. He has become more dedicated and driven in 2008, as he has already run 25 races since early April. Other than a weekend off after the Boston Marathon, Charette has raced every weekend, often twice on the same day, in chasing his first victory.<br />
<br />
"I was really gunning for a victory at the 'Bass Run' a few weeks ago in Crystal Falls. We had great weather that day and I ran a near perfect race but just couldn't stay with the leader, Jake Keehan, a freshman runner for UW - Oshkosh." Charette would finish in 2nd at that race, adding to his career total of 9 second place finishes.<br />
<br />
As the runners came into the final turn onto the east side of the park, Charette held a short lead over Hebert.<br />
<br />
"Rounding that last corner was the first time that I could clearly see Tim. This was a great feeling because I knew that he would have a difficult time closing the gap in the last quarter mile," Charette said. "At this point I told myself that I only had to hold on and endure for less than a minute and the race would be over."<br />
<br />
Coming through the gates into the park, Charette sprinted toward the finish line pumping his fist in victory. Finishing with a time of 28:01, Charette claimed the overall honors by 5 seconds over second place, earning his first career victory.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/ejcharette/SJUkopthLMI/AAAAAAAAEtg/XlQ-hJlbSLw/s400/IMG_0355.JPG" /><br />
<br />
"I knew that I would have to run at least a mid 28 to have a chance to win. I have never run faster than a mid 29 in a 5-mile race before but using my recent races as a guide, I felt that I had a fast time in my legs," said Charette who lowered his personal best by 80 seconds for this distance. Running 16 seconds per mile faster than he had ever done so for this distance, Charette had raced to his script and won in front of the hometown crowd and his parents, Dennis and Drema.<br />
<br />
"In running as many miles as I do, I have been over this scenario a thousand times in my head. How would I perform when it really mattered, carrying the lead into the final stretch? Would I falter under the pressure of the situation and succumb to the competition, or would I stay mentally strong and finish what I had started when I took my first steps as a runner back in 2003?"<br />
<br />
Charette would answer this question in grand fashion with a story-book ending. "It takes a lot of will to keep trying when you have failed at something 99 times before. It would be easy to quit, but that's not in my character. I may never win another race after this, but knowing that I was able to do it on this day under these conditions makes the years of training all worth it."<br />
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Tim Hebert would go on to finish second overall with a time of 28:06. The top local runner would be Andrew Kangas, rounding out the top 3 with a time of 29:47. Perennial local runner Steve Orchard took 4th.<br />
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<img src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/ejcharette/SJUkNWrmdDI/AAAAAAAAEtM/XpdGWu_-_KU/s400/IMGP2468.JPG" /><br />
<br />
After the awards were announced, Charette said "I may be holding the first place award, but credit goes to so many people that made this happen. Without all of them and their support, I'd never have started running or kept up with it for so long."<br />
<br />
So what is next for Charette? When asked, he replied, "I am unsure of what I will do next. My short term goals have been met, which including qualifying for and racing the Boston Marathon and winning a competitive race. My long term goals remain as trying to break 3 hours in a marathon and running more ultra marathons. I'd really like to go beyond the 50km mark and maybe run a 50 or 100 mile trail race someday. On the other hand, I am in great shape for road racing right now and I might be better well suited to chase the marathon time goal first. Either way, today's win will only drive me more to run and chase my dreams even more."<br />
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<img src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/ejcharette/SJUkQbyk68I/AAAAAAAAEtQ/Ek_mLaqN3ek/s400/IMGP2472.JPG" /><br />
<br />
The 32nd running of the Lake Antoine Classic is tentatively set for the first Saturday in August, 2009.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Eric Charette writes race reports after every race and posts them at www.ericcharette.com</span>Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-60315195223698275432018-04-29T06:45:00.002-07:002018-04-29T06:45:35.656-07:00We are all the same, you and I Unless there is a miracle, my competitive racing career is over as I have effectively been forced into early retirement due to health concerns. While I struggle with this notion from time to time, it has given me the opportunity to look back at what was an otherwise stellar stretch of running. These days I spend more quality time with my family and those long grueling pounding the pavement are replaced by hours of walking the dogs. It also has given me a lot of time to think back over my running career.<br />
<br />
During my 30’s I was racing almost every weekend; sometimes twice, averaging 40+ races a year for the better part of a decade. I was running every distance from 5km to 50km and was winning or standing on the podium in just about every race. You can say that I had an obsession. But like any athlete that rises to the top of their sport, it takes hard work and you have to be a little selfish and obsessed to rise and stay on top. There was a time early in my career where I was jerk! I never really knew how to deal with having success so it took me awhile to figure that out. <br />
<br />
I remember one incident in particular that helped to put some of this into perspective for me. There was a race in which a mid-pack runner came up to me and said that it was an honor to talk with an "elite runner". I knew that I was having success, but it never dawned on me that I was viewed as an elite runner by some people. So in the weeks to follow, I remember thinking long and hard about what that really meant. Why should it be any different to talk to someone just because they are good at something?<br />
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Then I realized that just like I looked up to faster runners at the time, and viewed them as elite, that person probably did the same to me. While none of us were going to the Olympics any time soon, I appreciated the kind words, but I also realized that it takes nothing more than going to a big time race to be humbled as to where we fit with our abilities. I also appreciated the fact that others looked up to me and I will admit that selfishly it did feel good to be recognized for something, but should it have been an honor to have me dispense some running advice because I was fast? No.<br />
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For tens of thousands of miles, I laced up my shoes just like any other runner. I paid the same race entry fees for races. Regardless of finishing time, we both put forth the same effort during the race. If you ran as hard as you could and you were proud of that effort, then I loved to hear about it. I was always looking to talk to people before and after races; I loved to hear the stories of where people were from, the adversity of their training and other stories that help bring us closer together as athletes. It should have been no more of a privilege to talk with a faster runner than it would be to talk with someone who had a higher rank at work; we are all people at heart and when you take running away, we are the same.<br />
<br />
I was taught by some of the best (and fastest) guys in town and I loved nothing more than to be able to pass this on to the up and coming runners. If I had kept it all to myself then it would have been a waste for those who taught me. I really enjoyed teaching so that others could pay it forward. I loved it when people would ask me for help on training or something running related where I could leverage what I have learned to help them out.<br />
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Just because I ran fast doesn't mean that I am, or was, any different than you. I respected the fact that you are out there doing it and trying your best. I was never above running with, or talking to anyone. If anything; the opposite. People think that because you are fast, that all you do is run fast. I loved to run with friends of all paces and really I just enjoyed the company of running with other people. If I was training for a goal race I would always find a time for my quality workouts. Not many people enjoy running alone day after day and I was no different; sometimes I'd rather sacrifice a key workout just to not run alone. After all, we are just human first and runners much further down the list.<br />
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Now I will be honest to say that after I warmed up before a race, and lowered the sunglasses, that was my time. It was how I went to that mental state that I needed to be in order to race my best. Some athletes use heavy rock music on their phone to take them there; for me lowering the sunglasses put me into the zone. But, the second the race was over, I got more enjoyment from seeing people finish and talk about how exciting it was to race. If I was able to help you in your training, with coaching or to even just encourage you with my words or cheering during the race, then that was greater than any medal or reward I could receive for my own efforts.<br />
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So if you are a 5 minute miler or a 9 minute miler; a 40 mile a week person or an 80 mile a week person; a 10 mile runner or a 100 mile runner; we are all the same, you and I. We are runners. We are athletes. We all suffer the same during races, hurt after hard workouts, have occasional injuries and smile from ear to ear when we cross the finish line, knowing that we have given our best effort. We all look up to people who are faster than us, but maybe we should be looking in all directions for good quality people – not just those who are gifted athletes.<br />
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Now that my racing days are over, I hope that I was known for who I was, or how I impacted your running life in a positive way, not because I ran a fast race once upon a time. I am just glad that I figured this out early on, and didn't continue my running career thinking that I was above anyone else. I was not. I was simply a man who had the will to test the limits of my body. And now that I look back on it, it means more to me that I may have been a difference maker in peoples lives, than all the medals that I earned. <br />
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After all, we are the same, you and I.
Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-7458695445009865842018-02-17T14:14:00.001-08:002018-02-17T14:15:05.357-08:00Running Injury PreventionIt is that time of year when most runners starting to think about the upcoming race season. In Upper Michigan, it is also a time for just being proud to "get out there" and log some base miles as the temperatures and conditions make it tough to do any real training. As you look back at last year, and look forward to this year, it is a great time to think about running injuries and what causes them. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!<br />
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Let me first say that I am not a medical doctor. What I am is a veteran runner who has been coached by the best; I have read dozens of books on running and training; have logged thousands of hours running and had just about every type of injury along the way. I understand how to apply the fundamental principles of training to achieve the desired result and maximize the ability of any runner. I have also successfully coached many runners of all levels.<br />
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Let’s first start with definitions.<br />
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An <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">INJURY </span>is a physical problem severe enough to force a reduction in training. Did you know that scientific studies show that about 60-80%* of all runners will experience an injury resulting in significant loss of training time (more than three days) during an average year? When compared to other endurance sports, the risks associated with running are higher. Injuries can have varying degrees of severity. The best source for grading these injuries is described by Bob Glover and discussed in "The Competitive Runner's Handbook." These grades are useful when describing the severity and knowing when to take corrective action.<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade One: </span>Minor aches that aren't noticed until after a run.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade Two: </span>Some discomfort is felt, possibly during the later stages of a run but does not affect performance.</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade Three: </span>Severe discomfort and pain which may alter form and limits training performance</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade Four: </span>Pain is so intense that running is not possible and you are forced to rest until it pain subsides</li>
</ul>
Being <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">SORE</span> or experiencing <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">SORENESS</span> after a strenuous workout, a time trial or a race is normal. You have just stressed your muscles beyond the limit of your regular workout and your body is reacting. Scientifically, soreness is your body's defense mechanism responding to tiny tears in muscle fibers as a result of the workout. After your muscles recover, they actually should be stronger. Tearing and repairing is the process of raising your fitness level and allows you eventually to run further and faster. Swelling is a side effect of your body trying to repair these fibers and may contribute to stiffness in the muscles. This process usually peaks within 48 hours after exercise. For this reason, you are sorer on the second day after a hard workout but for the same reason you are able to work out hard two days in a row (DOMS). <span style="color: red;">Being sore, stiff or fatigued does NOT mean that you are injured.</span>As Hal Higdon suggests, "If you want to become a runner, you may need to accept some soreness as a natural part of the conditioning process." Running is a process of repeatedly stressing your muscles to become faster and stronger, so some pain or soreness is to be expected.<br />
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Running injuries are quite common among amateurs and professionals, beginners and veterans. Although a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Archives of Internal Medicine, vol. 149(11), pp. 2565-2568, 1989) has determined that injury risk can be linked with inexperience. The study pointed out that individuals who had been training for less than three years were more likely to sustain injuries when compared with runners who had been running for longer periods of time.<br />
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A similar study by Dr. Murray Weisenfeld concluded that most injuries occur when running mileage starts to climb over 40 miles per week. That means that if you are training for a half or a full marathon, you are putting yourself at additional risk, even if you are able to limit all other factors.<br />
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Most injuries are caused by training errors with very few injuries occurring as a result of a single factor. Injuries do not occur suddenly, but more gradually, elevating up the scale as mentioned above. Of the many things that you need to know in order to avoid time limiting injuries is the ability to recognize the difference between normal soreness and possibly progressive injuries. Knowing your body and understanding when you have stressed it too much and when to back off is very important.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Injury causes</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Improper form and/or poor biomechanics</span><br />
This is listed first because it is something that you can do very little to change. You may choose proper footwear to correct pronation or study video of your running form to help make minor corrections, but in the end, your natural form may limit your ability to run without risk of injury. Some people may have a great desire to run and be competitive but do not have the basic genetics to support anything more than running for basic fitness. You can tweak your form, slightly improve your vo2max and your running economy, but as my long time running partner Marty Clarke has been quoted in saying, "You had all of the ability to run the day that you were born."<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">General overuse</span><br />
This is a blanket category for running too much. This is the most common factor leading to injuries and means not backing off in training when the initial signs of an injury are felt. It simply means that you have stressed something repeatedly without adequate rest to allow for the rebuilding process as discussed above.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Equipment related</span><br />
This is mostly related to footwear, though can also be improper apparel for the conditions. If you are wearing shoes that are not designed for your foot then you are putting yourself at risk when you take your first step. Going through a formal fit process, having an expert analyze your form to properly recommend the right shoe for you is vital. Since your feet strike the ground 90 times per minute per foot, it all starts with your feet and works up from there. Typically shoes need replacement after 300 to 500 miles and it is smart to begin to rotate in a new pair of shoes after 200 miles on the first pair. Not allowing your footwear to properly dry out after wear is the number one cause for them to break down and reduce their life.<br />
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There are no ways to truly avoid injuries, but you can do your best to lower the probability that you experience one that will set back your training. This is in no way a complete list, but here are things that you can do to improve your chances of staying healthy.<br />
<ul>
<li>Build mileage at an increasing rate of no more than 10% per week, reducing mileage every 4th week to permit recovery.</li>
<li>Follow the hard – easy rule, scheduling a day of rest or easy running following a hard workout and before the next hard workout.</li>
<li>Don't do too much, too soon, too often, too fast, too hard, with too little rest.</li>
<li>Listen to your body. When it says to back off, take an extra day of rest, knowing that you can’t skip all of your hard workouts or you might consider a less aggressive plan.</li>
<li>Be sure to be properly hydrated and taking adequate nutrition, before, during and after your run. Carbing up is important to provide proper fuel before the run, during the run to help sustain longer efforts and immediately after to help the recovery process.</li>
<li>Incorporate stretching into your routine, after muscles are warm and after activity subsides.</li>
<li>When needed, leverage recovery tools such as message, icing, compression, elevation and rest on aching muscles.</li>
<li>Try to vary the type of surface that you do your training on, knowing that a softer surface such as trails are easier on your joints and will prolong your running career than daily pounding on concrete and blacktop.</li>
<li>Add strength training to your program, especially in the building phase toward your goal race.</li>
<li>Keep your weight in an acceptable range for your height and gender, eating as healthy as possible. Being on the heavier end of the ranges may cause joint (especially knee) pain.</li>
<li>Obtain proper rest during your training and understand that as your volume of running increases, so must your hours of sleep.</li>
<li>Warm up before each workout and follow it up with a proper cool down. This will help to ease into the workout before introducing stressors to cold muscles.</li>
</ul>
So what does all of this mean? Soreness is inevitable and while injuries are likely for endurance running athletes (based on studies and the law of averages), you can take steps to reduce your risk factor. Training too hard too often may lead to injury, while not training hard enough will lead to underachieving and failure to achieve goals; there is a fine line between these two. Training is about finding your limits and learning how far you can push yourself without getting hurt.<br />
<br />
While there is proven theology behind these methods and they are applied with the utmost attention, there is no guarantee that they work unilaterally across all runners. This is because no two runners are alike and each person responds differently to training. When I am coaching runners, I do my best to instruct runners on how to train properly, give them the best chance to succeed while teaching them to run and remain healthy for the long term. If they follow our properly designed training program which incorporates the principles discussed above, listen to the advice given and listen to their bodies, they have the greatest chance of success.Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-43296166427971178672017-12-14T09:30:00.002-08:002017-12-14T09:30:40.860-08:00Knowing how to trainTraining to be the best runner you can be, involves knowing <b>how</b> to train.<br />
<br />
As we approach the holiday season (aka the off season for racing in Upper Michigan) I thought it would be a good time to blog about building your training plans for the 2018 season. If you want to be able to realize all of your potential and race the best that YOU can, it involves so much more than just going out to beat the pavement at the same pace everyday. You have to first understand the different types of workouts, then apply them to your goal race. <br />
<br />
These principles apply to all runners... regardless of pace. If you follow the basic training principals, you can put yourself into the best position to succeed.<br />
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I have spent countless hours reading every book running I can get my hands on (I consider <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-Jack/dp/0880117354">Daniels Running Formula</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Marathoning-2nd-Peter-Pfitzinger/dp/0736074600/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346120360&sr=1-1&keywords=advanced+marathoning">Advanced Marathoning</a> by Pfitzinger and Douglas to be the best) and learning from from the best runners who have taken me under their wing over the years. This blog reflects my research.<br />
<br />
<b>The Goals</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
This training plan is based on solid science, and its physiological facts from proven sources and years of experience. It should produce maximum results and reduce the risk of injury and help you understand how to train at the right pace for the right distance on the right days.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Five types of workouts in a training plan</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Basic speed</li>
<ol>
<li>This is short fast speed work to improve leg turnover and running form</li>
<ol>
<li>It is how fast you can run all out, but not how far.</li>
</ol>
<li>Basic speed is the <i>least important to distance runners</i></li>
<ol>
<li>But still needed for that finishing kick</li>
</ol>
<li>Speed is stride frequency times stride length.</li>
<li>Strides</li>
<ol>
<li>Accelerate smoothly up to full speed then hold that for 50 meters then decelerate</li>
<li>Maintain good form stay relaxed</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>VO2Max</li>
<ol>
<li>Longer reputations of 2 - 6 minutes at 3 to 5k pace improve VO2Max</li>
<ol>
<li>It is difficult to hold VO2Max pace for much longer than 6 minutes</li>
</ol>
<li>VO2Max is your aerobic capacity</li>
<ol>
<li>A combination of your genetics and your training determine how high of a VO2Max you have</li>
</ol>
<li>Possible to improve your capacity by 20 to 30%</li>
<li>Can estimate your VO2Max based on your recent race times as a rough estimate</li>
<ol>
<li>Typically it is between your 3k and 5k pace</li>
</ol>
<li>Best way to improve it rapidly is by running 2.5 to 5 minutes of intervals per workout</li>
<li>One high volume workout at 95 to 100 percent VO2Max per week</li>
<li>Improve most rapidly by running repetitions of 2 to 6 minutes of duration, which is about 600 to 1600 meters for most runners</li>
<li>Speed of these workouts is important</li>
<ol>
<li>It is narrow band where you don't want to go too fast or too slow or you aren't getting the true benefit of the workout</li>
</ol>
<li>Recovery should be long enough to bring heart rate down to 65 percent</li>
<ol>
<li>As a guideline the rest between intervals should be from 50 to 90 percent of the interval time</li>
<li>Active recovery is recommended with slow jog</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>Lactate Threshold (LT)</li>
<ol>
<li>It is an intensity level of exercise above which the metabolic waste product lactic acid accumulates in the blood faster than the circulatory system can remove it</li>
<ol>
<li>Lactate is a byproduct of carbohydrate metabolism</li>
<li>VO2Max plateaus but your lactate threshold continues to increase</li>
</ol>
<li>Your LT determines how fast you can race</li>
<ol>
<li>When racing you select a pace that prevents the accumulation of lactate</li>
<ol>
<li>Lactate threshold is more important when running beyond 10k</li>
<li>For 10km VO2Max and lactate threshold are equally important.</li>
<li>For 5km it is more VO2Max</li>
<ol>
<li>For shorter races you can exceed your lactate threshold</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>Lactate threshold occurs at about 15k to half marathon pace</li>
<ol>
<li>Lactate threshold is at about 85 to 92 percent of maximal heart rate</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>Best way to improve lactate threshold is to train at or slightly above your lactate threshold.</li>
<ol>
<li>LT training is a determinate of your endurance, the ability to maintain a certain pace for a prolonged distance</li>
<li>Higher the lactate threshold (percentage of VO2Max) the better the distance runner you are</li>
</ol>
<li>Three Types of LT Workouts</li>
<ol>
<li>Tempo runs</li>
<ol>
<li>A continuous run of 20 to 40 minutes at lactate threshold</li>
<ol>
<li>Tempo runs of 20 to 40 minutes at ten mile race pace to delay lactic acid build up</li>
<li>Two mile warm up, 4 miles at 15 k to half marathon race pace and a short cool down</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>LT Intervals</li>
<ol>
<li>Can gain a similar benefit by breaking your tempo run into two to four segments.</li>
<ol>
<li>We call these cruise intervals.</li>
<li>A short break in between sometimes can help mentally and phyiscally</li>
</ol>
<li>Three repetitions of 8 minutes at lactate threshold with 3 minutes of recovery.</li>
<li>Its how much time you accumulate at LT that counts</li>
<li>These can be 3x2 mile, 2x3 mile, etc</li>
</ol>
<li>LT Hills</li>
<ol>
<li>Hill repeats or mix in hills at lactate threshold during a long run</li>
<li>Hills also make you stronger</li>
</ol>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>Long runs</li>
<ol>
<li>Used to build endurance</li>
<li>You need to be able to cover the distance on race day</li>
<li>With pure endurance runs you are testing the limits of how far you can run without having to slow to a jog</li>
<li>By increasing the distance of your long run and secondarily your weekly mileage you gradually increase the capacity of your muscles to store glycogen.</li>
<ol>
<li>Glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrate in your muscles.</li>
</ol>
<li>Some experts say that long runs are at 70 to 85 percent of max heart rate or at 1 to 2 minutes slower than your half marathon pace</li>
<ol>
<li>Start off long runs at 90 seconds slow and work toward 40 seconds slow</li>
<li>Long runs will rarely be at the same pace for the entire run</li>
<li>Most experts I consider experts say that ideally you work in up to 50% of the long run at marathon goal pace</li>
<ol>
<li>After all, when you are able to run 22 miles in training, if 15 of that can't be at marathon goal pace, then how can you expect to run 26.2 miles at that pace on race day?</li>
</ol>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>Rest</li>
<ol>
<li>Easy recovery runs to allow top effort on the other days</li>
<li>Rest is very important and should not be ignored but placed strategically within your week</li>
</ol>
</ol>
Again depending on your goal race / distance, which workouts you do will vary. And within the full macro-cycle of your training, each week may vary pending the purpose of the micro-cycle. So while a perfect week for marathon training with 4 weeks to go might look something like this below, the very next week may differ.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Monday: VO2Max 4x1200m</li>
<li>Tuesday: Easy 3-5 miles</li>
<li>Wednesday: Endurance 10-12 miles</li>
<li>Thursday: LT 30 minutes at LT or 3x2 mile at LT</li>
<li>Friday: Easy/Rest</li>
<li>Saturday: Long Run 18-22 miles or Race (half marathon) </li>
<li>Sunday: Easy</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Good luck with your training!Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-27115392496012987922017-10-07T17:16:00.001-07:002017-10-07T17:16:36.384-07:00Online RegistrationBack in the spring, the <a href="http://www.uprrc.org/" target="_blank">Upper Peninsula Road Runners Club </a>(UPPRC) took another step forward for the club by offering online registration for membership for the first time in club history. Paper applications are still accepted, but in today's age of technology, more and more people prefer using the Internet for their transactions.<br />
<br />
After many hours of research and testing different options, the club leadership chose <a href="https://runsignup.com/Club/MI/Marquette/UpperPeninsulaRoadRunnersClub" target="_blank">RunSignUp</a> to manage the online registrations. RunSignUp offered the best user interface, simplest management of the signup process and provided great analytics for reporting.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://runsignup.com/uprrc" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="100" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9QZgL73gNI7iKCKP9vYTzDUHqNouCOeyG0csvsyMiFDxHjIplfDvOp9-T66uxag-JpvdUOwXCOHo2LTn4eIR5Om37Gy5Oy-9fgLthzCQNVj0FxHIixngidMOeFSMrDt-ZxvFzxpDId0Y/s200/orange-ron.bxm3TS.png" width="100" /></a></div>
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Since offering online registration, we have noticed a spike in registrations, adding several dozen new members in just the last six months. As the club continues to flourish, it allows us to provide more services to our members.<br />
<br />
There will be discussions over the next few months about how we will handle renewals in January, as RunSignUp also offers that feature.<br />
<br />
<b>2017 New Members Using Online Registration</b><br />
Brenda Rosenstiel - Sturgeon Bay, WI<br />
Shalee Lang - Quinnesec, MI<br />
Matthew Oconnor - Chicago, IL<br />
Marcie Blickham - Wilson, MI<br />
Phil Strong - Ironwood, MI<br />
Donna Gering - Ironwood, MI<br />
Mike Jenkins - Carney, MI<br />
Justin LaCosse - Houghton, MI<br />
John Spence - Ironwood, MI<br />
Ed Williams - Kingsford, MI<br />
Amie Evans - Marquette, MI<br />
Laurie Lindstrom - Manistique, MI<br />
Kaylyn Bernard - Marquette, MI<br />
Kate Larsen - Hancock, MI<br />
Bob Tervonen - Ironwood, MI<br />
Rachel Mellin - Marquette, MI<br />
Ryan (Jessica, West) Knapp - Ishpeming, MI<br />
Ken Rajala - Ishpeming, MI<br />
Brandon Rutter - Kingsford, MI<br />
Ian Schoone - Iron River, MI<br />
Shaun Kahanec - Plymouth, MI<br />
Paul (Harold, Lydia) Johns - Munising, MI<br />
Peggy Groeneveld - Kingsford, MI<br />
Barb Byrum - Onondaga, MI<br />
Susi Hurley - Marquette, MI<br />
Kate Havel - Marquette, MI<br />
Tony Cousineau - Felch, MI<br />
Steve (Chris, Lucas, Tony) Cavalieri - Iron Mountain, MI<br />
Aimee Tatangelo - Iron Mountain, MIEric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-81799962159575591362017-07-23T14:01:00.000-07:002017-07-23T14:01:07.212-07:005th annual Whitefish Point MarathonPARADISE The 5th annual Whitefish Point Marathon was held on Saturday, June 10, 2017.<br />
<br />
A field of 61 runners lined up at the Whitefish Township Services building to begin their 26.2 mile journey. The route took the runners north on M-123 and the Whitefish Point Road to the turnaround at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point before returning south to finish at the Whitefish Township Community Center. To obtain the exact distance for a USA Track & Field (USATF) certified course, the runners ran an out and back section on Vermilion Road on the way north and traversed N Superior Drive on the return. Given a change in the course, the winners all posted course records. All 61 runners completed the marathon.<br />
<br />
Prior to the start, Race Director, Bill Sved, provided race instructions; followed by marathon runner Tim Mutterer of Kaukana, WI, singing the national anthem. Rob Bannan of Paradise recited an Irish Blessing. The temperature was in the high forties for the 7:00 AM start under cloudy skies. About an hour later, a light rain began to fall which showered the runners periodically for the next several hours and ending before the majority of the runners crossed the finish line.<br />
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The overall men’s winner was Patrick Frahm, 23, of Saginaw, MI, posting a time of 2:56:22 (hours, minutes, seconds) finishing his first marathon. The women’s winner, Chelsea Blanchard, 27, of Bloomington, IN, also finishing her first marathon, with a time of 3:00:15, was the second finisher overall. Both winners, posted BQ’s (Boston Qualifier) times by meeting the standards set for their age for the 2018 Boston Marathon.<br />
<br />
All finishers received a Lake Superior stone medallion with the Whitefish Point Marathon logo. and overall and age group winners were presented with a Lake Superior stone, each with a different scene representative of the area, hand painted by Sherri McLellen of Paradise.<br />
<br />
The nine finishers posting Boston Qualifying times were awarded mugs with the logo of the Whitefish Point Marathon and a large BQ in blue and yellow, the colors most often associated with the Boston Marathon. The 17 first time marathon finishers were also recognized for their accomplishment with a medal. Official results were tabulated by Nikki Craig, Registration Coordinator.<br />
<br />
The Whitefish Point Marathon is an event hosted by the Paradise Area Chamber of Commerce and included sponsors from Paradise, Newberry, and Sault Ste. Marie. All the runners are indebted to volunteers, the sponsors and the Whitefish Township Office, Whitefish Township EMS, and the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department, who were essential to the success of this race. A huge THANK YOU to all those that helped support the marathon.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8_zDc6OmWiwTWpoN01veHViRWM" target="_blank">Official Results</a> Upper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-74194255669089842382017-05-05T09:27:00.000-07:002017-05-05T09:27:54.433-07:00UPPRC President Bill Sved talks Whitefish Point Marathon<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-uI8uKTNQ6U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-74511656847103892502017-03-04T14:25:00.000-08:002017-03-04T14:25:13.751-08:00New MembershipsAs we move well into the new year, that means annual membership renewals for the UPPRC! <br />
<br />
We would like to Welcome these new members to the UPPRC.<br />
<br />
<i>Individual</i>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Cris Osier of Marquette MI</li>
<li>Karen Nelson of Gwinn MI</li>
<li>Jennifer Ryan of Marquette MI</li>
<li>Joanne Sved of Marquette MI </li>
</ul>
<i>Race/Corporate sponsors</i>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Queen City Running Company of Marquette MI</li>
<li>Superiorland Services Inc. of Ishpeming MI</li>
<li>Whitefish Point Marathon of Paradise MI.</li>
</ul>
As of February 24, 2017, the UPPRC currently has 182 memberships comprised of 307 members! If you need to renew, or would like to join, you can find information on our <a href="http://www.uprrc.org/membership.html" target="_blank">website</a>.Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-55174465267294838262015-11-06T18:52:00.002-08:002015-11-06T18:55:30.175-08:00Webmaster Notes for Annual Meeting<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Attached is the annual report from the UPRRC Webmaster for the previous 12 months, to be presented by proxy at the Annual Meeting on November 7, 2015.</span><br />
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<ul style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">In the last 12 months, we had 18,699 page views (1558 a month or 51 a day) by 7470 unique visitors.</li>
<ul>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">This is lower than the 2500 page views per month we had in the first 9 months that the new site went live (February 2014 to the annual meeting last year)</li>
</ul>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Users spend about two minutes on our website per session and visit an average of 2.4 pages</li>
<ul>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Unfortunately, 40% of the sessions last less than 10 seconds, indicating that users may be redirected on accident or they can not quickly find what they are looking for and end the session</li>
</ul>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">The page with the highest percentage of views (after the home page) is the Calendar (of race events)</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">72% of hits are from new users, compared to 28% coming from returning users</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">The geography of users with the highest sessions were:</li>
<ul>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">8.6% from Escanaba</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">7.2% from Marquette</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">3% from each of these (Ironwood, Iron Mountain, Houghton, Chicago)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Google Chrome was the most popular web browser to view our website used 54% of the time. Internet Explorer (Windows) was used 20% of the time with Safari and Firefox each used 11% of the time</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">The website was almost equally accessed from Windows computers (48%) vs. Apple computers (38%)</li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Apple iOS was the overwhelmingly most popular mobile browser used to access the site at 79% of the time, with Windows Mobile at 13% and Android at 6%</li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Things that are working well:</span><br />
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Race Directors are completing the online request to have races listed on our calendar</li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Things that could improve:</span><br />
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;">Submission of race results have been very low this year compared to other years. We continue to receive an extremely low number of race results emailed to us for inclusion on the website. It is suspected that this is due in part to the high number of UP races timed by Superior Timing, who hosts all results on their website.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Things that may be considered for 2016</span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Using online registration through the website for membership applications</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">We are always taking suggestions on improving the website. Please submit those to eric.charette@yahoo.com</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Cordially, </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;"><i>Eric Charette</i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">UPRRC Webmaster</span></span></div>
Upper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-47439263312810167312015-10-10T14:59:00.003-07:002015-10-10T14:59:48.383-07:002015 UPRRC Annual Meeting<b>Date</b><br />
Saturday, November 7, 2015<br />
<br />
<b>Location</b><br />
Jasper Ridge Restaurant<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Address</b><br />
<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/LL4nBqvuwk92" target="_blank">1075 Country Lane, Ishpeming, MI</a><br />
<br />
<b>Schedule</b><br />
Fun Run to start at 11:00am Eastern Time<br />
Meeting to start at 12:00pm noon Eastern Time<br />
<br />
<b>Agenda</b><br />
Agenda items will include reports by the officers, newsletter editor, webmaster, treasurer report, membership dues, equipment and rental fees, appointments for 2016 and review of the 2015 activities. Additional items may be added to the agenda at the meeting,. <br />
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All members are invited and encouraged to attend!Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-89409921931502924872015-07-16T17:11:00.000-07:002015-07-16T17:11:08.335-07:00Newest UPRRC MembersWelcome to the newest members of the Upper Peninsula Road Runners Club!<br />
<ul style="orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 1;">
<li>Kory McCarthy - Iron Mountain, MI</li>
<li>Brad Slagle & Lynne Fleury - Marquette, MI</li>
<li>Lee Iverson - Kingsford, MI</li>
<li>Marcie Blickliam - Wilson, MI</li>
<li>Greg & Ellen Metko - Ironwood, MI</li>
<li>Robert French - Lanse, MI</li>
</ul>
Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-90267000866191653712015-05-10T17:23:00.004-07:002015-05-10T17:23:50.151-07:00Newest UPRRC MembersWelcome to the newest members of the Upper Peninsula Road Runners Club!<br />
<ul>
<li>Cathlene Lett, Chicago, IL</li>
<li>Randy Kerr, Newberry, MI</li>
<li>Clay & Lindsey Sterns, Escanaba, MI</li>
<li>April & Jacob Winkler, Munising, MI</li>
</ul>
Upper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-21942311970277964682015-03-29T06:56:00.001-07:002015-03-29T06:56:15.916-07:00Letter from Al SalmiDear UPRRC Members:<br />
<br />
In the last issue of Running Amuck, which I hope you have read by now, there appeared a
list of ALL members who have been inducted into the UPRRC Hall of Fame. I neglected to add
that the 3 new members inducted in 2014, were part of the 15th "class" of inductees. I also
meant to add that next year our club will be celebrating 40 years since we organized with 14
charter members, all who were named to the Hall of Fame. Hopefully there should/will be a
committee formed to plan and organize an appropriate celebration for that milestone year.<br />
<br />
I have served on the Hall of Fame committee with Bill Sved, Bill Hager and Jesse Haavisto
since 2000. But now it is time for "New Blood" to take over so I am resigning from the
committee effective immediately. Our Constitution calls for a three member committee so that
means there is at least one opening. If YOU are interested in serving on this committee
please contact President Haavisto as soon as possible. I do feel it is very worthwhile to
continue recognizing members who contribute time and talent to the operations of our club
while also maintaining their running/fitness lifestyle.<br />
<br />
KEEP RUNNING EVERYONE!
Al SalmiEric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-56889614541457928442015-01-04T12:49:00.000-08:002015-01-04T12:49:10.556-08:002014 UPPRC Annual Awards and Election ResultsHere are the election results from the recent UPPRC Annual Meeting<br />
<ul>
<li>President </li>
<ul>
<li>Jesse Haavisto</li>
</ul>
<li>Vice President</li>
<ul>
<li>Andrew Grosvenor</li>
</ul>
<li>Secretary</li>
<ul>
<li>Liz Sprehe</li>
</ul>
<li>Treasurer </li>
<ul>
<li>Sandra Haavisto</li>
</ul>
<li>Trustee-East</li>
<ul>
<li>Alan Jarvie</li>
</ul>
<li>Trustee-Central</li>
<ul>
<li>Lori Criger </li>
</ul>
<li>Trustee-West</li>
<ul>
<li>Dean Juntunen </li>
</ul>
<li>Trustee-North</li>
<ul>
<li>Cindy Harwood </li>
</ul>
<li>Trustee-At Large</li>
<ul>
<li>George Orchard </li>
</ul>
<li>Male Runner of the Year</li>
<ul>
<li>Andrew Grosvenor</li>
</ul>
<li>Female Runner of the Year</li>
<ul>
<li>Liz Sprehe</li>
</ul>
<li>Male Youth Runner of the Year</li>
<ul>
<li>John Henry Kibit</li>
</ul>
<li>Female Youth Runner of the Year</li>
<ul>
<li>Amber Heubner</li>
</ul>
<li>Volunteer of the Year </li>
<ul>
<li>Robert Yelland</li>
</ul>
<li>Event of the Year</li>
<ul>
<li>Whitefish Pt. Run for the Light
Members </li>
</ul>
</ul>
Also receiving nominations were Bill Sved and Bruce Collins for Male Runner of the Year, Kelly Trasti and Stephanie Grosvenor for Female Runner of the Year, KJ Pruett for Male Youth Runner of the Year, Ella Grosvenor for Female Youth Runner of the Year, Gina Zanon and Tim Tervo for Volunteer of the Year and Off the Vine, Grand Slam Fall Classic, Lake Antoine, Marquette Marathon, and the Black Bear Run for Event of the Year.Upper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-55835134622549229552014-12-17T20:57:00.000-08:002014-12-22T06:28:44.379-08:002014 UPRRC Annual Meeting MinutesThe UPRRC Annual Meeting was called to order on 11/08/14 at 12:23 p.m. at the Jasper Ridge Brewery in Ishpeming by President Jesse Haavisto. Present at the meeting were: Jesse Haavisto, Maija Niemi, Bill Sved, Larry Morse, Kathleen Morse, Barb Trudeau, Neal Collick, Dean Juntunen, Christie Pruett, Sandy Haavisto, John Haavisto, John Wallace, Nick Roberts, Andy DeHate, Stacie Nardi, and Antonia Nardi.<br />
<br />
The minutes from the 2013 Annual Meeting were distributed. President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to accept the minutes from the 2013 Annual Meeting. The motion was made by John Wallace and seconded by Barb Trudeau. Motion carried.<br />
<br />
Treasurer Sandy Haavisto distributed the UPRRC Financial Report (09/01/13-08/31/14). Sandy stated that membership has dropped from 270 to 229 members. She stated that of these 229 members, approximately 200 are paying members and corporate sponsors. She also stated that expenses have increased largely as a result of increased printing costs. Also, Sandy said she has been volunteering her time as treasurer during the last year and has not taken any funds from the club for her services. President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to accept the Treasurer’s report. Dean Juntunen made the motion and Bill Sved seconded it. Motion carried.<br />
<br />
No editor’s report was presented as editor Melissa Wentarmini, was not present at the meeting. However, discussion ensued regarding the length of articles submitted for inclusion in the Running Amuck newsletter. President Jesse Haavisto made a motion that Running Amuck articles be limited to 1 ½ pages printed to 2 pages including photos. This motion was made by Bill Sved and seconded by Barb Trudeau. Motion carried. Further discussion ensued over how the 1 ½-2 page format would be determined.<br />
<br />
President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to amend the original motion to include word count to be determined by Melissa. This motion was made by Sandy Haavisto and seconded by Dean Juntunen. Motion carried.<br />
<br />
President Jesse Haavisto presented the Webmaster comments on behalf of Eric Charette, who's full report can be read <a href="http://uproadrunners.blogspot.com/2014/11/webmaster-notes-for-annual-meeting.html" target="_blank">here</a>. These comments were: there have been approximately 22,000 page views in the last nine months; the views have been primarily Upper Peninsula people looking at the site; race directors are getting better at completing online forms for races; and the membership list is now automated not manually entered. Discussion ensued regarding the lack of races on the UPRRC calendar and the reasons why. There have been a lot of local races over the last year that have not been on the UPRRC calendar. Bill Sved asked that a motion be made that Vice-President Andy Grosvenor be responsible for getting races on the calendar. Nobody seconded the motion. Bill Sved withdrew the motion.<br />
<br />
The election and ballot information was presented by President Jesse Haavisto. Stacie Nardi will not be running for secretary for the upcoming 2015 calendar year. Jesse stated he posted a call for secretarial candidates on the UPRRC website and the UPRRC facebook page.<br />
<br />
President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to accept the following membership fees: Individual $20, Household $25, and Race/Corporate $30. Sandy Haavisto made a motion to accept these membership fees and Kathleen Morse seconded the motion. Motion carried.<br />
<br />
President Jesse Haavisto also asked for a motion to eliminate the $300 lifetime membership option as has been available in prior years. The motion was made by Bill Sved and seconded by Sandy Haavisto. Motion carried.
President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to offer a discount of $5.00 for 2015 dues to all 2014 memberships renewed by February 28, 2015 (postmark date). This is the same discount as was offered last year. Sandy Haavisto made the motion and Christie Pruett seconded it. Motion carried.
Next, President Jesse Haavisto asked for another motion to continue posting race applications on the website and inserting into newsletter with no fee (no change from last year). Dean Juntunen made the motion and Bill Sved seconded it. Motion carried.<br />
<br />
Barb Trudeau, Equipment Manager, brought up the issue that the digital clock has been malfunctioning. President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to obtain an estimate to repair the clock. Barb Trudeau made the motion and Dean Juntunen seconded it. Motion carried. President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion that the fee schedule for renting the digital clock pending needed repairs be: $20 for running events open to members, $45 for all other events. In addition, continue $100 deposit for all rentals and the $20 for the PA System unless requesting clock rental also. The motion was made by Bill Sved and seconded by Stacie Nardi. Motion carried.<br />
<br />
Under new business, Bill Sved made the suggestion that the Traveling plaques be made digital in lieu of the plaques that have been used previously. President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to switch from a concrete to an exclusively electronic Hall of Fame and go to only individual awards for M/F Runners of the year, Event, and Volunteer rather than maintain the traveling plaques. Bill Sved made the motion and John Wallace seconded the motion. Motion carried.<br />
<br />
President Jesse Haavisto also asked for a motion to eliminate the youth female runner and youth male runner of the year awards starting with the upcoming calendar year. The motion was made by Bill Sved and seconded by Kathleen Morse.
President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to accept 11/07/15 as the next annual meeting date at the Jasper Ridge Brewery in Ishpeming. The club run will be at 11 a.m. and the meeting will follow at 12 p.m. Sandy Haavisto made the motion and Christie Pruett seconded the motion. Motion carried.<br />
<br />
President Jesse Haavisto asked for a motion to adjourn. Sandy Haavisto made the motion and Christie Pruett seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 2:01 p.m.Upper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-74225580883602236892014-11-05T18:16:00.002-08:002014-11-05T18:16:46.786-08:00Webmaster Notes for Annual MeetingThe new website has been up and running since March 1, 2014.<br />
<br />
Our goals for the new website were as follows:<br />
<ol>
<li>Provide a single starting point for everything our club members need in the digital world</li>
<li>Provide more value to our club members by leveraging current technology of web design</li>
<li>Grow membership through promotion of the club beyond the newsletter through the website, social media and other channels</li>
<li>Provide more real time content from Club Offers and Staff</li>
<li>Consider that some members will want to access the site from a mobile device, while others will have limited bandwidth to access the website from their home computers</li>
<li>Help to control or reduce the cost to develop and maintain the website</li>
<li>Streamline processes to make the management of the club easier</li>
</ol>
Our membership growth can be partially attributed to the high levels of traffic on the new website.
<br />
<ul>
<li>In the first 9 months, we had 22,000 page views (2500 a month or 80 a day) by 4400 unique visitors </li>
<li>The geography breakdown was 15% of viewers were from Escanaba, 14% from Marquette County, 5% from Iron Mountain, 4% from Ironwood, 4% from Houghton, 3% from Chicago and minor others make up the rest.</li>
<li>Even though 81% of our traffic are from desktops (70% from Windows, 11% from Mac) we did have 19% from Mobile (15% iOS, 2% Android). We do have mobile versions of all of our pages.</li>
</ul>
Things that are working well:<br />
<ul>
<li>Race Directors are completing the online request to have races listed on our calendar</li>
<li>Blogging has helped us reach our membership with additional content</li>
<li>Use of Social Media (Twitter, Facebook) has helped us reach more members with club information</li>
</ul>
Things that could improve:<br />
<ul>
<li>Submission of race results have been very low this year compared to other years. </li>
<li>Management of membership lists (actively working this process to make less manual)</li>
</ul>
Please submit all comments, suggestions for improvement and other notes to Eric Charette <a href="mailto:UPRoadRunners@gmail.com">UPRoadRunners@gmail.com</a>Upper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-30896794648575034432014-11-05T17:40:00.002-08:002014-11-05T17:40:42.785-08:00Seeking new UPPRC SecretaryFollowing many years of service to the UPRRC, Stacie Nardi has decided to move retire from her role as Secretary. If you are interested in serving the Club at a higher level, we are currently seeking candidates. The duties and process for voting are noted below.<br />
<br />
As outlined by the <a href="http://www.uprrc.org/club-constitution.html">UPPRC Constitution</a>, Section IV (MANAGEMENT OR GOVERNMENT) part B (Duties of the officers) subpart 3 defines the roles of the Secretary to include:<br />
<br />
<i>To record minutes of meetings, to keep a file of such minutes, and when requested by the president, to accept assignments involving correspondence and the keeping of records.</i><br />
<br />
The Constitution also defines the term of office to be one year, beginning with or at the close of the first meeting held within the calendar year. However, offices filled upon resignation also shall expire at the time of the first meeting of the calendar year.<br />
<br />
Elections are also documented by the constitution, which note that officers shall be elected by a majority vote of members by mail ballot and ballots presented at the annual meeting. Prior to each election a committee shall be designated to facilitate the election. A quorum shall consist of twice the number of elected officers plus one. No official meeting shall be held unless a quorum is present.
<br />
<br />
If you are interested in serving, please contact Jesse Haavisto at <a href="mailto:jhaavist@alumni.nmu.edu">jhaavist@alumni.nmu.edu</a> or any of the club officers listed on our <a href="http://www.uprrc.org/uprrc-contacts.html" target="_blank">contacts page</a> of the website. Eric Charettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10787446286622983508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037585207420310433.post-30909379457736529542014-09-23T06:38:00.000-07:002014-09-23T06:38:01.268-07:00Newest UPRRC MembersWelcome to the newest members of the Upper Peninsula Road Runners Club!<br />
<ul>
<li>Vickie Vuckovic - Ironwood, MI</li>
<li>Gwen & Jim, Chase, Joey & Jake Magnuson - Gwinn, MI</li>
<li>Anna & Chris Nelson - Marquette, MI</li>
<li>Drew & Sunny, Gabe, Ellison & Noah Richmond - Iron Mountain, MI</li>
<li>David McNease - Ishpeming, MI</li>
</ul>
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Upper Peninsula Road Runners Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03219582834344154180noreply@blogger.com