See How They Run: Track Club Gets Locals Up to Speed PDF Print E-mail
Written by Tara Leonard   
SANTA CRUZ (November, 2007) -- Everyone knows that running is good for you. It strengthens your heart and lungs, burns calories to control weight, and reduces stress. Which all sounds great until the alarm goes off on a foggy Saturday morning and the thought of lacing up those Nikes is about as appealing as fighting commute traffic at the fish hook. Most people would just as soon hit the snooze button.
For them, there’s the Santa Cruz Track Club (SCTC).  
Track club members understand that having a supportive group of people running together is the best motivation there is. That’s why every Wednesday night year-round, you’ll find about 40 men and women gathered at the Soquel High track. They are young and not-so-young, athletes dressed in skin-tight lycra or roomy sweats, who pay a small yearly fee to receive coaching and support from track club officials and fellow members. They stretch and chat, plastic water bottles in hand, before circling the rubberized oval in pairs and trios, some jogging, others speed-walking with jutting hips and churning arms. After a few warm-up laps, coach Greg Brock explains the workout and a herd of runners picks up the pace, glancing at their watches as they jockey for position on the inside lane.
A nonprofit organization, the Santa Cruz Track Club also helps to sponsor or manage local races including the Firecracker 10K, Aptos Women’s 5 Miler and November Turkey Trot. It offers speed training, group distance runs, a seasonal youth program, and Saturday morning workouts to approximately 150 enthusiastic adult members.  But the heart and soul of the club, and the perfect place for new runners to start, is this weekly Wednesday night workout.
“It’s really low key,” says club Vice President Diane Delucchi. “We have everyone from walkers and beginning runners to triathletes and people who are training for a marathon. You end up bonding with your group level and finding your niche.”
Member Melody Pahel also found a new lease on life. In 2004, pushing 50 and distressed by the untimely deaths of several friends, Pahel joined Weight Watchers and started walking.
“In 2005 I finished the 21-mile Bug Sur walk in five hours and 50 minutes,” she recalls. “I joined the track club to speed up my time.”
Three years later, Pahel has lost 75 pounds and with the help of club race-walking coach Art Klein, completed the same Big Sur race a full hour faster.
 “It’s so motivating to see people of all shapes and sizes exercising and getting fit together,” Pahel says.
All shapes, sizes, and ages. Member and former Santa Cruz Mayor Katherine Beiers started running at 50 and now, at 75, completes several marathons ( races of 26.2 miles) a year.
 “The club has given me a wide world of other runners to train with,” says the petite dynamo. “I’ve become a good runner because I always run with people a lot younger. Now I don’t even think about age. My doctors say I’m fine. I’ve got marathons left in these knees!”
 “Running is good exercise for most people, but not everyone is built to run marathons,” cautions Santa Cruz runner and physician Greg Whitley. “Before you start running, make sure you’re in good enough physical shape. If you’re over-weight, have hypertension or diabetes, have a physical before you start running. If you have foot, ankle, knee or hip problems, you might think twice about whether running is the right sport for you.”
On the other hand, Whitley adds, running is convenient, is easy to do and doesn’t cost more than the price of a decent pair of shoes. He advises new runners to start off gently, running two or three times a week at a comfortable pace. Then gradually increase your distance by about 10% a week.
“Listen to your body,” he warns. “Don’t go too far too fast. Take your pulse and don’t go more than 85% of your maximum heart rate, which is 220 minus your age.”
Running on the soft track at Soquel High is also ideal for new runners, according to Carol Cuminale. An easy-going woman with a quick smile and short salt-and-pepper hair, Cuminale has been with the club since its inception in 1989 and currently competes in races of 50 miles or more.
 “The club is also a great resource for what shoes to buy, how many days a week to run, and what you should eat,” she states. “I wish there had been something like it to help me out when I first started running. Plus, coach Brock takes care of you and checks in with you all the time.”
He’s not the only one keeping a watchful eye on members. At 33, Liisa Miller of Pacific Grove was at a point in her life when she wasn’t necessarily looking for a husband. Thanks to the Santa Cruz Track Club, one found her.
She started going to the Wednesday night track workouts and one night struck up a conversation with a man named Adam who happened to be in the same pacing group. With a nudge from match-maker Delucchi, Adam asked Lisa on a date. The rest is club history.
“We got married two years later at Hollins House in Pasatiempo,” Liisa says. “The majority of people who came were from the track club.”
“You become family at the track,” confirms Delucchi. “We’re out there whatever the weather. You can always count on us. If you’re feeling blue, the group will get you going. Once you’re there, it gets you pumped up and you’re glad you came.”
The snooze button doesn’t stand a chance.
This article orginically appeared in Santa Cruz Magazine, Fall 2007.

 

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