Hello All:

Michael Johnson here from Jackson, TN
where we are having a beautiful day.

I am 50, started running about three years ago,
after I stopped smoking which was a major feat
since I had smoked for 30 years. I am so glad
I quit and I am so glad to be running.

I run about 5 miles per day.

I have run in two 5K's and one 5 miler.

My best time in the 5K is 22:27, nothing to
go in the hall fame, but I'm happy just to be
running, heck just to be alive.

I find much solitude and inspiration in my running.
I run alone so I have alot of time to be with myself
and clear out the cobwebs before I start my day.

I am glad to have found this list and look forward
to some running socialization...hey runners go the
distance, right?

Hope to get to know you all better.

Enjoy the burn,

Michael Johnson

Hey Thater,

Way to go!!!!!! That weight will come off one pound at a time and one step
at a time. The things that you will learn about yourself and your deep
reservoirs of strength will be perhaps even more important than the weight
loss. I'd love to hear about every pound and every step. You've got friends
out here, Thater. You're never alone. The wonderful thing about racing,
especially the longer races, is that, unless you really are a contender for
top spot, (an elite few) you meet so many wonderful people as you run and we
all help each other finish the race. I have run six marathons and not one of
them have been run as a solitary runner. I have always made friends and been
helped along and helped others; and then there is always God; He's a great
running companion.

keep in touch. One step at a time. Remember to walk sometimes, too, and
smell the roses along the way. You're still moving in the right direction.

God Bless,
Roxy


>From: "Thater, William" <ThaterW@...>
>Reply-To: theroadsscholar@egroups.com
>To: "Theroadsscholar (E-mail)" <theroadsscholar@egroups.com>
>Subject: [TheRoadsScholar] the start of a journey...
>Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 08:36:39 -0500
>
>for the group, the world as we enter 2000, and me.  hope you'll accompany
>me
>as I try to loose 100 lbs. [no that is *not* a typo.] and learn to run.
>unlike most of you I'm new to this here running thing.  but I'm dieing from
>the extra weight and need to get myself in shape to make it till my 4 year
>old graduates from college.
>
>
>--
>Bill Thater                ORACLE DBA
>Telergy, Inc.            thaterw@...
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Do or not do.  There is no try.  -- Yoda
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>State-of-the-practice: What we can do with the money you have.
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>The only fruitcake at overstock.com is our manager.
>He’s giving away a $20 coupon, plus our everyday Free Shipping.
>Take advantage of the savings and selection now.
>http://click.egroups.com/1/342/1/_/45569/_/946561055
>
>-- 20 megs of disk space in your group's Document Vault
>-- http://www.egroups.com/docvault/theroadsscholar/?m=1
>
>

______________________________________________________

Hi all...

Thanks for the invite Michael.  I have always enjoyed your monthly
letters and look forward to getting them.  I am really excited about
this concept.

I live in San Diego, California...where on Christams Day it was a warm
77 degrees....who said anything about Winter. :-)  I have had to take a
few months off of running due to a pinched nerve in my foot...having
surgery on it in March....tried the conservative route for about five
years and that has not worked...so, I am only going to be doing some
light running until the surgery ( I can't wait for the surgery so I am
going to run anyways)...HMO's got to love them...3 months before they
have an opening.

I look forward to hearing from you all since nobody in my family likes
to run...however, I have recruited 3 co-workers in to marathoning..I'm
not sure their husbands are happy with me..LOL ...but you gotta do what
you gotta do!!

Happy New Years to all of you and healthy running in 2000!

Shannon

William,

All I can say is "go for it".  I always thought I hated running until a
friend asked me if I wanted to train for a marathon with her.  I had
never run a mile before...always had a Dr's excuse in PE... my knees
were bad from showing horses (rode 4 or 5 hours a day) and we thought
running would make it worse.  At age 30, I was working out at the gym
quite a bit, so I thought.."heck why not give it a try."  Now, at 33 I
have run 5 marathons and am thoroughly hooked.  I hope to run St George
in October 2000...

In your instance, it is wonderful that you are thinking of your son,
let alone your health...just be prepared....the running store is going
to become your favorite place to go... I strongly encourage you to join
a running club in your area...you need to connect with others that love
to run...they will keep you motivated!!  Also, consider checking in to
"Team in Training"  that is the Leukemia Society's fundraiser.  You
raise funds for leukemia and they pay your way to a marathon and
provide you with all the training...great way to meet other runners and
help you keep focused...if a marathon is something you would consider.
Completing those last six miles of a marathon is nothing like enduring
chemotherapy...really makes you put it all in to perspective.

Anyways, good luck and YOU will succeed!

Shannon





"thater, william" <thater-@...> wrote:
original article:http://www.egroups.com/group/theroadsscholar/?start=23
> for the group, the world as we enter 2000, and me.  hope you'll
accompany me
> as I try to loose 100 lbs. [no that is *not* a typo.] and learn to
run.
> unlike most of you I'm new to this here running thing.  but I'm
dieing from
> the extra weight and need to get myself in shape to make it till my 4
year
> old graduates from college.
>
>
> --
> Bill Thater                ORACLE DBA
> Telergy, Inc.            thaterw@...
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Do or not do.  There is no try.  -- Yoda
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> State-of-the-practice: What we can do with the money you have.
>

And I am one of them.  But as I learn more about what we can do here,
I'll be sharing it with you.

I have created a table for races.  It can be found under the database
section.

Click on database, then click on race schedule, and then click on "add
record."

Add your race information, and then click the add record button.  Now,
everyone who checks knows about your race, and we can wish you good
luck and cheer you on.

The links feature is another cool one.  If you have a web site you want
the group to know about, click on links button, then type in the name
and address of your link, along with a brief description.  Now, we all
know about your web page.

If any of you discover any other capabilities of the system, please
share it with the group, so we can all take advantage of it.

Michael





and enter the information for any races you have planned.  This way, we
can cheer each other on and give each other the encouragement we
deserve.

Princess H:

Thanks for the introduction.  Now I know more about the girlfriend
Michael refers to.

I've been running since 1978.  I ran track in college, and then continued
with the road race scene after.  I put up PR's of 16:21 in 5K, 34:47 in
10K, 63:07 in 15K and two 3:33 marathons.

In '92 I tore the ACL in my left knee playing basketball (after all I'm
from Indiana) and had the whole reconstruction done.  After 7 months of
rehab and 8 more months of gradually getting some semblance of
conditioning back I tore the last of my ligaments in my right ankle
(again, playing basketball; it's a religion in my state).  After having
that put back together surgically and another 7 months of no running,
just rehabbing, I found myself 50 pounds heavier than when I tore the
ACL.

I did come back to run the Honolulu Marathon in '95, but the training and
the time were torture for me.  I ran Portland in '97, but back spasms
slowed me most of that run.  Finally this year I was able to lose 30
pounds and capped off the year with a 4:12 at Columubus the day before my
40th birthday.

I look forward to the support and inspiration of this egroup.

God bless and Happy 2000!

Mark (aka pappy)
markmikel@...

Bill:

I wish you well in your journey.  I've been running for 22 years, but due
to some injuries in the early '90s had to take some time off and put on
50 pounds.  Needless to say, it slowed my pace quite a bit.  In '99 I was
able to finally shed 30 of it, and hope to shed another 30 in '00.  I'm
with you on this journey.

I was able to get some respectable running done this past year also.  The
highlight was running the Columbus Marathon in 4:12 the day before my
40th birthday.

Good luck.  Keep the faith.

Mark Mikel (aka Pappy)
markmikel@...

Michael:

Thanks for the invite to the egroup.  I completed my registration this
morning and had 4 emails in my box when I got to the office.

Good luck Saturday in the 10K.  I'm doubling with some of the high
schools kids I coach.  We're going to a 4 mile fun run in the morning and
a Frosty 5K in the afternoon.  Who needs to sit around watching Bowls
games and eating?  Not me.  I'd rather be running.

God bless in 2000,

Mark (pappy)
markmikel@...

Hello from Houston. My name is Tricia, I'm in my fourth year of
running. January 16th I will run my third Houston Marathon.

I have enjoyed the monthly essays.  I will try to check in as much as
possible.

Pete, good luck with your race.

Bill, I think you can find a lot of support here.

I am happy to meet all of you.

Tricia

for the group, the world as we enter 2000, and me.  hope you'll accompany me
as I try to loose 100 lbs. [no that is *not* a typo.] and learn to run.
unlike most of you I'm new to this here running thing.  but I'm dieing from
the extra weight and need to get myself in shape to make it till my 4 year
old graduates from college.


--
Bill Thater                ORACLE DBA
Telergy, Inc.            thaterw@...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do or not do.  There is no try.  -- Yoda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
State-of-the-practice: What we can do with the money you have.

Greetings to everyone,
Thanks to Michael for getting this going, now it's up to us to keep it going.
My name is Kevan and I live in north east Texas. If I can help any one just
let me know. I've ran everything from 5k's to a 50 miler. Now it seems I just
want to run 3 or 4 miles 2 or 3 times a week. Maybe one day I'll get back to
the long runs.

Kevan W. Kerns
Kwkrun@...
Gladewater, TX
Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path,
and leave a trail.

Wow.  I woke up this morning, and I see we already have 30 people on board.
Welcome to all who signed up since yesterday evening.


---Tom Foster wrote from down under:
Snowy, huh?

<<<Here in Australia it's around 25 degrees, and we're thankful the
<<<tempurature's dropped!


First, is it just a coincidence that you are from Australia, and your name is
Foster?  Here in the states, Fosters is Australian for Beea.

I'm guessing that the 25 degrees you're talking about is centigrade, which
would be the equivalent of 77F here.

For conversions from C to F, see

http://www.info66.com/scorpio/crackerjack/degree.html


--- Duncan Thorn wrote:

<<<Hi guys and gals from the ontario roadrunner up here in a breezy and
<<<snowy ontario.

I personally enjoy cold much better than hot, but somehow, I have a feeling
that Atlanta cold is not quite the same as Ontario cold.  This morning, it was
a balmy 35 degrees for my morning run.

---Peter Plumly asks:

<<<I'm running a marathon on New Years day.  Is anyone else?

Not me, Peter.  The Princess and I are volunteering at our running club's race
on New year's Eve, then we're running the Atlanta Track Club's Resolution Run
10K on New Year's Day.  The race is free, and we get a T shirt.

---Princess H wrote:

<<<My 5K PR stands at 19:38, 10K PR is 42.02, 15K (if memory serves me) is
<<<67:36, 1/2 marathon is about 1:36, and my marathon PR is 3:30.

Wow, you're fast  ;-)  I'll do my best to keep up with you.  (The best thing
about having a girlfriend who is faster than you are, is she is always there at
the finish line to cheer you on.)

Thank you all again for joining this list.  It can be as good as you want it to
be.  Please feel free to introduce yourselves to the group, invite others who
you think might be interested in talking about running (isn't that what
runner's do?)

My introduction:

My name is Michael Selman, and I've been running for almost 18 years.  When I'm
healthy, I do between 30-45 miles a week.  I'm not much for cross training, but
I have started on the Elliptical Trainer while working through my current bout
with mild shinsplints.

I live in Cumming (I kid you not) GA, a northern suburb of Atlanta.  I love
racing, and have a few races coming up.

Resolution Run 10K on        1/1/00
Winterville 5 mile race      1/8/00
San Diego 1/2 marathon       1/16/00
Tybee Island 1/2 marathon    2/5/00
Myrtle Beach Marathon        2/19/00
Rock and Roll Marathon       6/4/00

Oh yes, I also like writing.  If you want to read some of my archived stuff,
you can visit:

www.ontherun.com/news/selman

Have a great Thursday.

=====
Michael Selman
Roads Scholar
Atlanta GA
http://www.ontherun.com/news/selman/
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://messenger.yahoo.com

Happy New Years to everyone,

I hope this post finds everyone enjoying a happy and healthy holiday season.
My name is Princess H and I live in Cumming, Georgia.  I am originally from
Southern California but love being a Georgia peach.

I have been running since September 1985 when I was 31 years old and would
like to share some of my accomplishments with the group.  Shortly after I
started running, I realized so many new doors were open for me.  I decided to
go back to college at that time (I had two small children, Jenny 7 and Lissa
2), but I entered the community college in Mission Viejo, California and
ended up running cross country and track for them.  I had the time of my life!

I went on to continue running and enjoying every step of it.  My race
distances include everything from 5K to marathon distance and I would like to
take the opportunity to run down memory lane with you with some of my PR's.
My 5K PR stands at 19:38, 10K PR is 42.02, 15K (if memory serves me) is
67:36, 1/2 marathon is about 1:36, and my marathon PR is 3:30.

Right now I am heading back to some very good race times and my running feels
as good as it has in years, thanks to Michael and his motivation.  I recently
ran a 1:42.08 1/2 marathon at Kiawah Island SC and am looking forward to
completing my <counting on fingers and toes> my 12th Marathon.  It will be at
Myrtle Beach SC in February.

Those two little girls who were 3 and 7 in 1985 are now 21 and 16.  I have
since gotten divorced and met the Roads Scholar and made my home with him
here in Cumming, GA.  He has been an inspiring and motivational force in my
life in all areas as well as a wonderful role model for his own 16 year old
daughter and to my two girls.  We will be opening our home to my 21 year old
as she suffers the pangs of a broken engagement and we will be getting her
settled into her new home here during the month of January.

I look forward to hearing everyone's personal saga of running and to the
camaraderie of this wonderful new group.

Regards,

Princess H
Cumming, GA

Hello
     My name is Pete Plumly from Whidbey Island, Washington.  I'm running
a marathon on New Years day.  Is anyone else?
Pete

Hi Everyone,
I have REALLY enjoyed Michael's essays and hope that some of the same
inspiration will be shared here.

Tom,

I'll take 25 above rather than 25 below anyday.

G'day mate.

Duncan Thorn
Ontario Roadrunner


At 03:36 PM 12/30/1999 +1100, you wrote:
>Snowy, huh?
>
>Here in Australia it's around 25 degrees, and we're thankful the
>tempurature's dropped!
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: ontario roadrunner [SMTP:ora@...]
>> Sent: Thursday, 30 December 1999 3:34 PM
>> To: theroadsscholar@eGroups.com
>> Subject: [TheRoadsScholar] hi from the ontario roadrunner
>>
>> Hi guys and gals from the ontario roadrunner up here in a breezy and
>> snowy ontario.
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> At Esurance.com you can buy customized insurance online. Call
>> 1-800-926-6012 and complete a quote today to start saving money tomorrow
>> or just go to
>> http://click.egroups.com/1/611/1/_/45569/_/946528463
>>
>> -- Check out your group's private Chat room
>> -- http://www.egroups.com/ChatPage?listName=theroadsscholar&m=1
>>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>At Esurance.com you can buy customized insurance online. Call
1-800-926-6012 and complete a quote today to start saving money tomorrow or
just go to
>http://click.egroups.com/1/611/1/_/45569/_/946528610
>
>-- Easily schedule meetings and events using the group calendar!
>-- http://www.egroups.com/cal?listname=theroadsscholar&m=1
>
>

Snowy, huh?

Here in Australia it's around 25 degrees, and we're thankful the
tempurature's dropped!


> -----Original Message-----
> From: ontario roadrunner [SMTP:ora@...]
> Sent: Thursday, 30 December 1999 3:34 PM
> To: theroadsscholar@eGroups.com
> Subject: [TheRoadsScholar] hi from the ontario roadrunner
>
> Hi guys and gals from the ontario roadrunner up here in a breezy and
> snowy ontario.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> At Esurance.com you can buy customized insurance online. Call
> 1-800-926-6012 and complete a quote today to start saving money tomorrow
> or just go to
> http://click.egroups.com/1/611/1/_/45569/_/946528463
>
> -- Check out your group's private Chat room
> -- http://www.egroups.com/ChatPage?listName=theroadsscholar&m=1
>

Hi guys and gals from the ontario roadrunner up here in a breezy and
snowy ontario.

Just wanted to say that this is a great idea.  I'm a Cross Country and
Track coach (as well as a runner myself) in the Philadelphia area and
would love to trade ideas/philosophies here in the future.

Thanks and take care.

Mike

I totally agree with the Aussie!! We wait with bated breath to see Michael's
latest...keep up the good work.
Loyal and devoted fan,
sherryl

30 December, '99

Michael!

A big 'Cooee!' from Sydney, Australia.

I've not been running very long, but I wanted to let you know how much I
enjoy your columns each month. I really look forward to each new one.

TF

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Selman [SMTP:theroadsscholar@...]
> Sent: Thursday, 30 December 1999 12:53 PM
> To: theroadsscholar@eGroups.com
> Subject: [TheRoadsScholar] Welcome new members
>
> Hello to Tom, Sherryl, Roxy, and a special welcome to my very own
> princess ;-)
> I'm delighted that you've all chosen to join the group.  I'm hoping
> that this develops into a great place to share running experiences,
> thoughts, victories, and even frustrations.
>
> Feel free to introduce yourselves to the group, and please welcome new
> members as they arrive.  I'm expecting quite a few over the next day or
> so.
>
> Again, welcome.
>
> Michael
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> The only fruitcake at overstock.com is our manager.
> He's giving away a $20 coupon, plus our everyday Free Shipping.
> Take advantage of the savings and selection now.
> http://click.egroups.com/1/342/1/_/45569/_/946518795
>
> -- Easily schedule meetings and events using the group calendar!
> -- http://www.egroups.com/cal?listname=theroadsscholar&m=1
>

"sherryl" <bracerun-@...> wrote:
  > Hi Michael!  I was just wondering how to link the Cross Country Club
of
> Dallas's website to your egroup.  I am sure there would be
> participation.

Hi Sherryl.

All you have to do is point them to the address

  http://www.egroups.com/group/theroadsscholar/info.html

and they will be taken to it.  Also, please click on the links section
here, and enter your club's web address, so the group can visit it.

Michael

Hello to Tom, Sherryl, Roxy, and a special welcome to my very own
princess ;-)
I'm delighted that you've all chosen to join the group.  I'm hoping
that this develops into a great place to share running experiences,
thoughts, victories, and even frustrations.

Feel free to introduce yourselves to the group, and please welcome new
members as they arrive.  I'm expecting quite a few over the next day or
so.

Again, welcome.

Michael

Hi Michael!  I was just wondering how to link the Cross Country Club of
Dallas's website to your egroup.  I am sure there would be
participation.  We have around seven running groups in the metroplex
and I could forward the information to the other groups as well -- the
Flower Mound Striders, the Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers, the DFW
Hashers, the Ft. Worth Running Club, Thruston Racing, Burleson Runner's
Club, North Texas Trail Runners, and the Plano Pacers...hmm. that's
eight!  I have an interesting dilemma.  I am one of the Texas Marathon
Challenge people, having completed San Antonio (4:02) and White Rock
(3:49), now heading for Houston (hoping for a 3:45), Austin and Cowtown
Ft. Worth in the next few days....Houston on Jan. 16, Austin on Feb.
20, and Cowtown six days later on Feb. 26. We are crazy and doing it
because this former Olympian Roger Soler of San Antonio has thrown down
the challenge.  Any tips on what type of distances we should be doing
now and during the interim between Houston and Austin?  I have never
run this many marathons at one time and don't want to mess up.  Anyone
out there do any back to backs like this?  Would be interested to see
what people have to say, besides the obvious 'YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY'....we
already know that LOL...
take care and thanks for the cool new egroup.
Best regards,
Sherryl Nash

** High Priority **


I'm planning to run a 10K race on New Year's day.  I'm also going to LA
on business in Mid January, and I'll be able to run the San Diego half
while I'm there.  Do any of you have any races coming up?

RV: As a matter of fact, the running club I belong to is having a cross-country
race on January 23.  If you happen to be in the LA area that day, a drive up to
Ventura (about 70 miles) for this race would be worth your time.
It's called the European-Style Cross Country race and is a kick to do.  My
husband designs the course each year (as he is a former world-class runner and
has run European X-C races).  The entry blank says, "Expect to get feet wet and
shoes dirty."  Enough said?
If you are around then and are interested, let me know and I'll send you an
entry blank.  Their is a web site at www.theschedule.com that has upcoming races
in California.  It would be a good place to see what else is happening in CA.

** High Priority **

It's great to be part of the Roads Scholar E Group (RSEG).  I hope to read all
sorts of fun, inspirational, satirical, heavy and/or motiviational stuff.  Happy
New Year, all.  Run a mile at midnight December 31st!
RV

Welcome to the group Ruth.  It looks like most of the invitations I
sent out last night never made it to their recepients, so I'll try a
manual mailing this evening, and see if we have any better luck.

Well, I got out this morning for the first time in about a week, and
did 4 easy miles.  I started having a shinsplint flare-up about a week
ago, and I give shinsplints ultimate respect, so I took a week off, and
worked on the Elliptical trainer.  2 years ago, a bad case knocked me
out for 6 months, and created a very difficult recovery period too.

I can tell you with confidence that an Elliptical trainer ain't
running.  It's boring, and my mind and body don't unite the same way.
But this morning's run was a first step back.

I'm planning to run a 10K race on New Year's day.  I'm also going to LA
on business in Mid January, and I'll be able to run the San Diego half
while I'm there.  Do any of you have any races coming up?

Have a great day all.  Others will be joining us soon enough.

Michael

It was nice to wake up this morning and see a couple of people signed
up already.  I'll be going for my run soon, but wanted to say welcome
to the group before I did.

Vickie, I noticed that you're set up to receive mail in digest form.  I
would recommend that, for now, until the group grows a little bit, that
you modify your settings to individual mail.  To do this, click on
"Groups" and then click on the Modify Subscription button.  Select
individual E-mails,and save the change.

E-groups takes a little getting used to, but once you master it, it's a
great way to communicate.

Thanks for joining.  Now lets keep our fingers crossed that other will
join us.

Michael

Michael,

It took a few tries, but it looks like I've joined the group.

Running has been my passion since 1981. Not many people in my family,
worklife or other really understands what makes a runner run. Maybe,
we'll get a chance for support and motivation through this group.

Short, cold days make it very difficult to get out there, but once I
warm up, running is really worth it.

Hope to see more posts,

Vickie
Roswell Runner

Hello, and thank you for subscribing to the "Thoughts of a Roads
Scholar" eGroup mailing list.

The intended purpose of this eGroup is to introduce people who
subscribe to the "Thoughts of a Roads Scholar" mailing list to each
other, but the group is open to anyone who loves, and wants to talk
about running.  What I have learned from sending out the monthly
thoughts these past 3 years is that this is an amazingly diverse group
of runners, who all have a special story to tell.  I hope that
relationships are built through this group, and we learn from each
other within this list.  We all have something to offer, so don't be
shy.

You have many ways of modifying your subscription in the way that works
best for you.  Please E-mail me with any questions you might have, now
that you are subscribed to the list.

Also, please feel free to invite anyone you think might be interested
in this discussion group to join.

Michael Selman
The Roads Scholar
Atlanta GA