PAYING
THE DUES
PAYING
THE DUESLast month brought a bunch of bills and my Track Club dues were one of them. Somehow it seems amazing, but this is my 10th year with the Club. My racing began with some three-mile fun runs held every week at Mission Bay Park. I was addicted with the first race. It's hard to say exactly why. Maybe it was a combination of being outdoors and working with and competing against a group of healthy, happy people. Who knows? The runs were a lot of fun, no matter what the reason.
After three of the fun runs, a couple friends gave me a flyer for a MS-San Diego Zoo 10K/2 Mile Fun Run and suggested I give it a try. They told me to register for the two-miler because I probably couldn't finish the 10K, so I decided to run the 10K. What an event! There must have been at least 3,000 people there and they all looked so lean and fit. I really felt intimidated and got way in the back at the start. My goal was to finish in under an hour and I beat that goal by more than a minute.
What a great time I had at that event! I ran with a couple friends and we chatted and laughed along the way. At about the three-mile mark a fellow pulling a rickshaw with two kids in it passed us and the kids waved as they went by. We all laughed at our situation, but a little bit later I chortled inside as we went down Powder Hill and onto the equestrian trail and the fellow with the rickshaw was left stranded at the top wondering what to do next.
The finish was a big festive party near the zoo entrance. By the time we got in, there were barely any refreshments left and I was lucky to get one of the last T-shirts in my size. But no matter. It was a splendid time. And what a neat T-shirt! Back at the car, about a half-dozen flyers for future races were tucked under my windshield wipers. Would I go? I could hardly wait!
After running a few 10Ks, a friend called my attention to the San Diego Track Club News.He pointed out the calendar of events and showed me some stories about past races and column about running and racing in San Diego. Can you imagine that? A newspaper dealing with exactly what interested me most. My friend said it was free, but I didn't want to spend time looking for it so I subscribed the next day.
After about a year my renewal notice came up and at about the same time a story entitled "Why join the Track Club?" or something like that appeared in the paper. The article explained the discounts on Track Club races, the activity cards, the free newspaper and so forth. It all made good sense. I joined. Actually, I'd never considered joining the Track Club because I'd never had anything to do with track. Well, the name is something of a misnomer. Oh, there are track and field people in the club all right, but some estimates suggest that up to 90 percent of the members are road racers, and that's where my interests were.
There was no welcoming banner when I joined. As a matter of fact, only a couple of friends and I knew and that's the way it was for the first year. Then one month I noticed a little story in the News.It explained how the News photographers operated. They couldn't possibly know all members, of course, so they photographed the leaders, the members they new, plus the runners who were wearing SDTC singlets.
The article suggested that if you wanted to appear in the News, you ought to be wearing a Track Club singlet. Hmmmmm! The next day I purchased a singlet. It took almost a year, but sure enough, there I was in the News! As a matter of fact, I appeared in three photos in one issue. Now don't think that didn't generate a certain number of rude comments and innuendoes about me and the editor. But honestly, I didn't have anything to do with it other than wearing the singlet.
A second benefit of wearing the Track Club singlet was unanticipated. I began meeting more and more other members. Little by little, I became one of the "regulars" as someone put it. Enough of this reminiscing. It's been a good decade. A fun experience. My annual dues statement is one bill I almost enjoy paying. Almost.
June 1992
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