President's Column - January 2023

I subscribe to Popular Mechanics magazine. While the name is a bit of a misnomer in my view, I mostly have a subscription because my Dad always had one. There are always interesting articles, but the magazine starts out with a section called “Can’t Stop Thinking...

Jerry and I have spent a lot of newsletter space telling you how much we value Gulf Winds Track Club and its members. We’ve talked about our fave GWTC memories, group runs, races, volunteering, youth programs, and superstars. Now, we want to hear from you. GWTC is...

First and foremost on my mind this month are the Springtime Races, which Jackie and I direct. All is well at this point due in some measure to a new Volunteer initiative of the club’s(more on that in a bit), but also due to the marketing efforts of Jon Brown and the...

I spend a lot of time talking with people about running and walking and the role that being outdoors plays in our wellbeing. It’s a part of my job at REI that I really love, and it has become a bit of a passion as you can probably tell given all the energy I pour into...

This column may tend to meander a bit but stay with me. I see and talk with my mother a time or two each week and we often chat of her past, growing up. She was an only child and often laments her loneliness growing up with no siblings. By contrast, my wife Jackie,...

Jerry did a great job of succinctly summing up the past year of our club in his President’s Letter last month, and now we get a chance to look forward, to decide where our club is headed, who we want to be as a community. I’m the newbie here, so it’s easier for me to...

As you read this letter, we will be into December of 2023 and closing out my first year as President of the club and last column. This necessitates a look back on the year for me to see whether the club has back-tracked, stalled, or moved forward from some of my...

I grew up going to church. As a teenager, I spent many Wednesdays at confirmation classes and choir practice, and as a kid, Sunday mornings were for bible lessons and playing twenty questions with my friends in the very back pews. I loved our church people. I rarely...

Running with a group has many benefits. Gets you out the door to run when you may not want to because you are meeting others. Helps the miles pass as you chat about your life or hear about others. Can create healthy in-group challenges or competitions. Maybe learn...

I often find myself looking around Gulf Winds gatherings a little star struck. I’m always surrounded by people who have accomplished amazing physical feats. They’ve run dozens of marathons, completed grueling ultras, made being an Ironman look easy, qualified for...