No Experience Necessary

by Kari Chandler

To fully review the running groups in Lansing one must, of course, include the Team Playmakers groups.

There are several from which to choose, and it is true that no experience is necessary!

The Any Distance Any Pace Team, Women’s Training Team and Men’s Training Team are equally as perfect for those just starting to explore the activity of walking as for those hoping to improve their race times. Each team has its distinct appeal, but all are welcoming to all abilities.

For one young woman the Any Distance Any Pace Team provided the coaching and peer support to get her back into running after pregnancy. She was impressed with how the coaches encouraged a gradual start to keep her injury free. Hers was the lofty goal of running the CCRR Half Marathon and she achieved that goal….. with a smile on her face!

Another young woman was new to town and found the Teams a great place to meet like minded people, noting there was always someone to walk or run with at her comfortable pace.

‘The camaraderie is everything’, enthused another frequent Team member. The teams always cheer each other on at the goal races. One runner listed that as her favorite part, saying, ‘no matter how slow you walk or run, your friends are always there to cheer at the finish line’!

Then there is the Triathlon Training Team. Again, no experience necessary.

One accomplished runner joined this team and had nothing but good things to say about the coaching. The coaches were experienced, knowledgeable and extremely patient. This athlete said he went from ‘nearly drowning’ to just ‘floundering’ in the pool, but in the end completed the Playmakers Triathlon! Although he has not entered another triathlon, he now swims regularly for the benefits of conditioning without impact.

Another athlete with talent in the running portion started with the Playmakers Triathlon Team and learned well, becoming quite competitive in her masters division. She said she couldn’t swim for 5 minutes when she started but the coaches taught her techniques for a more efficient stroke, as well as guided her in appropriate workouts.

Everyone agreed that training for a triathlon is a big time commitment and that being on the Playmakers team provides a large network of training partners, for the swim, bike or run.

Playmakers teams surely fill a need in this area, and are a big part of what makes the Lansing running community so special.

Interested in joining? For more information pick up a brochure at Playmakers, or go to www.playmakers.com/teamplaymakers

The granddaddy of all area running groups has to be the Mid Michigan Track Club. Interestingly, it was also started by a group of post collegiate runners looking for that team atmosphere to boost their race results. That was in 1968! Those first members have since left town, but a few who ran with the group in those early years are still regulars.

Gordy Schafer at some point, and no one knows for sure exactly when, became the commissioner of the club. Possibly 40 years ago he took on the responsibility of designing the workouts and setting the schedule. He now sends out email notices to a long list of addressees, and often writes the Finish Line newsletter.

On workout days he’s out early, wheeling distances, setting cones, working the clock and personally greeting every runner who comes along. There might be 70 runners at a favorite venue on a Tuesday night, or 6 on a blustery, cold, slippery Saturday morning.

Workouts are held at various spots around the Lansing area on Tuesday evenings from April to the end of October. The summer workouts are speed oriented intervals, usually run as teams of 2 or 3 runners. The workouts are specifically created to encourage a competitive environment. Runners are pushed by chasing or holding off a competitor as they loop around a track or park circuit, always finishing with a pat on the back, good job, congratulations or I’ll get you next time.

From November to March you’ll find the group on the roads on Saturday mornings. Most often these are group runs, leaving the level of competitiveness up to the individual.

The runners one might find at any MMTC workout could be training for marathons, ultra-marathons, road races, trail races or triathlons. The variety is great. Many high school runners run with the club during their off season right along with those original track clubbers who are now in their 60s and 70s. Some of the runners have run for 30, 40 or 50 years, but just as many just started this summer. They all run together, faster than they would if they were just out on their own. And that’s the point!

Gordy loves to tell the story of a young woman who tried and liked the club, and wanted to join, but said the annual fee of $300 was a little more than she could afford at that time. He smiles when he tells you that she missed the decimal point. No, it’s only $3.00 and that covers the pizza at the annual pizza party.

It’s easy to join this track club, just show up at one of the workouts and find the guy running the clock. You’ll be paired up with a partner in no time and realize the true value of a group after a hard workout and some good conversation.

For more information, including seasonal schedules, go to Mid Michigan Track Club on Facebook.

See you at the races!