Happy New Year! For the Pine Belt Pacers, the year started off to a great start with a very successful Steam Whistle Race. The level of participation, especially the volunteers, was exceptional. I can't think of a better way to start of the New Year than with running. It beats the heck out of a hangover.

With the advent of the New Year, we have a new slate of officers for the Pine Belt Pacers. As President, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself as well as my goals for the year.

I am a relative newcomer to the Pacers, having been a member only two years. I joined the Pacers after my daughter signed me up for a Sprint Triathlon (for my birthday). My level of fitness, at that time, was hovering at zero to -5. Not only had I been out of shape for 20 years, I had packed on a significant amount of weight. My first goal to prepare for the triathlon was to find some good running shoes. I went to Soccer Locker, bought my first pair of “running” shoes, and asked if they knew of anyone in the area who did triathlons. They recommended I check out the Pine Belt Pacers website. I emailed Becky Ryder and she met with me on February 16, 2008. I started running that day and have been at it ever since. Becky put me in touch with Sheryl Chatfield who worked with me on swimming and biking. I can never thank Becky and Sheryl enough for coaching me and encouraging me to continue on this journey. You both helped me change my life.

One of the things that surprised me the most was how welcoming the members of the Pine Belt Pacers were to me. One look at me and you could tell I was not a “real” runner. I soon found out that being a “real” runner is not a qualification for membership in the Pine Belt Pacers. Despite the fact that I couldn't run a full lap around the track without stopping, all of you encouraged me and treated me like one of the gang. Two years later, I can run 10 miles and was chosen to be President.

Some of the goals I have for our club this year are to increase membership, increase participation within our membership, train club leaders, raise funds for designated organizations, and continue some of the great community service activities that are already in place (5K Training Program at Thames, Trace maintenance, etc.). I also hope many of us can get involved in facilitating the completion of the Trace to the Train Station downtown.

I welcome your suggestions and invite all of you to attend our quarterly meetings. Best wishes for a great year of running.

Susan Davidson