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Thirty-two years after the Pequot Running Club began, runners from Weston and Westport still come together each week to train together.
"Training for long distance running, it's a lonely existence and it's always easier to run with somebody. You have somebody to talk to, somebody to commiserate with and somebody to pace yourself against," President Jeff Palmer said as he took a cool-down lap with club mate Alex White at the Weston High School track Tuesday.
The runners train for local races and half-marathons. In the winter, they meet weekly to run indoors at Staples High School in Westport. But this time of year, they meet Tuesdays at the Weston High track and Sundays at the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club in Southport, straight through the hottest months of summer.
"We've always said if we could train through this terrible hot summer, that once it gets to be like this, it's going to feel great," said Palmer, who joined the group in 1985.
Even with tough weather conditions and busy schedules, the runners stick to their routines.
"I run four times a week," said Alex White, who joined the club three years ago. "I made a commitment to myself that I didn't care what the distance or the time was or the speed, any of that stuff just four times a week." White said that after sticking to his regular workouts, he knocked 15 seconds off his mile time.
"As you get older, it's so hard to get back into shape," said Palmer, who was returning to the track after six weeks away with a pulled hamstring muscle. "But we're all fitness conscious people, those of us who run like this, and we know staying in shape is goodgood for your cardiovascular system, good for your muscular system."
To join the club, visit their website and download the signup form.
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