Yves Roger "Better Late Than Never" by Paul Soskind

Yves Roger "Better Late Than  Never"   by Paul Soskind

P.S. You've been a PPTCer for about two years. How did it transpire?

Yves I never had thoughts of running, especially racing, because all my life I have never been an athletic kind of guy. But at age ten, I found my boyhood hero, Michel Jazzi, theOlympic French 1500 and 5000 metre star.He was my idol; I would watch all his races on our tiny black and white T.V. Maybe it was he who planted the seed of inspiration in me. I had thoughts that I might do something as a boy and wondered if I ever could. Then in the French army as a young man I had to run a 10km as part of our training. Some of the other guys looked really fit, but to my surprise, I finished way up near the front of my company, but, it still didn't click that I had ability to run fast.

P.S. So when did it click?

Yves A little over two years ago,at the Turkey Trot,my first race. I got there late, had to start behind everyone, but was passing people, lots of them, even at the end! So iI joined PPTC to be with people who could motivate, inspire , and guide me in running; better late than never!

P.S. How has running transformed you?

Yves Running has made my job, much easier; I teach architecture and am faced with getting ti know and meet the needs of many new students each year. Running has calmed me down, given me greater focus and patience, which I can apply to teaching. I'm much less stressed out now!

P.S. As a relatively "new" runner, have you set any goals for yourself?

Yves I want to see how much faster I can go. Right now, I'm running sub eights in all my races; how much faster can I go with some more years of training? P.S. What about a marathon?

Yves Right now I enjoy doing half marathons, but getting in the mileage to do them is a lot of work,; a marathon requires lots more if you want to do more than just survive it.I wouldn't want to do it and end up hurting my self. P.S. What have your experiences with the club been like? I've gotten to meet new people who share my interest, enjoy the groups at the speed classes and the races ,and the social aspects that the club offers us. P.S. So I gather that you have ideas about how we can improve.

Yves I would like to see more social events like the picnic; maybe brunches or lunches after races. We could also use a larger space for our monthly meetings; the smallness of the space may prevent people from continually attending.

P.S. I'm  sure our members will appreciate your unique entry into running as well as your fresh viewpoint; many thanks.