January 21 update -
Hello Everyone,
http://www.prosportscare.com/
injured). In addition, our own Coach and certified trainer, Gillian Rowan, will be going over marathoner/half-marathoner’s
strength training exercises that you can do in your own home. After the seminar, (around 3:30 or 4:00), Gillian will be leading a cross training spinning class specifically designed for long distance runners. There are only 26 bikes available, so we will have sign ups to reserve your space!
When: Sunday, January 29 at 2:00 p.m.
Come dressed ready to work out!
gym AND a resistance band to use for all those new exercises you
learned***
January 7 update - Track Edition
Happy New Year! So the weather gods are smiling on you guys yet again - a high of 60 this coming Saturday...Ridiculous. I just jinxed it so prepare to bundle up :) We will be running the inaugural MLK 7 miler. I haven't been to the new MLK Memorial and taking 80 or so of my friends on a field trip sounded like fun! I have posted the routes for the next few weeks so check them out!
Time
We will again have the 10:30 and slower heading out at 7:55 and the 10:00 and faster at 8:20.
Track
OK - so we are at the point in the program where we recommend that you hit the track. Note it is only for those that have a solid base, if your mileage isn't where it should be you may want to focus on getting your base building runs in and not track. We meet at the Washington & Lee track on Wednesdays. The standard track workout begins at 7:15, but we will go 15 minutes earlier to get a jump on those that have been doing track workouts for years. We meet near the bleachers closest to the school and Stafford street. I will have my tie dyed shirt to hopefully stand out a bit. Our track workout is probably going to be 8-10 X 400M at a 10K pace with a 100M recovery jog in between. I will go over it in greater detail tomorrow before the run. Please arrive early enough to get in a couple of laps and stretch 6:45 or earlier.
Track Etiquette
Track can be a bit daunting and going out there without knowing the etiquette is a recipe for disaster. Some of the finer points:
- When doing your speed portion you own lane one. Anyone coming up from behind must run around you so don't sweat it. We all will get passed by many people much faster than us... that is no biggie, it is about you, not them!
- Do not run side by side. Double wides are meant for trailer parks not speed workouts!
- When doing your recovery jogs move out to lanes 4 and higher (look over your shoulder when transitioning from speed to recovery, we don't need a collision)
- Try to do all of your reps at the same pace. An impressive first rep followed by much slower reps is not the way to run a speed workout
- Absolutely no headphones... We need you to be aware out there...
Shirts
I received only one suggestion for a logo for the shirt. If we don't get any suggestions I am just going to recommend "Lauren is the best" as the new slogan :) Surely you can all do better than that!
See you guys tomorrow or Saturday!
December 31 update
I hope everyone was on the Nice List and had a good holiday break. We had a windy but still unseasonably warm run on Saturday with 24 trainees and 7 coaches. Mad props go out to Sondra "don't call me Sandra" for bringing some ridiculously good gingerbread muffins for everyone to enjoy.
Timing
We are back to two waves for the long run, but we are switching the 10:30 and slower to 7:55 and the 10 and faster to 8:20. We are doing this to allow us to finish in a smaller window and it certainly helps having 60 sweepers!
Route
We will be running the same route as last week. Please note that when looking at the map that I did it backwards. We do not start by crossing the Key Bridge, rather we finish by crossing it.
Coaches
I finally put together the coach profiles and have posted them here (forgive the formatting, it will be fixed). Please take a look and get to know your coach. Bear in mind that some coaches didn't write too much. I encourage trainees to provide updates to the profile if they feel it deficient. Last year for one coach we put that he invented the shake weight and was a founding member of new kids on the block (to be booted for artistic differences before they made any money).
Water
We are getting to the distance where we need to start bringing water. There are three main types of ways to carry water, handheld, single bottle belt and multi bottle belt. There are variations among each. With no water fountains available we strongly recommend that you carry water with you on the run.
Program Shirts
We have not come up with a design for the shirts yet. We have had "I run this town" as our training slogan for a few years now. We are open to suggestions so please e-mail me and/or your coaches with thoughts (Coach Nikki has already provided a bunch). The idea was thrown out to make the shirts green since the race is on St Patty's day. I think that this is a good idea, but again open to suggestions. We have 130+ trainees so alas we will not be able to make everyone happy, but we will do our best!
See you guys on Saturday!
December 24 update
A reminder we will be running as one collective group on Saturday. Please show up ready for us to get started at 8. We will be running the Bridge to Bridge 6 miler
so get ready to head to Virginia. Take a look at the route, it is pretty straightforward, we are again running to the Washington Monument and then heading over the Memorial bridge. The tricky part is getting to the Mt Vernon trail heading north. We have to cross over two busy roads to get to the trail. Now we do have crosswalks, but that just makes things safer it does not necessarily make it safe.
Safety
What a great segue to safety. Please do have your wits about you when you run. I have seen many times when people run in a group they play follow the leader at intersections and though it may have been safe for the person 10 feet in front of you, it does not necessarily make it safe for you. Awareness is key to your safety, don't assume drivers are as smart as you :)
Headphones
Headphones do little to improve your safety when running. Two winters ago a woman was running across Pennsylvania ave and made an immediate turn to cross 7th st and literally ran into the side of a large truck. The outcome was not good. She had headphones on and was more focused on the music rather than her safety. Also I really enjoy meeting everyone and try to get to know everyone as they are out running and if I come up to you and you have headphones on then I am going to keep on running. Coach Tiffany issued a challenge to her group...run this long run without headphones and see how it feels.
Happy Hour - Jan 19
We have reserved the sand bar area of Whitlows on Jan 19th (can't start marketing too soon). We will dig into our apparel closet and bring some giveaways for the group.
Pace Groups
If you have not received an e-mail from your pace coach(s) please let me know as well as what your relaxed long run pace is and I will ensure you get the attention you so richly deserve!
Happy holidays to those that can't attend!
Week 2
Hello Trainees,
Congrats on a great run on Saturday. My apologies for the fact that our 5 mile run was actual 5.45, but alas construction is outside of things within our control. For those that joined us on the Jingle bell run thanks for making it a huge success. Meredith, Tara, Adam, Niki (who am I missing???) had the great pleasure of running all over DC and singing at various trees including the Rudolph the Red nosed reindeer rendition in the Willard lobby that almost ended with our getting booted. Truly good times. And a special thanks to Edoardo for the pizza, egg nog and raffle for the group. GRC does an amazing hosting job.
20%
Speaking of amazing hosting job GRC will again be providing a 20% discount to all trainees this Saturday. If I can work out the logistics I will have a pile of bagels and some juice for you guys to enjoy
BRRRRRR
It will get colder so please do dress appropriately. The trick to surviving the mild winters in DC is layers. Dress for the weather at your warmed up state, if you dress to be warm before running overheating during the run is in your future. I am a fan of gloves and hats that you can add or remove based on the temperature. Dress to make running enjoyable. We want you back every week!!
Saturday Christmas/Chanukah/Yule Run
Back after a year layoff we are having our annual holiday run. Whatever your religion may be it doesn't matter, we will run to the Washington Monument the same as last week and head to the Ellipse to scope out the Christmas Trees/Menorah/Yule log. So Christian, Jewish or Pagan there is something for everyone.
Pace Groups
You should have received an e-mail from your pace coach. If you did not your pace coach is a slacker or you have not been assigned to a group. If you are unassigned please do indicate on the sign in sheet what your pace is so we can get you some attention from your coaches. You can change at anytime, but be sure your pace is a very relaxed one that you can chat easily while running. Fast long runs make you sore, injured and generally unhappy so take it easy, enjoy and come back week after week!
See you Saturday!
Week 1 Part 2
Hello Trainees,
Sorry for the second update of the week but lots to report.
Time Change - Georgetown Running Company is great, wonderful, accommodating, but alas is not large enough to handle all of the trainees at once. We are going to go out in two waves. The 10 minute and faster group will be starting at 7:55 and the 10:30 and slower will go out at 8:20. If this poses a problem with your schedule please let me know.
GRC Discount - For the next two Saturdays GRC will be giving an extra 5% off so 15% off (10% on electronic stuff), so bring your credit card and your shopping list! I hope to have bagels and coffee if I can work out the logistics...
Club Happy Hour - DC Roadrunners is hosting a HH this Thursday at Elephant & Castle @ 1201 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 5:30-7:30 pm. Come meet your coaches, fellow trainees and other club members!
Jingle Run - This coming Tuesday (the 13th) Coach Nikki and Coach Lindsey will be hosting a Jingle run out of GRC. Time and route are being finalized, stay tuned for details.
Saturday's Route - Don't forget to check out the route for Saturday
Have a good week!
Week 1 - December 3
Hello Trainees,
Congrats to those that made it out Saturday and for those that did the Chocolate run I bet after that debacle you wish you were with us! It was a beautiful out and back on the Capital Crescent, job well done.
Stretching - There has been a lot of debate regarding stretching. Lots of studies show that stretching does not prevent injury, but I personally am a fan as many of my injuries are related to my uber tight muscles. Attached is a stretching guide that may help you if you wish to go down the stretching route
Training Program/Routes - Our website is now updated with the menu items for Routes & Training Plan (the menu is on the left of the page you registered on). The seminar schedule and coach profiles will be updated soon. There are two programs on the site, we recognize that some have come into the program with more of a mileage base than others. We do not want you to ramp up your mileage too much, so choose the plan that works for you. Remember the rule of thumb is to try not to jump your mileage by more than 10% per week. Just because the plan calls for running on Monday it doesn't mean that you have to, we recognize schedules vary. The plan provides general guidelines on getting your mileage in.
Weekday Runs - The club has Mon, Tue & Wed runs. See our site for the specifics on the run. Georgetown Running Company has Wednesday night runs with contests and prizes. Any running store will likely have fun runs. Pacers have Tue & Thur fun runs as well. We strongly recommend that you join our Facebook page "2012 DCRRC Spring Half Marathon Program" and take advantage of the 100+ trainees to find local running partners
This Saturday - We had 72 trainees show up on Saturday and it was a very full house... well we have 115 signed up so I don't think we can house everyone. I am looking into splitting the program to have 20 minutes or so between pace groups (e.g. 10:30 and slower at 7:50 and 10 & faster at 8:15). I will keep you posted to let you know what the plan is as soon as we figure it out.
Final Thoughts - 1) The program is full of brand new runners so don't feel as if you are a newbie in a sea of Olympians and 2) You must get your weekly mileage in - you may be able to fake it for a few weeks, but as we get into the longer distances you run the risk of injury & trust me running beyond your fitness is really not enjoyable.
Have a great week and we will see you on Saturday!
