June 28 Run - Ramping up...

[heelshouse]

Greeting to Team WannaBeasts!

 

Great job yesterday on the Crabtree Creek Greenway & Oak Park neighborhood.  As you know, it was a humid day (98%).  I was impressed with the effort and group spirit yesterday.  We stayed together, encouraged one another, and knocked out a "Ron Wahula 6-miler" (this means 7-7.2 miles depending on the watch type). 

 

As we progress into our season and the miles get longer there are some important things to remember:

• Be careful when we are on the roads - a couple of times yesterday we were 4-5 abreast in Oak Park.  It is important to stay as close to the curb as possible, especially around curves and nearing the crest of a hill.  Automobile visibility is minimal in those situations.
• If you haven't already, begin to design and layout your weekly training schedule to get you ready for your target fall race(s).  Different people prefer different methodologies, but you should be completing a minimum of 2 weekday runs of 30-minutes or longer.  Many books/plans call for higher mileage and more frequent weekday runs mixed with cross-training.  Find the plan and recommendations that work for you, your life, and your target race then stick to it and make sure to get it done. Jeff Galloway's books have some great plans/schedules as do many others that you find at the library, online, or at a bookstore.
• With the lovely southern humidity and heat, we are in a different game than winter/spring running training.  Begin you hydration and nutrition on Thursday to be prepared properly for Saturday.  As Registered Dietitian Shelly Wegman (a leader of the Kewl Runners) told me a few years ago, "What you eat on Thursday will be fueling your long run (or race) on Saturday."
• If you haven't signed up for a race or are contemplating finding a second race, here are some great resources to see what's available around the U.S. : http://www.runningintheusa.com/   http://www.marathonguide.com/races/home.cfm

I'll wrap us "last week's newsletter" (oops!) with the following Lance Armstrong quote:

 

"Pain is temporary.  It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place.  If I quit, however, it lasts forever."

 

See you next week,

Hardin Watkins