26.2 = Spring 2010 Marathon Training
This Spring Fleet Feet Sports of Winston Salem is offering our second Marathon Training Program. Designed for athletes who are working to go beyond the half marathon, this program will challenge first-time-marathoners to complete the full 26.2 miles. A combination of group long runs and coached track workouts will enable runners to reach the next step in distance running.
Pre-requisite: Runners signing up for the Marathon training program must be able to run 13.1 miles before the first day of practice AND be currently training 20+ miles/week.
Kick Off Meeting: Monday, December 14, 2010 at 7:00pm at Fleet Feet Sports
First Workout: Saturday, January 2nd, 2010
Group Long Runs: Every Saturday at 7:00am. These long runs are a crucial to developing the endurance necessary for the event. Locations of these runs will vary and will be announced at the kick off meeting. Long runs will be supported workouts but not heavily coached. Fleet Feet Sports will provide a safe route, water/gatorade on the course, and a fun group atmosphere to get through the miles.
Coached Workouts: Every Wednesday 6:00pm at Fleet Feet Sports. Wednesday night workouts will challenge your speed and strength. Form work, core strengthening, and interval training will take place on Wednesday nights with guidance and coaching to take your running to the next level.
Race Date: North Carolina Marathon in High Point on Saturday, March 20th. Details available at http://www.ncmarathon.org/
Cost: $125.00 (does not include race registration)
Participants receive: Detailed training schedule, supported long runs, coached speed and strength workouts, access to informational website, weekly e-mails and access to coaching for motivation, support, questions and answers.
For additional information visit www.fleetfeetwinston-salem.com or e-mail the Fleet Feet Sports coach at coach@fleetfeetwinston-salem.com Sign up in store today!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Top 10 Reasons to Run in the Rain
Submitted by Fleet Feet Training Program Participant and Die Hard Runner: Shelby Morgan
Top 10 reasons for why it’s a good thing to run in the cold rain:
#10 Guess what? You won't melt!
#9 It's FUN! You feel like a kid again splashing in puddles and getting your shoes all squishy
#8 The kids in the passing cars are all jealous of you
#7 You get to experience the earthy smell of earthworms and wet leaves
#6 You don't have to remember your sunscreen and sunglasses
#5 You don't have to contend with dogs chasing and barking at you
#4 You don't get as smelly because the rain washes the sweat off
#3 A hot shower never felt SO good after peeling the cold wet clothes off your cold clammy skin
#2 You don't have to worry about getting Tan lines around your ankles and neck . . .
DRUMROLL . . . .and the number one answer is . . . . . . . . . .
#1 "Because Real Runners don't get rained OUT - they just get rained ON!"
Top 10 reasons for why it’s a good thing to run in the cold rain:
#10 Guess what? You won't melt!
#9 It's FUN! You feel like a kid again splashing in puddles and getting your shoes all squishy
#8 The kids in the passing cars are all jealous of you
#7 You get to experience the earthy smell of earthworms and wet leaves
#6 You don't have to remember your sunscreen and sunglasses
#5 You don't have to contend with dogs chasing and barking at you
#4 You don't get as smelly because the rain washes the sweat off
#3 A hot shower never felt SO good after peeling the cold wet clothes off your cold clammy skin
#2 You don't have to worry about getting Tan lines around your ankles and neck . . .
DRUMROLL . . . .and the number one answer is . . . . . . . . . .
#1 "Because Real Runners don't get rained OUT - they just get rained ON!"
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Don’t Forget a Little R&R
We are currently in the midst of half marathon training at Fleet Feet Sports and now embarking on one of the toughest parts of the season:
Rest.
As endurance athletes we have a little trait that allows us to succeed. This “little trait” is the characteristic that enables us to pound out miles upon miles. Some people call it dedication, others call it devotion, some think of it as “stick-to-it-iveness”… and then some of us call it stubbornness.
Yep – the same trait that makes us successful endurance athletes can also be the trait that kicks our own rears. When we want to get faster we train MORE. When we want to build strength we train MORE. And when we want to build endurance we train MORE. In fact, some of us get injured, and in a bizarre attempt to get better we train MORE. But training more is not always the answer. Sometimes we need to – gasp – rest.
There is one thing I can promise you: If you don’t take time for rest you can count on never reaching your potential on race day. I know it is harsh – but the reality is that rest and recovery are as crucial to your training program as your long run and speed work.
In order to push ourselves to the next level we need to take time to recover. Without recovery time we continuously break down our muscles without time to rebuild. We grow fatigued without time to re-energize. And as a result we begin to set out for every training run without any pep in our step or zip in our stride. Rest is what enables our bodies to translate hard training runs and tough workouts into successful races.
As you develop your own training programs, be sure to build in weeks of recovery following every 3 or 4 weeks of tough training. These recovery weeks will allow you to push harder as you increase distance and work towards a faster pace. You will find that sessions of rest and recovery will leave you feeling strong as you push yourself to the next level.
So whether you call it stick-to-it-iveness or stubbornness, remember to take some time for a little R&R. You will thank yourself on race day!
Rest.
As endurance athletes we have a little trait that allows us to succeed. This “little trait” is the characteristic that enables us to pound out miles upon miles. Some people call it dedication, others call it devotion, some think of it as “stick-to-it-iveness”… and then some of us call it stubbornness.
Yep – the same trait that makes us successful endurance athletes can also be the trait that kicks our own rears. When we want to get faster we train MORE. When we want to build strength we train MORE. And when we want to build endurance we train MORE. In fact, some of us get injured, and in a bizarre attempt to get better we train MORE. But training more is not always the answer. Sometimes we need to – gasp – rest.
There is one thing I can promise you: If you don’t take time for rest you can count on never reaching your potential on race day. I know it is harsh – but the reality is that rest and recovery are as crucial to your training program as your long run and speed work.
In order to push ourselves to the next level we need to take time to recover. Without recovery time we continuously break down our muscles without time to rebuild. We grow fatigued without time to re-energize. And as a result we begin to set out for every training run without any pep in our step or zip in our stride. Rest is what enables our bodies to translate hard training runs and tough workouts into successful races.
As you develop your own training programs, be sure to build in weeks of recovery following every 3 or 4 weeks of tough training. These recovery weeks will allow you to push harder as you increase distance and work towards a faster pace. You will find that sessions of rest and recovery will leave you feeling strong as you push yourself to the next level.
So whether you call it stick-to-it-iveness or stubbornness, remember to take some time for a little R&R. You will thank yourself on race day!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
NY Marathon Update... check it out!
Keflezighi posts an historic NYC Marathon win for a fallen friend by David Epstein
Story Highlights
Meb Keflezighi is the first U.S. man to win the NYC Marathon since 1982
He won just two years after his friend Ryan Shay died while running in NYC
A U.S. citizen since 1998, he said he was proud to win for his adopted country
If you're 34-year-old Meb Keflezighi, what tribute could you possibly come up with that would be a fitting honor for your friend and training partner Ryan Shay, who collapsed and died in November 2007 during the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in New York City?
In a news conference before the 2009 New York City Marathon, you could ask for a moment of silence in his honor. Check.
Or, just as you turn into Central Park between miles 23 and 24, you could break away from Robert Cheruiyot, the four-time Boston Marathon champion from Kenya, en route to becoming the first American to win in New York since Ronald Reagan was settling into his first term 27 years ago. Check.
And then, less than a mile later at the bottom of Cat Hill, now that you are solidly in the lead with the television cameras -- and the eyes of the world -- on only you, you can make the symbol of the cross on your chest as you fly by the spot where Shay, a Notre Dame grad, fell. Even though Shay's father, Joe Shay, isn't watching the race -- there are too many faces he painfully recognizes -- he might say afterward that you are "one of the class acts in all of sports" and that your gesture is "just so significant." Check.
And just to make it all more meaningful, perhaps it can come after a year-and-a-half of rehab following that terrible November day two years ago, when Shay died and when your body fall apart. When you got sick days before the race, cramped up because of dehydration during it, and ended up crawling around your hotel room on all fours because of the pain in your legs. When, for days "you practically couldn't get up and walk to the bathroom," according to your wife, Yordanos. And when, months later, a doctor would find the stress fracture in your hip that had you thinking about hanging up your racing flats for good.
You could go through all that and then return to New York in 2009 to run a personal best and win a marathon for the first time, well after people were beginning to "write you off" because of age and injuries, as Ryan Hall, the most-hyped U.S. marathoner who finished three places behind you on Sunday, put it. Check.
That would be even more perfect because, instead of retiring, you would have struggled back to health and all the way back to the starting line in New York, where you could force yourself to forget that nearly all the two million spectators lining the New York City course expect an athlete running for Ethiopia, Kenya, Brazil or Morocco to pass first. Check.
That last part shouldn't be too terribly difficult, given that you already banished the naysayers when you took silver at the Olympic marathon in Athens, the first medal for a U.S. man since Frank Shorter took silver in 1976. And even before that, you joined a generation of American distance runners, like Shay, who knew that Americans could run with Africans, and who were resolved never to let there be another time like 2000, when the U.S. qualified only one runner for the Olympic marathon.
And maybe you can make sure, on race day, to be the only runner out there wearing a USA singlet, so that it will be that much more unique when you enter the last quarter-mile slapping the letters on your chest and remembering how Shay took personal offense when people said you weren't a "real American" even though you've been here since you were 12. And so that it will be that much more special when, in post-race interviews, you recite the exact day you came to America -- October 21, 1987 -- from Italy after your family left Eritrea as refugees; and when you mention how much you loved going to school at UCLA, and how grateful you are for the opportunities, in school and in sport, that America gave you, and how proud you were to become a citizen in 1998. Check.
And then, when you cross the line in first, you can let the tears of sorrow and the tears of joy mix as they flow down your cheeks. Check.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/david_epstein/11/01/nyc.marathon/#ixzz0Ve6siPOC
Story Highlights
Meb Keflezighi is the first U.S. man to win the NYC Marathon since 1982
He won just two years after his friend Ryan Shay died while running in NYC
A U.S. citizen since 1998, he said he was proud to win for his adopted country
If you're 34-year-old Meb Keflezighi, what tribute could you possibly come up with that would be a fitting honor for your friend and training partner Ryan Shay, who collapsed and died in November 2007 during the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in New York City?
In a news conference before the 2009 New York City Marathon, you could ask for a moment of silence in his honor. Check.
Or, just as you turn into Central Park between miles 23 and 24, you could break away from Robert Cheruiyot, the four-time Boston Marathon champion from Kenya, en route to becoming the first American to win in New York since Ronald Reagan was settling into his first term 27 years ago. Check.
And then, less than a mile later at the bottom of Cat Hill, now that you are solidly in the lead with the television cameras -- and the eyes of the world -- on only you, you can make the symbol of the cross on your chest as you fly by the spot where Shay, a Notre Dame grad, fell. Even though Shay's father, Joe Shay, isn't watching the race -- there are too many faces he painfully recognizes -- he might say afterward that you are "one of the class acts in all of sports" and that your gesture is "just so significant." Check.
And just to make it all more meaningful, perhaps it can come after a year-and-a-half of rehab following that terrible November day two years ago, when Shay died and when your body fall apart. When you got sick days before the race, cramped up because of dehydration during it, and ended up crawling around your hotel room on all fours because of the pain in your legs. When, for days "you practically couldn't get up and walk to the bathroom," according to your wife, Yordanos. And when, months later, a doctor would find the stress fracture in your hip that had you thinking about hanging up your racing flats for good.
You could go through all that and then return to New York in 2009 to run a personal best and win a marathon for the first time, well after people were beginning to "write you off" because of age and injuries, as Ryan Hall, the most-hyped U.S. marathoner who finished three places behind you on Sunday, put it. Check.
That would be even more perfect because, instead of retiring, you would have struggled back to health and all the way back to the starting line in New York, where you could force yourself to forget that nearly all the two million spectators lining the New York City course expect an athlete running for Ethiopia, Kenya, Brazil or Morocco to pass first. Check.
That last part shouldn't be too terribly difficult, given that you already banished the naysayers when you took silver at the Olympic marathon in Athens, the first medal for a U.S. man since Frank Shorter took silver in 1976. And even before that, you joined a generation of American distance runners, like Shay, who knew that Americans could run with Africans, and who were resolved never to let there be another time like 2000, when the U.S. qualified only one runner for the Olympic marathon.
And maybe you can make sure, on race day, to be the only runner out there wearing a USA singlet, so that it will be that much more unique when you enter the last quarter-mile slapping the letters on your chest and remembering how Shay took personal offense when people said you weren't a "real American" even though you've been here since you were 12. And so that it will be that much more special when, in post-race interviews, you recite the exact day you came to America -- October 21, 1987 -- from Italy after your family left Eritrea as refugees; and when you mention how much you loved going to school at UCLA, and how grateful you are for the opportunities, in school and in sport, that America gave you, and how proud you were to become a citizen in 1998. Check.
And then, when you cross the line in first, you can let the tears of sorrow and the tears of joy mix as they flow down your cheeks. Check.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/david_epstein/11/01/nyc.marathon/#ixzz0Ve6siPOC
Monday, October 26, 2009
From a runner who ventured out in the pouring rain
Check out this post from our Guest Writer: Kelly Melang. Kelly joined us for our Black Walnut Festival Fun Run. As an avid runner and triathlete Kelly doesn't shy away from an occassional run in the run... this one was a special one...
Black Walnut Social Run
We thought about building an ark for the people on this run as the heavens opened up and the rain came in sheets 15 minutes before we were scheduled to start. But true to Fleet Feet’s luck, the skies cleared exactly at 10:30am. This social run is a quick 3 miles through historic Bethania in celebration of the Black Walnut Festival.
Bethania, NC is a tiny jewel hidden in Forsyth County. Bethania was founded in 1759 as the first settlement of the Moravians. The Black Walnut Festival celebrates this historic town and vendors are setting up booths while a wood fire is lit beneath a black cauldron. There’s not many of us (there weren’t many on the ark) and Stacey is there to cheer us on. We start from the visitor’s center and go up Main Street, the beautiful leaves of trees framing the street, the rain falling softly. We turn halfway towards the first school house in Forsyth County, the school bell sits silent as we hear the soft crunch of feet on the gravel road.
The run then moves down past the historic buildings complete with a beautiful authentic log cabin. What’s different from the other buildings is true to the atmosphere, there’s an old man sitting on the porch in overalls and on a rocker, playing banjo music. No, not the type of banjo music that makes you run faster, music that fits right in with the buildings, the falling leaves, and the light chill of a fall day. You half expect to see someone go by on horse and buggy. We come back through the festival before turning onto a wooden trail behind the restored church.
The trail is quiet, we can hear our breath as we run, watching people ahead of us dodge puddles, roots and other items on the trail. There’s the squish of mud, the splash of puddles, the crunch of leaves. It feels like we’re out in the backwoods somewhere, though 100 yards away the road and civilization. The trees are in varying stages of fall, and each turn in the trail brings a beautiful view. We come back as the festival comes to life, the run just long enough to enjoy the morning, but short enough that everyone emerges from the trail happy. There are prizes for the runners, beer for the festival, and as we walk back to our car we know we’ll be back after that hot shower. We didn’t need the ark anyway.
Black Walnut Social Run
We thought about building an ark for the people on this run as the heavens opened up and the rain came in sheets 15 minutes before we were scheduled to start. But true to Fleet Feet’s luck, the skies cleared exactly at 10:30am. This social run is a quick 3 miles through historic Bethania in celebration of the Black Walnut Festival.
Bethania, NC is a tiny jewel hidden in Forsyth County. Bethania was founded in 1759 as the first settlement of the Moravians. The Black Walnut Festival celebrates this historic town and vendors are setting up booths while a wood fire is lit beneath a black cauldron. There’s not many of us (there weren’t many on the ark) and Stacey is there to cheer us on. We start from the visitor’s center and go up Main Street, the beautiful leaves of trees framing the street, the rain falling softly. We turn halfway towards the first school house in Forsyth County, the school bell sits silent as we hear the soft crunch of feet on the gravel road.
The run then moves down past the historic buildings complete with a beautiful authentic log cabin. What’s different from the other buildings is true to the atmosphere, there’s an old man sitting on the porch in overalls and on a rocker, playing banjo music. No, not the type of banjo music that makes you run faster, music that fits right in with the buildings, the falling leaves, and the light chill of a fall day. You half expect to see someone go by on horse and buggy. We come back through the festival before turning onto a wooden trail behind the restored church.
The trail is quiet, we can hear our breath as we run, watching people ahead of us dodge puddles, roots and other items on the trail. There’s the squish of mud, the splash of puddles, the crunch of leaves. It feels like we’re out in the backwoods somewhere, though 100 yards away the road and civilization. The trees are in varying stages of fall, and each turn in the trail brings a beautiful view. We come back as the festival comes to life, the run just long enough to enjoy the morning, but short enough that everyone emerges from the trail happy. There are prizes for the runners, beer for the festival, and as we walk back to our car we know we’ll be back after that hot shower. We didn’t need the ark anyway.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Hang on to your Fork No Boundaries Fall 2009
This past weekend we had the opportunity to watch our No Boundaries Participants finish their season at the Ardmore 5K. I was so excited and proud to cheer them all on. This is their "race day" cheer... which of course - coming from me - had to be a poem...
Greetings No Boundaries Folks:
In just a few minutes
You’ll toe the start line
And after 12 weeks of training
Now it is time
Cuz after all that hard work
Your race day is here -
So before I let you all go
Raise your water for “Cheers”
Because today we will celebrate…
Signing up for a program
Is not always easy
But to take it one step further
And risk being cheesy
You’ve made me all proud -
You did what had to be done.
You trained, stretched, and strengthened
For your walk and your run.
And when all of that training
Started to get tough
You didn’t throw in the towel
Or say you’d had enough.
Instead you pushed through the distance
When one more step seemed too long,
You got mentally tough
And you grew physically strong.
We started with many
But you’re one of the few
Who has seen this whole program
All the way through.
So the next time you shower
Or powder you nose
Take a look in the mirror
(Wearing your run/walking clothes)
And say “Self, I am proud…
Cuz you took on this task
And whether you run or you walk
- move slow or move fast –
You’ve committed to something
and crossed the great finish line
And self – it’s been tough-
But you did it just fine.”
And give yourself a li’l wink
Then a big grinning smile…
And know that just out your door
Awaits yet one more mile.
Because after the Ardmore
5 K is done
You’ll have more days to walk
And more days to run.
My mom had a phrase -
After each meal she’d say –
Once the main course was done
And the food put away:
Hang on to your fork
Because the best part is here –
So I tell you No Bound’ries
Your next challenge is near.
Whether you run a 10K
Or take on a Tri…
Give yourself a new goal
And reach for the sky.
You’ve proven today
You’ve got what you need
To challenge the distance
And move with great speed.
We love you No Boundaries!
Greetings No Boundaries Folks:
In just a few minutes
You’ll toe the start line
And after 12 weeks of training
Now it is time
Cuz after all that hard work
Your race day is here -
So before I let you all go
Raise your water for “Cheers”
Because today we will celebrate…
Signing up for a program
Is not always easy
But to take it one step further
And risk being cheesy
You’ve made me all proud -
You did what had to be done.
You trained, stretched, and strengthened
For your walk and your run.
And when all of that training
Started to get tough
You didn’t throw in the towel
Or say you’d had enough.
Instead you pushed through the distance
When one more step seemed too long,
You got mentally tough
And you grew physically strong.
We started with many
But you’re one of the few
Who has seen this whole program
All the way through.
So the next time you shower
Or powder you nose
Take a look in the mirror
(Wearing your run/walking clothes)
And say “Self, I am proud…
Cuz you took on this task
And whether you run or you walk
- move slow or move fast –
You’ve committed to something
and crossed the great finish line
And self – it’s been tough-
But you did it just fine.”
And give yourself a li’l wink
Then a big grinning smile…
And know that just out your door
Awaits yet one more mile.
Because after the Ardmore
5 K is done
You’ll have more days to walk
And more days to run.
My mom had a phrase -
After each meal she’d say –
Once the main course was done
And the food put away:
Hang on to your fork
Because the best part is here –
So I tell you No Bound’ries
Your next challenge is near.
Whether you run a 10K
Or take on a Tri…
Give yourself a new goal
And reach for the sky.
You’ve proven today
You’ve got what you need
To challenge the distance
And move with great speed.
We love you No Boundaries!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Runner's High - Redefined
Our customers and program participants often ask me, “When do I experience the runner’s high?”
Ah… the elusive runner’s high. AKA: The promise of a somewhat euphoric experience that is supposedly achieved through distance running.
The truth: Despite the promises of Runner’s World magazine and movies like Chariots of Fire, the runner’s high is not really a common experience.
The really true truth: Running isn’t always easy, and the runner’s high is a sort of rare treat.
After 17+ years of distance running I can specifically remember the number of long runs that I can confidently say were fueled by the runner’s high. On that handful of days my legs seem to lift effortlessly, my lungs seemed super-human, and there weren’t enough miles to accommodate my desire to run, run, and run some more.
But seriously – over the course of 17 years – just a handful of runs fit into that category of special, effortless, and euphoric. Hmmm….
So why do I keep running?
Because I have re-defined the runner’s high.
For me, this is how I define the runner’s high: (All of you crazy runners can add to this list!)
The Runner’s High Is:
• Standing around the water cooler at work talking about your morning and casually tossing in the statement “yeah… I got out for my easy 8 miles this morning… just before the sun came up.”
• Knowing that no matter what kind of craziness might happen in your day you have 20, 30, or 60 minutes that you have given to yourself to get your heart pumping and your legs moving.
• Really noticing the homes and people in the neighborhoods that you quickly drive through on a regular basis by traveling them on foot.
• Inhaling fresh air and appreciating the seasons when you battle the elements of the weather on the run.
• Finish a hot summer run and wondering how in the world you have sweat so so much… and feeling clean like you had a shower from the inside out!
• Feeling strong enough to help a family member or friend get through a tough run and knowing that your encouragement made a difference.
• Sitting through a less than thrilling business meeting, class, or family function and knowing that you – thankfully – already got in your run for the day and no matter how annoyed you might get, NO ONE can take that away.
• Running in the rain, the snow, the wind, the dark, the extreme heat, the extreme cold… and feeling like a rockstar because you know somewhere there is someone who is trying to decide if he or she is going to lace up their shoes for the day.
So add to the list… what is your runner’s high re-defined?
Happy Running Folks – Coach S Batt
Ah… the elusive runner’s high. AKA: The promise of a somewhat euphoric experience that is supposedly achieved through distance running.
The truth: Despite the promises of Runner’s World magazine and movies like Chariots of Fire, the runner’s high is not really a common experience.
The really true truth: Running isn’t always easy, and the runner’s high is a sort of rare treat.
After 17+ years of distance running I can specifically remember the number of long runs that I can confidently say were fueled by the runner’s high. On that handful of days my legs seem to lift effortlessly, my lungs seemed super-human, and there weren’t enough miles to accommodate my desire to run, run, and run some more.
But seriously – over the course of 17 years – just a handful of runs fit into that category of special, effortless, and euphoric. Hmmm….
So why do I keep running?
Because I have re-defined the runner’s high.
For me, this is how I define the runner’s high: (All of you crazy runners can add to this list!)
The Runner’s High Is:
• Standing around the water cooler at work talking about your morning and casually tossing in the statement “yeah… I got out for my easy 8 miles this morning… just before the sun came up.”
• Knowing that no matter what kind of craziness might happen in your day you have 20, 30, or 60 minutes that you have given to yourself to get your heart pumping and your legs moving.
• Really noticing the homes and people in the neighborhoods that you quickly drive through on a regular basis by traveling them on foot.
• Inhaling fresh air and appreciating the seasons when you battle the elements of the weather on the run.
• Finish a hot summer run and wondering how in the world you have sweat so so much… and feeling clean like you had a shower from the inside out!
• Feeling strong enough to help a family member or friend get through a tough run and knowing that your encouragement made a difference.
• Sitting through a less than thrilling business meeting, class, or family function and knowing that you – thankfully – already got in your run for the day and no matter how annoyed you might get, NO ONE can take that away.
• Running in the rain, the snow, the wind, the dark, the extreme heat, the extreme cold… and feeling like a rockstar because you know somewhere there is someone who is trying to decide if he or she is going to lace up their shoes for the day.
So add to the list… what is your runner’s high re-defined?
Happy Running Folks – Coach S Batt
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