Congrats to all!!!

Great job to everyone of you! You did it! I hope you all had a wonderful day and are proud of your accomplishment. Jacki and I are very proud to have helped you along your way. We hope that everyone had a great experience running with the group and you were able to reach your goal whether it was to complete your first half marathon or improve your overall time. Yesterday was a tough course and we had an unusually warm day but we made it! Hope to see you all in the gym to speak with each of you in person and hope to see you all continuing to run in the future...after a few days off for recovery, of course : )

24 hours until the big day!

Good luck to everyone tomorrow!

You have all logged enough miles come a long way since our first run together. You will all do great!

Make sure you look for the Canton Club cheering section around Linwood and Eastern and then I will see you at the finish!

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2843943

Hello runners!

Tomorrow is our last run before the big day! We will be running 11 miles which most of you have already done in the past few weeks. Tomorrow will be a breeze. There is no doubt that each one of you is prepared for it. We will be running from the club to Fort McHenry. The link is posted above. You may have to copy and paste it. I will have typed out directions for you in the morning.

I have three final pieces of advice for you:
1) Stay in the moment. Don't get ahead of yourself. Focus on where you are and don't worry about what you have ahead of you.
2) Stay positive. You have all trained hard and logged enough miles. You are ready for this!
3) Most importantly...HAVE FUN! Turn on your ipod, play your favorite songs and RUN! Don't worry about anyone or anything. Enjoy yourself and keep putting one foot in front of the other. You will make it!

Half Marathon Course Run

Today we ran 10 miles of the half marathon course. We met at 7am at Patterson Park and followed the course below:

Linwood Ave to LEFT on Madison
Madison to RIGHT on Washington
Washington to RIGHT on St Lo Dr
St Lor Dr to RIGHT on Harford Rd
Harford Rd to LEFT on Hillen Rd
Hillen Rd to LEFT on 33rd St
33rd St to LEFT on Guilford Ave
Guilford Ave to RIGHT on 29th St
29th St to RIGHT onto St Paul St
St Paul St turnes into Light St
Light St LEFT onto Pratt St
Pratt St RIGHT onto President
President St LEFT onto Eastern Ave
Eastern Ave to Patterson Park

Great job everyone! Two more long runs to go and we will be at race day! Make sure you have an outfit ready and make sure to trim those toenails!

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.

Hello Runners!

Let's cross our fingers that this rain ends soon and we have a beautiful, cool morning for our run. We will be running 9.5 miles tomorrow. It will be an out and back route with a mix of hills and flats.

Here is a link to the route:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/md/baltimore/817125271074997804

Starting at the club along the water to Ellwood.
Left onto Ellwood
Left onto Pratt
Left onto Linwood
Left onto Baltimore
Left onto Wolfe
Right onto Aliceanna
Aliceanna to the water
Follow along the water to the Rusty Scupper
Turn around and take the same route back to the club.

This route may be a little longer than 9.5 since we are running along the water. We may turn around sooner than the Rusty Scupper.

See you all in the morning rain or shine!

Rain or shine, we are running 8 and feeling great!

UPDATE!!!
Running along the water added more distance than I had thought it would. Our turnaround point was just past the Rusty Scupper at the third set of black benches.

Hello Runners!

A rainy day is forecasted for tomorrow but that won't stop us. Rain or shine, we will meet at the front desk at 7am for our 8-mile run.

We will run the 7-mile run that we did 2 weeks ago with a few minor changes to add an additional mile.

Starting at the club, run along the water as far as you can and then make your way onto Key Highway. Take Key Highway to Lawrence and make a right. Left onto E Fort and follow about 1/4 mile to Stevenson St. One you see Stevenson St. (I believe it is a one-way street) turn around and make your way back to the club the same way that you came.

We will have a small group tomorrow so hopefully we can all stick together. Feel free to bring ipods if that helps keep you focused.

Happy Running!

7 at 7

Hello Runners!

Can you believe that we are almost half way through our training program? Time flies when you're having fun!

You are all doing a great job! Everyone has been so positive and really pushing themselves to get through the tough parts of the run and the training program.

Tomorrow we will be running our longest run of 7 miles and everyone's favorite hill is included. We will get it out of the way early though so from then on it will be down hill and flat. Good luck and see you all bright and early.

Here is our route:
From the club along the water to Ellwood.
Left onto Ellwood
Left onto Pratt
Right onto Linwood
Left onto Baltimore up the hill
Left onto Wolfe
Right onto Aliceanna to the harbor
Run to the Science Center and turn around
Back to Aliceanna to Boston to the club

Saturday 6

Hi Runners! Looking forward to our run tomorrow morning. Please stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water tonight. If anyone would like to borrow my water belt during the run, let me know.

Tomorrow's run will be 6 miles. This course is part of our long run course that we will be getting to in a few weeks. It's mostly flat with a little bit of a hill in the middle.

Here is a brief rundown. Boston St. to Aliceanna. Follow Aliceanna to the harbor onto Pratt Street. Left at Rash Field to Key Highway. Follow Key Highway to Cross Street. Right onto Cross St and follow to Light Street. Right onto Light and back to the Harbor. Back to the club the way that you came.

Saturday five and you all survived!

Great job again today everyone! We had a nice turnout today and welcomed new member Tiffany to the group.

The group decision was to run the flat course along the water. We ran from the club along the water to the bridge right before Pier Six turned around and ran back.

Next weekend Angie will be leading the 5 1/2 mile run. Jacki and I will both be out of town for our good friend Stephanie's wedding. Thanks Angie! We will be thinking of you all when we are running on our own.

Keep up the great work and don't forget...tomorrow is a day of rest. Enjoy!

"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win." Roger Bannister

I will see you all tomorrow morning for 5-miles (maybe a little more) of fun! We will have a new member joining the group and a special guest runner who is training for her first marathon!

A group vote will decide if we will run the hill or along the water. If we run the hill we will run last week's route finishing along Boston Street. If we run along the water we will run to Barnes & Noble and back.

See you all in the morning!

Too much is always better than not enough...

Hello runners!

I must apologize again for my miscalculations yesterday. 4.5 miles turned into 5.5 miles but we did it and the next two weeks will now be a breeze! Great job Anne and Rachael! You fought through the heat and humidity and won!

I promised no hill next week so we will run our 5 miles along the water. See you then!

Some people dream of worthy accomplishments while others wake up and do them!

See you all bright and early tomorrow morning rain or shine for our 4.5-mile run. This run will be an extension of last week's run:

From the club along the water to S. Ellwood
Left onto Ellwood
Left onto Pratt
Right onto Linwood
Left up Baltimore
Left onto Wolfe
Right onto Aliceanna
Aliceanna to Harboreast
Loop back around and head back to the club along the water

Rest up and drink plenty of fluids (preferably non-alcoholic) tonight.

Happy Running!

One down, just a few more to go...

Great job today Angie, Melissa and Rachael! You all made 4 miles seem like a breeze and you even conquered the infamous Patterson Park hill on your first day. We are off to a great start! Tomorrow should be your easy day so that you are well rested for hills/speed with Jacki on Monday. Recovery is a very important part of your training.

Looking forward to next Saturday's 4.5 mile run.

-Melissa

Welcome Runners!!!

Welcome runners to Canton Club's 2nd half marathon training program! We look forward to coaching you over the next few months and helping you complete the Baltimore Half Marathon in October.

The program will begin Saturday, July 18th at 8am with a 4-mile run. Meet Melissa at the front desk and she will guide you through your first run.

Our route will take us from the club along the water to S. Ellwood St.
Left onto Ellwood
Left onto Pratt
Right onto Linwood
Left onto Baltimore (up everyone's favorite hill)
Left onto Wolfe
Follow Wolfe to the water
Along the water and back to the club

Happy Running!

Congrats to all who finished the half marathon! The morning started out a little rainy but it turned out to be a beautiful day for us. The course was definitely a challenge but nothing that we were not ready for! It's a good thing we ran up and down Patterson Park hill over and over and over again.

We hope that everyone had a wonderful experience with the Canton Club running group. It is a lot easier to reach a goal when you are with a group of people trying to reach a common goal. For those of you who are now preparing to tackle your first marathon please remember the two most important things: consistency and a positive attitude. Negativity is not an option when it comes to training for 26.2 miles.

For those of you who want to continue to run the Canton running club (formerly the Patterson Park running club) will be meeting in front of the gym every Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm. Coach Alex will be providing the 5-mile loop. For the month of June we will also continue with a Saturday morning 9am run for Canton Club members only. The distance for this run will vary from week to week but will be no longer than 1 hour.

Congratulations again! Hopefully you all met some new people, made some new friends with similar interests and accomplished something that you may not have accomplished on your own.

See you all at Bo Brooks on Wednesday for our final celebration!

Saturday May 23rd 11 mile run

Our longest run yet looms... but I certainly believe we are all prepared for it. I have attached a link below. Our route will take us from the club all the way across the water to Fort McHenry. I don't believe we have run to the fort yet, but it is a very scenic tour of the waterfront.

The latest weather for Saturday morning is calling for high sixties turning into mid to high seventies, so be sure to get plenty of water in Friday night and keep the booze in check... its just one night. Be sure to wear sunscreen if you are the fair skinned type such as myself.

Everyone has been doing a great job with the hill/speed work during the week, so I have come up with this route because it is relatively level. Be sure to continue to challenge yourself and always remember to have fun out there.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2843943

Thursday 4 mile run

Here is the link to tonight's run...

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2844565

Saturday 10.77 miles

Great job today runners! I know you have heard this before but remember it's not supposed to be easy. Just enjoy yourselves, push beyond what you think your limits are and don't take it too seriously. If you take the fun out of it the negative thoughts will start entering your mind and your body will react to these negative thoughts. Let's stay positive and finish strong!

Here is the route we followed this morning:

Start at the club. Head east on Boston to Ellwood. North on Ellwood to Baltimore Street. At the top of the hill turn left onto Patterson Park Ave and run down the hill to the light at Eastern Ave. When you reach the light turn around and run back up the hill to the top turning left back onto Baltimore St. Take Wolfe St. South to Fleet St. and head west to the Harbor. Wrap around the Harbor past the Rusty Scupper along the water until the path comes to an end and you hit a driveway. Continue on along Key Highway turning right onto Boyle Street. Up the hill and turn right onto Fort Ave. Continue along Fort Avenue which will bring you to Light Street. Follow Light Street back to the Harbor and continue along the water back to the club.

This run was 10.77 miles. One more long one to go next weekend and it's race day!

If you start to feel good during a run, don't worry you will get over it. -Gene Thibeault

Great job yesterday! I think this quote is perfect for yesterday. The heat and the distance made for a challenging run but we made it. Our course was the same as last Saturday but we continued on past the Rusty Scupper 1/2 mile and then turned around and ran back along the water as usual.

Next week we will run 10.5 miles. We will try to meet at 7:30 to beat the heat and prepare for our big day. Keep up the great work and remember that it is not supposed to be easy.

Saturday NCR trail

Who has an interest in running at the NCR trail this Saturday? We are now up to 10 miles. Please let me know either way.

Also, this Saturday is the Full Moon Run at 9pm at the NCR trail for anyone who is interested.

Up to 9 and feeling fine!

Can you believe that we are up to 9 miles? Remember when 4 miles was a struggle? That seems like ages ago. You have all come so far.

In my experience, when adding on to a long run it is better to add on to the middle rather than the beginning or end. On that note here is tomorrow's run...

Start at the club. Head east on Boston to Ellwood. North on Ellwood to Baltimore Street. At the top of the hill turn left onto Patterson Park Ave and run down the hill to the light at Eastern Ave. When you reach the light turn around and run back up the hill to the top turning left back onto Baltimore St. At this point you will be doing the same run that we have done the last few Saturdays. Take Wolfe St. South to Fleet St. and head west to the Harbor. Wrap around the Harbor and to the Rusty Scupper, then turn around and head back to the club staying along the water.

Good luck and enjoy this extra hill challenge. You will love it!

Easy Eight!

Great job everyone! We ran over 8 miles today. For some of you this was the longest distance you have ever run. It's amazing what just a few weeks of training can accomplish!

Our 8.35 mile route today was:
Start at the club. Head east on Boston to Ellwood. North on Ellwood and up around Patterson Park. Take Wolfe St. South to Fleet St. and head west to the Harbor. Wrap around the Harbor and to the Rusty Scupper, then turn around and head back to the club staying along the water.

I will see you all on Wednesday for speed/hill training. Does 6:30pm at the front desk work for everyone?

Enjoy this beautiful day!

Thursday 5 miles

Hi runners!

Our run tonight is increasing to 5 miles. Remember when 5 miles was intimidating? Not anymore! Now you don't even think twice about it. Here is our route:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2616959
Everyone's favorite hill is included.

Also, tonight will be Aisha's last run with the group. Hope you can all stick around afterwards and join her for dinner and a drink or two.

See you soon...

Sunday Runs

Hey guys. Since everyone seems to be set on their own running schedules and attendance at Sunday morning runs has been scant, I am going to ask that you please email me if you are planning on doing the Sunday morning runs. I am happy to do the runs anytime on Sunday, but I just ask that you let me know ahead of time if you are going to be there. Also, if you want to run at a different time on Sunday, just shoot me an email and let me know as well. You should all have my email address but just in case you don't it is nathanielreadal@hotmail.com.

Keep up the hard work. Everyone is doing an amazing job and race day is slowly creeping up on us. so keep thinking about your goals and what you must do to accomplish them. Most importantly, remember to have fun out there.

Nate

Saturday, April18th

Good morning runners!

Great job to everyone who ran in the rain! Once you get out there it's really quite refreshing...until you step in a puddle.

It looks like Angie and I are the only 2 running the race on Saturday. How would the rest of you feel about going for the long run around 10am? I would like to join you. Let me know.

See you tonight!

Saturday Seven Miles

Hi Runners!
I will be out of town for Saturday's run but the group decided to do the run that Nate posted below from last weekend. I gave the GPS to Melissa but anyone can use it. Have fun and do your best. I can't wait to hear how everyone did and felt. Leave me some comments after you finish. I hope they are all positive!

Next Saturday we will be doing another 5K. This one is around Patterson Park. The link is below. Let me know if you register and I can pick up the packets on Thursday. Don't feel obligated to run any of these races. You can always run with Nate on Sunday if you would rather do the distance run.

http://www.charmcityrun.com/eventdetail.cfm?eventid=848

Happy Easter!

4/5 Sunday Seven

Congrats to all of those who ran the 5K yesterday. For those who did not, this morning's run was 7 miles. I have attached a map below for your enjoyment. It is front loaded with hills then gets flat for the remainder. The weather is getting better and its time to get out there, shed the sleeves and work on those tans.

Here is a brief synopsis of the run. Start at the club. Head east on Boston to Ellwood. North on Ellwood and up around Patterson Park (this is becoming a theme ey?). Take Wolfe St. South to Fleet St. and head west to the Harbor. Wrap around the Harbor and touch the door of the science center, then turn around and head back to the club on a direct path of your own choosing. I personally like Aliceanna St.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2700156

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." Oprah Winfrey

Great job today Angie, Aisha, Rhonda and spouses Kevin & Heath! Everyone pushed past their comfort zones (not to mention the wind) and had excellent finishing times. All of the hard work from the past 8 weeks has definitely paid off. Keep up the great work!

I will let you all in on my little secret...whenever I run a race I allow myself to eat ANYTHING I want that entire day. Yum! I know I earned every bite!

Don't forget tomorrow is Yoga for Runners in Studio 2 at noon. Hope to see you all there!

Registration for Sunday, May 31

Runners please make sure you are registered for the Maryland Half Marathon on Sunday, May 31 at 7:30am. The are less than 500 spots left.

Please visit this link for registration:
http://mdhalfmarathon.com/

Rainy days and Saturdays...

Good evening all you sleepy heads! I hope you are all awake by now. Angie, Tara and I ran 6 miles in 56:34 this morning. Great job ladies!!! Way push it and not be afraid to take it out of your comfort zone.

We ran all along the water to just past the Cheesecake Factory and back. We missed everyone and thought about getting everyone's addresses just in case this happens again so we can start knocking on people's doors! I am considering it...

Enjoy your evening. Hopefully most of you will be joining Nate tomorrow morning. If you can't make it with Nate and want to borrow my GPS to do a run on your own, let me know.

Happy Running!

Running in the Rain

If you plan to run today, don't change your mind because of the rain. No one can predict the weather for May 31st and no matter what the weather is on that day, you will be running! If you train in the rain you won't care if it is raining on race day. You will be prepared!

Train in the worst and hope for the best on race day!

Thursday evening run

If anyone is wondering we WILL be running outside tonight. Bring some dry clothes to change into afterwards.

3/24 The Calendar Says its Spring...

But it sure doesn't feel like it.

Our run this morning was 3.5 miles and included some nice hills. A map is attached below but we started at the club, ran along the water to Ellwood. North on Ellwood to Pratt. Left on Pratt. Right on Linwood then left on Baltimore for everyone's favorite hill. Left on Patterson Part Ave. and down the hill. Make a left on Eastern at the bottom of the hill and follow the part all the way to Linwood. Right on Linwood all the way back to Boston St. and to the club.

There are four hills on this route of varying distance and slope. Challenge yourself on the hills to maintain, if not increase your pace above your flat road pace. Don't slow down immediately at the top of the hill. Most people want to catch their breath as soon as the downhill starts, but this is the perfect time to increase your stride length and pace, taking advantage of gravity and letting it do some work for you. Keep working and breathing hard on the downhill. This will prolong your recovery, but you should aim to have your breathing under control by the time you hit the bottom of the hill... just it time for your return to your flat road pace.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2664265

-Nate

3/22 Sunday Six Pack

This morning's run was 6 miles and it took us to the fair land of Federal Hill. See link below for the exact route.

Here is a brief run down. Boston St. to Aliceanna. Follow Aliceanna all the way to the Harbor then take the Harbor promenade or Pratt St across. Head south along the water then turn left at Rash Field. At the end of the field get onto Key Highway and take south to Cross St. Right on Cross St. and follow to Light St. Right on Light, back to the Harbor and return the way you came.

It is a pretty flat run with the only real hill at the Cross St. to Light St. section of the run.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2656643

Enjoy the run and if you plan on coming Tuesday morning, lets get excited about some hills.

-Nate

Happy Spring!

Today may be the second day of spring but it was a chilly morning for our runners! We ran 6 miles and everyone felt great at the end. There was even talk of training for a full marathon when we are finished with this training program.

Our route took us from the club along the water to East St.
Left onto East and continue to Baltimore St.
Left onto Baltimore up the hill to Broadway.
Left onto Broadway to Aliceanna.
Right onto Aliceanna to President Street.
Left onto President to the circle and to the water.
Along the water back to the club.

This run is exactly 6 miles to the posts next to the club.

Enjoy!

Dress for Success!

I was getting ready for my morning run today and I could not decide what to wear. I pulled out my handy little chart that I found in Runners World years ago and I thought you all might find it useful:

Temp and Basic Apparel
above 70: Lightweight/light-colored tank top and shorts
60 to 69: Sleeveless or tank top and shorts
50 to 59: T-shirt and shorts
40 to 49: Long-sleeve shirt and tights or shorts
30 to 39: Long-sleeve shirt and tights
20 to 29: Two upper-body layers and one lower-body layer
10 to 19: Two upper-body layers and one lower-body layer
0 to 9: Two/three upper-body layers, one/two lower-body layers
below 0: Three upper-body layers, two lower body layers

St. Patty's Day run

Yesterday's run was 3 1/2 miles. We took a vote whether to run the hill or run along the water and vote was a unanimous "We Want to Run the Hill!!!" So we climbed and we conquered and everyone said that it is not nearly as hard as it was the first time. Everyone is making great progress. Great work to Angie, Melissa, Rhonda, Aisha, Michelle, Tara and to our special guest runner Heath!

Our route took us from the club, along the water to Elwood St. North to Pratt then left on Pratt. Right on Linwood to Baltimore St. where we climbed the hill on the north side of Patterson Park. Left on Wolfe St to the water and back to the club.

Good luck tonight with your speed workout and I will see you all on Thursday. As always, we will meet at 6:30 at the front desk and anyone who is interested can join us for Jacki's flex class at 5:30.

-Melissa

P.S. I hope everyone watched "The Biggest Loser" last night. It was a very inspirational episode.

April 4th

Start or finish your Saturday, April 4th long run with a race! Register today!

COLLEGEBOUND FOUNDATION'S RACE FOR THE FUTURE 5K
Apr 4, 2009
Start and Finish at Du Burns Arena in Canton, Maryland 1301 S. Ellwood Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224
Late Registration 8:00 to 8:30 AM
Race Start 9:00 AM
Parking available on Du Burns Arena lot and street parking.
5k Entry Fees$25.00 if registered by March 31, 2009 (do not mail after March 31, 2009)$30.00 Race day registration (7:30am- 9:00am)Fees are non refundable and the event will occur rain or shine.

To register online visit http://www.charmcityrun.com/eventdetail.cfm?eventid=839 on the Internet!

Saturday's run

Hello runners!

Hopefully everyone has recovered from Wednesday's hill workout. It was definitely a challenge!

On Thursday we ran 4 miles along the water. A slow, steady pace. Everyone was still feeling fatigued from the hills the night before.

We will be meeting at 8am Saturday morning for our 5 1/2 mile run. Don't feel intimated by the longer runs or the hill climb. Start slow and pick up your pace as you go. Enjoy the camaraderie of your group. These long runs are important to your training. They will also improve your fat-burning capacity, increase your endurance and build your overall stamina.

Happy running! Keep up the great work and the positive attitudes!

Train To Conquer Hills

Learn to see hills as your best friend! As you are running, remember with each hill you tackle you are getting stronger. You are training to be prepared for hills. When you see a hill on the course, you will not be intimidated. You will run with confidence all the way to the top!

Try this routine on a treadmill!

Time Speed Incline
0 – 3 min Relaxed Pace 2.0

3 – 5 min Race Pace 2.0

5 – 5:30 min Race Pace 6.0

5:30 – 7:30min Race Pace 2.0

7:30 – 8 min Race Pace 8.0

8 – 10 min Race Pace 2.0

10 – 11 min Race Pace 5.0

11 – 13 min Race Pace 2.0

13 – 13:30 -0.2 12.0

13:30 – 15 min Race Pace 2.0

15 – 16 min Race Pace 5.0

16 – 17 min Race Pace 3.0

17 – 18:30 min Race Pace 6.0

18:30 – 20 min Race Pace 2.0

20 – 20:30 min -0.2 off 12.0

20:30 – 22 min Race Pace 2.0

22 – 24 min Race Pace 4.5

25 – 26 min Race Pace 2.0

26 – 26:30 min -0.2 off 12.0

26:30 – 28 Race Pace 2.0

28 – 30 min Race Pace Start at 4.0 add 2.0 every 30 sec.

3/10 Tuesday Morning Run

For those of you attending the Tuesday morning run, we are going to start incorporating some hills. Please see the link for the exact route. We will begin our run at 6 a.m.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2620890

3/8 Crank up that pace... and don't forget the clocks

The number of miles is climbing and so are us runners. We did 5 miles this morning. The run was front loaded with everybody's favorite hill then the remainder was either downhill or flat. It is a continuation of the many runs we have already done.

Let's keep working on those hills and challenging each other with our times. As it starts to get warmer out the runs will become alot more enjoyable, but be sure to take in plenty of fluids before and after runs.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2616959

'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run!

The Boss knew what he was talking about when he wrote that song. Baby we were born to run!

See you all Saturday morning at 8am for our longest run yet...5 miles! Run these miles at a comfortable pace but don't take it to easy on yourself. Remember, if you want to become a stronger runner you have to push yourself beyond what you think your limits are.

If you have a stopwatch, please bring it with you.

After our run we will do some light weights in the main gym followed by stretching.

As always, Happy Running!

http://www.mapmyrun.com/view_route?r=495229161586

Let's get some fresh air!!!

Did you know that most American's get less than 2o minutes of fresh air every day? That's right, most people walk to their cars in the morning, walk into their jobs, walk back to their cars in the evening and then into their homes. This is not so for the Canton Club runners. Let's brave this cold weather once again and prove them wrong! We will meet at the front desk tonight at 6:30pm for some fresh air and a 3.5 mile run.

Tonight we ran along the water. We ran 1.75 miles to the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg building, turned around and ran back to the club.

See you tonight!

Go Speed Racer Go

Tonight's speed training was a huge success! Runners, I know you were running considerably faster than your half marathon pace tonight. The goal tonight was for you to feel the turn over speed you have in your legs, to feel your strides open up, and to get those arms pumping right along with your legs. You all did outstanding!!!

Tonight's program was a standard pyramid run with five high intensity runs. In between each run, participants walked between 400 and 600m to recover before starting the next!

The distances were as follows

• 400 m
• 800 m
• 1600 m
• 800 m
• 400 m

The speeds were individualized based on each person's half marathon pace. The fastest pace was the 400 m and the slowest pace was the 1600 m.

Runners, you were cruising!

Keep up the great work!!!

c=

3/1 Snow in March

I am not sure if it was the threat of snow, the wind, or the chilly temperature this morning, but it sure was a lonely run out there on Sunday morning. Either way the hills were waiting. Check out the map for the route. It was a 4 mile run that was basically an extension of last Sunday's run. As most know, we are expecting a decent amount of snow over the next day or so. Be careful driving and if you don't have a rest day, you may want to keep the workout inside.

For those of you who plan on attending Tuesday morning's workout check back on Monday evening for the plan. If there is still snow on the ground we will probably stick to the treadmills but lets wait and see how the weather plays out.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2598035

-Nate

Happy Friday!

Runners you are looking strong! Keep up the great work!

You have all come a long way just in these first two weeks. We ran a 5K last night and we are preparing for a 4-mile run on Saturday morning. Everyone seems to have found someone with a similar pace to run with in the group. Use that partner as motivation. The motivation, encouragement and friendly competition with a partner or group can do wonders for your performance. Race each other to the nearest stop sign. Challenge each other to a 30 second sprint. Give each other a little push (not literally, of course) when you are getting tired. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!

We will meet at 7:15 on Saturday morning. It's supposed to be around 40 degrees so don't forget your gloves!

We will be running Boston St to Fleet St to President St to E Lombard St to the ESPN Zone at the Power Plant. Come back the same way running past the club to Clinton St. Turn around and SPRINT to the end.

Hills Hills Hills

Below is a hill workout designed for treadmills. Your "base" speed is the speed you feel comfortable maintaining for long long long periods of time. I would venture to say you are all between a 5.0 and an 7.5 mph speed. When you see "-0.5" that means decrease the speed by 0.5. Your base speed will give you a chance to recover from the hills. This is only a 20 minute workout. Designed with periods of high intensity followed by recovery periods.

At any time, if you feel dizzy or light headed, back down! Also, drink water whenever you need it!!

Time Speed Incline
0 – 5 min Base 2.0

5 – 5:30 Base 4.0

5:30 – 6 Base 6.0

6 – 6:30 -0.5 8.0

6:30 – 7 Same 10.0

7 – 9 min Base 2.0

9 – 9:30 Base 8.0

9:30 – 10 -0.5 10.0

10 – 12 Base 2.0

12 – 12:45 -0.5 10.0

12:45 – 14 Base 0.0

14 – 14:45 -0.5 10.0

14:45 – 16 Base 0.0

16 – 16:45 -0.5 10.0

16:45 – 18 Base 0.0

18 – 20 Base Add 2.0 every 30 seconds

2/23 Tuesday Morning Run - 2.5 miles

It's always good to get a run in before dawn but if you can't make it Tuesday morning, check out the link for the day's route. Again we started at the club and extended last week's run by venturing further down Aliceanna St. Left on President St. Then left on Lancaster to get a nice view of the construction. Take Lancaster all the way to Wolfe, then Wolfe to Aliceanna and back to the club. If you would rather run along the water, on the way back to the club, follow Lancaster past Wolfe to the waterfront and follow that back to the club. The distance will be nearly identical.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2583145

Have fun and be sure to dress warm.

-Nate

"What is without periods of rest will not endure." - Ovid

Congratulations runners, you have completed the first week of your training program! Keep up the good work and the positive attitudes!

Today should be your day of rest or cross-training. Take your dog for a walk, do some light weight training or take a power yoga class. Keep in mind that strength is developed during the period that your body rests. So take your rest days seriously. Your body needs them and you deserve them!

Happy running!

-Melissa

2/22 Run - Sunday Funday

We had a great run this morning and began to work some hills into our workout. We went for three miles with two small hills and one long hill. Our route took us from the club, along the water to Elwood St. North to Pratt then left on Pratt. Right on Linwood to Baltimore St. where we climbed the hill on the north side of Patterson Park. South on Patterson Park avenue and back to the club on Boston St. A link to the route is attached.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2579294

The Sunday morning crew did a great job handling the hills and will only get faster in the future. Keep up the good work.

-Nate

Do you feel overwhelmed when you look at the training calendar?

If you look at the calendar closely, yes you will be running a lot over the next 13 weeks! Looking at the training schedule for March may seem intense at this point in your training. Hence, the reason we are training. Take it one day/one week at a time. You will be ready for each week when we get to it.

You are taking actions now to prepare for those weeks. The increase in mileage is so gradual. When you get to week 9, 10, etc. you will not even notice the extra mileage! Never doubt what you are capable of doing with proper training.

"Fear melts when you take action towards a goal you really want." Robert G Allen

Your actions include;

• Three short runs per week and one long run


• Rest Days


• X Training Days: DO YOGA!

As always, Happy Running!

Kudos to Michelle, Melissa, Tara, Angie, Rhonda, Mike for a great 3 mile run today!

Baby, it's still cold outside!

Thanks to everyone who came to tonight's run. Our distance was 2.5 miles. Great job runners!

We ran the route from Tuesday morning, continued on past the club to the monument and returned to the club. Everyone finished feeling refreshed and energized!

Saturday's run will take place at 7:30am. We will run the same route as tonight continuing on Boston Street to DuBurns Arena and returning to the club. See you there!

2/17 2 mile run - Baby, its cold outside

For those of you intending to come to the Tuesday morning run, please dress warm. It is supposed to be 27 degrees in the morning. We will meet at the Club on the first floor right inside the doors at 6 am. For for those of you can't make it, here is what we did/will do.

2 mile run. Start at the club. Take Boston Street West (towards the city) to Aliceanna St. (the intersection with the big boat shaped restaurant. Take a left on Aliceanna and go about 4-5 blocks to Broadway. Left on Broadway to Thames St. (its as far as you can go until you reach the water). Left on Thames to Wolff St. Then a right onto Aliceanna, Right on Boston and back to the club. Its a pretty short loop with almost no incline.

For those who are more visually oriented.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2565813

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting the Half Marathon Training blog! Training begins February 16th at 7:30 pm! Meet Jacki at the front desk.

Group Meeting Times

Tuesday mornings @ 6 am with Nate
Wednesday evenings @ 7 pm with Jacki
Thursday evenings @ 6 pm with Melissa
Saturday mornings @ 8 am with Melissa
Sunday mornings @ 8 am with Nate

Throughout the training program, you can visit the blog if you miss a group meeting time. Your coaches will post their daily running plans for you to do on your own.

Happy Running!