Email from Coach Don

We have been at this for quite a few weeks and have been adding a few new people as we go along. I thought I would take this time to just refresh most of you and to let the newer people catch up on a few things.

Hydration. We have the SAG wagons. And most of you are very good at staying hydrated. Just remember, as the weather cools down, you will have a tendency to drink less. But it is just as important to stay hydrated. I have seen more people cramp up as the weather cools down because they think they don't need to drink as much.

Website. The website has a lot of good information. Make sure you are visiting it for your weekly routes (read them before the weekend run (www.marathontrainingteam.com). Also there is a message board where there is lots of good info.

Safety. This should be in all of our minds as we run. Most notably, don't run multiple people across when there is traffic. And on quieter road, still be aware of cars (and bikers) and remember that they have a size advantage on you and give them the right of way. Don't let people in cars wave you through an intersection that they have the right of way. The people in the cars don't realize that there are usually a lot more people behind you.

More Safety. Enjoy your teammates. Talk to them. If some one runs with you that you don't know, introduce yourself. As to Headphones. My first thought is that you have a lot of interesting people you are running with. Talk to them and don't use headphones. They are a safety hazard. If you insist, it should be quiet enough that if someone comes up behind you and says something in a normal voice you can hear them.

Schedule. Make sure you have the schedule and are following it. Make sure you have picked up the notebook with all the information.

Running Buddies. By now you should have your normal group of weekend morning running buddies who are your pace. If you do not, start making a lot of new friends. This is the best thing to get you thru the next few weeks of long runs.

Shoes, Clothing. As we all know, cotton is bad. If you got new shoes when you started training, you have probably put 300-450 miles on these shoes. They may or may not be showing some age. By the time you get to marathon day, they will probably be well worn. The time to think about new shoes in over the next few weeks. This is so you have them broken in and will have done at least one long run in the shoes you will wear in the marathon.

Train your whole body. Our weekend runs are the time to training your legs. But they are also where you can experiment with everything you will do on race day. It is better to try something new now than marathon day. You will not want to do anything new or different on race day that you have not done before a long run. Clothes. Nutrition. Sleep (and when you wake up). Clif Shots, etc during a run. And many more of the variable of a run.

So think about these things as you go about your runs. I am leaving for a trip with my wife and will not have access to email from 9/14 to 9/25. So if you have issues, check with your team coaches.

Have fun running!!!!!