Week 1 Updates

Good afternoon everyone. I hope you all had a good weekend. For those of you not able to attend the weekend run, we had perfect weather and a great run.

ENTRY FORMS:
Frank is sending the first batch of completed applications to the Sports Backers now. If you have not turned your application in, we need it ASAP so we get the entire team enrolled.

TRAINING NOTEBOOKS:
I am emailing Don Garber everyone's name and training plan today. I should have your notebooks next Saturday. In the interim, here is your week one training plan:

Novice Plan: Mon Rest, Tues 3, Wed 3, Thurs 3, Fri Rest, Sat 3, Sun X-Train
Intermediate Plan: Mon X-Train, Tues 3, Wed 4, Thurs 3, Fri Rest, Sat 6, Sun 4

NEXT WEEKEND:
We will meet at 8:00 a.m. again at the YMCA next Saturday. We will meet in the child room on the way to the racquetball courts again before we hit the roads. After that we will move the start time up to 7:30 a.m. The runs will start getting longer, and the days hotter. I will email out the routes for Saturday by Wednesday with both a map and written directions.

I know this is a holiday weekend, but if you are able, please plan to join us. The weekend runs are the biggest part of the entire training team. Working with your team-mates will help push you through the training, and ultimately to complete your marathon. If you know you cannot attend, please let me know so we will know the head count of who to look for.

WEEKDAY GROUPS:
When I email out this weeks routes, I will also share the feedback from everyone regarding the weekday running groups. As a reminder these groups are optional, but it helps pass the time and motivate to being running with others. The weekday runs of course are not optional if you want to do well, so start of "on the right foot" and stick as close to the plan as possible.

Runner Safety

This information will be in your training notebooks, and we discussed it today in our prerun meeting, but it is worth repeating:

• Always carry identification with you;
• Always run facing traffic. When running in a group, do not take over a lane of traffic-keep to the side;
• When running in a group, look out for one another. Point out oncoming traffic, potholes and debris to fellow runners;
• At night, wear a reflective vest and/or other reflective gear;
• Don’t run with headphones;
• Be alert for cars. At an intersection, look at the driver of the car. Make sure the driver acknowledges you before you pass or else give the vehicle the right-of-way;
• Always stretch after running. It is also a good idea to stretch five minutes into a run;
• Drink plenty of water. Even in cold weather you should be drinking plenty of fluid;
• If anything hurts, STOP. For recovery, think RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation); and
• Make sure that you have good shoes that properly fit.

Here are a few of my own. . .

• "Don't be a Lemming" - In other words just because your buddy sprints across the street doesn't mean you should.
• It is better to walk a few minutes and still finish the run, then to run yourself into an injury. Take breaks if they are needed. Especially in the heat.
• Consider getting a Road ID. This is a $20 investment that could save your life. It is an ID that velcros to your show laces. It contains any information that you find important. I am not positive, but the code PCAC241 might get you a 10% discout.

Looking for Doctors & Specialists:

In an effort to try to enhance our training program, we are looking for people who would be willing to speak for 45 minutes to an hour one night for our training team. In particular we are looking for Sports Medicine, Orthopedic, Physical Therapist, and Nutritionist.

We would welcome an topic they would like to discuss as long as it is beneficial to our audience (runners). That being said, we would like to mirror the Richmond Sports Backers as much as possible. They will have the following sessions:

• Shoes/Clothing
• Injury Prevention
• Running Form
• Nutrition
• Strength Training
• Social Outing
• Mental Fitness and Race Prep

Frank is already working on a speaker for Shoes and Clothing. The Social Outing we obviously do not need a speaker for, and I hope to have Don Garber come to Rocky Mount to speak on Race Preparation and Mental Fitness. You should also know that we will be given the handouts for all of the Richmond clinics. Our clinics do not have to be the same as the Richmond group, but it is certainly a good guide. Let us know any names as soon as possible, or even better ask them if they would be interested. Thanks!

May 20th. First Weekend Run!

Your 25 week marathon training program is about to begin!

The first official week on the training plan begins 05/22/06. That is next Monday. We will have our first group run this coming Saturday from the Harrison Family YMCA. We will meet in the main lobby at 8:00 a.m. Look for people wearing "short shorts" and tank tops, and you will see us.

Because the official plan starts after the weekend, and we have some information to go over before the run, we will all run the same three mile route (Novice and Intermediate) on Saturday. If you wish to add some more miles at the end that is fine.

In the weeks to follow, we will have two routes planned, but would like everyone to try the intermediate route if possible. Once you know how your body is responding to the miles you can make a decision as to which plan you prefer.

We will discuss the following topics before we leave for the run:

• Introductions
• Training Notebooks
• Team Websites
• Signing In and Signing Out
• "Supported" Weekend Runs
• Runner Safety
• This Weekend's Route

We should be finished by around 9:00 a.m. with the meeting and the run. Please bookmark this page. I will use this site to store all emails sent, clinic handouts, weekend routes, etc. This site is intended for team members only. Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday. Please let me know if you cannot attend.

Host Hotel Discounts

Omni is the host hotel for the Richmond Marathon. Every year they fill up fast. They are three blocks from the start and 30 steps from the finish. Your packet pickup and the race expo is also in the Omni. A two night minimum stay is required. Call 1-804-344-7000 for reservations.

For online reservations, visit http://www.omnihotels.com/. Under "Rates & Availability", select the Omni Richmond and click on "More Options". Enter 695425 in the Group Code field to access the special participant rate. For a complete list of hotels, visit the official website of the race: http://www.richmondmarathon.com/travel.htm

Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon Discounts

The Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon is the largest half in the US. It also happens to fall on the weekend we are scheduled for a half marathon race on our plan. There are other race options that weekend as well, but if you are interested in this one, use the coupon code BOARDWALK when signing up for $10 off. The official website is http://www.rnrhalf.com/.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Rocky Mount Training Team blog. This page will be updated shortly with running routes and information about our training schedule. Our first weekend run is schedule for 05/20 at the Harrison Family YMCA at 8:00 a.m.

We hope to see everyone there. Be sure to tell your running friends about our training team. As long as they are already running roughly the same miles as the training team, we will accept more team members through the second week of June.