To the "Marathon Moon"

This blog post is a little odd, but I found something online that I thought our group would enjoy reading. One day when searching for "Tar River Half" just to see where it was showing up online, I stumbled on to a new blog. The blog is titled Marathon Moon. This blog belongs to a Chapel Hill runner who goes by "Moon" on her blog.

I will give you a brief background story, but would rather you read her own words. On January 1st 2007, Moon weighed 261 pounds, and was ready to do something about this. She selected running as her way to change her lifestyle. Beginning with a 5k, she eventually worked her may up to a marathon. . . The 2008 Disney Marathon in fact. She used her blog to track her progress, and chronicle how her life was changing. One year after she began this evolution she now weighs 140 pounds. Yes, that means she lost 121 pounds. . . essentially an entire person!

Much like our blog, there are countless posts about running, and most are clever and funny to read. Her most recent post is very inspirational and motivational. To get a feel for the blog read the links below in order. I picked a few short posts to set the tone. The last one is her post-marathon entry.

The First Post
Old Moon - New Moon
I Believe - a Journey in Steps

So why am I posting a link to a strangers blog? Because she is not that different than most of us. Sure, we have some gifted athletes in the RMEC, but we are essentially just ordinary people trying to push our limits and improve our lives. Don't let anyone tell you, "I can't run with your group". We truly welcome anyone. The first step is the hardest one to take, so encourage others to join us for a run or a bike ride. Once we get them out there we will keep them coming back.

You may want to bookmark Marathon Moon, or maybe even start your own blog to keep you motivated.

Note: There will be an update on our Disney Runners plus Frank's marathon once the pictures are uploaded.

Weekday Pool Training

Now that the weather is colder, the fall marathon season is over, and many of you are training for other events, the pool is a great alternative to stay in shape. For some of you, it is a requirement to get ready for your upcoming triathlon. Mary is trying to organize a weekday group swim at the YMCA around noon. Here are some high level details:

• This is simply a time for our group to swim
• The pool is still open to all YMCA members
• Lanes are not reserved or guaranteed (although this is rarely a problem)
• Mary can spend a few minutes giving tips on your swim stroke, but is not coaching
• This is not swim lessons.

Mary is a proven triathlete, and an excellent swimmer. She is not certified to be a swim coach, and this is not intended to be free swim lessons. Mary most likely will be swimming too, but she can spend a few minutes before jumping in to give out a few pointers based on her own experience. This is a chance for RMEC members to get some swimming done, while taking advantage of being with friends. This will be very similar to the same support you get from each other during the Saturday morning group runs.

The YMCA does offer swim lessons, and a Master's Swim program. Showing up to swim at lunch one day a week does not replace the benefits of either of those options. Please take a look at what is offered at the YMCA for more options.

RESPONSES REQUESTED:

• What day works best for a lunchtime swim for you? Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday
• Can't swim at lunch. . . When do you swim? Others may join you.

Lake Kristi Sprint Triathlon

The Lake Kristi Sprint (Greenville/Winterville, NC) will be held on May 31, 2008. Sign up will be through active.com - mail in entry. The application is not yet up - just received the date of the race this morning. - Eric

Goofy Update #1

Sounds like the girls are having fun at Disney. As I type this post, they are probably around mile 10, and somewhere between the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom. Everyone did fine in the 5k, and the half marathon went well too. Below are the half times:

• 2:20:58 - Jenni
• 2:21:01 - Patti
• 2:21:02 - Tracy H
• 2:59:48 - Ursula

Ursula had some leg soreness creep up in her last week of training, so she walked almost the entire half trying to save her legs for the full. This strategy however created some pretty bad blisters on both feet. Here is hoping a different pair of shoes and some mole skin can help her finish today.

Great job so far ladies!

1:00 pm update: Everyone is done and feeling fine!

New Years Resolution. . .

Start a training log! You are only 11 days into 2008. You can probably remember most of your runs, rides, and swims. Now is the time to get it down on paper, online, or in a spreadsheet. Why keep a log? It shows your progress. It gives you a sense of pride. It keeps you motivated. It helps if you get injured to pinpoint why.

How do I keep a log? There are lots of options. Here are a few that I have seen and some I have used:

• Paper Notebook - the old standby. . . Get a spiral bound notebook and start writing. The benefit of a notebook is you can write anything and everything. It almost becomes a personal journal. You can add endless details. The drawback, is it is manual. If you like to total your mileage and calculate your pace, you need to do it on your own.
• Spread Sheet - Using Excel enables you to track what is important to you. If you like numbers you can graph things out to meet your needs. It is completely customizable. The drawback is you still have to do the work. If you want an excel log that is ready to go, here are a few options: Thinnmann or David Hays. Both have lots of neat features. Otherwise, make your own! Whichever you use, keep a backup copy.
• Nike Running Online Log - This is probably my favorite. I had to email Nike to find out how to access it, because it is now hidden and been replaced with the Nike+ log that only works with your iPod Nano. The original Nike log is a pretty cool and very customizable. Here is a link to the new Nike page. This site allows you to add anything you wish to track (swimming, spinning, elliptical, etc.) It also provides lots of cool graphs.
• Running Ahead Online Log – RunningAhead.com is an alternative to coolrunning. It is a free site also with active runner forums. I have not used their running log, but believe it will be similar to most. It is actually the first one that comes up in a Google search.
• Cool Running Online Log – This is one of the most popular online tracking tools. It will give you weekly, monthly, and yearly totals automatically. It is now part of active.com. It tracks sleep, soreness, stress, etc. Plus it can even email you daily reminders of your planned workouts. Visit coolrunning.com and click on “Resources” to find it. The merger of coolrunning and active.com has created lots of problems with logins so I must admit, I have a hard time recommending this option right now.

Dont wait! Get started today!

RUN RSVP: Saturday 01/12

Time to ramp the miles back up this weekend. Hopefully those training for Myrtle let their legs rest a bit last weekend (even if you ran Medoc mountain). This route may not thrill everyone.

It is a 9 mile loop route that includes the back of Ketch Point (to the Miller's house). I picked this route, because it is easy to support. I can put fluids and gels at the train tracks, and we will pass it four times over 18 miles. This way you don't have to carry anything with you. It also allows others to run nine miles (one loop) or 5 miles (shorter loop).

Run Details:

• Day: Saturday @ 7:30 am
• Where: Harris Teeter
• Route: 9 mile loop (twice for Myrtle Marathon Group), or 5 miles
• Supported: Depends if a we all stay at HT
• Weather: Forecast 42F at start and 50F by 10 am.

This is a big run. Some of you are hitting a new peak. Take it easy and listen to your body. Use the first few miles to warm up, and then maintain your pace for the last 16. Long runs are designed to give you endurance, and teach your body how to hold a pace. Please comment ASAP if you are running. I will mix up some Powerade, but don't want to make too much.

By the way. . . we are 10 RMEC shirts away from a complete order if you are interested click the link in the right column.

Where is Frank?

Frank is in Mobile, Alabama this week on business, and decided to look for a race while he was traveling. Turns out that the Bank Trust First Light Marathon is going on this Saturday, so Frank signed up about a month ago and ramped up his training miles.

This really is a great looking race with a scenic course. Proceeds go to benefit L'Arche Mobile, an international federation of communities in which people with a mental handicapped and those who help them can live, work, and share their lives together. Many of the mentally handicapped men and women create the awards for the race, making them unique, and something that will always be cherished. I think Frank found a real gem of a marathon when he picked this one. Good luck Frank!