November Marathon: NEED REPLIES ASAP

5/25 8:00 AM UPDATE: Because I am getting emails, phone calls, and blog posts. I will try to update here what I am hearing. I am making everyone fit into one of the six categories below:

2 Prefer City of Oaks Marathon
6 Prefer Richmond Marathon
2 Will run either Marathon
5 Prefer City of Oaks Half
2 Will run a different fall marathon
3 Still waiting to make a decision

For those considering the Half Marathon, we can create a half team, but will need help pulling it off. Based on the responses so far I do not think getting that help being a problem at all.

I have put off countless times trying to make a decision for a fall marathon training team, but I am running out of time so we need to make a decision. I have been writing this email for three weeks, but have never sent it. As a result it is a very long email, but this is the best way I could get all my thoughts and concerns out there for everyone to see and understand. Some of you who run with me already have heard me say these things countless times. Others may be hearing it for the first time. So here goes.

Based on the survey results, I really think it comes down to the Richmond Marathon or the City of Oaks Marathon (Raleigh) if we are to create another Fall Marathon Training Team. There are several reasons to run either race. Here are what I see as positives and negatives for each race:

Richmond:
+ 30th anniversary event
+ Race with proven track record of success
+ SportsBackers Training Team affiliation
+ 80 coaches on the course (this is a big one)
+ Spectators - well supported event
+ I love Richmond
- We ran it last year
- More expensive of the two options
- No half marathon

City of Oaks:
+ Inaugural event
+ Support something local
+ Has a half marathon
+ We could train on the course
+ The race seems to be well organized and off to a good start
- Potentially tougher course (portion is in Umstead Park)
- Fewer spectators (I assume, but could be wrong)
- The unknown - it is a new race

First and foremost, I want to see our group train again for another race. Now, here are my comments and concerns about doing this again in 2007.

• My Time: Last year I fully committed myself to our training team, and loved every second of it. Those who participated paid for an organized program, and I think you got your money's worth on that investment. My biggest fear for 2007 is my time availability. I fully intend to commit to our training team and continue to organize weekend runs the way we did when we trained for Richmond (supported, maps, directions, etc.). We will also have a training plan to follow, although I expect many will customize it to their needs this time. Last year, I was here almost every weekend, and although I plan to be there as often as possible I do not think I will have the same availability in 2007.
• Your Money: If we run Richmond again, I think we would miss out by not participating with the SportsBackers again. The survey you all completed indicated this as well. The extra money we pay to have access to a program, coaches, an online community, and race day support in my opinion is easily worth the cost. When we sign up with the SportsBackers, the expectations of me goes up a great deal, because I am representing the SportsBackers, and Don Garber. This again goes back to my time. I do not want anyone to feel slighted by my time commitment being less than it was last year. When you all pay for something you rightfully expect value in return.
• My Marathon: I am trying to get into the New York Marathon. If my name is pulled in the lottery, it is the same weekend as the City of Oaks Marathon. I would feel like a schmuck if I help train everyone for a race, and then I was not there on race day to support you all. The odds of me getting in New York are small, but there is a chance it could happen. I would hate to work with everyone for 23 weeks only to miss your "graduation". (This is not a concern with Richmond)
• Co-coaches: With the Richmond SportsBackers, they have several co-coaches for each team and Don as an overall head coach. This obviously makes it simpler to manage. Both of my concerns above get easier if I know I have someone who can help with the organization of the training. Those who did our team last year know that the term "coach" is a relative term. To some of you I was a wealth of knowledge, and to others I probably never told you something you did not know. What I did offer was organization and motivation (I hope). I really need someone to step up this year to help pull it off again. I can still do the main organization, but putting out fluids, and writing running routes, being there every weekend, etc. takes up time that I will not have as much of this summer. I would expect if we do Richmond, Don Garber and Joe Zelinski would join us a weekend or two again this year.
• My Job: RBC Centura announced last week a reorg. The direction of my department is still up in the air. Our jobs all appear safe, but there is a chance my job could relocate to Raleigh. This would obviously turn things upside-down. I was already having a tough decision before this even came up. If it happens, I would still plan to be back in Rocky Mount on some weekends to run, but my ability to run the program from Raleigh would be nearly impossible. This is why having some strong co-coaches would be so valuable. I wanted to wait to see how things settle out before sending this email, but the truth of the matter is we need to get training. The Richmond team starts June 2nd, and that race is a week later than the City of Oaks. So we need to get moving.

If we run City of Oaks, I feel like we could probably negotiate the early entry fee if we bring a large group. Also if we do City of Oaks, we will need to discuss if we want to have everyone chip in to cover training expenses (water, gels, cups, coolers, shirts, etc.). These things are included with Richmond.

So, this is a lot to digest I know, but I need your feedback ASAP. I wanted to put all my cards on the table before I tried to convince people to train for another marathon.

• Do you want to run?
• Which race do you want to run?
• Can you help coach/organize?
• What are your concerns?
• Would you prefer to run the City of Oaks Half Marathon instead? (We may create a half team too)

I would prefer people post comments here so we can have an open discussion. You are also welcome to email me if you prefer to not have your comments public. I strongly encourage your honest opinions. I have thick skin, and do not easily have my feelings hurt. If my availability is a concern, speak up.

About the Richmond SportsBackers: Lastly, for those who are not familiar with what we did in 2006. Here is a very brief explanation. The Richmond SportsBackers organizes the Richmond Marathon, but they also have a training team that runs for 23 weeks. There team has 80+ volunteer coaches and assistants, and over 800 runners. (Yes, 800 runners!)

We were a satellite version of this team; the only one in fact. Our team was 21 members strong. We followed the same training plan as the Richmond team, and got weekly emails from the head coach, Don Garber. They also supplied us with training notebooks, gels, cups, PowerAde, t-shirts, race shirts, handouts and more. We also held a few clinics (shoes, stretching, etc.) at the YMCA. If you have 10 minutes to spare, and want a better idea of what we did check out this link.