Half Way There

We have finally made it to the HALF WAY point in our training. The weather was perfect for running our 5Ks and 10Ks on Saturday. A little overcast and a nice little breeze was ideal for our run. The reality is really setting in at this point, 6 weeks have already been invested and with 6 more weeks to go, 13.1 miles is becoming more attainable and a little intimidating! We have all experienced the 'bad run' days and we have all felt at our best during some of our training runs too. It truly is a mental 'sport', sure there is the physical part, but the main part of distance training is our mental state. Physically we can all accomplish 13.1 miles, whether we run it, run/walk it or walk the whole distance; our challenge is the mental part-fitting in our training runs, waking up early on Saturday morning, pushing through the 'tough' miles...nevertheless, the feeling of accountability the group provides has truly helped my mental state. I hope everyone is feeling the sense of a team when we are all beating the streets together. Let's forge ahead and tackle these last 6 weeks of training!

Week 5 Group Run

This past Saturday we accomplished our longest group runs to date! The novice group did 6 miles and the intermediate group did 8-9 miles! We finally got our shirts in and it was great to see the people downtown wondering "what was going on?" It was another humid day and I think we all discovered the need for gatorade during and after our miles. I personally felt exhausted after running and I think the majority of the group would admit the same. Nevertheless, the feeling of accomplishment is amazing after we accomplish our scheduled runs/walks. I think we are all looking forward to next Saturday where we do a 5k and a 10k race!

Group Run 4

Week 4 Group Run-We met once again down by the waterfront and everyone did 5 or 7 miles. For some this was the longest run or walk that they had ever accomplished! It was quite a "wow" moment for some of us!

I know we have all experienced several 'bad' training days since beginning our program. It is tough when every push of the foot requires every last bit of energy and motivation that you have in order to get it to move. However, this is all part of the training. When you work through those tough training days, you are teaching your body and your mind that you can do ANYTHING! This mental motivation will be the key in crossing that finish line in October. So, congratulate yourself when you are able to accomplish 5 miles when mile 1 you were ready to throw in the towel. It takes a lot more effort to push through the 'bad' training days than it does the days where you feel good. I am so proud of everyone, our hard work and determination will get us to that start line and through that finish line in October!

Stretch and Strength Clinic

Strength training is a vital component of any quality exercise program and offers many positive effects, including improved sports performance and resistance to injury. Training all of the muscle groups is important. We will discuss several different exercises, most of which are “core” exercises. These exercises are great because instead of isolating one muscle group, they utilize lots of different muscle groups, therefore creating greater gain. Many of these exercises are also functional, meaning that they mimic every day activities. The exercises that we will discuss are squat, pushup, lunge, step-up, plank, side plank, and the bird dog.

SQUAT: Stand with feet a little wider than shoulder width apart, abdominal muscles engaged and pelvis tucked under, bend the knees and push hips back while lowering yourself down into a squat position. Return to starting position. Do not lock joints out and always keep an eye on your knees, make sure they do not go out past your toes. Perform 10-12 reps.

LUNGE: Stand with feet together, abdominal muscles engaged and pelvis tucked under. Take a large step forward with one leg while bending both knees and lowering your front thigh down and back knee towards but not touching the floor/ground. Pause for a second and return to starting position. Perform 10-12 reps on each side.

LATERAL STEP-UP: Stand beside a step with foot closest to step firmly on top of step. With abdominal muscles engaged push through your heel and lift your body up. Return to starting position and repeat. Perform 10-12 reps on each side.

PUSH-UP: Lying prone on the floor, place hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Push yourself up onto your toes and hands. Keep your body straight and elbows out. Bend your elbows to lower yourself down toward the floor. Make sure your abdominal muscles are engaged throughout the exercise. Perform 10-12 reps. Variation on knees.


Now, if you haven’t noticed then take another quick look, and you will note that I have mentioned with every exercise to engage your abdominal muscles!! So the following exercises focus on those particular muscles in order to strengthen them, making them easier to effectively engage and utilize. Abdominal muscles are the muscles used to stabilize the lower body when you are running, making them ever so valuable to a great runner!

PLANK: Place elbows on the floor beneath shoulders and forearms resting on the floor as well. Pull the shoulder blades back and down and try to keep your body in a straight line, not allowing your pelvis to pop up or down. Check the mirror. Abdominal muscles should remain engaged throughout. Don’t forget to breath. Hold for 30 sec.

SIDE PLANK: Lying on your side come up onto your right forearm, elbow still under shoulder and forearm on floor, body should be in line and feet stacked or left foot slightly in front of right foot on floor. Hold for 30 sec. Repeat on left side.

BIRD DOG: Begin on hands and knees. Hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Extend right leg back until almost straight but not locked out and left arm forward, reaching with fingertips. Hold for 6-10 sec. Bring left elbow and right knee toward torso and close to one another. Repeat 8 times on each side.


Enjoy strength training and all of the benefits it has to offer. You will build muscle, therefore becoming more efficient at burning calories. The stronger you are, the less likely you are to injure yourself. Try to build up to at least two to three days per week of strength training, giving your muscles at least a 48 hour rest between workouts.

Group Run 3

A change of scenery was so nice today for our group run. We met down by the waterfront early this morning-although it was humid- being next to the water provided a nice breeze! The intermediate group did a 'simulated' 5-K race and the rest of us accomplished 5 miles. Again, having an early morning Saturday run is challenging, however it is great to see such a committed group in the morning. I am really enjoying the group runs-it is motivating and exciting and as our mileage builds up we will need the support of the group! Happy Running...

Group Run #2

As you can tell by the picture, it was a foggy, drizzly rain type of day. Of course, North Carolina also gave us some nice humidity to help with our group run! Today we did 4-6 miles. Of course I did type out the course, but with a few mis-spellings we had a little confusion on where to turn. Nevertheless, whether we did 4 or 6.5 miles, we accomplished our mission-to complete our mileage! I am so impressed by the number of participants on a Saturday morning. I hope our group runs inspire, motivate and makes us accountable to get those longer miles in-TOGETHER! It is so easy to not wake up on a Saturday morning, but seeing everyone early in the morning encourages me (and I assume others) to make this training a priority. Week 2- we have accomplished-although we have all experienced 'bad run' days I hope accomplishing each day of training (and rest) that we feel stronger, disciplined and EXCITED about the next coming weeks!