Welcome! You have to be a special kind of "crazy" to want to run a marathon, let alone train for one, so welcome to the club! We are looking forward to having you as a part of our group. If you have questions you can always mail us Jeri, Terry or Krystal
If you are like most of us, when we started training with the group we had many questions and concerns... can I keep up with the group, what happens if I have an issue in the middle of a run, how will I fit in, heck can I even run a marathon??? Let us assure you we have all been there and we are here to make your help make your journey as fun and rewarding as possible. One of the purposes of this section is to review some of the basics which will help you get the most out of training with our pace group and help answer some of your questions. For a more complete overview read Susan's MarathonFest Orientation Booklet Here.
First the Basics:
We run 10 and 1's on our long runs (run 10 minutes and walk 1)
Our marathon pace target is 9 to 9:20
Our half marathon goal is 1:50 to 2 hrs
Our full marathon goal is from 4 to 4hrs and 15 min.
In addition to learning Marathon Fest's Saftey Rules, it is important to become familar with our Running Routes. By becoming familar with our Running Routes you will be able to find your way back to Cady Way in case you get seperated from the group. We never leave a runner behind, however, sometimes things happen and it is possible to find yourself in a section of town you are not familar with.
Each week, in addition to Susan's MarathonFest e-mail, we will send out our own pace group e-mail and go over the planned meet times (sometimes our start times are different than the ones Susan posts in her mails) and routes as well as other important information about the run or future runs. Please take the time to read ALL of our e- mails, there have been times we have had runners miss our runs because they have not read the whole mail and missed the start times, routes, or some other important piece of information. We also post each weeks mail from Susan and our pace group on the home page of this site . So, in case you for some reason, you don't get the mail or have accidently deleted it for that week, you can look here and have the lastest info so be sure to bookmark it!
Tuesday Track Workouts are meant to help you develop your running efficiency, speed and discipline. Be sure to arrive early enough to warm up for 1/2 mile to 3 miles before each work out. Most of these workouts should be run at YOUR 5k or 10k pace, resist the temptation to run faster than the suggested paces or try to keep up with the group if you have to struggle. You should be able to run the last set of intervals as fast or faster than your first set. You want to be able to hold your pace. Here is a link to the training paces for our track work outs or before each track session Susan or Bruce will place on the bleachers, cards with your 5k or 10k paces for your track workout, please take the time to look at these before each workout and stay on those paces. It is not important that you keep up with the majority of the group, you can't get lost on the track workouts. :)
Thursday Tempo or Hill Workouts should be run at a comfortably hard pace, you should NOT feel be beat up after this run (this is not a race) however you should feel challenged. These workouts are pretty straight forward, however you want to become familar with the routes we run in these workouts in case you get seprearted from the group. Although it will be hard to get lost because all the pace groups normally run the same route so even if you get seperated you should be able to follow someone in. Try to arrive early enough to warm up 1/2 mile to 3 miles before each of these workouts.
Saturday Long Runs Long runs are probably the most important run we do in preparation for the marathon. The long run is the time to practice everything you plan to do in your race. What you eat, drink, and wear the clothing exactly as you plan to do it in your race. Mimic your race in every way, except the pace. Long runs should be run 30 seconds to 1 minute SLOWER than your marathon pace (it is alright to run marathon pace if it is a short run 10 to 12 miles, unless this a new distance for you). To some runners this pace will seem "unnatural "or too slow. That is ok. This run is designed to build your endurance , and there are many other benefits, so resist the temptation to run too fast, if you are dragging at the end of our longs or become injured it may mean you are running these runs too fast.
In the summertime the heat can be brutal and can put a lot of stress on your body, so it is important that you learn how heat can affect your run and how to adjust your pace and hydration accordingly. Here are some articles that may help your understanding. Turning up the Heat or Hot Weather Running Tips
Our long runs workouts are where you will learn and practice your pre run and race day routines: what to eat the week before the run and in the hours before you start, your in run fueling (Gu, shot blocks or whatever works best for you), what type of clothes to wear, the importance of Body Glide, and post run recovery. REMEMBER ON RACE DAY, never try anything new on race day that you haven't tested in training.
MarathonFest has safety rules that prohibit running with an I-Pod or other similar device, it is discouraged for a number of reasons. First, most marathons don't allow them in their races and second, it is important that you be able to hear the warnings of coming traffic and warnings of possible road hazzards, plus you could be missing out on some great conversations!
If you are having difficulty on a run, you are injured, or if you need to use the restroom at one of the water stops or want to use one of the porta potties along the way, please let one of the group leaders or another runner know so we can have someone wait for you or give you assistance. If you are having difficulty on a run or are injured don't be afraid to let us know, believe me we have all been there, we are happy to be there to help you.
Finally, we try to make this site fun and informative, as the season goes on please send us your pictures here and any suggestions you have that will make this place a fun and interesting to visit.
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