This Saturday's Run

We're going to meet at the Tech Park again this Saturday at 9:00. Our goal for the morning is to jog 2 miles without walking. This will be a milestone!

Has anyone else signed up for the race? Let me know. I have 2 more prizes for the next 2 people that let me know they're signed up!

See you on Saturday...

Week 4 - You're Doing It!

I apologize for not getting pictures of the entire gang. I completely forgot about pictures until the very end when Ellen, Mary, and Sandy were already on their way home.

Eight brave souls showed up today at the Tech Park. I think everyone is doing fantastic! I want to take some time to give you some encouragement... First of all, what you are doing really is a BIG deal! Some of you have never run...not ever. I know it's hard, but you know what? I've been running for a long time and it is still hard for me, too. I'm not just saying that either. I don't know that it ever gets easy, but I do know that the more you run, the more you can run.

Maybe for you, running half a mile was the absolute most you could do, then one day you realize you can go a little further. And eventually, you'll feel like you could go even further than that. Each time you meet a goal, you have a new level of confidence. For me, that feeling is a big motivator. In fact, I thrive on it!

Don't be discouraged when you have a bad running day. You are bound to have those days. (Yes, I have those days). There are days that the body is just not into the run. This can happen for many reasons and it doesn't matter how experienced of a runner you are. There might be a day when your legs feel like tree trunks or you're getting a cramp or you can't get your breathing down...fill in your own yucky feeling. Expect these things from time to time. When it happens, don't dwell on it. One bad run does not erase all the hard work and training you've already done. Just forget about it and look ahead to the next time. Chances are, your next run will be better.

Believe it or not, there will also come a time (and maybe this has happened already?) that you actually feel GOOD out there on a run. Your goal of running one mile (or whatever your goal is) is in sight and on this particular day you feel like "today might be the day." Once you have met that goal, you will feel inspired and on top of the world. You'll walk around for the next few hours or maybe even days saying to yourself, "I can't believe I did that!" Go ahead and be proud of your accomplishment - you deserve it!

That is the feeling I want each and every one of you to have. So, look ahead and keep your eyes on your goal whatever it may be.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Saturday, April 25

Let's meet at the Tech. Park on Rte. 4 at 9:00 on Saturday. Somewhere in the vicinity of the Chidren's Museum. You can either park in their parking lot or another one right around there.

I drove through and plotted out some distances and I think it will work well for what we're doing. It should be relatively quiet there especially early Saturday morning.

It is supposed to be pretty warm so dress for the weather and make sure you bring some water.

I do have the some coupons and applications for the race that I will bring with me. Just a reminder that the price goes up another $5 after April 30. If anyone happens to drive by the Subway on Osborne Rd., that's where I got the coupons, it might be a good idea to stop and pick up a few more.

See you Saturday morning :-)

I Have Coupons!!

I finally scored some $5 coupons for the Freihofer's Run - thanks to my friend, Alex B.! I also picked up some applications to do the mail in registration (it's cheaper). I'll bring everything with me on Saturday.

Speaking of Saturday, I'm leanding toward running at the Tech Park on Rte. 4, but I didn't get a chance to drive through there yet. I went in the opposite direction after church so I could go get those coupons.

Anyway, I'll be in touch this week about the location. Have a great week!

One last thing - Diane is going full steam ahead with the t-shirts and they will be a minimal cost (way under $5). She'll be in touch about that, too.

Run #3

Good day at the track today. The sun was shining. A lot of people are away so we had a small turnout. I expected that though. Aline joined us this week. It was great to see her. Emily came along and sprinted around the track for a bit then danced in the bleachers for awhile :-) You guys all did a great job this morning.

I really want to encourage you to get your runs in this coming week. The program is going to get intense now and it's important to get used to running for longer stretches at a time. If you're struggling, usually that means you're going too fast. Remember, you should be running at "conversational pace". If you can't talk while you're running, you're going too fast. Usually just slowing down helps a lot.

I'm going to check out some possible places for our next run and I'll let you know soon. Do we want to stick to 9:00? Whatever the consensus wants is what we'll do.

So, here are this morning's pictures:

Week #3

What a beautiful day! I hope you're getting your runs in this week. It is supposed to be absolutely beautiful all week - even on Saturday! Speaking of Saturday, we decided to meet at Averill Park High School again this Saturday, but this time it's at 9:00. Hope you can make it!

I just got home from a run myself. This is the first time I wore a short sleeve t-shirt running since probably October. It felt good to not have to wear so many layers!

I know this week the training intensifies. Keep me posted as to how you're doing. Don't forget, if it's too much and you want to repeat a week, you could do that. You can always adjust the training schedule. If you need help figuring out how to modify it and still be able to run the race, let me know and I can help you figure it out.

Have a great week!

Saturday #2 Done!

On my way to Colonie, I drove by a Catholic church and they had all these crosses out. It looked really cool so I stopped and took some pictures.



Diane was already there making her way around the very windy track when I arrived:


Here comes Priscilla & Mary:

And there goes Sandy....



Stacy & Diane:


David, Anne-Marie, & Ellen:


Cindy, Ellen, David...


We had another week of cold weather, but at least it wasn't raining! We did a 5 minute brisk walk, then 90 seconds of running, 2 minutes of walking. We alternated that for 20 minutes and then ended with another 5 minute walk.

You guys all did a great job! Here's lookin' at week #3! Freihofer's here we come!

Saturday a.m.

Today's run is at Colonie Central High which you can get to either from Sand Creek Rd. (it's before the mall if you're driving up Sand Creek from Everett) or you can get there by turning down Hackett Ave off of Central Ave. Coming from Fuller Rd., you take a left at the light then a right onto Hackett. You'll drive thru a residential neighborhood then you'll come to the high school area. The track is on the right coming from Hackett. At least it used to be 25 years ago :-) I guess that may have changed!

We're starting at 10:00. If anyone has questions, call me on my cell. Email me if you don't have that #.

I know it's still early and things could change, but I don't think it's raining anymore. It will be damp, but at least I don't think it will be raining.

Hope to see you all there!

Monitoring the Weather Forecasters

Some weather forecasts for Saturday

Channel 9 says:
SATURDAY
Early Shower/Mix
Partial Clearing Later
Highs: mid to upper 40s

Doesn't sound so good, does it?

Paul Caiano Channel 13 says:

Right now, Easter weekend looks good but a bit chilly with a good amount of sun both days and highs near 50 Saturday and in the mid 40's Sunday.

A bit vague, don't you think?

Lastly, here is Channel 10's take on Saturday:

Friday night, some interesting weather will arrive. As the cold air starts to bleed into the region, rain showers will mix with and eventually change to wet snow showers mainly across the higher elevations. Some of this messy winter like weather will last into Saturday morning with a few inches of snow accumulation (1"-3") across higher elevations of the Catskills, Helderbergs, Berkshires and southern Green mountains of Vermont.

What does all of this mean? I have no idea. I've never been so worried about the weather until I started this running group. Now, I'm monitoring it everyday & every station.

Oh well, since they all have different opinions, I guess anything could happen - and probably will.

Stay tuned!!

Run # 2 on April 11

Our next run will be on the track at Colonie Central High School. We'll start at 10:00.

We might want to consider carpooling since there are several of us coming from "the other side of the river." I don't mind picking a few people up so let me know if you would like a ride.

I believe this week calls for 90 seconds of jogging & 2 minutes of walking. Alternate that for 20 minutes. Don't forget to do your 5 minute brisk walk at the beginning and at the end. Do that routine 2 times during the week and then we'll do it together on Saturday morning.

As always, if you have any questions feel free to email me or call me.

Good luck training this week :-)

Cindy

First Run Done

I just got back from our first run at the track and our group did awesome! It was windy, rainy and even a little snowy, but you perservered and got it DONE! You already have the running spirit I can tell :-)

You all deserve a giant pat on the back just for showing up this morning because the weather alone would've been enough reason to keep some people home....but, not you guys! You ROCK!!

Here are the shots of the morning:

Saturday 8:35 a.m.

The rain is coming down pretty good right now. I'm hoping and praying that it will stop long enough for us to run, but we'll have to make a decision pretty soon. I was thinking we should decide by 9:30 whether or not to cancel. If we do have to cancel today, would anyone want to get together tomorrow afternoon? I'm up for whatever you guys want to do. We can either meet tomorrow or wait until next Saturday. Let me know your thoughts.

Our First Saturday Run

I'm really excited about meeting everyone at the track in the morning. I'm PRAYING that it doesn't rain. Make sure you bring some water and a watch if you have one.

If you're not familiar with Averill Park High School, here's what you do. I think most of you know where I live....take Rte. 43 past my house and you will see a little convenience store/gas station on the right. Across from that is "Gettle Rd." Turn left there and you'll see the high school on your left. As you're looking at the school, go to the entrance that is farthest to the right. That will bring you around to a parking lot which is toward the back of the school. Park there and you'll see where the track is. It's right behind the school.

We're meeting at 10:30 this week, but after that we will meet at 10:00.

Hope to see you all in the A.M. !!

Chic Runner Shoe Giveaway

the Chic Runner: You ask for it, you got it!

Hey girls. This is one of the blogs I read occasionally - Chic Runner. She has fabulous giveaways and this is one you'll love! Makes my little prizes look silly :-) She's a pro! Give it a shot... I did!