Last week we skipped the seminar and hit the road early. We did, however, give out some fabulous door prizes!

- Brooks drawstring backpack

- Brooks running cap

We will have more door prizes this week, so don't be late!

Half marathoners should be far enough removed from the race now that you can look back objectively and examine the training and preparation that led up to race day on Saturday. Here are some questions to ponder. Record your thoughts in your training log NOW -- you'll be very thankful to have them written down in November when you are finalizing your race plan! Full marathoners -- take note!  You have a benchmark of your own this Saturday with a new peak in mileage (as well as a race benchmark in September).

• How would you characterize your nutrition & hydration during the week before the race?
• How well rested were you going into the race?
• What was the timing and amount of your pre-race hydration and nutrition (night before and moring of race)?
• What was the timing and amount of your hydration and nutrition during the race?
• What was the timing and amount of your post-race hydration and nutrition?
• What was your goal for the race? Did you meet it? If not, was the goal realistic?
• Was there any point of the race that felt particularly "bad"? Particularly "good"? (be sure to review your race hydration/nutrition here -- is there any correlation?)
• Was there anything you could have done during the race to improve your hydration/nutrition? Did the water stops work for you? Did you have enough gels or other supplies?
• How did your choice of footwear, clothing & accessories work? Any problems?
• How long and intense was your recovery period after the race?
• Did anything surprise you during or after the race?
• What area do you want to focus on for the next race?
• What are you most proud of?

"In the long run, you only hit what you aim at."

- Henry Thoreau

• Half marathoners (6.5 mi) - 4 mi
  
• 15 milers - 5.25 mi, 9.75 mi, 12.5 mi
• 17 milers - 5.25 mi, 9.75 mi, 14.5 mi
  

Each weekly newsletter will include comments and information from each of our head coaches.

ATP

Blue / Green

Yellow

Red 

Orange

Aqua

Purple

"A milestone passed, new things begun, dreams as shining as the sun, a goal achieved, a victory won!"

  Great job to all our half marathoners for completing the 10k benchmark last week! Some had a great walk and others might have faced more challenges, but for all of us this was a milestone that deserves some assessment and review. This is a point in training where many of us are achieving new milestones on each and every training walk. That is a scary, but also a great feeling!

  Now that this benchmark is done you need to take time and reflect on the walk. 1) How did you feel? 2) What worked and what did not work with regards to pace, diet, hydration, gu's.  If you need to make changes, do so over the next few weeks before the next benchmark. Experimentation is a critical element of success! For those of you that missed the benchmark don't give up. Remember that our training is based on a foundation of base mileage, so as long as you're keeping up with the training you can still do it.

  I also want to remind everyone that it's OK to have a "hard" or "tough" workout! Don't let those defeat you! Remember that the principle of our training is progressive overload -> adaptation. That means that in order to achieve our end goal, we have to continue to give our bodies more than they've previously had to deal with, and over time our bodies adapt. This process takes time and typically works in cycles.

  If you keep following the training schedule, fueling properly and giving your body the rest it needs between workouts. You WILL meet your goal!

  For all Full marathoners your benchmark is steadily approaching so start thinking about how you will plan for that day. If you're going to try anything new, (nutrition, shoes, clothes etc) please make sure you do so before your benchmark so you can see how you body reacts. If you can complete just one benchmark, 15, 18 or 21 miles, then you can complete a whole marathon!!  No dropping out allowed!!!   If you are absolutely sure that the full marathon is not in the cards for you this year, join the half marathon group and finish training with SAFit.

   Lastly don't forget we meet at 5:30 for the full marathoners and all half marathoners will continue to meet at 6:00.

  Have a great Week and Walk on Walk Strong

  Janel

We are all putting in such hard work to get the goal race on Nov 16th -- don't forget to register!! The price increases after Aug 31, so do it NOW. Mailed-in forms must be post marked by 8/31/08 to get the discounted price!

*Price includes t-shirt, goodie bag, finisher's medal and free admission into the evening headliner concert.

Don't forget we have a discount code to save you $10 off your registration. Just enter the code RGR10 either online or on the mail-in form.

Marathoners need to register for your race benchmark as well -- there are now paper forms at Run Gear Run which you can drop off, or register online.

Full marathoners - Army Dillo 32k - Sept 21

The Alamo Series is a collaboration of the San Antonio running community, providing a progression of high-quality races to prepare local athletes for the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in November. The series is comprised of nine races between April and October, each with varying distances, providing an ideal dovetail for individual and group training schedules. Participation is tracked for all races in the series, and athletes who complete seven or more are eligible for awards at the series conclusion.