|
Join Our List
|
|
Brought to you by...
|
"Stand facing the sun
and the shadows
fall behind you."
|
| Local Sponsors
|
Annette Zaharoff, MD - Sports medicine & physical therapy
Nutrition for the Heart & Sole - Laurel Tierney, RD, LD
Papouli's Greek Grill - FUEL for the champion athlete
Peak Fitness - VO2 Max testing and sport specific coaching
Integrative Therapies - Sports massage and active release techniques
Texas Med Clinic - Walk in sports medicine clinic
Brooks Sports - Running apparel & footwear
YMCA of Greater San Antonio - Fitness centers for the whole family
Run Gear Run - Your running + multisport store
Smooth Solutions laser hair removal
Entree Vous - How dinner gets done!
|
|
|
|
Issue: Week 27
|
November 20, 2008
|
|
Greetings!
You did it!!! I hope you are all still basking in the glow of your medal :-D
- Ashley, Amber & your USA Fit SA coaching team
|
Week in Review
|
|
 Things you don't want to forget...
What a great day we had for a race on Sunday! It was wonderful to see everyone before, during and after the event. Congratulations to everyone who participated! Whether the day went exactly as planned or not, we hope you enjoyed the journey and are proud of all you accomplished!
We found this video on You Tube that you all can probably really appreciate right about now! Enjoy!
|
Beat the Post-Race Blues with Burgers and Beer
|
|
Friday @ 6:30 pm
We are planning to meet at Big'z for Burgers and Beer Friday night at 6:30. We will have a section blocked off and would love to have everyone come share their post-race stories and get together one last time this season. So, grab your best friend, your spouse, your running buddy and meet us there! Combos are $6.99 and very yummy!
|
Weekly Focus
|
|
 Race Checklist
The most common question we hear after the race is "what now?" We've all become used to a set training schedule and it can be a bit disconcerting to now be without one! Here is some advice on recovery training from Marathoning: Start to Finish by Patti and Warren Finke.
The Day After the Marathon
Post race depression is quite common. You usually feel a real "high" after finishing especially if you've done well and can talk to other runners and share experiences. The next morning, the fatigue and soreness may make you wonder if the marathon was worth it. This letdown is a normal response to meeting your goal and not having a new one. Don't make any plans or predictions until the end of the week. Take time to assess your performance, see if you followed your plan and write down both the good and the bad things that happened. Review your training diary to see what worked well for you and try to pick out any mistakes.
Any exercise you can do will promote circulation and aid healing and recovery. If you feel like you can run, find a flat soft surface such as a track. Start slowly; you may be quite stiff. After walking a short distance, your legs should loosen up and running will feel better. This sensation will persist until your muscles start to fatigue and then they will start to stiffen backup. When you feel this begin to happen or if something hurts, you've had enough. When in doubt, don't run any more than you did the day before the marathon (about 10 to 15 minutes). If you feel to sore or stiff to run, take a walk or ride your bike or go swimming for 20 to 30 minutes to get your blood flowing. If anything hurt, ice it after your workout. The long soak in the tub may be OK to take today. Eat anything that looks or sounds good to you. You probably need it and you certainly deserve it. Your whole body will feel fatigued; plan to take it easy and go top bed early.
The Week after the Marathon
You may experience a general lack of energy the following week. The reasons for fatigue are obvious. You have worked hard and deserve to rest. Plan on an early bedtime for at least a week to help you get over the fatigue. Eat well-balanced meals with 50-60% complex carbohydrates to replenish the body's energy stores. Take in adequate protein to rebuild any tissue damage. Cravings for particular food should be answered. This may be the body's way of telling you what it needs.
As the stiffness and soreness subside, slowly build up your runs .Think of it as a sort of reverse tapering process. As you dropped hard workouts, then reduced your mileage down to a minimum the day before the marathon. The minimum should be whatever exercise feels good to you. Several days after the marathon you may feel very strong. This is because your post race lessened activity and eating well have carbohydrate loaded your body! Avoid the temptation to do hard workout. Unless you are incredibly fit, you have not recovered yet. Stick to your recovery plan.
The Month After the Marathon
If you are not an experienced marathoner, expect to have some long term fatigue during the month following the race. This fatigue usually shows up when you try to do hard or long runs. You will simply "run out of gas". It will go away and eventually you will emerge stronger than ever. As a rule of thumb, allow yourself about 10 training miles for every race mile for a full recovery. When you are back doing regular training and have accumulated 260 training miles, you should be ready to race again. Now is the time to get some goals for your future racing and make plans for training.
If you are an experienced marathoner with a good training base, these 260 miles of recovery will happen soon. You are in excellent shape, have peaked and my find that you can run some great races. If you plan to race, cut down on your training mileage and recovery fully from each one. If you have not fully recovered from the marathon and try to race, you may run excellent times, but you are courting serious injury. Keep setting goals. Plan your training so that you can achieve those goals.
"In the long run, you only hit what you aim at." - Henry Thoreau
|
| Coaches' Corner
|
|
 Tips & advice from your coaches
Each weekly newsletter will include comments and
information from each of our head coaches.
ATP Mission Completed.
I hope everyone did well in the race. I know that some goals were made and some missed. Some by seconds. My first goal was to beat 2:15 for the half. I missed that goal when I started having pain in my right leg at mile 11. That last hill was a killer, but I toughed it out, sprinted to the finish and beat my second goal of beating 2:30 by 45 seconds. Some made, some missed. I was still disappointed about not beating 2:15. For someone as competitive as me it is tough not to meet my goal. I would much rather win than loose. But as I laid there in the SA Fit tent with ice on my leg I thought about the other SA Fit members that were still out there. As they came in they were all happy. Some that they met their goal and some happy that the torture was over. One of the ATP members ran fast enough to meet his goal and qualify for Boston. Everyone had smiles on their faces and medals around their necks. It was great. And better than that, seeing them greet the other runners as they came in. Later I made my way to the wall overlooking the last hill and yelled down encouragement to the SA Fit members in their yellow shirts.
I heard a lot of people say they were glad they ran the marathon, but that they would never do it again. That reminded me of what one of the ATP team members told me. She said that running a marathon was a lot like having a baby. Right after you a deliver the baby with the pain fresh in your mind you say you will never have another child. And before you know it you're having other. So...
I look forward to seeing you next season. And for those of you that did not quite meet your goal, come join Team ATP.
Keep Smiling
Larry Graf - ATP Coach
Blue /
Green
Greetings Blue / Green Group:
Alright, the race has come and gone. By and large, I heard really positive comments about the organization of the Inaugural San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon / Half Marathon. The weather was certainly "Chamber of Commerce" weather. I believe we have room for improvement as far as getting to the AT&T Center, and the shuttles back after the race. Also, I thought they could have had more fluid stations along the course (I'm glad I took my hand held bottle, even though the temps were nice). All in all, I think the Largest Marathon / Half Marathon in Texas went very well, and really cast a positive light on our city.
Congratulations to all of our first timers (full or half), as well as to ALL of our finishers. Thanks to Nydia and Brittany, from Nydia's Yoga Therapy for spending their Sunday, helping us get the "kinks worked out" after the run.
I was once again blessed to work with, and meet an amazing group of folks. Helping with the yoga after the race, I met even more amazing people. I wish I'd been able to get to know even more of you.
Maybe this was your first race. Maybe this was your best (or worse) race. Either way, a healthy lifestyle is a journey, and not the destination. Let's do our part to keep San Antonio off of the Fattest Cities in the USA list, as well as showcase our beautiful city to the rest of the state, country and world.
Take some time to recover, and enjoy your accomplishment.
Then figure out what your next fitness goal happens to be. We'd love to help you reach that goal. Maybe it's the Winter Marathon Program (training for Houston & Austin), or maybe it's something else. Whatever it is, good luck with it, and I hope to see you out running (or walking) with us on the road soon!
Happy Running!
Coach Rudy
Yellow
Ouch! I always hurt some after a marathon and this one is no exception. I usually tell myself that I've done enough marathons and that I can move on to something else. But, there's one problem. I don't do this for the medal at the end. I don't really do it for my health, even though there are benefits. I do this because I get to meet a lot of great people who are slightly disturbed in the head like me. It makes me feel closer to normal. Marathoning may not be a team sport, but it is a very sociable one. I know I'll see some of y'all again, and I know I won't see others again. Either way, I hope you had a great time and met a lot of great people. In my opinion, that's the most important thing to take away from all this.
Ross
--
Congratulations Yellow Runners! I hope you all had a great run! It was so exciting to be a part of all the action yesterday. I hope you all wore your medals to work/school/play on Monday and shared your stories with everyone who would listen. You have earned your bragging rights. It was a pleasure working with you this training season and I hope to see you again. Best wishes!! Barb
--
Hello yellow!!!
What a day for a marathon! Just think of the numbers. According to marathonguide.com approximately 407,000 people finished a marathon in 2007 and the US Census lists the population of the US in 2007 at almost 300 million. Being too lazy to figure the math; a whole lot of people did not wake up early every Saturday to train through the heat and humidity in south Texas. You did! YOU ARE A MARATHONER. You earned the right to say that every step of every mile logged over the past 26 weeks.
Congratulations for all your accomplishments. I look forward to running with you all again. Until we do if I can be of assistance email me at rmille2@satx.rr.com
C-ya
Ron
Red Red Group,
Congratulations to all of you for finishing the race on Sunday. Wasn't it fun? I know I had a blast and I was really glad to see all of you out there. Too bad that it wasn't really an out and back where we could see each other and cheer each other on, but the spectators did help. I hope that everyone achieved their goal, which ever goal you had set for yourself. I know I did. I also hope that none of you feel the way I did last year, because I swore to our coach last year that I was never going to run another marathon. Here I was again, running this season and training for another. I hope that everyone of you continues running and will be a part of USA Fit again next year. You are the true examples of the success of this program and you all make this so great to be a part of and to coach. I am proud of each and everyone of you, but wanted to take this opportunity to recognize Ann, who won 5th place in her age group.
So, to all of your success and the future running seasons to come - it is now time for a drink, a strong one!
Coach Svenja
--
Congratulations Marathoners!!!!
We were able to see many of you out on the course or at the start or finish line on Sunday. The excitement and anticipation of such a large race was incredible. The energy was all around us. The fan support was fantastic. We hope you were all able to have a great run and memorable marathon experience. Congratulate yourself too, whether or not you had the race you hoped, you finished the distance, and that is an extraordinary achievement at any pace! Now it is time to recover. Take it easy this week, and listen to your body. Some of you may be experiencing some soreness. Light activity, either cycling, walking or swimming the first few days will actually help in your healing. You can add running later in the week if your legs feel good, but keep it short (2-3 miles). If not, take at least a week off from running. It may be helpful to resume running on a soft surface like grass or a track instead of asphalt. Another suggestion is to follow your taper week schedule for this week and next. One thing we all need to do is thank the "Angels" who were out there with us on the course on Sunday. Coach Oscar reminded me just how important these people are out on the course, especially when things get tough. He shared a story of a woman encouraging him over a hill near the end of last years Austin marathon when he was just exhausted. For you it may have been a loved one at a crucial mile to cheer you on, or the complete stranger who pushed you to the next mile marker. Maybe it was all those screaming people as you rounded the corner behind the Alamodome and saw the hill to the finish line that helped you finish strong. For me, it was Coach Linda. She never gave up on me, when I gave her plenty of chances too. Linda truly is the coach you all want on your team! My husband as well, who always makes me feel like his hero. I noticed many of you crossed with your angels as well. Lyz and Ann, Curt and Kim to name a couple that caught my eye. That is what this group is all about. We train together and support each other. Many of you formed some great friendships out on the road. We hope you continue them. It has been a great season. Hope to see you all at the post marathon celebration at Bigz. Again, Congratulations!!!
Kathy
--
Red Group Rocks! Wasn't it awesome! We are so proud of each and everyone one of you. All the hard work and dedication paid off. You have earned your bragging rights! I was very impressed and feel blessed for all the volunteers, crew support, and spectators that was along the route. I have to share some of the things we ran across with you all.
- At mile 2, Kathy and I were asked...Coaches...for what? They have coaches for this thing?
- Mile 8 was the first beer stop, in hindsight, we probably should have had one!
- Sore muscles, no toe nails, finish line....priceless
- Got toenails?
- My failure to train isn't letting me down
- The protesters thanking us for using the streets
- Toenails are for whimps
- Don't turn around but someone is trying to pass you.
- My grandma is just ahead of you
- My wife runs faster than your wife
- Are we there yet?
- Someone told me I should train for this thing, who would have thought they were right.
- At mile 26, someone said "now I know why they always add the .2, this last part sucks." Which it truly did, finishing up that hill was a mean joke.
- And hats off to Elvis, blue, pink, green dyed hair, princesses, and all those wonderful tattoos we saw along the way!
Coach Linda
Orange It really is true, Orange Zest is the Best!!! However, you don't have to take it from me. You get to hear from your Orange Group Teammates. More race reports will be shared on Friday at BigZ's. Hope to see all of you there!
Coach Kathy S.
Even though we weren't able to make it pre-race meeting (crazy traffic) I saw several SA Fit shirts all through the course... It was nice to get a high fives and "keep going's" from familiar faces. I couldn't have made the finish without the encouragement yesterday and these last 6 months. You said I could do it... I didn't believe it until it happened!!!
Favorite race memories:
Cheers and support for Soldier Running with a Prosthetic leg below the knee on one side and part of his calf missing on the other side!
CRAWLING (well figuratively...) to the finish line with my son jogging ahead of me and my family running behind the rail yelling like mad people.
Vallejo Band from Austin
Thanks!
Danna
Hi, Orange Zests,
I'm still floating... It was so, so awesome, and I am so hooked! Thank you all so much for your support these past 6 months. There were a couple of times when I almost dropped out for one excuse or another, but your support and encouragement kept me going. For reasons I'll explain on Friday, I didn't get to see any of you before or after the race, but I saw quite a few of you during the race!
My favorite memory: Crossing the finish line with Victoria!! Her encouragement and timer kept me going, and we ran in the last mile without walking!
Ute
HAD LOTS OF FUN. IT WAS HARD BUT WE DID IT! I WILL DO IT AGAIN. THANKS FOR YOUR INSPIRATION AND TEACHINGS. LET US KNOW WHAT'S NEXT.
GREAT JOB TO ALL. From Joe Castillo
I didn't get a chance to go to the SAfit pasta party because I had to work and with all the confusion and excitement of race day I didn't get to meet up with the group before or after the race. I just wanted to say thank you so much. I don't think I could have done this without the training provided to me by SAfit and especially the orange team. I finished my only goal to complete the marathon and believe me after mile 20 there were times I didn't think I was going to make it. In fact I actually tripped on the course at about mile 22 or so and luckily I landed back on my feet charging straight ahead. It was priceless also to see my sister cross the finish line as she was the one who encouraged me to join SAfit in the first place. Just wanted to say thank you.
Misty
Aqua
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
You did it! You went from two miles to 13.1 and ran the most exciting San Antonio event to date! All of the Aqua Coaches are so proud of each and every one of you. We know how hard you trained and the many sacrifices you made -- especially giving up the alcohol on Friday nights and sleeping in on Saturday mornings! You are all awesome and the best group we have had the pleasure to run with. For those of you that completed the race, congratulations on crossing that finish line! (Especially with that last ramp before you reached it!) For those of you that had to walk or hobble the last miles, you still did it. You completed the race and earned your medal. For those of you that suffered injuries in the last few weeks and could not run, we feel for you. It's happened to many of us and we just reset our running game plan for the next race. There is always another race (like Austin or Houston).
We hope you can celebrate with us this Friday at Big'z for Burgers and Beer. We would love to hear your race day stories!
We will also be back on December 6th to begin training for the Austin half in February. We hope to see you there!
Big hugs,
Coach Laurie, Rose, George, Jeannie, Dana, Rhondie, Alfred, Andy and Ann Marie
Purple
Your marathon delivered!!!
Now that we've had a few days to recover and get a little rest, I thought I'd share a few thoughts that I've had over the past few days. First, the number one question you get is, "When are you going to walk your next marathon?" Walking is a great way to stay healthy and stay motivated to get off of your butt. I know, nobody says that to be or stay healthy you have to complete a marathon. But there's something about the marathon that makes you come back. For some of us, it's the competitiveness. Others do it because it is such a great challenge that not many people choose to ever undertake. And when you do it, you feel like you just did something special.
Or maybe it's that feeling you get when you cross the start line when thousands of people are cheering and making noise. You get goose bumps as you hit the start button on your watch and you're about to endure such a grueling mental and physical test. Even if you've done it before, the adrenaline rush those first few hundred yards never gets old or familiar. And the feeling you get from crossing the finish line isn't too bad either.
I feel like we have all made quite a few new friends and walking buddies who can share experiences with you and who know what it's like to have this crazy walking habit of yours. I encourage all of you to continue in your fitness goals and keep in touch with the friends you have made. I get teary eyed when I think of all of you and how proud I am of you. I can't say it enough you are an amazing group of men and women and we are proud to have been your coaches.
The marathon is such a big deal because the distance making it so special. It is not easy to train for many months and put in the many miles of training in an effort to produce that one moment of time where things goperfectly. It's so special due to all the stories it produces. The achy days, sore muscles and those time when you said to yourself I don't think I can do this. Whether you had the day you wanted to or not you finished and you are a marathoner. Enjoy your moment and share your story. You were all part of history. Not just because this was an inaugural event but because you have created a new chapter in your personal life history.
I am reminded of a quote I have on my fridge:
"The pain of discipline and or failure far outweighs the pain of regret."
Happy Walking Asst. Coach Janel
|
|
Tell us about it!
|
|
Send us your stories & photos!
Next week's newsletter will be a special issue on race stories & pictures. We all love to tell them and we all love to read them, so don't be shy! Please send us your race story via email this week along with any photos you might have from the race.
Email us your story!
|
Beyond November...
|
|
Extension training for Houston & Austin
Want to continue your training after the San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon? RGR Training has a Winter Marathon program geared at the Austin Marathon / Half Marathon, the Houston Marathon / Half Marathon or the USA Fit Marathon / Half Marathon (see article in this newsletter). We'll take a short recovery break after the San Antonio event, and pick back up starting December 6th. Because of the shortened season, those wishing to participate in the half marathon should be able to comfortably run 8 miles, and for the full marathon, they should be able to comfortably cover 12 miles. The training program will be run by RGR Training. We will be similar, but not exactly the same as SA Fit. You'll see many of the same fellow runners, and coaches you've come to know and love. Base Price: $90 Returning SA Fit or RGR Training Members: $15 discount Active Duty / Retired Military, Police, Fire Department: $10 discount For additional information, contact Rudy Acevedo at (210) 865-3065. |
Rock 'n' Roll again!
|
|
... in Seattle!
Want to try another INAUGURAL Rock 'n' Roll Marathon? Why not Seattle?! Coach Kathy is leading up a summer marathon program to do just that!
We'll kickoff our group training on February 28, and will offer two coached workouts per week. Participants should be comfortable running 6-8 miles before training begins. Members receive a training shirt, training log, store discounts and more!
For additional information, contact:
Head Coach Kathy Seastrunk
seastrunk_five@sbcglobal.net
or call Run Gear Run at 210-490-9987
Training Dates: Feb 28 - June 13, 2009
Training Dates: Sat @ 6:30 am & Tue @ 6:30 pm
Registration Fee: $100
Discounts available for returning USA Fit or RGR Training members as well as active duty/retired military, police and fire department.
|
|
Facebook, anyone?
|
|
 Join us in cyberspace!
As you can't help but hear on the news these days, cyber-networking is where it is AT these days... and San Antonio fit is definitely "with it"! We created a USA Fit San Antonio group, and we invite all of you Facebook users to join us! Just click on the link below or search on "USA Fit San Antonio" and join the group!
A special treat -- the 2008 season video (shown at the pasta dinner) is posted on our group page in its entirty!
Facebook Group Page
|
|
| Looking Ahead
|
|
Here's what's coming up...
Next meeting: Fri Nov 21
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Bigz Burgers on 1604
Workout: Post race celebration!!
|
|
Thank you for joining San Antonio's premiere marathon and half-marathon training program!
Sincerely, Ashley Rosilier & Amber Anthony
Organizers, USA Fit San Antonio
|
|
|
