USA Fit San Antonio

Hey blue/green,

We had the most amazing weather last weekend and that definitely helped me get through my run. You were all looking really strong out there and let's hope that the weather continues to cool down. So how did you all feel after 17 miles? This week we taper down to 12 miles and I'm hoping for a repeat of last weekend's weather.

So here are some mid season tips/thoughts from your coaches:

Think about what's working for you during your long runs. Is your fuel/nutrition plan working? Is what your wearing working for you during your long runs?
Goals? Are you where you want to be training wise? Do you have any injuries that keep lingering? Have you improved more than expected? This is the time to begin reevaluating your finishing times/goals.
How are you feeling after your long runs? Is it taking too long to recover from your long runs? Review your training plan and replace some speed sessions with an easier mid week run.
Try to run one your long runs on the marathon course. It helps to know what you're up against.
Think about running a half marathon or another race before your marathon. Try to run at marathon pace or faster.

See you guys this weekend,

Your coaches,

Jessica, Frank, Mike, Gina, and Lupe

Yellow

Hi there yellow runners-

Well, we are more than half way through the training program, leading into the final two month stretch before our goal race, the San Antonio Marathon. As we have now completed some of our longer runs already, this is a good time to really assess the longer runs, but also to reflect on what you have already accomplished. How many of you thought going into this you would be able to run 17 miles - and feel good doing so? How many times have you thought about why am I doing this? Remember all the bad, humid runs you have had throughout the season and where you are at now.

With the new school year having started, and priorities in your life possibly shifting, here are some tips to get you through until the end of the season:

Keep going as much as you can. You have built a good base over the last 4 months, you want to make sure you maintain and build on that. I know we don't always make all of our runs, but try to get as many of your runs during the week in. They are short in terms of the time required to do them, and they will really come in handy those last miles in the marathon.
Watch out for pains and aches. Now is not the time to ignore if you have a knee, foot, or leg bothering you. With the increased mileage you may experience pains that you didn't have before. If you can't get it to get better with Rest, Ice, Stretching, then you need to go see a doctor. It is better to find out now when you can still take some time off and recover from the injury than to continue making it worse and you may not be able to run at all.
Be proud of what you have accomplished so far. Remind yourself of when it was hard to run 6 miles and now you just finished 17. Don't rest on your laurels, but remember where you came from.
Thank the folks around you that have been supporting you. Whether it is someone at home that has enabled you to train for this marathon by keeping your Saturday morning schedule open, or whether it is a fellow runner - your running buddy - that has helped you through the season so far. They may need a little bit of encouragement to make it through the remainder of the season.
Continue to have fun!

All of us coaches are here if you have questions, or just need help getting over the mid season hump. Keep up the great work.

Your coaches - Svenja, Amber, Michelle, Sarah, and Vidal

Red

"Mid Season Tips"

Ahhh another "down week" which followed an awesome long run last weekend! We are past the half way point and things are really going to start picking up, so here are some mid-season tips to keep you going - just to remind you - since by now you have committed them to memory, right?

· Are you keeping with your training schedule

· Are you eating and hydrating properly

· Are you getting proper rest and sleep

· Are you working on core, balance, flexibility and stretching

· Are you practicing good running form (all in alignment breathing form core/diaphragm)

· Are you keeping a positive attitude (see below for smile boosters)

What we are doing takes a lot of discipline, it is not easy to train for a marathon. Running tests your mental side as much as it does your physical abilities, in fact maybe even more! But on the up-side, running a marathon can be purely magical - if you rely on your training and don't let your head get in the way. So start training your brain that you ARE doing this! Are you stressed at work, at home, at drivers on the road and finding it hard to smile on your run? Don't confuse your mental fatigue with physical fatigue. Once you start your run, you will be glad you did and might actually feel better and sleep better. If you are in the middle of a run and feel like you want to give up, check your breathing and heart rate then give yourself a pep talk! Look around and if others seem like they may be in the same place as you, then hold a pep rally for all! Everyone needs some encouragement on the road so while you are talking to yourself to get with it, you will also lift the spirits of other runners. On a long run, don't think of how many miles you have left, think of only that short distance to the next water stop. Find a mantra or song that will help you get up that hill. And reward yourself along the way; next time you make it up that hill reward yourself with a walk break. And take time to smell the roses - look up, look out, enjoy the scenery and other runners around you! Smile and wave and cheer on others and you will make their day; it makes mine!

Keep focusing on your end goal and remember practice makes perfect. Try putting some of the positive aspects to work in your training and your brain will feel the benefits. "Long distance running is 90% mental and the other half is physical." Quote by Rich Davis, Coach and Running Hall of Famer.

~ Signed, Your Red Coaches

Orange

My son learned to surf this weekend. With a real surf board. It is one of the advantages of going to the beach during a tropical storm- great surfing waves!

Our topic this week is mid-season training and all I can think about is surfing. Peter Kreeft, a philosopher and author writes this:

"Nothing is more important than our journey to God, or "the spiritual life," as many writers call it. For this is our ultimate reason for living. It's what each of us was born for.

Nearly all who write about the spiritual life distinguish stages in it. For it's clearly like a road on which we move, and change, and progress."

We are on a journey and his thoughts echo mine when I think about our training. He breaks down his experience with surfing into 12 steps. We can break down our experience in running the marathon in 12 steps. (If only it was that easy!) Peter Kreeft's ideas concern surfing and his spirituality. My ideas have to do with running the marathon. My apologies to Peter Kreeft.

The first three steps are preliminaries. The first step is the knowledge of the sea. No one will ever experience the sea without going there, and no one will go there withoutwanting to, and no one will want to without knowing about it. Thus, the first three steps are: (1) knowing about the sea; (2) wanting to go there; and (3) going there.

The first three steps in running a marathon are (1) knowing about the marathon; (2) wanting to run it; and (3)waking up really early on Saturdays.

The next three stages in our journey to the sea happen only when we are already there, in its "presence": (4) seeing the sea; (5) smelling the sea; and (6) running down the beach into the sea.

We have joined SAFit, put on our shoe tags, and run along 1604 and back many times.

The next three stages deepen our relationship with the sea and with the marathon. First (7), we get our toes wet. Physically, we run until we are soaked with sweat and pooped the rest of the day.

Second (8), we get wet halfway up. Getting your bathing suit wet is the essential step. Bathing suits cover our private parts, our tenderest spots.

We participate in the benchmark and get an official race time in order to predict our expected marathon time. We are pretty vulnerable out there when the announcer is yelling names as the finishers cross the finish line and people can look up your results.

Finally (9), getting wet all over and we are committed to seeing the entire process through.

The last three stages cover what is usually called "mystical experience." Getting in over your head (10), with your feet no longer on the ground, symbolizes the mind plunging into the divine mysteries, the "dark night of the soul" that no words can mediate. We lose all footing. We are no longer in control. We're a part of the sea, it seems.

We are standing at the start line with 35,000 of our closest friends and neighbors and are wondering what in the world were we thinking?

Then comes the actual surfing (11). Let's make it body surfing. Body surfing is an even more intimate oneness with the sea than board surfing, whether with a full-sized board or small bodyboard. Here, our unity with the sea is greater than the passive getting in over your head (10); it is the active doing what the sea does. What the sea does is waving. So we wave. We become one with what the sea does as well as one with what the sea is.

We are one with the road before us. We go up when the road goes up and go down when the road goes down. We keep going and going and going.

Finally, the analogy breaks down, as all do. The last physical stage (12) is not joyful, but the spiritual stage it symbolizes is supreme joy. The last stage is drowning (something I would not advise!). It symbolizes mystical union, death not just of concepts (stage 10) or of self-will (stage 11, when we're moved wholly by the sea's waves) but of the very ego-self itself.

When we have nothing left to give and are completely spent, we dig even deeper and give those last few steps to the finish line. The crowd yelling and the volunteer holding the medal before you is what makes you cross that finish line.

Where are you in this analogy? Are you ready to get wet all over and see the process through?

Purple

Hello at all our Purple Runners/Walkers!

It's that time again! Another week, another newsletter! This week, we are actually going to pause for a moment and reflect on your training, your goals, and what you'd like to see in the upcoming weeks left in the program. We'll also cover some basic training tips/reminders to keep in mind as you go through your paces each week leading up to the marathon/half marathon in November.

Training is 90%

A friend once told me that 90% of completing a marathon/half marathon consisted of training. The other 10% was the actual race. He said that everything leading up to the actual race had a big effect on the race itself. Ideally, by the time you stood in front of the starting line, you would have already learned the basic components needed to complete the race. You would have learned about form, pacing, nutrition, hydration, injury prevention... You would have also learned how to monitor your progress/performance and know how to react in any given situation to make sure you keep moving and motivated to finish the race. That is where we should be... but where are we right now?

How prepared do you feel in this very moment? What if the race was tomorrow...how well do you think you'd do? Do you think you'd finish? Or would you end up on the sidelines? What about injuries?

While we still have plenty of weeks left in the training season, it is always good to reflect on our own progress and focus on those areas that we need to work on to improve. Let's pretend for a moment that the race is tomorrow - what is the one thing you'd wish you had worked harder at? If it's your pace that'd you'd like to increase or learn how to better manage your performance to keep more consistent throughout the race, there are things we can do to help you within these upcoming sessions. It may be simply a matter of working on your form and using smaller steps with quicker turnovers of your feet to increase your speed. (Think of the elderly women who walk the malls Sunday mornings before the stores even open - they move fast because they take smaller steps faster.) Or if you're trying to keep more consistent pace, then we can work with you on being better at assessing the course, and learning how to adjust your movements to make the most of your energy. (Using gravity to push you forward down hills would work perfectly in this type of situation.)

Now is the time to think back, and reflect on what works and hasn't worked for you - and what you'd like to accomplish before we get into November.

While Saturday's are great for testing your endurance, the weekday workouts are perfect to focus on speed, pace, and yes - form! No RSVP is necessary. Just let one of your coaches know if you're thinking of attending, and they will be able to provide you more information - including contact information, so you can check in with them in case you have any questions. The weekday workouts are another benefit of the program, so we definitely would love to see you. It'll give us more time to get to know one another, so you get the most out of this season!

The Buddy System

As we get further in the training program, our mileages will increase - that's a given. How you spend your time during those days can make a difference in your performance and is something else to think about. If you haven't tried The Buddy System yet - it really is quite simple and can help to keep you motivated during the race if you find that you sometimes need that extra push. Pair up with a fellow runner/walker who has the same pace. Not only will you meet someone new, you will have someone to help you through any tough moments during the course - and they will have you, too. The miles do pass more quickly when you have someone to talk to during the race.

Just one, please!

If you don't have a buddy to train with or if you prefer to train on your own, you can use music to keep your pace consistent and keep you motivated. You can create your own playlist with upbeat tempos and inject an occasional slow song to give you a rest period so you won't tire out. I've used this practice before, and it really does help make the mileage pass. The important to thing to remember is if you do decide to listen to music during your workouts, remember to keep one ear free to hear anything that might be approaching. You may not always see a car approach, cyclists, or even see a fellow marathon in distress. You want to be sure to be aware of your surroundings even as you go through your paces, because you never know when something might happen that will require your immediate reaction.

I See You... Do You See Me?

Now that the summer weather is starting to dissipate, our mornings will begin to get even darker. This is a perfect opportunity to start using a great marathon accessory: blinky lights! If you haven't gotten one yet, there is still time, and it will make you all the more visible as we continue to train in the upcoming weeks. It doesn't have to be a big, elaborate flashing sign that can be seen from Outer space. As long as it lights up brightly, and can be attached to whatever you already wear - blinking is optional. The purpose is to make yourself somewhat visible to anyone (i.e. cyclists) or anything (i.e. cars) approaching you - at least until the sun rises.

Holiday Season

With another holiday past, and we near October, it may be tempting to skip upcoming Saturday training sessions and sleep in. We all know life can be very challenging, and we expect a missed session or two, but it's important to remember that Saturday training sessions are our high mileage days which ultimately help you prepare for November. If we don't see you on Saturday, please don't let a missed session or two derail your marathon aspirations. You can still return and we can help you work towards your goals.

Aqua

Greetings Aqua Group!

We are finally past the halfway mark and getting closer to the race with every Saturday run! This Saturday is seven miles for the purple, orange and red group and eight and nine miles for yellow, green and blue - be prepared with plenty of water, sports drink and gel packets!

As we get closer to the race, we have noticed a few of our runners getting discouraged before and after our runs. Remember, we have had a lot of hills, heat and humidity to deal with - more so than we will have on race day! We need to re-energize, stay focused, and look forward to achieving our goals in November. You all can do it!!!

Now is the time to assess everything you have been doing and everything you plan to do, especially on race day. Midpoint in our training program is a good indicator of what is working and what is not.

You need to ask yourself these questions:

Are you following the pace group schedule? Are you challenging yourself with speedwork or just doing easy runs during the week? The pace group schedule is designed with you in mind. Easy runs are for recovery. Adding speed work and hills once a week gets you prepared to overcome the fatigue you may feel during a long run. It also gets you used to the "pick up" you may need for the last few miles.

Are you skipping the weekday runs and just running on Saturdays? It is imperative that you do the mid week workouts. This is the point where it starts to catch up with you if you are skipping them as our mileage continues to grow each week. Your total weekly mileage should be growing each week - it is exciting to see how much it adds up!

How are your shoes and clothing choices? Have you exceeded the mileage threshold for your shoes? Are your shorts riding up when you run? Is your shirt chafing your underarms? Are your feet blistering from your socks? Check with fellow runners and the experts at RGR for clothing and shoe advice. There is nothing worse than rubbing and chafing when running long distances.

Do you like the gu? Do you like hammer gel? Do you like the beans or shot blocs? Try a different one for the next few weeks to see what agrees (or disagrees) with your system. Everyone is different. Also, if you plan to drink an electrolyte drink during the race, start with one on your long runs. We have Cytomax at the water stops and that will be the drink on race day. For some, it takes getting used to.

Aches and pain? Minor aches and pains are expected during training. Some injuries might need medical expertise. It is okay to rest and recovery for a short duration - just don't make it a habit. Get it checked out now before it gets worse and you lose critical training miles.

You will have some good days and you will have some bad days. Don't get discouraged by a bad workout. Your body is constantly adjusting to the new mileage and speed workouts. Just revel in those good ones!

We are all looking forward to the cooler mornings and longer mileage. We are really training now! Happy running, Coach Laurie, Rose and Mary