Tips & Advice from your coaches
Each weekly newsletter will include comments and information from each of our head coaches. Happy Training!
ATP
Great Job Everyone!
Great weather for a marathon. I hope everyone had fun and survived. Now that we ran the marathon and completed training there may be a few of you that say "now what?"
Here is what Elite Runners told Runner's World they do to help them keep a positive attitude and get ready for the next running season.
1) Create an off-season for yourself: It really matters that you make an offseason. You need to recharge your emotional batteries and rediscover the joy in the sport.
2) Take a real vacation: The travel itinerary should not include any activity that requires you to pin a number to your shirt. Stay up late. Sleep in. Eat what you want. Lie next to the pool and get some sun.
3) Do some different sports: If you live in a winter climate, take up cross-country skiing on the weekends. If you live in a warmer environment, try mountain biking or hiking.
4) Revisit what's important to you: Re-examine your core values and what's most important about doing the sport. By reflecting on your personal motivation, you can trump other negative emotions that hurt performance.
For Team ATP the season is not quite over. We have Las Vegas and Dallas White Rock in December, Chevron Houston in January, New Orleans, Austin and Cowtown in February, Etc. Etc. Etc. Sometime in there, there will be a little off-season before starting San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll training again in May.
And for those of you who want to turn it up a notch, I look forward to having you in ATP next season.
Larry Graf - ATP Coach
Blue / Green
Hello blue/green,
Congratulations to everyone for going out there and running their best race. Congratulations to those who qualified for Boston and to those who just completed their first marathon.
We were given a choice on what to write about so I just wanted to leave you with an inspirational quote.
As long distance runners we often have quite a bit to think about while we are out there pounding pavement. There have been moments when I question why I get up to run on a Saturday morning and if I should continue to do it, but then I remember why I do this, I truly love it. Thank you for getting up with me every Saturday and running your best. Here is my quote to you....
"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
- Steve Prefontaine
Thank you,
Jessica
Yellow
Howdy Yellow Runners-
So, this is my farewell to a great training group, that I was proud to have coached for over 6 months and feel very privileged to have gotten to know most of you. Thanks for your encouraging words during the race and congratulations to your individual successes throughout the season and on Sunday. Whether you had a great race, where everything went according to plan, or one that was outlined by unexpected twists and turned, I know that all of you celebrated some milestones this season. Some of you achieved PR's (Sarah and Liz), others finished their first ever marathon (Marty, Leticia, Lorraine, Josh, and others)and then again others had to alternate their expectations - like Michelle who due to her pregnancy had to stop to potty 8 times.
If your race didn't go as expected, don't be upset or discouraged to try again. As a coach I have run multiple marathons, finishing one just four weeks ago in Tucson. I started the race off trying to keep Marty at a slower pace, so he would have something left in the tank at the end of the race. Well, what Marty didn't know was that at mile 3 I started looking for the medical tent, because my knee started hurting, at mile 5 my hip started hurting as well...which both I attributed to the Mt Lemmon Marathon, where I ran on a slope. At mile 7 my foot started hurting. Marty kept encouraging me to continue running with him, but by mile 7 I seriously started thinking about cutting it short and running the half as opposed to the full. At mile 9 my foot pain was getting so bad that I gave Marty a hug, wished him a good race, and told him I was cutting it down to the half. I finished in a lot of pain, with still my second best time ever posted in a half marathon (and it included stopping on the side of the road to chat with my former running buddy and good friend Kathy for about 3 minutes). I crossed the finish line, wanting to cry and being extremely disappointed, but once I took my shoes off and saw the bruising on the top of my foot, I knew I had made the right decision, and also immediately reached out to my running family at SA Fit for a good Podiatrist.
I hope that all of you come to our post Marathon celebration on Friday so we can exchange stories. If you can't, send me your race story and let me know how you did. Always know that I am proud of every single one of you and very honored to have coached you. Hopefully I will see all of you out there for Winter Training - yes I will be coaching again - and I promise we will have better running weather than the darn humidity we fought all summer.
Your coaches - Svenja, Sarah, Michelle, and Vidal
Red
"Life after Race Day"
Congratulations runners - we did it!!! I am very proud of all you have accomplished this season! Do you realize that only one percent of the population even attempt to run a marathon, well, you can say, "been there, done that"!!! Now that you've put in the hours and miles training for a marathon that has come and gone, take time to record your running experience, savor your victory, show off your medal and recover properly, as well as stay connected to friends and family and not worry about a running schedule...until you are ready mentally as well as physically to begin again. Evaluate how you did race day recording all in your journal include any new goals even if you had moments like I have at mile 22 promising your legs if they can make it to the finish line, you'll never put them through that again! Write it all down because you never know when you will take back that promise. The thrill and excitement of crossing that finish line always makes me think...hmmm...maybe I could have prepared differently or maybe used a different strategy. If you are considering another marathon in your future or if your friends are calling you crazy, maybe you are actually a "maniac"? Several RED runners qualified on Sunday for Marathon Maniac status by not only the running the SA RNR marathon but also participating in marathons with the Travel Team. Destination marathons keep the motivation going all season long. If you are curious about the yellow shirted runners who show up at every marathon around the country the website is:
http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/areyouamarathonmaniac.html
It has been a thrill for all the RED coaches to be a part of such a great running group with USA Fit and RED! Hope to see you at the Celebration Party Friday night and hope you have enjoyed your running experience and will see you back next time! "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." - Quote by John "The Penguin" Bingham, announcer from Sunday's Rock N Roll San Antonio Marathon, runner, writer and inspirational speaker.
~ Signed, Your Red Coaches
Orange
"It's very hard to understand in the beginning that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit." Dr. George Sheehan
Purple
End of Season
Well, Race Day has come and gone, and our training season now winds to a close. Congratulations to all our marathoners that participated! How was your Race Day experience? Did you reach your marathon goals? Did you do as well or better than you expected? Are you wondering, "what now?"
Now is the time to recover and reflect, as well as recognize (i.e. celebrate) your accomplishment!
Recover
You may find that you're a bit sore from Sunday's activities. A little soreness is not unusual. You've completed an athletic challenge that not all can accomplish. You will feel fatigue. We've trained all season for Race Day, and we've covered many, many miles - your body now needs time to rest and recover. Take a few days before resuming your regular workouts. You're not going to lose your hard-earned endurance or fitness level by taking some days "off".
Reflect
Janel said it best in our last article: "Long-distance walkers should be aware that light depression might set in post-jaunt...You just put in months of training and now all that hard work is over. You might feel lost without the training,"
If you're feeling a little blue now that the season has ended, take this time to reflect...on our season, Race Day and your training. Was this a one-time challenge or the beginning of a many more marathoners for you? If this was the first of many more, what would you want to improve for your next race? Just because the season is over, doesn't mean that you have to lose contact with your fellow marathoners or coaches. Some great friendships are built over shared experiences and passions.
Recognize (i.e. Celebrate)
You've worked hard for months to get to this point - take a moment to recognize all your efforts. I've said it countless times before, "if marathoning was easy, EVERYONE would do it." You've earned the right to celebrate your accomplishment! Wear your medal with pride. For those that, unfortunately, were unable to receive a medal on Race Day, please don't let this dampen your spirits. While a medal is great, it's the feelings that you experience during training and after completing the race that mean the most. You've shown such strong dedication to training and you've reached your marathon goals. If anything, this experience proves that you can accomplish anything if you work hard, believe in yourself and stay the course.
We will be meeting soon to celebrate as a group (on Friday, 11/19, at Momak's starting at 6:30pm.) and to reminisce over the times we've shared over the last several months. I, and all the other coaches, are very proud of you all. Thank you for making this training season so memorable.
We hope to see you again, very soon.
Aqua
For the past six months, you guys have all been receiving helpful tips and reminders in the newsletter on what you should and shouldn't do in order to get ready for the "Big Race". Well now that the day has come and gone and you've enjoyed perhaps one of the biggest moments of your life, you're probably asking yourself, "what now"? The reality of it all may not actually hit you until this coming Saturday. Some of you may find yourself waking up at the crack of dawn (even though the alarm hadn't been set) wanting to get into your running gear and head out the door ready to go and meet your running buddies at RGR or TriPoint; while others might actually reward themselves by throwing the covers over their heads and sleep until noon. Whatever the case may be, don't forget that you have just put your body through six months of intense training and have accomplished something that others have only thought about doing.
One of the benefits that come with such a long period of training is the conditioning/endurance that we are able to build up and maintain as the months went by. Because we feel so good about ourselves we might be a little concerned about losing what we've worked so hard to build, that we're afraid to take time off in order to allow our bodies to recover. As tempting as it may be to want to go out and "hit the pavement" right after a marathon, it's actually recommended that we take at least a week in order to rest our legs and give those muscles/ligaments some time to repair. Unfortunately, there is no single recovery method that works for all runners, but some experts recommend that first timers take 2 weeks off from running while most everybody else should take about 3-5 days of rest; this should be enough time for most damaged muscle cells to regenerate. Once this time goes by, slowly start to get back into running. Throw some cross training into your daily schedule (cycling, swimming, yoga, etc.) as well and then gradually begin to increase your mileage until you get back into your usual "running groove".
With that in mind, remember that everyone's body is different and no one's recovery is ever going to be the same. But for at least a week after your big run, be nice to your body, enjoy life, relax.......take a long, quiet walk in the park with your significant other, pick up that favorite book you've been wanting to read and read it while enjoying your favorite beverage (whatever it may be), treat yourself to some of those delicious foods that you normally don't eat while you're training. Do whatever you need/want to do in order to recover both physically and mentally. You've certainly earned it.
Congratulations once again on completing the San Antonio Rock and Roll Half Marathon. It's been great working with all of you and we hope to see you again in the near future. In the meantime, take care God Bless and Happy Running!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
You did it!! You went from running 1 - 2 miles six months ago to crossing the finish line with 13.1 miles behind you and a smile on your face! Whether it is your first half or your XXth, what an accomplishment! When we started, many of you may have thought 13.1 was out of the realm of possibility. But, you trained hard, endured a lot and made many sacrifices. Early mornings, 100+ degree weather, humidity, aches & pains didn't stop us from doing what we set out to do. We all worked extremely hard to accomplish what we've done and there aren't many that can say the same. I'm sure you all had friends that thought you were crazy for attempting to run/walk a half marathon but in the end some of them were probably envious!! Be proud of your accomplishments...we are! Whether you ran the entire way, or had to walk or hobble the last miles, you did it! You completed the race and earned your medal. Especially with that last ramp before the finish line...what were they thinking!! For those of you that suffered injuries in the last few weeks and could not run, we know how you feel...literally. It's happened to some of us coaches as well as many other runners. We just reset our running game plan for the next race. There is always another race.
In the mean time, keep your heads up and your legs moving. Make sure you take a few days off from any physical activity. After about a week or two jump in a pool or on an elliptical to keep the pounding off your knees. Set more goals for yourself. We hope to see you all sticking to the training program in the seasons to come. In case any of you are interested in training for Houston, Austin, RNR New Orleans, RNR Dallas, or other races there will be a Winter training program. And, we will be back coaching. More info to come on that.
Hope to see you all at Momak's to hear about your exciting experience!
Coaches Laurie, Rose, & Mary
Things to remember...
