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Join Our List
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| Local Sponsors | Interested in becoming a sponsor? We are now accepting applications for the 2011 season.
Send us an email for more information!
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National Sponsors
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| Issue: Pre Season | April 27, 2011 | |
Greetings!
The season is upon us!! Here is all of the latest news about San Antonio's premiere marathon & half marathon training program, back and better than ever for 2011!
- Roger, Ashley, John & your USA Fit SA coaching team
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2011 Season Kickoff
| |  Saturday, May 7 @ Soler's Tri Sports
We know many of you are anxious to get started and want to get your hands on information as soon as it's available. We also know there are many of you who aren't quite sure yet and want to hear more before signing on the dotted line. For BOTH of those groups, we have moved our season kickoff to be BEFORE the first day of training.
Date: Saturday, May 7
Location: Soler's Tri Sports - 14405 Old Bandera Rd, Helotes
Time: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Come join us in Helotes to find out all you need to know about the upcoming season! Pick up your packet if you are already registered, or just come to hear out what we are all about! Need to gear up for training? We'll have plenty of staff on hand to give you a personal shoe fit evaluation, too!
Schedule:
8:00 am - "Pace Finder" walk/run
9:00 am - Info session and Q&A
11:00 am - Info session and Q&A
1:00 pm - Info session and Q&A
* Registration and packet pickup available all day
Food, music & casual fun all day long!
What is the "Pace Finder" walk/run? If you don't already know your pace group for the training, we encourage you to participate in a 1 or 3 mile pace finder walk or run. Your time for the 1 or 3 miles will place you in a color group for your training. You should walk or run at a pace where you feel you could keep going for a little bit beyond those 1 or 3 miles. If you couldn't keep walking or running after completing our initial 1 or 3 mile pace finder then you are going too fast. All walkers are in our Purple Group regardless of pace.
There is no need to register for the Pace Finder, just come ready to walk or run!
 
The first Saturday of the month is also Helotes Market Day, so plan to make a day of it and bring the whole family!
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2011 Season Training Begins
| | Saturday, May 21 @ 6:30 am
Are you ready to hit the road? Join us for our 8th season beginning on Saturday, May 21st. Come ready to workout and to change your life!
When: Saturday, May 21, 2011, 6:30 am
Where: Four locations -- pick the one best for you!
Alamo Heights
Spectrum Clubs Concord Plaza
7700 Jones Maltsberger Rd
** Participants are asked to park on the 3rd floor or higher of the parking garage adjacent to the Spectrum Club
Call for info: 210-930-3148
Helotes
Soler's Tri Sports
14405 Old Bandera Rd
Call for info: 210-695-6430
Stone Oak
Soler's Sports
18720 Stone Oak Pkwy #150
Call for info: 210-490-9987
New Braunfels
New Braunfels Family YMCA
710 Landa Street
Call for info: 800-306-8974
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Registration Options
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| Now open for business!
Online registration is open for the 2011 season and you can register directly from our website.
Prices for the 2011 season are:
New members - $110 Returning USA Fit members - $85 Advanced Training Program (ATP) - $135 Returning ATP - $110 Military discount** - $10 ** To get the military discount online you need to enter a discount code. Please call your preferred location or email us to get the code. You can also download our registration form and register in person at any Soler's Sports location. We will also offer in-person registration at the season kickoff on May 7th. Cash or checks to USA Fit are the only payments accepted for in-person registration. All CC payments must be done online.
Registration for the 2011 season will remain open through June 4th.
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Something Old & Something New!
| |  Changes in store for 2011
As you may know, USA Fit San Antonio has undergone some changes since the 2010 season wrapped up. Change can often be bittersweet, but it can also be a time of regeneration. We are excited about what has transpired over the past few months, so we wanted to fill you in!
USA Fit San Antonio was previously affiliated with Run Gear Run, which is no longer in business. As the 2010 season wrapped up, we weren't sure where that would leave us for 2011. We are thrilled, however, to have found a wonderful partner in Soler's Sports for 2011 and beyond. In addition to over 20 years of business experience in town, Roger Soler also brings a wealth of experience as a world-class runner and trainer of athletes of all ability levels. This new partnership will allow us to expand our reach and our offerings to the local community.
We are also happy to report that the program organizer for the past seven years, Ashley Rosilier, is returning in that capacity for 2011, which means the program you know and love will still be here. As always we will be trying some new things this season, but we will keep the core of the program the same -- because it's worked! So there you have it, something old and something new... and all of it GREAT! |
Building Blocks
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| Gearing back up 
Are you looking forward to returning to training in May but not quite sure what to do between now and then? Here are some suggestions for how to gear back up for training!
Build your Base
Our training program is appropriate for beginners, but if you have not been exercising for a while, we encourage you to start building up your base now instead of waiting until our kickoff on May. How much do you need? Full marathoner runners will start with 3 miles our first week, walkers and half marathoners will start with 2 miles. We encourage you to get comfortable with at least those distances over the next four weeks.
Follow these rules with your training:
- Use the hard/easy principle -- one of your workouts each week should be longer, working on distance with a slow pace. Other workouts should be shorter, and no more than 1-2 workouts should include speed work or aggressive hills.
- Keep a slow progression -- keep your weekly mileage increases to no more than 10% per week. Add your total mileage for the week (whether walking or running) to determine your current load. The next week cannot increase that load by more than 10%.
Work on strength
Running and walking utilize specific key muscles, particularly the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluts, so if you are just getting started (or if you have been off training for a while), it can be beneficial to do some strength training on those target areas. Body-weight lunges are a good start. This is the best time to work on strengthening these muscles, because you want to get your body used to these demands BEFORE you start adding the distance training. Having strong muscles will also aid in injury prevention.
Another important area for developing strength is your core. This includes the abs, but also your back and sides, too. Having a strong core does much to improve your form and help you gain higher endurance in your running and walking.
Runners World has a wealth of articles on strength training for runners and walkers. Check it out!
Be more flexible
As you work on strengthening your muscles, they have a tendency to become firm and tight as well. You need to spend some time working on maintaining, and even increasing, your flexibility in order to prevent injury and improve your biomechanics. The best time to stretch is when your muscles are warm (ie AFTER a run or walk). There are several key dynamic stretches that we recommend for runners and walkers that target flexibility in the hips and legs.
Learn your pace
The most common mistake runners make is training too hard. Doing so keeps you from achieving your true potential in endurance. Your pace for most of your training should be easy and comfortable, keeping your heartrate in an aerobic zone.
Wear a heart rate monitor on your next run or walk and observe the highs and lows you see during your workout. At what range are you still able to have a conversation? At what range do you feel like you've hit a wall? This type of bio-feedback can be very useful in fine tuning your training. We'll talk more about heart rate and pacing during the season, so it would be helpful for you to have some perspective before training begins.
Get in Gear
The time to get outfitted in the correct gear is BEFORE you start training, not after you start and realize that something is wrong! Make sure, especially, that you are outfitted in shoes that provide the correct match of stability and cushion for your foot type. Do you have a pair that you bought last year? Pull them out and see if they are still providing adequate support. Running shoes do wear out, so make sure it's not time to get a new pair before ramping back up the mileage.
Members of USA Fit San Antonio get a discount at all Soler's Sports locations during the season. If you pickup your packet on May 7th at our kickoff event, you'll have two weeks to use your discount before training begins!
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Season Theme
| |  Help us pick the theme quote!
Every year we pick a them quote to inspire us through our training. Now is your chance to have your voice heard! Take a minute to vote in this poll, or suggest another quote that inspires you!
Visit the poll & vote!
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Cyber Hookups
| |  Join us in cyberspace
We know you want to be in the know, so join us on our social media sites to keep current and interact with your training partners!
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!
USA Fit San Antonio
We also have a Twitter account set up for you to follow which allows you to get text notifications on your mobile phone. Sign up to follow SAFit using the link below, or simply text "follow safit" to 40404
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Spectrum Clubs
| |  Welcome, Partner!
We are very excited to announce a new partnership between Spectrum Clubs and USA Fit San Antonio!
This year our Alamo Heights training location will be at the Spectrum Clubs Concord Plaza location. This beautiful facility will available on Saturdays to USA Fit San Antonio members.
Check your packet for more details about the Spectrum Clubs facilities as well as special promotions available exclusively to our members!
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Share the News
| |  Tell a friend!
Help us spread the word about this first rate training program, and you just might win some prizes for your trouble!
Every year we have a Yard Sign Campaign to promote our season kickoff. Sign up to participate and you will get a plastic sign to display in your yard, front window or office. We ask you to put it in a prominent place through the end of our registration period. Everyone who participates is entered into a drawing for free goodies from our sponsors -- including FREE running shoes!!
Want to join in the fun? It's easy! Pick up your sign at the kickoff event on May 7th and will enter your name in the drawing. We will pick winners after the first week of training. That's all there is to it!
Another way you can share the training love is to send our season flyer to your friends and family! You know you want company getting out of bed on Saturday mornings, so why not bring them with you?
Download our flyer now!
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Thank you for joining San Antonio's premiere marathon and half-marathon training program!
Sincerely,
Roger Soler, Ashley Rosilier & John Ruibal
Organizers, USA Fit San Antonio
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