Ask About Running
The Weekly Pep Talk
Third Issue
This week is dedicated to Laurie N. (risk taker, brave spirit, breast cancer survivor)
Monday, December 10 – Sunday, December 16, 2007
Week 49 in 2007
Send comments to: Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com
Hello to All!
BAH HUMBUG! No, not really. When I start to feel this way however, I force myself to go out for a walk (since I usually don’t feel like running when I’m in this kind of mood). And truthfully, it always makes me feel better. Even when nothing else is changed I feel good about the exercise I got. Give it a try.
A nice thing about walking is that you can do it pretty much ANYWHERE! When I had my full- on corporate office job with a one hour lunch, I would change heels for sneakers and head out to walk the hood. With a full 60 minutes of motion in me, I would arrive back at the office refreshed and feeling much better about the rest of the day. It made a huge difference in my attitude and, because I walked at lunch time, I avoided those heavy lunches with my co-workers. Sometimes I talked one of them into walking with me and I always enjoyed the company.
Walking alone, especially without music, opens my eyes and ears to all kinds of sounds and sights. I consider it one of those daily gifts I give myself that creates no guilt whatsoever and sometimes it makes me feel so darned good. I hope I can walk forever…I love it almost as much as running!
NO SATURDAY COACHING ANYMORE
Some of you have been coached by me on Saturdays. We had a lot of good times but, times change. I am moving my coaching to Sundays with my new program. I do hope to see you take advantage of this new venue called Ask About Running.
The goal, with our new team, is to provide on-going weekly runs in both the East Bay and San Francisco (or surroundings). Every Sunday, starting January 6, you will be able to join a 9:00 group in the East Bay or a 1:00 group in San Francisco to run or walk a measured 5K (3.1 miles) or 10K (6.2 mile) course. There will be mile markers and a finish line. This gives experienced runners and walkers the opportunity to push themselves to improve their competitive times. It gives novice women, or less competitive spirits, the chance to complete a 5K distance in whatever fashion you wish. If you’ve never run 3 miles before, finishing is a worthy goal. My team will support you to get there! If you’ve done lots of 3 mile runs, this can be used as a day for a few extra miles or for your tempo runs where you run HARD! The group atmosphere will make all of it more fun.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I’ll be sending out an official invitation soon.
THE BUDDY SYSTEM – 2 people sign up together for a 25% discount.
I want you to run with a buddy, or at least, share the responsibility of getting up every Sunday. So, sign up with a buddy and each of you pays 25% less. You must sign up and pay together under one credit card or check. This could be a good Christmas present, huh?
BREAST CANCER WOMEN JOIN FOR FREE
I am a breast cancer survivor. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about its potential recurrence. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t say to myself that I’m going out, one way or the other so, LIVE WELL while you’ve got it, baby!
It is documented that exercise and stress reduction both aid in the survival rate of cancer victims. What better way to get exercise and reduce stress than to join a women’s running/walking team? I offer free membership to any of you women who are breast cancer (or other cancer) victims. You will benefit from running/walking with us. I welcome you into our group and know how much exercise has helped me through hard times. Please join us! There will be a line on the application for you to indicate if you are a cancer victim and that’s all it takes for you to get into the group. Beyond that, there will be no sharing of information unless you wish to.
AS FOR THE REST OF YOU…
There is no fundraising involved in this running program. I believe strongly in volunteerism and charitable contributions. I also love my running and the simplicity of it. Take away as many obstacles as possible and give me plain and simple team support and exercise. If this works for you, come on out! I want to run with you on Sundays. I want to encourage you and share my enthusiasm and knowledge about running. I want you to attain your goals with as few barriers as possible. Join me for a lot of fun and some good, healthy work, too; nothing more, nothing less…
Of course, you’ll have other opportunities in life for fundraising so you don’t have to feel left out!
THE FEE
This will be broken down so that everyone can afford it. In addition to the ongoing Buddy System, there are several choices:
Months
1 Person
Buddy System
Comments
1
$20
$30
Begins with first Sunday of each month
6 Months
$110
$165
Jan – June or
Jul – Dec 2008
12 Months
Jan – Dec 2008
$200
$300
Best price!
CARPOOLING
As you have noticed by now, this week’s edition is dealing with a lot of pragmatic issues related to running. I take the environment pretty seriously and additionally, how can we avoid noticing the crunch of increased costs on almost everything. We’re reducing bridge tolls and driving distances for you by giving you running sites on both sides of the bridge. But there is definitely more that can be done.
I want to encourage you to car pool to our running sites specifically but, more generally, think about how you can reduce your impact by changing transportation habits. I love the concept of “treading gently on this earth”. To me the phrase combines respect, humility, pragmatism, and a love for this wonderful planet that we inhabit.
Please use the yahoo groups site AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com to arrange for carpooling. It’s an opportunity right out there saying “Take advantage, do a good thing”. I’ll be on it. I’m happy to share driving!
UPCOMING EVENTS…
Christmas Classic and Miracle Mile, Sunday, December 23, 2007, Sponsored by Ohana Road Runners. This is a great time to get a PR on your mile! The course is DOWNHILL! If you’re up to it you can also run the 5K. I have run with this group before and always have a lot of fun. You May Run Or Walk. You may sign up on the day of the race (or in advance). All is well organized, low key and their races always benefit a local charity. http://www.ohanarrca.org/
Details are also listed on the AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com Calendar.
As mentioned in the first issue, I offer training schedules for the runs listed below. To know when to start your training and to view the schedules go to AskStephanieAboutRunning@yahoogroups.com and look under Files. Presently the schedule for the Kaiser Permanente in February is listed for both the half marathon and the 5 K. Also look at the Calendar for upcoming events and the starting training dates for these other runs.
The Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon & 5K February 3, 2008
xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html
The London Marathon April 13, 2008
http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/
16 week training begins December 24
The Boston Marathon April 21, 2008 http://www.bostonmarathon.org/
16 week training begins December 31
The Bay to Breakers/San Francisco May 18, 2008
http://www.ingbaytobreakers.com/main.html
See Jane Run Women’s Half Marathon & 5K May 31, 2008
http://www.seejanerun.com/t-See-Jane-Run-Half-Marathon-and-5K.aspx
The San Francisco Half & Full Marathon & 5K August 3, 2008 http://www.runsfm.com/home.html
The Disneyland Half Marathon and 5K August 30/31, 2008 www.disneylandhalfmarathon.com
The Chicago Marathon October 12, 2008 http://www.chicagomarathon.com/
The Nike Women’s Half and Full Marathon October? (couldn’t find)
www.nike.com
The New York City Marathon November 2008?
www.ingnycmarathon.org
The Honolulu Marathon December 14, 2008
www.honolulumarathon.org
Please send me information on other runs. I’ll check into them. I especially want to know if the runs are for women only and, if they are well organized!
How is the training going for the Kaiser? I know some of you are preparing for the half marathon. The 5K would be a great new year’s resolution to start working on now for you new runners or holiday partiers. You still need some motivation to get out there and run! Entry fee goes up after 1/11/08 and there is a limit to the number of participants. All race details are on the official website http://xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html.
Send me your stories, comments, and questions about life and running. My E-mail is Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com.
If you haven’t already joined the group website, please go to AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com and join! I would love to have you as a part of this group of active, interesting women, who live a life style that includes giving themselves time for activity. The site offers articles, tools, and encouragement to keep up the good work!
The Sunday walking/running program will launch on January 6. Full details out soon!
Start thinking running tours. We’ll do one this summer and one in fall/winter. Details are coming soon…
Hold on for the official launch of the Ask About Running Website
Best,
Stephanie Atwood
Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved
Monday, January 21, 2008
#2 The Weekly Pep Talk - December 3 - 9, 2007
Ask About Running
The Weekly Pep Talk
Second Issue
This week is dedicated to Jamila S. (who balances family, friends, & running with grace)
Monday, December 3 – Sunday, December 9, 2007
Week 48 in 2007
Send comments to: Stephanie@askaboutrunning.com
Hello to All!
I hope you enjoyed last week’s inaugural issue. The holidays are upon us in full force with rich food and increased social obligations. It becomes even more difficult to get exercise now with the short days in addition to holiday happenings yet, it is certainly important!
I’d like to talk about Cross Training a bit because it can help you get in your needed exercise while dealing with all the challenges to your time during the winter holiday season, even when running isn’t possible.
CROSS TRAINING
Cross training, for runners, refers to exercises that are different than running. This could be almost any form of conditioning that gets your heart pumping at a minimum level and duration. So, if you walk instead of run, you are cross training. If you swim, you are cross training. If you do yoga, you are cross training. The caveat here is that the activity needs to be done at a minimum heart rate level of 60% with continuous movement for at least 20 minutes or you are not replacing your running with another type of fitness training. You must have an equal or greater level of intensity to the exercise in order to replace running as your cardio-vascular training method.
STEPHANIE’S DEFINITION OF CROSS TRAINING FOR RUNNERS
Cross training, specific to runners, refers to exercise that compliments, but does not include, outdoor/distance running, AND increases the heart rate to 60% or more of maximum heart rate* for 20 minutes or longer.
Another factor to consider is that you will not start out at a 60% rate. Your heart begins exercise somewhere significantly below it. When I’m on the elliptical machine at the gym it usually takes about 10 minutes to get up to my 60% rate. So, give yourself a minimum of 5 minutes to warm up and another 5 minutes to cool down at the end. Your total workout will be a minimum of 30 minutes. This is why, in our track workouts, we always warm up a bit before getting into the meat of the workout.
This is not to say that activities like gentle yoga or easy walking lack merit. That is not the case. They are forms of movement that stretch and strengthen different muscle groups, but they are not increasing cardio-vascular strength or capacity. Stretching activities and other exercise, even if not rigorous, is important to runners for balance as we tend to have major muscle groups that get no attention while other groups (our quadriceps, for example) get REALLY STRONG. I’m differentiating here to clarify my definition.
More on cross training, stretching, and other exercise in future issues. I hope this was a good beginning for you.
UPCOMING EVENTS…
Christmas Classic and Miracle Mile, Sunday, December 23, 2007, Sponsored by Ohana Road Runners. This is a great time to get a PR on your mile! The course is DOWNHILL! If you’re up to it you can also run the 5K. I have run with this group before and always have a lot of fun. You May Run Or Walk. You may sign up on the day of the race (or in advance). All is well organized, low key and their races always benefit a local charity. http://www.ohanarrca.org/
Details are also listed on the AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com Calendar.
As mentioned in the first issue, I offer training schedules for the runs listed below. To know when to start your training and to view the schedules go to AskStephanieAboutRunning@yahoogroups.com and look under Files. Presently the schedule for the Kaiser Permanente in February is listed for both the half marathon and the 5 K. Also look at the Calendar for upcoming events and the starting dates for these other runs.
The Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon & 5K February 3, 2008
xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html
The London Marathon April 13, 2008
www.london-marathon.co.uk
The Boston Marathon April 21, 2008 http://www.bostonmarathon.org
The Bay to Breakers/San Francisco May 18, 2008
http://www.ingbaytobreakers.com/main.html
See Jane Run Women’s Half Marathon & 5K May 31, 2008
http://www.seejanerun.com/t-See-Jane-Run-Half-Marathon-and-5K.aspx
The San Francisco Half & Full Marathon & 5K August 3, 2008 http://www.runsfm.com/home.html
The Disneyland Half Marathon and 5K August 30/31, 2008 www.disneylandhalfmarathon.com
The Chicago Marathon October 12, 2008 http://www.chicagomarathon.com
The Nike Women’s Half and Full Marathon October? (couldn’t find)
www.nike.com
The New York City Marathon November 2008?
www.ingnycmarathon.org
The Honolulu Marathon December 14, 2008
www.honolulumarathon.org
Please send me information on other runs. I’ll check into them. I especially want to know if the runs are for women only and, if they are well organized!
How is the training going for the Kaiser? I know some of you are preparing for the half marathon. The 5K would be a great new year’s resolution to start working on now for you new runners or holiday partiers. You still need some motivation to get out there and run! Entry fee goes up after 1/11/08 and there is a limit to the number of participants. All race details are on the official website http://xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html.
Send me your stories, comments, and questions about life and running. My E-mail is Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com.
If you haven’t already joined the group website, please go to AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com and join! I would love to have you as a part of this group of active, interesting women, who live a life style that includes giving themselves time for activity. The site offers articles, tools, and encouragement to keep up the good work!
The Sunday walking/running program will launch on January 6. Full details out soon!
Start thinking running tours. We’ll do one this summer and one in fall/winter. Details are coming soon…
Hold on for the official launch of the Ask About Running Website
*MAXIMUM HEART RATE
To calculate MHR with a simple formula try this:
Start with 220
Subtract your age from this amount
Subtract your resting pulse from this amount
Multiply this figure by 60%
Add in your resting pulse
This is your 60% heart rate, a standard percentage used to establish cardiovascular improvement with exercise.
Example
220
-40 (age)
180
-60 (resting pulse)
120
X.60
=72
+60 (resting pulse)
132 Minimum Training Level Heart Rate (60%)
Have a great week! Enjoy family, friends and your time for exercise. I’ll be back next Sunday.
Best,
Stephanie Atwood
Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved
The Weekly Pep Talk
Second Issue
This week is dedicated to Jamila S. (who balances family, friends, & running with grace)
Monday, December 3 – Sunday, December 9, 2007
Week 48 in 2007
Send comments to: Stephanie@askaboutrunning.com
Hello to All!
I hope you enjoyed last week’s inaugural issue. The holidays are upon us in full force with rich food and increased social obligations. It becomes even more difficult to get exercise now with the short days in addition to holiday happenings yet, it is certainly important!
I’d like to talk about Cross Training a bit because it can help you get in your needed exercise while dealing with all the challenges to your time during the winter holiday season, even when running isn’t possible.
CROSS TRAINING
Cross training, for runners, refers to exercises that are different than running. This could be almost any form of conditioning that gets your heart pumping at a minimum level and duration. So, if you walk instead of run, you are cross training. If you swim, you are cross training. If you do yoga, you are cross training. The caveat here is that the activity needs to be done at a minimum heart rate level of 60% with continuous movement for at least 20 minutes or you are not replacing your running with another type of fitness training. You must have an equal or greater level of intensity to the exercise in order to replace running as your cardio-vascular training method.
STEPHANIE’S DEFINITION OF CROSS TRAINING FOR RUNNERS
Cross training, specific to runners, refers to exercise that compliments, but does not include, outdoor/distance running, AND increases the heart rate to 60% or more of maximum heart rate* for 20 minutes or longer.
Another factor to consider is that you will not start out at a 60% rate. Your heart begins exercise somewhere significantly below it. When I’m on the elliptical machine at the gym it usually takes about 10 minutes to get up to my 60% rate. So, give yourself a minimum of 5 minutes to warm up and another 5 minutes to cool down at the end. Your total workout will be a minimum of 30 minutes. This is why, in our track workouts, we always warm up a bit before getting into the meat of the workout.
This is not to say that activities like gentle yoga or easy walking lack merit. That is not the case. They are forms of movement that stretch and strengthen different muscle groups, but they are not increasing cardio-vascular strength or capacity. Stretching activities and other exercise, even if not rigorous, is important to runners for balance as we tend to have major muscle groups that get no attention while other groups (our quadriceps, for example) get REALLY STRONG. I’m differentiating here to clarify my definition.
More on cross training, stretching, and other exercise in future issues. I hope this was a good beginning for you.
UPCOMING EVENTS…
Christmas Classic and Miracle Mile, Sunday, December 23, 2007, Sponsored by Ohana Road Runners. This is a great time to get a PR on your mile! The course is DOWNHILL! If you’re up to it you can also run the 5K. I have run with this group before and always have a lot of fun. You May Run Or Walk. You may sign up on the day of the race (or in advance). All is well organized, low key and their races always benefit a local charity. http://www.ohanarrca.org/
Details are also listed on the AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com Calendar.
As mentioned in the first issue, I offer training schedules for the runs listed below. To know when to start your training and to view the schedules go to AskStephanieAboutRunning@yahoogroups.com and look under Files. Presently the schedule for the Kaiser Permanente in February is listed for both the half marathon and the 5 K. Also look at the Calendar for upcoming events and the starting dates for these other runs.
The Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon & 5K February 3, 2008
xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html
The London Marathon April 13, 2008
www.london-marathon.co.uk
The Boston Marathon April 21, 2008 http://www.bostonmarathon.org
The Bay to Breakers/San Francisco May 18, 2008
http://www.ingbaytobreakers.com/main.html
See Jane Run Women’s Half Marathon & 5K May 31, 2008
http://www.seejanerun.com/t-See-Jane-Run-Half-Marathon-and-5K.aspx
The San Francisco Half & Full Marathon & 5K August 3, 2008 http://www.runsfm.com/home.html
The Disneyland Half Marathon and 5K August 30/31, 2008 www.disneylandhalfmarathon.com
The Chicago Marathon October 12, 2008 http://www.chicagomarathon.com
The Nike Women’s Half and Full Marathon October? (couldn’t find)
www.nike.com
The New York City Marathon November 2008?
www.ingnycmarathon.org
The Honolulu Marathon December 14, 2008
www.honolulumarathon.org
Please send me information on other runs. I’ll check into them. I especially want to know if the runs are for women only and, if they are well organized!
How is the training going for the Kaiser? I know some of you are preparing for the half marathon. The 5K would be a great new year’s resolution to start working on now for you new runners or holiday partiers. You still need some motivation to get out there and run! Entry fee goes up after 1/11/08 and there is a limit to the number of participants. All race details are on the official website http://xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html.
Send me your stories, comments, and questions about life and running. My E-mail is Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com.
If you haven’t already joined the group website, please go to AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com and join! I would love to have you as a part of this group of active, interesting women, who live a life style that includes giving themselves time for activity. The site offers articles, tools, and encouragement to keep up the good work!
The Sunday walking/running program will launch on January 6. Full details out soon!
Start thinking running tours. We’ll do one this summer and one in fall/winter. Details are coming soon…
Hold on for the official launch of the Ask About Running Website
*MAXIMUM HEART RATE
To calculate MHR with a simple formula try this:
Start with 220
Subtract your age from this amount
Subtract your resting pulse from this amount
Multiply this figure by 60%
Add in your resting pulse
This is your 60% heart rate, a standard percentage used to establish cardiovascular improvement with exercise.
Example
220
-40 (age)
180
-60 (resting pulse)
120
X.60
=72
+60 (resting pulse)
132 Minimum Training Level Heart Rate (60%)
Have a great week! Enjoy family, friends and your time for exercise. I’ll be back next Sunday.
Best,
Stephanie Atwood
Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved
#1 The Weekly Pep Talk - November 26 - December 2, 2007
Ask About Running
The Weekly Pep Talk
First Issue, November 25, 2007
This week is dedicated to runner Jane M. (we've had some great runs
together!)
Monday, November 26 – Sunday, December 2, 2007
Send comments to: Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com
Hello to All!
Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Weekly Pep Talk; commentary on
life for women who run. My name is Stephanie Atwood. Many of you know
me from my work as a running coach. There is more to life than
running yet, when Running Becomes a Part of Your Life, it will
influence all other aspects. This was the impetus for writing this
weekly digest.
We all have lives outside of our running yet; running has brought us
together in one way or another. I want to share all kinds of news and
information that are related to us as runners and as women!
TRAIN FOR POPULAR RACES
I'm going to choose well known races throughout the country and the
world and give you training schedules and tips for these specific
events. It's always the right season for some great races. Training
schedules include:
• The Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon & 5K
• See Jane Run Women's Half Marathon & 5K
• The Boston Marathon
• The Chicago Marathon
• The Bay to Breakers/San Francisco
• The New York City Marathon
• The Honolulu Marathon
• The Disneyland Marathon
• The London Marathon
• The Nike Women's Half and Full Marathon
• The San Francisco Half & Full Marathon & 5K
If you notice that I'm predominantly indicating races in California,
and specifically the Bay Area, it's because that's what I know.
Please feel free to send me information on other runs. I'll check
into them. I especially want to know if the runs are for women only
and, if they are well organized!
Right now, I'm focusing on the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon and 5K
Run – February 3, 2008. Starting today, you have 10 weeks to get
prepared for this race. 10 weeks is enough time for either event. For
the Half Marathon, you should already be running, even if not
training officially for this race. I'll give you an intermediate
training schedule for the half marathon. For the 5K (3.1 miles) you
can start from scratch and be ready for this fun event.
The entry fee goes up after 1/11/08 and there is a limit to the
number of participants. All race details are on the official website
http://xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html. So, if you haven't
already started training, Now Is The Time!!
INTRODUCING THE AUTHOR
This issue I'll tell you about myself. The research was easy! In my
senior year of high school the entire class had to run a mile for the
President Kennedy Physical Fitness Test, as required for all
graduating seniors. We girls never ran on the track. In fact, we were
not allowed to run in high school running programs. At that time
there was no Title 9.
I failed miserably in my attempt, having no idea how to pace myself.
I felt abandoned by the P.E. Dept. having no concept of how to run
that far. Our "Girl's" PE Program never offered any type of running
program in my entire 4 years of high school. Thank goodness things
have now changed.
However, this event piqued my interest in learning more about my
physical limits and "pushing myself". My chosen graduation present
was a trip to a girl's Outward Bound Course in the Cascade Mountain
Range. Outward Bound introduced me to my inner ability to overcome
both mental and physical fears and obstacles. In addition to rock
climbing, rappelling, and 3 days alone in the woods with no food or
sleeping bag, I completed running a "marathon" at the end of the 26
day course! It was life changing…
I loved learning that a woman like me could do these things! I
blossomed with the realization that I could overcome mental and
physical barriers that had seemed impossible. These barriers were
self-made and I could change them! This was a wonderful awakening for
an 18 year old.
Graduating from high school created many life changes as I headed out
on my own, not knowing what direction to go in. Living on my own,
with a full time job and part time attendance at a community college,
gave me ultimate freedom and limited time. I stopped exercising and
gained more than 40 pounds. Oh, those morning doughnuts, endless cups
of coffee and sitting all day were changing me in ways I hadn't
realized. I had so much to learn about what really mattered.
RUNNING ON A REGULAR BASIS
When I realized that change needed to occur I was positive that I
could make it happen. It would take work and believing in myself but
I knew I could do it! I started running after work in a park across
the street from where I lived. I ran when it was dark because I was
embarrassed for people to see me. Running/Jogging at that time was
not common, especially for women. One time around the block equaled
1/8 of a mile. It took about a month before I ran 8 times around that
block, but I was on my way!
30 pounds lighter and a few years later I ran my first official
marathon and placed third female! Another milestone had been reached
and I was hooked. I have been running ever since.
THE ESSENCE OF THE STORY
The essence of this story however, goes way beyond my love of
running. The true benefit has been the gift of fitness, discipline,
and the psychological/emotional lift that running has given to me.
Running has offered comfort and clarification to me during difficult
times when the rest of my life was in turmoil. There have been many
trials throughout my life (as there are for all of us) and running
has been a steadfast friend. There have even been epiphanies (of a
sort) during my running. Little assists and major realizations have
occurred and, as any runner knows, they just happen! How could I give
that up?
Now, if I had to stop running for reasons beyond my control, I would
have the wonderful memories and knowledge of the commitment I made
when I COULD run. I would carry within me the solace of knowing that
I was given a gift and took full advantage of it while I was able.
You owe it to yourself to use this gift, too. The distance you run is
not the issue. How fast you run doesn't matter. That you get out and
maintain your well-being; that you run to show your appreciation for
the ability to move; that you realize how much better you will be,
for those around you, when you take care of yourself through
exercise; these are what matter!
A USEFUL WEBSITE FOR WOMEN
Amy Montemarano started a new website for women who travel and want
to run with other women during their stay. She offers information for
vacation sites and for business travel. Check out her website at
www.womenruntheworld.com. Isn't this a great idea? Thanks for putting
it together Amy.
UPCOMING BITS AND PIECES:
• Stay tuned for details about the Sunday running program that
will launch in early January, 2008.
• Start preparing for the upcoming running tours to England
this summer and the NYC Marathon in November of 2008.
• Hold on for the official launch of the Ask About Running
Website
The easiest way to continue to receive this weekly digest is to
subscribe to my Yahoo Group at
AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com and you'll be on the
automatic mailing list.
Please send me your stories, comments, and questions about life and
running. My E-mail is Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com. I'm very
excited to see how this digest evolves.
And, if you are training for the Kaiser Half and 5K, be sure to open
the Training attachment on this E-mail or check the group site or
contact me directly. We're going to have a lot of fun with our Weekly
Pep Talk!
Best,
Stephanie Atwood
The Weekly Pep Talk
First Issue, November 25, 2007
This week is dedicated to runner Jane M. (we've had some great runs
together!)
Monday, November 26 – Sunday, December 2, 2007
Send comments to: Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com
Hello to All!
Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Weekly Pep Talk; commentary on
life for women who run. My name is Stephanie Atwood. Many of you know
me from my work as a running coach. There is more to life than
running yet, when Running Becomes a Part of Your Life, it will
influence all other aspects. This was the impetus for writing this
weekly digest.
We all have lives outside of our running yet; running has brought us
together in one way or another. I want to share all kinds of news and
information that are related to us as runners and as women!
TRAIN FOR POPULAR RACES
I'm going to choose well known races throughout the country and the
world and give you training schedules and tips for these specific
events. It's always the right season for some great races. Training
schedules include:
• The Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon & 5K
• See Jane Run Women's Half Marathon & 5K
• The Boston Marathon
• The Chicago Marathon
• The Bay to Breakers/San Francisco
• The New York City Marathon
• The Honolulu Marathon
• The Disneyland Marathon
• The London Marathon
• The Nike Women's Half and Full Marathon
• The San Francisco Half & Full Marathon & 5K
If you notice that I'm predominantly indicating races in California,
and specifically the Bay Area, it's because that's what I know.
Please feel free to send me information on other runs. I'll check
into them. I especially want to know if the runs are for women only
and, if they are well organized!
Right now, I'm focusing on the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon and 5K
Run – February 3, 2008. Starting today, you have 10 weeks to get
prepared for this race. 10 weeks is enough time for either event. For
the Half Marathon, you should already be running, even if not
training officially for this race. I'll give you an intermediate
training schedule for the half marathon. For the 5K (3.1 miles) you
can start from scratch and be ready for this fun event.
The entry fee goes up after 1/11/08 and there is a limit to the
number of participants. All race details are on the official website
http://xnet.kp.org/sanfrancisco/index.html. So, if you haven't
already started training, Now Is The Time!!
INTRODUCING THE AUTHOR
This issue I'll tell you about myself. The research was easy! In my
senior year of high school the entire class had to run a mile for the
President Kennedy Physical Fitness Test, as required for all
graduating seniors. We girls never ran on the track. In fact, we were
not allowed to run in high school running programs. At that time
there was no Title 9.
I failed miserably in my attempt, having no idea how to pace myself.
I felt abandoned by the P.E. Dept. having no concept of how to run
that far. Our "Girl's" PE Program never offered any type of running
program in my entire 4 years of high school. Thank goodness things
have now changed.
However, this event piqued my interest in learning more about my
physical limits and "pushing myself". My chosen graduation present
was a trip to a girl's Outward Bound Course in the Cascade Mountain
Range. Outward Bound introduced me to my inner ability to overcome
both mental and physical fears and obstacles. In addition to rock
climbing, rappelling, and 3 days alone in the woods with no food or
sleeping bag, I completed running a "marathon" at the end of the 26
day course! It was life changing…
I loved learning that a woman like me could do these things! I
blossomed with the realization that I could overcome mental and
physical barriers that had seemed impossible. These barriers were
self-made and I could change them! This was a wonderful awakening for
an 18 year old.
Graduating from high school created many life changes as I headed out
on my own, not knowing what direction to go in. Living on my own,
with a full time job and part time attendance at a community college,
gave me ultimate freedom and limited time. I stopped exercising and
gained more than 40 pounds. Oh, those morning doughnuts, endless cups
of coffee and sitting all day were changing me in ways I hadn't
realized. I had so much to learn about what really mattered.
RUNNING ON A REGULAR BASIS
When I realized that change needed to occur I was positive that I
could make it happen. It would take work and believing in myself but
I knew I could do it! I started running after work in a park across
the street from where I lived. I ran when it was dark because I was
embarrassed for people to see me. Running/Jogging at that time was
not common, especially for women. One time around the block equaled
1/8 of a mile. It took about a month before I ran 8 times around that
block, but I was on my way!
30 pounds lighter and a few years later I ran my first official
marathon and placed third female! Another milestone had been reached
and I was hooked. I have been running ever since.
THE ESSENCE OF THE STORY
The essence of this story however, goes way beyond my love of
running. The true benefit has been the gift of fitness, discipline,
and the psychological/emotional lift that running has given to me.
Running has offered comfort and clarification to me during difficult
times when the rest of my life was in turmoil. There have been many
trials throughout my life (as there are for all of us) and running
has been a steadfast friend. There have even been epiphanies (of a
sort) during my running. Little assists and major realizations have
occurred and, as any runner knows, they just happen! How could I give
that up?
Now, if I had to stop running for reasons beyond my control, I would
have the wonderful memories and knowledge of the commitment I made
when I COULD run. I would carry within me the solace of knowing that
I was given a gift and took full advantage of it while I was able.
You owe it to yourself to use this gift, too. The distance you run is
not the issue. How fast you run doesn't matter. That you get out and
maintain your well-being; that you run to show your appreciation for
the ability to move; that you realize how much better you will be,
for those around you, when you take care of yourself through
exercise; these are what matter!
A USEFUL WEBSITE FOR WOMEN
Amy Montemarano started a new website for women who travel and want
to run with other women during their stay. She offers information for
vacation sites and for business travel. Check out her website at
www.womenruntheworld.com. Isn't this a great idea? Thanks for putting
it together Amy.
UPCOMING BITS AND PIECES:
• Stay tuned for details about the Sunday running program that
will launch in early January, 2008.
• Start preparing for the upcoming running tours to England
this summer and the NYC Marathon in November of 2008.
• Hold on for the official launch of the Ask About Running
Website
The easiest way to continue to receive this weekly digest is to
subscribe to my Yahoo Group at
AskStephanieAboutSports@yahoogroups.com and you'll be on the
automatic mailing list.
Please send me your stories, comments, and questions about life and
running. My E-mail is Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com. I'm very
excited to see how this digest evolves.
And, if you are training for the Kaiser Half and 5K, be sure to open
the Training attachment on this E-mail or check the group site or
contact me directly. We're going to have a lot of fun with our Weekly
Pep Talk!
Best,
Stephanie Atwood
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Run Woman Run - Walk Woman Walk
Join Our Women's Running & Walking Club -The WOW Team Contact Stephanie@AskAboutRunning.com
Holabird Sports - Get That Free T-shirt!
Free T-shirt Offer Holabird Sports is an online company that sells sporting goods stuff only online. I contacted them and now have their products on my site. They currently have a promo offer for a New Balance Tech Tee for anyone who is a new customer who purchases more than $59.95 worth of products. Well…one pair of shoes will do that very nicely, thank you! So, if you want a New Balance Tech Tee, moisture-wicking long sleeve tee featuring a screen-printed New Balance logo on the back and Holabird Sports logo on the front, use code RRWE29602 in the promo field during checkout. Limited to the first 250 new customers!
Shop for deals on all things running-related with this link or go to our blog. Either way use the code above for your free t-shirt (if available, still).
Ready to be an Assistant Coach? Sign up here! The Course Fee is $79.00
Posts
