Don't be scared!

Ok, I've heard from several people that they want to come run with us but are scared of running longer distances, especially the 1/2 Marathon. I just want to clarify that our club is following the training for the Mayor's 1/2 Marathon on Saturdays- BUT, and this is a big BUT- we are a running club for all levels and abilities! We want anyone to feel free to come run with us! You do NOT have to be planning on running the 1/2 to come join us. In fact, there will be several people coming that plan on running the 5 miler on June 19th. There is also the Marathon Relay, which consists of 4 legs- 8miles, 7miles, 5.6miles & 5.6miles. We can put together a few relay teams for people that are interested in running the shorter distances, but still want in on the excitement of the day.
Our first run this Saturday is 5 miles. Please don't be scared if this distance seems too far. First off, I bet you'll find that you can run further in a group than by yourself, and that it is a lot more fun. Additionally, I will ALWAYS have a mile marker at 1.5 miles. This means that you can always come join us at 7:30 and get in a good 3 mile run by simply turning around at the mile marker. Come try this for a few Saturdays and I bet you will end up going a little farther each time.
I hope this helps with those who may be a bit intimidated to start with 5 miles. Remember, our long runs will be slow and steady. You should always run your long runs at a pace where you can keep up a conversation comfortably. So please don't be scared, come join us on Saturday morning! See you then!

1st Saturday run & 1st Meeting

Hello runners-

We are getting close to our first Saturday run- next Saturday, April 3rd. We are going to hold our first official club meeting on TUESDAY, MARCH 30th at 7:00 pm. Originally we had scheduled a meeting for tomorrow night, the 25th. However, I just moved into my house and things are still crazy, so we'll postpone until Tuesday. The meeting is really just to go over our schedule, talk about races we'd like to run, plan running routes and answer any questions you might have. The meeting will be at my house, 9155 E. Silver Springs Circle- directly across from Colony Middle. My house is a creamish color, with two tall pillars at the front door. Once you tn into Silver Creek Springs, immediately turn left and I'll be the first house on the right. Please call if you need more info. 907-982-5089.

Again, everyone is invited to join our club or attend the meeting. And you don't have to be planning on running the 1/2 marathon to run with us! Our long runs will follow the 1/2 marathon training schedule, but come run with us no matter how far or fast you run! Our club is open to everyone, all ages and abilities!

Another important change to note is the start time of our runs. After recieving some feedback we've decided to start at 7:30 for our shorter runs and push back to 6:30 am start as the runs get longer. So Sat, April 3rd we'll be leaving at 7:30 am for our 5 mile run. Water will be provided at start and finish of the run.

Hope to see you either next Tuesday or Saturday morning!

Training for Mayor's Marathon & 1/2 Marathon!

Mark your calendars- The Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon & 1/2 Marathon (& 5 miler!) is coming up June 19, 2010. Last year, I trained for the Mayor's 1/2 marathon with my sisters and my aunt, running all our Saturday long runs together. The four of us had a great time and it really helped the miles fly by! We then heard from so many people who said they wanted to train for the 1/2 or the full marathon but really wanted people to run with. This got me thinking about organizing group long runs and the idea for Heart & Sole Runners was born! This spring, I'll be training for my 3rd Marathon and am so excited about our group long runs!

Our first round of Saturday group long runs will start up on April 3rd. Long runs will consist of training runs for both the full and 1/2 marathon (although if you want to join us you are welcome to run with us for as little or a long as you like:)Many club members will be training for their first distance run, while others may be looking to set a new PR. Whatever your running level is, we'd love to have you train with us! There are plenty of 5 & 10k runs throughout the summer we will participate in as well, which might be a good goal for beginning runners. Although I've found that there is no better way to push through those long hard runs than to have some moral support and fun along the way! If you can do 3 miles by yourself, you can definately run 5 miles with other people! We will all be there for each other, ready to encourage everyone to run further and faster and spread the love of running, one member at a time!

Runs will follow our training schedule and will be held each and every Saturday April 3rd-June 12th. We will meet at my house, across from Colony Middle School and will run various routes from there. We be meeting at 6:30 am- that's right, 6:30 AM. I know this is early, but some of us are training for the marathon here! We've got to give ourselves time! We'll be leaving promptly at 6:35, so be sure to arrive early if you'd like to stretch and warm-up. This is a "run-at-your-own-pace" type of group run. Our daily route(s) will be mapped out and water/Gatorade will be provided at the start and finish of the run, as well as in the middle of the longer runs. Runners are encouraged to wear hydration packs, camel backs, etc.

We will be following a Hal Higdon Marathon and 1/2 Marathon training schedule. If this is your first 1/2 marathon, you should be able to run 3 miles x 4 days a week by the start of the 12 week training. April 3rd's long run will be 5 miles. If that seems too difficult, consider training for the Mayor's 5 miler instead, but still come join us for our Sat. runs!

Marathoners, our long runs will start with week 7 of Hal Higdon's Intermediate level training program- our April 3rd long run being 14 miles.

Heart & Sole Running Club membership dues are $5/year. This will help cover cost of Gatorade, cups, coolers, etc. We will be holding our first meeting and a Q&A about Marathon and 1/2 Marathon training on March 24th, 7pm 5199 Silver Springs Circle, Palmer, AK. Come get training information, help plan routes and meet other runners!

If you have any questions, please email us at heartnsolerunners@gmail.com or call me, Lori Luff at 907-982-5088