Members of the gO! Group, please welcome gO! Advocates to our family!
We are so glad you have made the commitment to train and race the Santa Rosa 5K, Half-Marathon, or Marathon with us! Our goal is to help you become more fit, and make the next 19 weeks as educational, inspirational and fun as possible for you. The training programs are a slow, steady progression and should be achievable for EVERYONE
If at any time the run distance seems too long, you can slow down and modify the workout to allow your muscles to recover. It is so important not to overdo the running if your body is not ready. You will still be covering the distance prescribed, and will be able to finish your goal race successfully. Try to increase back up to the prescribed distance at your next workout, if it still seems too difficult please let your mentor coaches know and they will adjust your schedule accordingly.
When you are running, it is important that you run at YOUR pace- not the pace your sister or neighbor runs at. The pace should be comfortable enough to talk (but you should not be able to sing!). Running too fast will not only feel horrible, but it will cause excessive fatigue to your muscles. As the length of your run distance increases you may need to slow down. If your run pace slows down significantly from the beginning of your run to the end of your run, then you are either running too long or too fast. Please ask your coaches for guidance.
As you will see in your training plan you will have 4 days of running. It is highly recommended that you commit to these 4 days of running. To truly reap the benefits of the program (and to improve your endurance) your body needs this consistency. Ideally it is best to spread out your run days as planned, but if you need to change your schedule occasionally that is fine.
Logistics and Details
gO! Advocates 1stTraining Run
8am Sunday April 15th
Sculpture Park
336 North Sunrise Avenue
Roseville, CA
All communications regarding the training aspects of gO! Advocates will take place through this blog. I posted the 19 week half marathon and marathon training plans for you to view and/or print. They are located to the right, just click on whichever one you will be participating in. You will also find the running schedule and locations on the calendar at the bottom of the blog. Please get in the habit of checking this blog weekly, if not daily for news, notes, running tips, advice, motivational fun, etc.! There will also be consistent email updates, but please use the blog as your source for gO! info! Also, keep in mind this is obviously the site for all gO! Running Group communications as well, so be sure to look for the "gO! Advocates" specific posts!
You may also email any of the coaches and/or mentor coaches for individual advice or tips at:
What to wear? (not all necessary, but good to have)
· Appropriate footwear –the right shoes are critical! We will discuss this at length at the first few meetings. Stop in Fleet Feet for some GREAT advice in shoe wear!
· Light layered technical fabric clothing (check the weather)
§ Socks
§ Shirts - short sleeve/tank (warm weather)
- long sleeve (cool/cold weather)
§ Shorts or tights
§ Vest or light jacket
§ Sports bra – properly fitted!
· Watch - stop watch or with interval timer
What you must have?
· Water bottle pack and water or sports drink
· Energy replacement gels/food (you will most likely leave this stuff in your car, but you will want it on hand after your run)
What you might need or want?
· Heart Rate Monitor – if you choose to use one
· Body Glide for chafing
· Sunglasses
· Sunscreen – apply one hour prior to workout
· Reflective gear in the evening
· Headlamp, reflectors or flash light for the evenings
· Towel
· Change of clothes
What we will provide:
· Coaching on the course
· Bathrooms at most training locations
· Technical Shirt
· Various Seminars
· Written workout schedule
· Weekly emails/blog posts
Check In/Out Policy
§ All training participants are asked to check in and check out of practice in order to ensure your safety. The check in/check out process is very simple.
§ After the "whole group" talk before each run you will gather with your assigned mentor runner in designated area. You will be checked in by them. (we will not form running groups and/or assign mentors until we have run a few times and evaluated each of you)
§ When you return from the workout you must check yourself out with your mentor runner.
Once again welcome to the gO! Advocates training program. We are so excited to help you achieve your goals and help you raise money for a great cause!!
See you tomorrow!!!
Josh
