Community Partners

Did you know that in addition to our Community Partners page on this site there is an extensive list of Community Partners currently available on the Team In Training Site:  http://www.teamintraining.org/los/sponsors/communitypartners/

 

A helpful document can be downloaded here:  GLA Community Partners

Check it out!  A partner of TNT is a FRIEND of yours!

Coaches Connection Week #3

Before I begin, please do not miss the 1^st Team social tomorrow, February 21^st at Bodega Wine Bar.  Details are as follows:

Bodega Wine Bar

814 Broadway

Santa Monica, CA 90401

February 21^st, 7:00 – 10:00 PM

This weeks topics:

1.Facebook Group and Team website

2.Letters

3.Strength and Conditioning continues

4.2/26 Practice

5.Base Training

6.Nutrition

7.Reminder: Old Agoura 10K (70% sold out)

8.Mentor Runs

9.Pace Groups

1. Facebook Group and Team Website

I want to make sure everyone knows that our team has a Facebook group called Westside Team in Training Summer 2012.   You can access it directly at www.facebook.com/westsidetntsummer2012

We also have a website where you will find a lot of useful information.  The website address is: www.WestsideTNT.com

2.Letters

We are beating this one up…..I know.  Take that as a sign that it is an important first step from those that have been in your shoes.  Get your letters written, mailed and emailed.  This next practice on 2/26 will be your last chance to turn in your letters for free postage.  They are simple and an amazing fundraising tool.  Once written, it is something you can easily attach to emails as well.  If you have already sent letters…….GREAT JOB.  The next step for you will be to periodically email training updates.  You don’t have to ask for money every time.  Just send out updates and talk about training, stories you heard, your aches and pains, etc, etc.  You can attach your original letter and/or just put a link to your site.  The donations will come.  Some folks simply need reminders from time to time.  I always say this but since 2004, I have always had somebody donate when I send out an email update.  I have fundraised eleven times so this fact is saying something.

3.Strength and Conditioning Continues

Week 2 of Strength and Conditioning will take place this Wednesday.  We will increase the intensity a little bit.  The specifics for our meeting are below.

You have full use of the Spectrum Gym.  If you are on the team, your name will be on a list at the front desk.  You can arrive early and get in a workout but don’t be too hard on yourself……we will do that for you at 8:30.  You do not need to bring a lock as the Spectrum lockers are all equipped with ones you can customize.  The room we meet in is just past the reception desk on the right. There are plenty of mats and plenty of towels.  These towels are workout sized, however, so if you would like a larger towel, please bring it from home.

I am attaching some handouts from my Ironman coach, Gareth Thomas.  He allows me to distribute these but please keep them to yourself.  I am also attaching the workout from last week as promised at practice.  Please note there are many exercises in the attached.  Just focus on the ones we work on but you can note the other ones as well.  Many times a swiss ball and lighter weights are better for your overall fitness than heavy weights and a bench.

Strength Training

Wednesdays – 8:30 PM

Spectrum Santa Monica – 2425 Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica 90404 310-829-4995

Parking will be validated for 2 hours.  If you come early you may end up owing $1.

Click this link for a map of the location: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2425+Olympic+Boulevard+Santa%20Monica,+CA+90404

To see more about the facility, you can click this link:http://www.spectrumclubs.com/santamonica

4.2/26 Practice

We will meet at the same place at 8am (in front of the Santa Monica Civic on Main Street just north of Pico).   The Spring season is meeting before us so if you need additional parking, please use the mall lot at the intersection of Main Street and Colorado. As I mentioned Sunday, going forward we will have water stops for the remainder of the season.

We will have a guest speaker, Coach Chuck who is the Greater LA walk coach.  He is coming to speak with both walkers and runners because his lesson applies to both.  Our runners incorporate a run-walk interval.  The 1 minute of walk is not meant to be lethargic so Chuck will help make sure you keep moving.  As an FYI, Chuck walks faster than a lot of runners.  He is also an honored teammate with a long history of cancer survival.  Chuck will also be accompanying our walkers for the 5 mile workout.

Before we head out to run/walk, we will also hear from an honored teammate and amazing friend of mine, Nick Gardner.  He would literally not be here if not for the efforts of people just like you at Team in Training.

5.Base Training

We keep referring to our long Sunday workouts as Long Slow Distance (LSD) training.  For many of you this is a challenging concept….if you want a faster/stronger race day, train slower on Sunday.  I will site many examples of how this concept worked……or how folks failed by not incorporating it and here are two:

1)I have completed 3 Ironman races.  For my first one, I trained all out every bike ride and every run.  My second, I purposely went very slow in training and maintained a certain heart rate level. The training for the second Ironman was painful.  I had to train by myself because literally everyone was running/riding faster than me.  Men, women……..very old men…..very old women. I am not exaggerating.  I even thought of wearing a note on my back that said, “I am much faster than this” or “I could pass you if I wanted”.  Conclusion, my second Ironman time was 3.5 hours faster than my first Ironman.

2)An old coach of mine has a similar example when he was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  On his first attempt, he trained with his friends at a pace less than 8 minutes per mile. On race day, he burnt out and didn’t come close to qualifying for Boston.  On his second attempt, he trained with his wife at a pace of 10 minutes per mile (a pace 2.5 minutes per mile slower than the pace he would need to qualify).  I am sure you know the result…….on his second attempt, he qualified for Boston with a time of 3:10.  He was rested and ready to go on race day.

LSD is most easily defined as conversational.  It should be at a pace that is 30-60 seconds slower than race pace.  Most of you don’t know your race pace but the point is the pace should be easy.  Every Sunday will be at this LSD pace.  For the first 5 weeks of the program, the midweek workouts should also be at this LSD pace as we are in a period referred to as BASE TRAINING.  This period is required in order to perform better when we get to the more intense phases of our program.  Base training helps your body begin the aerobic conditioning process, improves your general circulation, improves your hearts stroke volume and it improves your muscle capillarization.  All of these things help your body’s ability to recover, which will help when we get to the next stages………….so keep it very easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This applies whether you are new to running or are a veteran.  Base Training is important to a successful season.  For many of you Base Training will continue for the mid-week workouts throughout the entire season.  For those running veterans, after week 5, we can discuss picking up the pace for mid-week workouts.

For the walkers, you also want to keep a comfortable but steady pace (do not let yourself get lethargic) but instead of thinking about LSD,  focus on form.  Form is very important over the long haul as it makes your strides more meaningful and efficient.

6.Nutrition

We will go into more detail on this later but for now, we want you to know that you need to take in some nutrition before arriving at practice.  Try to think healthy before the workout….cereal, oatmeal, energy bars, banana (good for the electrolyte Potassium which is important during your workout).  Try to avoid showing up with a Sausage McMuffin.  The key to nutrition is to experiment with what works for you.  You need to start this experiment process now because nutrition will be far more important when we get to the longer distances.  You need to learn how much your body tolerates and what food it tolerates before the workout.  Some will survive on a muffin and some, like me, will be eating 1,500-1,800 calories before you arrive at practice.  It is also important to note that you should be eating within 30-60 minutes after practice is over.   This is when your muscles are best capable of rebuilding glycogen stores, which will reduce muscle soreness.

7)REMINDER: Old Agoura 10K (> 70% Full)

I mentioned this in last weeks email but am reposting the info below.  THIS RACE WILL SELL OUT SOON SO SIGN UP!!!  Repost: as follows:

Now comes the test to see who is reading the email.  Interesting fact, Coach Lori and I went to college together and reunited here at Team in Training many years later.  MANY!!!! While entering everyone’s Week one time for the 3 miles, I had my wife help me.  She would call out the name and the time from the roster.  We hit one particular name………….your teammate Lori Christopher.  At reading this name, my wife told me that if Coach Lori and I (Christopher) were trying to hide our college love child……..we did a very poor job.  If you made it this far, reply to this email and change the subject to NO COLLEGE LOVE CHILD.  I will draw 2 names at practice from the first 15 people that respond.  Each winner will get a $25 donation from me….back to the 10K discussion now. (sorry Lori Christopher…..hopefully you are laughing)

As a team event on Saturday, March 24^th, we are encouraging you to participate in the Old Agoura 10K.  That is 6.2 miles and you will be ready.  We will give more details but this race sells out so please exercise some faith in us and register.  It is > 70% sold out already because it is a great 1^st race.  It will give you race day experience…..putting on a bib and shoe tag….without all of the stress.  PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE OTHER RACE DISTANCES ON THE SAME DAY. ONE OF THOSE OTHER RACES IS A HALF MARATHON.  DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THE HALF MARATHON.  SIGN UP FOR THE OLD AGOURA 10K.  PLEASE ALSO NOTE THERE ARE 2 DIFFERENT WAVES YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR.  THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR WAVE 1 IS IF YOU HAVE RUN A PRIOR 10K FASTER THAN 54 MINUTES (YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO PROVIDE THE TIME, RACE AND WEBSITE FOR VERIFICATION).  MOST OF YOU WILL SIMPLY SIGN UP FOR WAVE 2 WHICH LEADS ME TO THIS RECOMMENDATION……….EVERYONE SIGN UP FOR WAVE 2 SO WE CAN START TOGETHER.

The race website is: http://www.greatraceofagoura.com/

Click on register and then pick the 10K.  You do get swag for your entrance fee.  It is a great time and this is always rated a top 10K in the country.

8)Mentor Runs (Schedule Begins Tomorrow)

 

Below are mentor led runs that you are welcome to join.  These are options for you to get in your midweek workouts with some company.  Much thanks to the mentors for setting up this schedule. There are morning and evening options for Tuesday and Thursday.

·Tuesdays – 6am – Brentwood @ the corner of Montana and Gretna Green Way (led by Mentor Lillah) (FOR THIS RUN PLEASE CONFIRM THE NIGHT BEFORE THAT YOU WILL BE ATTENDING. EMAIL LILLAH AT l.mcc@verizon.net

·Tuesdays – 6:15pm – Westwood @ 1568 Manning Avenue (led by Mentor Sara Fay) (FOR THE 1^ST MEETING ONLY, 2/20/12, THIS RUN WILL BEGIN AT 6:00 PM TO ALLOW TIME TO GET TO THE SOCIAL)

·Thursday – 6:45am – Brentwood @ the corner of Montana and Gretna Green Way (led by Mentors Lillah and Kristen)

·Thursday – 6:30pm – Beverly Hills @ Niketown Running Club 9560 Wilshire Blvd (Wilshire and Rodeo……buy me something from down the street please) (led by Mentors Julian, Chatty and Dominic)

Please remember this is not an official practice so bring your own hydration and note that not all pace groups may be represented.  This is simply a way to have some company if you want it. Thanks again to your amazing mentors.

9)Pace Groups

All aspects of the Sunday practice were a huge success except for the pace groups.  Some of it certainly could not be helped because there are so many of us.  We really could have started with 10 pace groups but that is not possible.  If you found yourself in the wrong group on Sunday, it is perfectly okay to switch going forward.  I heard that some of the Group 5 peeps should have been in Group 6 as an example.

Beyond this challenge though, many of you could have done a better job sticking together.  There were some people running 50 yards ahead by themselves instead of running with their group or vice versa……….the group was slightly ahead of just a few people.  I promise that amount of gap will not make a difference on race day so let’s try to do better at making this a group experience. A great way to do this is to let different people lead the pace for the run intervals.  Sometimes, the group may slow a little and sometimes the group may have to speed up a tiny bit but you stay together and have a lot more fun.

While I have your attention……..hopefully…………it would be great if you guys wear your TNT jersey.  It is so early in the season we do not know everyone just yet so it is difficult out on the course to know who is on the team and who is not (another advantage of staying together).  If you do wear your jersey, putting your name on it would also be a huge help so we can learn your names and not have to pretend we know it.  No tricks!! Write your name…not your neighbors.

Have an amazing week.

Coaches Lori and Chris

MIDWEEK Workouts have been posted!

Visit the MIDWEEKS tab to view the midweek mentor and captain led runs:

Join us for our Second Practice! Invite a friend!

Westside TNT Summer Marathon Team’s Second Practice will be held on Sunday, February 19 at 8:00am at the Santa Monica Civic Center.  Bring a friend!

 

Coaches Connection Week #2

1)Letters

2)Strength and Condition starts Wednesday, February 15^th.

3)Mentor Lead Midweek workouts

4)Shoes and Shoe Clinic

5)2/19 Practice

6)Mid Week Workouts-Runners

7)Mid Week Workouts-Walkers

8)Communication

9)Old Agoura 10K

BEFORE I BEGIN, IF YOU WERE NOT AT OUR FIRST PRACTICE, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU TIME YOURSELF FOR A 3 MILE RUN AND EMAIL ME THE RESULTS.  ALSO PLEASE MAKE SURE (IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE 3 MILE RUN) THAT YOU KEEP A VERY COMFORTABLE PACE.

1)Letters

I know, we are getting repetitive but this is a big first step towards getting you to the finish line.  It is also a big step in putting words to why you are here even though for many of you the reasons will change over the course of the season as you learn about Team in Training.  Get your letters in soon and TNT will pay the postage for you.  Mail them to everyone.  As I said last week, I send one to my doctor(s), dentist, dry cleaner, etc.  I pay them a lot of money and many are great at giving back.  Even if you do not plan on mailing many letters, you will still have it and can attach it to your email.  Make sure you put the link to your website in the letter so that people can easily make an online donation for you.  Be very proud of what you are doing here.  It is amazing.  If you look at it this way, it takes away the fear of asking people for donations.  You will be amazed at how many people are touched with the efforts you put into this season.

2.STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

We recommend that you do some strength and conditioning workouts twice a week for the entire season.  As a team, we will meet for S&C for 5 weeks beginning this Wednesday, February 15^th . All Strength and Conditioning workouts will be held as follows:

Strength Training

Wednesdays – 8:30 PM

Spectrum Santa Monica – 2425 Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica 90404 310-829-4995

Parking will be validated for 2 hours.  You will have complete access to the gym so feel free to show up early. 

Click this link for a map of the location: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=2425+Olympic+Boulevard+Santa%20Monica,+CA+90404

To see more about the facility, you can click this link:

http://www.spectrumclubs.com/santamonica

There historically are mats in the workout room but to be safe and/or if it grosses you out not knowing who used your mat right before you, please bring your own.  There is a class that ends at 8:30.  We will go in right after and get started asap.

For those of you that cannot make Wednesdays, we will stay after practice Week 2 (this Sunday) to go through the routine so you can do the exercises on your own.

These workouts are optional but recommended.  None of the exercises are individually too difficult.  Everyone can do them.  Collectively, they help build up your core and strengthen the muscles that will help with injury prevention.  We will make the workouts a little more difficult each week and will have a Plank contest on the last Strength and Conditioning session.

Please note that there is a towel service.  The gym will provide workout towels but again, you are welcome to bring your own. You also do not need to bring locks for the locker room.  Spectrum lockers have individual combinations that you can set yourself.

3)Mentor lead midweek workouts

You are welcome to run all of the mid week workouts on your own.  My schedule is so crazy I rarely get to see daylight during my own workouts but if you want some company, we are in the process of finalizing times and places that mentors will lead midweek workouts.  This is just to allow you some company if you want it.  We will not have official pace groups so you may or may not have folks running your speed but you will be in the company of some cool peeps and know you are not alone out on the streets of LA.

4)Shoes – Shoe Clinic

Many of you were wearing new shoes at the first practice.  Great job!!  Some of you I am sure didn’t have time yet but please make this a high priority.  It is another very important step towards getting you to the finish line.  Some of the shoes at practice on Sunday will not be adequate for the distances we will cover (they did look cool though).  The coaches will start doing a shoe check in the coming weeks.  Please don’t be embarrassed by this.  We are just looking out for you.  The two main shops I talk about are as follows (make sure you mention TNT to get a discount on your purchase):

A)The Starting Line:  114A Washington Blvd ( Wash and the beach)(310.827.3035)

B)Arch and Sole is at 745 N. La Brea (323.857.1775).  It is near Pinks so look for the 80 people in line for a hot dog.

ARCH AND SOLE WILL BE HOLDING A SHOE CLINIC AT PRACTICE THIS WEEK. THEY WILL TALK BEFORE OUR WORKOUT SO PLEASE BE ON TIME.  THEY GIVE A VERY GOOD TALK ON WHY SHOES ARE SO IMPORTANT.

5)2/19 Practice

We will meet at the same place at Pico and Main Street .  If you are new and/or have a very poor sense of direction, make sure you store our phone numbers.  My cell phone is 310.658.2104. Lori’s cell phone is818.279.3382 (I have provided different numbers in prior emails…..those are also our cell phone #’s.  We each have 2 cell phones.  The #’s here are the ones we run with).  If you ever forget our number, look at the shoe tag which should be on your shoe! Parking is free on Sunday’s.  Try to get there early to ensure you get a spot.  We have home base all to ourselves this week because the other team is taking a field trip to Palos Verdes. If for some reason the street parking is full, you can go farther south on Main Street or park in the mall parking lot off Colorado .

6)Mid-Week Workouts-Runners

Please try to get these in.  For runners, it is up to you whether you use the interval or not for these workouts.  For veteran runners, I am fine if you skip the interval for mid-week workouts.  If you are new to this sport, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE utilize the interval.  On Sunday, we used a 3-1 (3 minute run, 1 minute walk) but utilize whatever works for you.  If that is a 2-1 or a 1-1, go with what works.  I want you to pick something that you can be successful with for the entire 30 minute workout.  By successful, I mean I want you to run when you are supposed to and walk when you are supposed to.  If you try to run the entire time and your body is not ready, you will get frustrated when you have to stop…….and those stops will be intermittent.  You will feel far less successful in this scenario than sticking to an interval that allows you to consistently run and walk the entire workout. The point is that you are out there for 30 minutes.  There are 3 aspects to the training program…..1)midweek workouts……..2)LSD Sundays (Long Slow Distance)…….3)rest.  All are critical.

7)Mid Week Workouts-Walkers

First of all a big shout out to the walkers.  For your midweeks, please focus on form and pace.  We want to make sure everyone works towards a pace faster than 17 minutes per mile.  Form is very important as well.  You are spending much more time on your feet than the runners on race day so it is critical your form is solid.  Make sure you do NOT hang your arms to your side.  Keep them bent just like the runners or you will end up with some very swollen hands.  Try to stay focused in the sense that your pace should be consistent for the entire workout.  Do not let yourself get lethargic.  Keep pushing yourself for the entire duration.

WE WILL HAVE A WALK CLINIC AT WEEK 3 PRACTICE (THIS CLINIC IS CRITCAL FOR RUNNERS AND WALKERS)

8)Communicate

You guys have been doing a great job reaching out to us.  Please keep it up.  If you have any aches or pains, questions, concerns, etc, etc, etc…….just reach out.  We are here for you and can only help if you talk to us.

9)Old Agoura 10K

I know it is early in the season but it is time we talk about our 1^st 10K together.  If you are unfamiliar with what a 10K is……it is a race that covers 6.2 miles.  As a team event on Saturday, March 24^th, we are encouraging you to participate in the Old Agoura 10K.  You may not believe it now but you will be ready!!! We will provide more details but this race sells out so please exercise some faith in us and register.  The race is probably greater than 70% full at this point because it is popular and because it is a great first event.  It will give you race day experience…..putting on a bib and shoe tag….without all of the stress.  PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE OTHER RACE DISTANCES ON THE SAME DAY.  ONE OF THOSE OTHER RACES IS A HALF MARATHON.  DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THE HALF MARATHON.  SIGN UP FOR THE OLD AGOURA 10K.  OTHER TEAM IN TRAINING CHAPTERS WILL BE AT THIS EVENT WHICH WILL HELP MAKE IT A BLAST!!

The race website is: http://www.greatraceofagoura.com/

Click on register and then pick the 10K.  You do get swag for your entrance fee.  It is a great time and this is always rated a top 10K in the country.  FINAL NOTE: THE COST IS CURRENTLY $40 BUT WILL INCREASE TO $45 ON FEBRUARY 19^TH.

Have an amazing week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Coach Lori and Chris

First Social Event

TNT Summer 2012 – First Social Event

 

Tuesday February 21, 2012

7:00pm – 10:00pm

Bodega Wine Bar Santa Monica – 814 Broadway, Santa Monica, California 90401

Get ready to have some fun! Join us for our first team social at Bodega Wine Bar in Santa Monica on Tuesday, February 21 at 7:00pm. Bodega is a wonderful place to enjoy a nice glass of wine, get to mingle and meet your teammates in their street clothes. You’re sure to hear jokes about how different everyone looks when they’re not in running gear! In addition to being a great opportunity to have some fun and actually get to talk to your teammates, Bodega has graciously offered to give 10% of the entire night’s sales back to our cause! Don’t miss our first team social… See you there!

 

Teammate’s Fundraiser: Karaoke Night

Our teammate Erica Joy Maniquis is hosting a Karaoke Night – TNT Fundraiser on March 1, 2012 from 7:30pm to 12:00am at Backstage Bar & Grill at 10400 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, California 90232

First Practice Photos and Teammate Photos

Hey Team!

We had an amazing first practice on Sunday!  Thank you for taking the first steps to help in the fight against Cancer!  Photos of our first practice and teammate photos have been posted – if you would like to download any of these photos to use on your fundraising page, you may do so!

Visit http://www.facebook.com/westsidetntsummer2012?sk=photos to view the photos.

Downloads page added

A great new resource has been added to our blog.  Click on the Downloads tab for helpful resources that you can use in your fundraising efforts.

 

So far we’ve added a few great forms that you can use in your fundraising, (more will be added in the future!):

 

• An In-Kind Donation Letter – share this letter with businesses so they can keep records of their donation for tax deduction purposes.
• A Thank You Letter in microsoft word format for your customization to include
• The Power of Your Donation – a great resource outlining real life numbers that you can share with people to show them what their donation dollars can help us achieve!

Coaches Connection Week #1

Week One Topics:

1)Letters
2)Shoes!!!!!!!!
3)Training Starts Now – Midweek workouts
4)First Practice
5)Patience
6)Stick to the Schedule
7)Communicate
8)Schedule Explanations

1)Letters
As coaches, it is our responsibility to get you to the finish line.  At this point in the season, I always say that we probably care more about you completing this journey than you do.  I really believe this is true because only we know what it means to your life when you cross the finish line.  You will come to know this as the season progresses.  We cannot get you across the finish line if we do not push the fundraising so please know…as coaches….we will still discuss the fundraising side of Team in Training.

The quickest way to get money in your account is to get your letters out ASAP. I know we live in a modern world where email and social media rule the planet.  Email is also a critical piece of fundraising but I have been here since 2004 and learned that in the world of fundraising, letters serve a great purpose.  Folks get so many emails a day…I get hundreds.  What people do not get hundreds of are personal letters.  I have raised over $100,000 for Team in Training and I have never been overly creative except for a stunt last year that landed me on the news (it didn’t raise a lot of money though!) This is my plan:

1)Send letters to everyone you have an address for.  For example, I have sent letters to my doctor every time I have fundraised and….every single     time he has donated.  I send letters to the girl that cuts my hair, my dry cleaner, etc, etc.  In the spirit of what I was saying above….try to       step back and realize the perception of what you have embarked upon.  You are doing an amazing thing so don’t be afraid to tell folks.  You will be     surprised at who donates.  So many people have been touched by cancer and your letter truly may make a difference to the person that receives   it.  As an example, I learned that my neighbor of 15+ years lost her husband to leukemia. My letter gave hope that people were fighting to make         sure a cure is found.  Make sure you include the link to your website in the letter.  A trick I have always done is to enclose a self addressed         stamped envelope as I feel it makes it easier for the recipient to donate.  You do NOT have to do this. I am just sharing where I have had success.

Another comment is to make your letter as personal as possible.  This is easy for me as I have a very personal story that brought me to Team in         Training.  Hopefully you do NOT have a personal story but if you do…share it.  If you don’t have one, make the letter as personal as you can and      feel free to borrow my story or any of the stories you hear along the way

2)For anyone you don’t have a mailing address, send an email.  Make your email personal and attach the letter you wrote above.  In the text of your     email…include the link to your website.  My claim to fame is that in 8 years of fundraising, I have had at least one person donate every time I       sent out an email.

3)For everyone, send email updates every 2 weeks just letting them know how training is going.  Be personal.  If you feel you are struggling (not       that you will be)…share it.  I believe that being open helps with the donation process.  Each email does not have to directly ask for money. Many     people plan to donate but simply need reminders along the way.

If we need to get creative…we have an army ready to help you.  For now, keep it simple. As you spend more time with us and learn about Team in        Training, this will all become less scary and something you are more driven to do.

2)Shoes
It is critical that you get fit with the correct pair of shoes for your feet and running mechanics.  We cannot emphasize this enough and will harp on this until we know you have all done this.  Please visit one of the friends of Team in Training as they will all spend quality time with you to make sure you are fit with the right pair of shoes.

I have two main stores that I personally recommend but that doesn’t mean these are the only two stores.

The Starting Line at 114-A Washington Blvd (310.827.3035) (at Washington and the beach a few doors east of Starbuck’s).

Arch and Sole is at 745 N. La Brea (323.857.1775).  It is near Pinks so look for the 80 people in line for a hot dog.

There is also Top to Top and Frontrunners right in Santa Monica that folks have success with.  All of these stores are friends of the program so mention Team in Training and you will receive a discount.

If you have bought shoes from a store other than a true running store and/or one which does not feature multiple brands (e.g. New Balance…great shoes for certain feet or Niketown), please bring those shoes to one of the recommended stores.  For example, bring your current shoes to The Starting Line and let them watch you run in them.  Any friend of TNT will be honest and if you are in the right shoes, they will tell you so.  If you are not in the right shoes, they will guide you to a better choice.  Our friends also give you time to try out the shoes and if they don’t work out, you can bring them back even though they are used (usually 7 to 30 days).  Please do NOT go to Big 5 or Sports Chalet to buy your shoes.  You may luck into a salesperson that is a runner but they are not experts (I am often in a Sports Chalet and listen to the store rep selling running shoes and often time have to intervene to spare someone from getting the wrong shoe).  Our friends employ runners so that you are dealing with people who know the sport.  At our SECOND practice, Arch and Sole will conduct a shoe clinic and over the next few weeks, the coaches will be checking your shoes to make sure you have listened to us.  WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET HURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The wrong shoes may not be a problem at 3 miles but with the distances we are going to cover, the wrong shoes WILL be a problem.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR WALKERS – PLEASE PURCHASE RUNNING SHOES, NOT WALKING SHOES!!  YOU ARE ATHLETES AND YOU ARE ON YOUR FEET LONGER THAN THE RUNNERS SO IN MANY RESPECTS, SHOES ARE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR YOU.

AGAIN..MENTION TEAM IN TRAINING FOR A DISCOUNT ON YOUR PURCHASE!!!!!!!!

3)Mid Week Runs
You have three (3) 30 minute runs on the schedule this week.  If you are new to running or walking, do not be intimidated by the length of time.  The point is not how fast you complete the 30 minutes but that you get time on your feet.  If you cannot run 30 minutes, walk as much as you need to get through the time.  The endurance will come to you…..I PROMISE.  You just need to be patient.  It will take a few weeks until you start seeing the rewards of your efforts.  If you are a walker, please go at a pace that is comfortable.  We are in a base period right now.  Next week’s update will go further into Base Training so stay tuned.  For now, keep the pace comfortable!!!!

The comfortable pace also applies if you are not new to running and walking.  If you are a seasoned runner/walker we will work with you as the season progresses and cater your mid week runs to achieving any time goal you may have.  If you are an experienced runner, you can run without using the run-walk interval for mid week workouts (see #4)

Please note that for the first 5 weeks, EVERYONE IS ON THE EXACT SAME SCHEDULE.  This will change after Week 5 but for now you are all training the same.  We will go over this in more detail later.

4)First Practice
When:  Sunday, February 12, 2012  8:00am

Where: At the corner of Main Street and Pico in front of the Santa Monica Civic Center .  You wont be able to miss us.  You park on Main Street, north of Pico.  Try to get there a little early as there are a lot of us.  You may need to park in the Santa Monica Place parking lot at the intersection of Colorado and Main.

Our first practice will consist of a 3 mile run/walk.  As with all of our Sunday workouts, the pace is comfortable.  We will discuss the run-walk interval (for runners) and will have everyone do a maximum 4-1 interval this Sunday (maximum means that if 4 minutes is too much…you will do less).  We want everyone doing the same interval for this workout so we get a feel for pace groups.  We will discuss pace groups more on Sunday.  They are not cast in stone but a way to group you with folks running a comparable pace so you are never alone on Sunday.  Covering the distances we do is much easier when you have friends to talk to.  Please know that faster pace groups will excel faster in ramping up the running time.  The fastest 2-3 groups tend to start at 4-5 minutes running with 1 minute of walking and advance to a 9-1.  Other groups will vary based on how the season progresses.  The key to the interval is that it eases folks into the sport but also makes fast runners faster.

IF YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE PRACTICE THIS SUNDAY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO I CAN MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.

NOTE:  THERE IS A DIFFERENT SEASON MEETING BEFORE US SO MAKE SURE YOU FIND ROSALIE, MYSELF, OR LORI.  IF YOU ARE WITH FOLKS GOING 15-20 MILES, I PROMISE YOU ARE WITH THE WRONG GROUP.

5)Patience
As we discussed at Kick-Off, you have taken an amazing first step signing up for Team in Training.  Many of you probably have some doubts but your only focus right now is to be proud of your strength just in being here.  No matter how you arrived at our door…you arrived and now you need to take a moment and trust us.  We will get you to the finish line and, along the way, you will realize that the finish line is about so much more than one race on one day.  The beginning of the season is very often the most difficult.  The second run will not be much easier than the first but I PROMISE 4, 5 MAYBE 6 WEEKS FROM NOW, YOU WILL NOTICE A BIG CHANGE.  It will take this amount of time for some of your bodies to adapt.  Do not get frustrated.  Do not lose patience.  Trust us and watch yourself achieve new goals every week over the next 17-20 weeks.  Later in the season you will be amazed at your cardio transformation.

6)Stick to the Schedule
In the same spirit of being patient, we need you to stick to the schedule.  This is critical.  The schedule is designed to get you to the finish line.  You do NOT need to do more.  Doing more will only get you hurt so please trust in your coaches that we have designed a successful program for you.  As discussed above, if you are a seasoned runner with a time goal…we are happy to work with you on customized mid week workouts.

7)Communicate
I will expand on this later but you need to work with Lori and I and communicate how things are going.  We need to know if you have an ache or a pain.  We want to know if you are feeling lethargic.  We are here for you.  You need to utilize us for anything.  If you are just having a bad day or feeling like you can’t do this….reach out and we will assure you that you can….meet you for a run….whatever it takes.  Lori will always be cc’d on the weekly email so that you can easily reach both of us.  Other ways to reach us are:

8)Schedule Explanations
There is nothing too tricky on the schedule right now but I do want to call out a few things:

·We have scheduled Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as midweek workouts.  If you have to shift a little, that is fine.  Generally as the Sunday workouts get longer, we do NOT want you running on Monday.  You need to reserve this day for non impact or complete rest and most definitely FUNDRAISING!
·X train = Cross Training.  This is anything non impact..biking, swimming, yoga, elliptical, etc.
·S&C = Strength and Conditioning.  For the 1st third of the season we will have an OPTIONAL Wednesday meeting at the Santa Monica Spectrum.  This is being finalized now.  We will meet at 8:30 PM and will focus on exercises that help reduce injuries plus core work.  Later in the season we will move to Hill Training. S&C starts week 2 (NOT THIS WEEK) ·Week 5 – it reads 7 miles – SMM.  This stands for the Santa Monica Mountains.  It will be a field trip.  More details to come but it is very close to our home base.

SEE YOU SUNDAY AND GO TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COACHES LORI AND CHRIS