So I wanted to blog about all of the new people that I am meeting while on this endeavor. I am so impressed with the excitement that is swirling about the ADT. Whether the ADT be someones first marathon or 50th, a runner is a runner, and we all enjoy talking about it!
I love the emails I get that lead into wonderful discussions. People have sent me pictures of themselves at the finish of other races, or running other races, and many conversations turn into chit chats about what they are doing to train, the distance of his/her last run, or the fun places people are running. Either way, I am a runner, and I love talking running with others.
I have also gotten to meet some amazing people. We have so many types of people running the marathon, or half, and it is so fun to learn about them. I have mentioned that I am currently training for a marathon (4 weeks away) and so I often get asked advice. I can only offer what I have learned from personal experience. And since we are all different, I believe one person's optimal training plan may look different from another's; however, it is enjoyable to share ideas - and hear other's ideas as well!
One thing I realized this last week was that whatever your goal is, YOU need to be happy with it. I took time last year to run ultra distances. I slowed down tremendously to enjoy trails, nature, and my dog. I really enjoyed that time because I had the goal to go a certain distance (speed didn't matter) and I achieved that goal. I wouldn't have won any races, but that wasn't the goal. My point is, running is very individual and I love hearing about all the individuals taking part in the ADT.
Whether your goal be to finish your first marathon, or half-marathon, or to do a personal record, be proud of your goal and complete it the fullest!
"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." Confucius
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Few More Months...
We had another committee meeting this week and all is well on its way! Everything is coming together. We have ordered the medals and awards. We are getting hats embroidered for our volunteers, and those were ordered. We have designed the shirts, simple and something that can be worn running or around town. We have new banners being made for the starts and the finish. Northface has joined our efforts and will be printing our bibs. Aid station leads have been contacted and details are going out to them. Boulder Running Co. and Colorado Running Co. have set up vendors to have great items at our expo. There is more...but it escapes me as I write.
I mentioned Northface earlier. They have joined us in our effort to put on a fantastic race. They are providing "gear packages" for our top male and female winners in both the marathon and the half marathon.
So, the weather is finally warming up out here and we had a week in the 70's. It was beautiful. Now that it is warming up, it is the perfect time to officially begin that training program for the marathon. If you are doing the half, there is no need to wait. Travis, the ADT race director the previous two years and good friend, will be running the marathon this year. It is his first marathon. It is exciting to hear how his training is going. I know there are many of you already in this process, and it would be fun for some of you to post a comment or two! As of now, we have 42 marathoners, and 9 half marathoners registered. I know the numbers will grow rapidly through the summer.
Anyways, for myself, I have one more peak week of training and then I begin my taper. I will be in Ft. Collins next week to cheer on a training partner in the Colorado Marathon. I have three more weeks of teaching. Summer here we come!
I mentioned Northface earlier. They have joined us in our effort to put on a fantastic race. They are providing "gear packages" for our top male and female winners in both the marathon and the half marathon.
So, the weather is finally warming up out here and we had a week in the 70's. It was beautiful. Now that it is warming up, it is the perfect time to officially begin that training program for the marathon. If you are doing the half, there is no need to wait. Travis, the ADT race director the previous two years and good friend, will be running the marathon this year. It is his first marathon. It is exciting to hear how his training is going. I know there are many of you already in this process, and it would be fun for some of you to post a comment or two! As of now, we have 42 marathoners, and 9 half marathoners registered. I know the numbers will grow rapidly through the summer.
Anyways, for myself, I have one more peak week of training and then I begin my taper. I will be in Ft. Collins next week to cheer on a training partner in the Colorado Marathon. I have three more weeks of teaching. Summer here we come!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Volunteer Race Committee
I have been asked, "Is this your full-time job or part-time job?" It does seem like a full-time job at times, like during spring break and Christmas break...but my full-time job is actual being a teacher! See bio. So I wanted to share about the race committee and the people behind the scenes of this marathon.
Most of us work full-time and are raising families as well. There is a mix of men and women on the committee. We are all volunteers that do this for the "fun of it!" Pikes Peak Road Runners is the local running club that puts on this race and they are completely ran by volunteers. They put on several events all throughout the year. A great group of people.
There are several positions on this committee that many runners may not realize need to be covered...I, for one, didn't realize all of the logistics involved in a race until I served on the committee three years ago. We have a start line coordinator for Palmer Lake. He handles bag check, registration, starting the race, to list a few. We have a person that handles getting all of the permits from all of the cities and ordinances that we pass through. She also handles paying the bills and keeping our budget for us. We have the pace team coordinator who carefully chooses who will be running with you during the race. She also designed the website, voluntarily. We have someone who is in charge of the set-up and logistics of America the Beautiful Park. A Coordinator in charge of organizing all of our volunteers. Someone that puts together the aid station workers and course logistics. I have now mentioned less than half of our volunteers, so you can imagine that the work is extensive; however, spreading it out over different people, hopefully, helps the tasks to be less daunting.
Volunteering can be very rewarding. If you would like to volunteer for our race, please check out our website - volunteer section. We would love to have you as a runner and volunteer for another event as well. Everyone on the committee is here because we love putting on this race and seeing the enjoyment of each and every runner!
Most of us work full-time and are raising families as well. There is a mix of men and women on the committee. We are all volunteers that do this for the "fun of it!" Pikes Peak Road Runners is the local running club that puts on this race and they are completely ran by volunteers. They put on several events all throughout the year. A great group of people.
There are several positions on this committee that many runners may not realize need to be covered...I, for one, didn't realize all of the logistics involved in a race until I served on the committee three years ago. We have a start line coordinator for Palmer Lake. He handles bag check, registration, starting the race, to list a few. We have a person that handles getting all of the permits from all of the cities and ordinances that we pass through. She also handles paying the bills and keeping our budget for us. We have the pace team coordinator who carefully chooses who will be running with you during the race. She also designed the website, voluntarily. We have someone who is in charge of the set-up and logistics of America the Beautiful Park. A Coordinator in charge of organizing all of our volunteers. Someone that puts together the aid station workers and course logistics. I have now mentioned less than half of our volunteers, so you can imagine that the work is extensive; however, spreading it out over different people, hopefully, helps the tasks to be less daunting.
Volunteering can be very rewarding. If you would like to volunteer for our race, please check out our website - volunteer section. We would love to have you as a runner and volunteer for another event as well. Everyone on the committee is here because we love putting on this race and seeing the enjoyment of each and every runner!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Awards
After a climb up the incline, I spent a few hours this morning with the award designers, and I think you will like what we came up with for finisher's medals! I may post a picture when they come back, but they are very nice, in my opinion. I am realizing that it may be hard to please everyone, with everything, but we are doing our best to make it an enjoyable and nice race for each and every participant.
I have worked today on loose ends, such as creating the posters for advertising, contacting committee members about specifics, and figuring out the bibs. I also sent the shirt designer some artwork to begin and hopefully, quickly complete the shirt designs. It will be simple this year with the logo and some other text. Like I mentioned earlier, we are hoping the shirt is versatile yet simple enough to wear running or around.
Back to the incline...it is an attraction for athletes in the Springs. In a nutshell, it is a one mile climb, straight up the side of Pikes Peak. It snowed last night, so the dusting of that beautiful white stuff made it such an amazing jaunt up that crazy mountain. We took pictures - I'll post them soon.
I have worked today on loose ends, such as creating the posters for advertising, contacting committee members about specifics, and figuring out the bibs. I also sent the shirt designer some artwork to begin and hopefully, quickly complete the shirt designs. It will be simple this year with the logo and some other text. Like I mentioned earlier, we are hoping the shirt is versatile yet simple enough to wear running or around.
Back to the incline...it is an attraction for athletes in the Springs. In a nutshell, it is a one mile climb, straight up the side of Pikes Peak. It snowed last night, so the dusting of that beautiful white stuff made it such an amazing jaunt up that crazy mountain. We took pictures - I'll post them soon.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Running Groups
So I got to thinking about my last blog and meeting new people...I should've put something in there about finding a running group in your area. I feel that one of the best aspects of running is meeting new people and the relationships that develop on a run. It is amazing what you end up talking about after 3 hours of running...leave it up to the imagination! Anyways, if you are going to be running the marathon or half marathon it may be a good idea to find a group. I find that I get excited to go running with my friends and look forward to meeting them for the next challenge. I trained for my first marathon completely alone, and although it was quite the accomplishment, those long runs got lonely sometimes. Some of you may like to join a group once or twice a month, while others may enjoy it several times a week.
If I weren't directing the race this year, I would be tempted to run the relay. It would be a blast to train together and do some races pre-relay with a team. The school I teach at currently has two teams getting ready for this race, and I love to hear about their plans.
As you can see by the recent pictures posted, I love to run with my husband and my friends! I have met so many amazing people through running.
If I weren't directing the race this year, I would be tempted to run the relay. It would be a blast to train together and do some races pre-relay with a team. The school I teach at currently has two teams getting ready for this race, and I love to hear about their plans.
As you can see by the recent pictures posted, I love to run with my husband and my friends! I have met so many amazing people through running.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Training
So...if you are running the full-marathon, I would imagine that you are starting to work back up on mileage - even if it is to prepare for your "official" training program. Since we have just over 5 months left, it is a great time to start getting back into the swing of training, or to begin amping up those miles if you are a first timer. (Great marathon for first timers with several aid stations!) If you are running the half-marathon, you can begin as well. It never hurts to work up those miles slowly. I prefer to take months to enjoy the process!
Relay runners...start thinking about who is running which leg! All of the legs on the race are different, from distance to terrain. You can check out leg descriptions on our website under the "Relay" section. Remember, leg 2 may be the longest and hilliest, but it is really beautiful as well. There are benefits to each leg. If you don't have a complete team, start asking your friends, even if they don't run. If they begin to train now, they will be very comfortable with any of the distances.
Have fun with your training, meet new people, and enjoy the outdoors!
Relay runners...start thinking about who is running which leg! All of the legs on the race are different, from distance to terrain. You can check out leg descriptions on our website under the "Relay" section. Remember, leg 2 may be the longest and hilliest, but it is really beautiful as well. There are benefits to each leg. If you don't have a complete team, start asking your friends, even if they don't run. If they begin to train now, they will be very comfortable with any of the distances.
Have fun with your training, meet new people, and enjoy the outdoors!
Finisher's Medals and Shirts
This week someone asked, "Do the half marathoners receive finisher's medals?" Of course they do. Marathoners, half marathoners, and all relay participants will receive a medal this year!
I have also had several questions about shirts...this year we are doing male and female shirts. The men's shirts run slightly large, but the women's shirts are true to size. For all three races, the male shirts are "denim" blue which is a blue-grey and the women's shirts are navy colored. Both of the shirts are a cotton/polyester shirt so they can be worn to run in, or out and about to show off your accomplishment!
I have also had several questions about shirts...this year we are doing male and female shirts. The men's shirts run slightly large, but the women's shirts are true to size. For all three races, the male shirts are "denim" blue which is a blue-grey and the women's shirts are navy colored. Both of the shirts are a cotton/polyester shirt so they can be worn to run in, or out and about to show off your accomplishment!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
