Active Appeal

  Night Owl 5K at the Anne Springs Close Greenway will be my first night race ever. If you have not run a trail run in the dark, this one offers to be a good one to start with. Why do I think this is a good one to start with? It starts at the Lake Haigler entrance, near the Greenway canteen.  There's live music by DJ Brown Sound at this time, and that's more festivities including smores by the campfires etc.  You do need a headlamp / nox gear / flashlight but you're unlikely to be lost in the wilderness This is a 5K -  not too crazy, and the trail is reasonable and travelled on Discount code: ACTIVE15 will save you 15% off registration Are you convinced? Well these sure convinced me! https://www.ascgreenway.org/event/night-owl-5k-3/  or scan the QR code here

 Blue Star Blitz What: Trail Race  When: Mar 15th Where: Anne Springs Close Greenway - Lake Haigler Entrance https://maps.app.goo.gl/rUor3yAcDj4SYSjZ6 Discount Code: ACTIVE15 Save 15% off any race Valid as long as registrations are open Sign up URL: https://www.ascgreenway.org/events/signature-events/blue-star-blitz/ Sign Up QR Code: 5 & 10K Trail Races in a gorgeous setting 5K Hiking Challenge for those looking for a more relaxed pace Family & 2 hour adventure race that brings out the inner scavenger hunter 4 hour adventure race that you can accomplish on foot and mountain bike.  Options to do the adventure races solo or as a team

  YMCA Corporate Cup 5k, Half Marathon & Relay  When: March 1 st Where: Truist Ballpark / Romare Bearden in Uptown Charlotte Sign up Link: https://corporatecup.raceroster.com/ Discount Code: CCAmeya15 Saves 15% off any distance Valid as long as registrations are open Charlotte's oldest road half marathon road race supported by Uptown YMCAs Run a 5K or a half marathon OR find a running buddy to split the distance in a 2-person Half Marathon Relay https://www.ymcacharlotte.org/community-events/46th-annual-ymca-corporate-cup-5k--half-marathon

Let's keep an eye for what's coming up for the rest of the year. 2 5K, 2 10K, 1 marathon relay and 2 full marathons. Could I possibly add something to it? You bet! There has gotta be a half marathon somewhere along the way  August is going to be hot! That may limit the opportunities I have to run outdoors. The plan for this month is strength training, a bit of weights, some stair master at the gym and a bit of treadmill running. Primarily focus on upper body strength.  The idea is is to conserve energy that may be drained by the heat and the humidity outside. If you are running outdoors, do so because you want to, not because you have to because some online running program told you to run those miles towards a race. Bonus goal for August - Lose some weight I have gained over the last few months.

I outline a 16 week program to train for a marathon. I will follow this for the 16 week period that started this week, and ends on the marathon day. I will also include the post- race plan before the 2nd marathon in less than a month after the first.  Who is this for? This is meant for someone who aspires to finish a marathon in a sustainable manner and geared towards a more regular (non-athletic) person like I am.  As a rt66ambassador, I will outline the training program and my progress. This is the first post on it. I will add a lot more details on the blog, and also post more frequent updates on Instagram.  A high level summary of the training plan August - Strength training with a focus on upper body strength September - Fun races - shorter distance. Focus on losing weight. October - Longer training runs. Focus on stamina & endurance November - 1 long training run, and then recovery before race. Focus on Rt 66 marathon. Slow runs or long hikes after the race. Dec...

Runners simply need an excuse to run and Global Running Day is as good an excuse. It's nicer when someone organizes a free virtual run. Sign up and join me. https://blog.fit2run.com/2023/04/25/2023-global-running-day-with-fit2run/ I ran the 5K this morning to try beat the heat and humidity. Succeeded in beating the heat but not the humidity. I can only imagine what it would have been if I had gone any later, I guess I need to get out by dawn.

 June Noda 5K  Noda 5K is invariably hot and humid, but the 2023 race has a new route. There's always a ton of excitement around this evening race - one of the few evening races in the summer (the other one is the firecracker 5k) May Basass Texas I am pacing the 2:30 for this half marathon in Waco TX. Even though it's may, it is going to be a somewhat cooler 60s in the morning on the day of the race. If you want to sign up, you can use this race code https://raceroster.com/events/ be8aeef6-af77-4e82-9a90- 2c713d85cdb6/details?aff=WJLLR

A count down of 7 things about Big Sur Marathon 2023 7. 20 Mph head winds that slowed everyone down hitting us at mile 5 and staying till past mile 16. They calmed down after that. There were gusts that I learned were 35mph.  6. 2200 Feet of elevation, that's the official number. Garmin reported 2340 ft, making it the most elevation I've climbed in a run. 5. I ran this race mostly on natural foods. My usual packet of seedless dates offered a delightful burst of energy in the initial half, and then there were cut bananas through out the route, to finish with a few strawberries. 4. No pain any time, I have taken a 'preventive' ibuprofen around mile 18 in the past. Neither did I have one on me, nor did I feel the need. 3. I carried a small backpack. Came in handy with an additional t-shirt I could peel off, and I had a battery backup that helped power up the phone. 2. I took lots of pictures, and looked at the scenery. Yes, that slowed me down, but I had a blast on the run...

  Truist Corportate Cup 5K or Half Marathon The race is hosted by YMCA of Uptown Dallas.  Uptown Charlotte location  Swag includes a super comfy full sleeve Beer: NoDA Brewing Discount Code: Ameya15 to save 15% of either registration Sign up: https://corporatecup.raceroster.com/  Charlotte Race Fest  10K or Half Marathon Discount Code: AD5 saves $5 for 10K, AD10 saves $10 for half marathon South park location, easy parking, mostly flat with one hill climb in the route.  Beer: Town Brewing Company - Live Music and beer  Sign up: https://www.charlotteracefest.com/Race/NC/Charlotte/CharlotteRacefestHalfMarathon10k

With an year or so of road running races, I had never signed up for a trail race. Oh well, that's not technically true, since I did run the Salem Lake 30K last year, but with packed dirt and gravel and a paved section, that was more a hybrid than a trail race on Lake Norman. I had seen these cool graphics from the folks at  Vagabond Endurance  and when Gabe suggested I should try, I was tempted. The deal was any number of loops around a ~5.5 mile trail that had to be completed in under 4 hours. When Jeff offered a discount code I could use, I was sold! Even if all I did was run 1 loop. I would have earned my swag and the custom medal.  A whole bunch of folks from the Carolina Beer Temple run club had also signed up to (or volunteering for) this race. I got a starting, smiling picture. When it rained every single evening for the past 4 days, I wondered what the trail would be like! Looks like Thor had been actively promoting his lousy new movie - love and thunder, but...

  This event had been sold out. I suspect there's been a fair number of deferrals or cancellations as folks realize flying & hotels at a race are expensive, and the current flight tickets and cancellations are making folks queasy about that. This may be the reason the event organizers opened up these spots for new registration. For me, I am simply thrilled I am signed up for not one but two iconic races this year, the 50th Portland and the 47th Marine Corp marathon. 

Ville2Ville Team Run Dez Vous scored a brilliant 11:20 time on the 5th Ville 2 Ville relay race in April 2022.  Team A bunch of folks from work formed a team. Some were experienced runners who do the Blue Ridge relay event together, where as there were two novice runners, me being one of the two.  Weather Surprisingly cold for April. The weekend just prior (and the one right after) turned out warmer, but this weekend was cold! When DA started running the first segment at 5:30 in the morning, it was 33 degrees. By JG's 2nd segment, there were flurries.  Thankfully, it was not very windy and so although it was cold, it felt good and as the day progressed, the weather remained nice enough with temperatures in high 40s and low 50s.  Planning the segments Perhaps over planning a bit, we spent a bit of a time trying to figure out the segments and order of running, particularly since we were one short of the usual team of 6. DA did not want to run longer than a half maratho...

Salem lake is a beautiful, serene lake adjacent to the town of Winston Salem. The local running club hosts a few races that use the trail around the lake and the adjacent walk/bike way for events.  Background I signed up for the 30K trail race. I've  been running 12 miles on weekends, and having completed a half marathon distances, I still felt apprehensive about jumping directly to a full marathon. I found this race which was 30K/18.3 miles, and that fits nicely between a half and a full marathon.  Shoes Since this was going to be a trail run, I was concerned about my shoes. I have a selection of road running shoes, but did not have any trail running shoes. I deliberated a lot whether I should buy new trail running shoes or stick to ones I've worn in the past. I even went to Academy sports and bought myself a pair, but there seemed something wrong about that specific pair, so I felt uncomfortable wearing them when I tried them on for a bit at home. In the end, I decided ...