Active Appeal

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...