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Week of September 1st:  Lace'em Up!

8/31/2014

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Not to diminish the efforts of those who participated in the Crim or other recent races, but the fall racing season will start in a big way this coming weekend with many FoF athletes participating in the Bluewater Health Races and the Chicago Half Marathon....and that's just the start!  In keeping with that theme, we'll do a group talk this coming Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. focusing on race preparation.  We'll revisit some of those ideas later in October as well so if you're participating in one of the later season races, we haven't forgotten you!  This will be an interactive talk with your coaches leading the first 20 minutes or so of the talk and then opening it up for the last 10 minutes for questions but also for those of you who've raced before to share what you've learned in your past races.  For those who can't make it, here are some things for you to consider:

#1: Set a Realistic Time Goal:  If this is your first race, don't concern yourself with times....finishing should be your goal.  For those who have some experience, base your goal on how your training has gone, both in terms of speed, but also the volume of training you've been able to fit into your lives.  If you want our advice on this, please ask.....we're here to help!

#2: NOTHING NEW:  The longer your race is, the more important this becomes.  This means no new shoes / socks, no new foods the day before / morning of the race, no new running wear......etc.  You get the idea!

#3 Prepare, prepare, prepare:  Decide ahead of time, what clothing you're going to wear.  This is pretty easy at this time of year because the weather is more predictable. Know what your routine will be race morning and execute this!  Think through everything you need to do race day (transportation etc.) and make plans.  If you do all these things, you'll show up race morning, ready to race and not stressed out.

#4 Don't Worry....Be Happy:  Being nervous race day is normal.....world class runners feel the same way before a race.  The race IS important to you, but at the end of the day, it's a race - your friends and family will still love you even if you mess up!

If you like this stuff...come to the talk and hear lots more!

Now that we're into September, our Saturday runs will begin at 8:00 a.m. Enjoy the extra sleep.... I know I will :-)

We know that everyone is working hard in their training right now, but special "atta girls and atta boys" go out to our marathon runners this week.  September marks the beginning of the home stretch for many of you.  Still a few more weeks of hard training left but that taper isn't that far away......hang in there!!


For those Scotia marathoners who plan to run the Bluewater Health Half Marathon, you should treat the HM as your marathon pace run, which is in your schedule for NEXT week.  This coming Saturday (before the race) should just be an easy 6-8 run.  The week following the HM, you should be running 27 km.  If you have any questions on this, please ASK!

And last but not least, your dedicated coaches WILL be at On Edge this Monday (Labour Day) at the regular time, waiting to see your smiling faces prepared to do your workouts!!

That's all for now.....have a great week!

Cal


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Week of August 24th

8/24/2014

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Unbelievable - 7 last days of August. Unbelievable. Back to heavy duty school schedules, sports and best of all fall races. Oh the excitement. I am enjoying my last week of freedom before the schedules start. So this will be short and sweet.

1. BWH - have you signed up, will you volunteer, Sept 7th - get on it. Cardiac Care Unit

2. NEW - Couch 2 5k (C25k) - Sept 15th with Jackie and Dick - Improving your health

2. Noelle Gift - R u ready for a night run - Oct 4th. Remembering and giving to the kids

3. Mo Run Sarnia - Oh yeah, its back. more details to follow - Nov 23rd - put it on your calendar. All about the MEN.

No excuses. You don't have to leave the city.

Stay tuned for another Mike Weir Park start in September. We all had some fun.

Lastly - Congrats to all who ran CRIM

Stefania for FoF

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WEEK of August 17th 2014 

8/17/2014

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We are hoping that everyone is enjoying the "Augtober" we are having. GREAT weather for running however a little cool for the middle of summer.
I am really hoping we can get some hotter weather that we can complain about plus remember when it is freezing outside!!!


How did everyone like running from Mike Weir Park this past Saturday = different venue, different routes? Please let us know since we could do other venues from time to time??

I spent the last four (4) days in the KW area doing the cycling "Tour for Kids" (Ontario Division). It was very rewarding and also gut wrenching, since every morning before the ride started and every evening after dinner, they brought out children to speak who have or have had cancer to tell their story. There were also parents there to tell the stories of children who did not make it! The event raised $1,000,000 + to send kids to camps where they can forget about their disease (for a while) and just enjoy themselves and since they are at camp  with other kids who have cancer, they do not stand out - they are just there having fun. On Saturday's ride we actually visited one of the camps. Parents attend too in order that they have a rest from the constant care giving. I sure realized how lucky I am to have healthy children and grand children and never have had to go through an ordeal like these people have had to endure.

NOW - the reason I mention this is because we, as runners, join up for races and yes the entry fee, in most cases, goes to the charity that the race is sponsoring however I do not think that we are close enough to (or know enough about) some of the local races and what they actually do for the community. The Blue Water Health run on September 7th will benefit the BWH Foundation to aid Sarnia to have a first class hospital, which I am sure we all benefit from - eventually. The same can be said for the Denise VanHooren Inspirational race in May - for the local Hospice, as well as the YMCA Bridge Race and our own MoRun. SO pick your races / events with the charity in mind - think about what the race supports and perhaps even make an effort to donate or raise a small amount for the charity that is the benefactor - it does not have to be a lot - just something to make you feel good and to show the community that you care.


The C25K runners are progressing towards their goal race (if they want to do it) on September 7th - 5K at the BWH event. Jackie and Myself will plan to run the actual route with the C25K people ( a couple of times) before the race to make sure they are familiar with the route and area. C25K runners, please plan to do this Wednesday night this week!


Finally - how about some input into how we are doing as an organization or as coaches (NOT a call for accolades). Is there anything that you would like to see us do that we are not doing? - OR - are we doing something that erks the heck out of you - lets us know with an email to feetonfirerunning@gmail.com


Dick for FoF

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Week of August 11:  Dog days.......

8/10/2014

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Yup its that time of year.....warm days.....lots of sunshine....and we're enjoying every day, knowing that fall will be here before we know it.

It's also the time when most of us are well into our training programs....everyone from C25k to marathoners are digging down deep and doing their best to complete their training.  

With all this hard work going on it's a great time to reflect and refocus a bit, so here are some thoughts on that.  There's a great Runner Academy podcast (iPhone/Android app available or go to runneracademy.com) with 
Pete Magill which I recommend to all of you.  Pete is one of the best masters runners in North America, an experienced coach and an engaging guy to listen to   For those of you who don't listen to the pod cast,  here are some of Pete's principles:

Train with the body you have: You possess a distinct physiology and a unique potential. You can’t build your body by training as if you were someone else.

Train with the fitness you have: Training too hard won’t help you reach your fitness goal more quickly. Instead, you’ll risk injury, illness, and burnout, and your fitness will suffer.

Training is a journey, not a destination: Fitness goals and race goals are just beacons. Steer for them and then keep going. As long as your fitness is improving, your training is on track.

Hard-easy rule: Hard days are followed by easy days, a few hard weeks are followed by an easy week, and a hard season is followed by a few very easy weeks.

Warm up: It takes ten to fifteen minutes of exercise (e.g., jogging, dynamic stretching, strides) for your body to become physiologically prepared for harder training.

Warm down: Although the value of a warm down is debated in physiological circles, its value is not debated by coaches and athletes. Go with the coaches and athletes on this one.

Muscle fiber range: You’ll need volume (distance) to train slow-twitch fibers and quality (reps, hills, drills, etc.) to train faster fibers. No single workout adequately trains all fibers.

The value of hills: If you want to excel as a runner, you’ll want to run hills: long hill runs, long hill repeats, and short uphill and downhill sprints.

The rule of specificity: The training you do in practice must match the activity in which you intend to compete. Biking is great but (by itself) won’t make you a better runner.

Don’t race workouts: A race is a 100 percent effort, and it requires a taper before and recovery after. A 100 percent workout requires the same. For multiple 100 percent repetitions, see the next principle.

Better under trained than over trained: Under trained, you’ll feel good, and you can always improve. Over trained, you’ll feel awful, and you’ll need weeks of rest to recover.


We try to incorporate these principles in your programs/training but if you have any questions, please let us know.

As we mentioned, next Saturday (Aug. 16) run will be in Bright's Grove, with breakfast at Huron Oaks following the run for anyone who'd like to join in.  Routes have been set out for all of the routine distances.....we'll meet at Mike Weir Park  for a 7:00 a.m. start.

Here are some of the upcoming races:
Rock the Road is Sunday, August 17th - Good luck and Have fun
CRIM - is Saturday, August 24th - Good luck to all who are running
Bluewater Health Sunday, Sept 7th - Great local cause.  Sign up now!


That's all for now.....have a great week!

Cal



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Happy August-Week of the 4th

8/3/2014

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I am up here in Quinte West - Phew, traffic on the 401 was heavy and thick. The 5 0 (police) were everywhere and family times ran wild. Golfing, fishing, food, drinks and so much laughter. Met a new running group who run from an independent store called Tri and Run in Trenton. The owners are big time Triathletes. Ran crazy hills, the view spectacular and new perspective in how others train for their goals.  If you are in the area look them up. Great bunch. From there I had the greatest pleasure of  meeting up and chatting with Julie Chidwick.  Love vacation, time has no dictation.


Well it's half way, of summer that is, and mileage is ramping up, long runs are up on Monday, race pace within your runs, greater distances on Saturday and lots of pounding pavement. This is the buckle down/suck it up month of training leading into your goals. Legs are going to hurt, back may ache, upper shoulders on fire, little aches and pains start creeping in. Exhaustion, hunger, mind games, pool parties, vacations, socializing, late nights and skipped runs. Nice, huh, makes you wonder, WHY? BECAUSE YOU CAN, WILL, and DO IT WELL. We are not here to paint pretty pictures, we are here to guide, help, encourage, motivate and basically tell you that on Race Day when you step on that line you will know deep down all these months have paid off, You will be so PROUD of yourself and what was done to be standing on that line.  As Dick said last week, NUTRITION is key so we have having our NUTRITION Chat on Wednesday night @ 5:30 in the Compu room. Please be prompt. Also,don't forget your monthly massages/chiro"s, physio appts . These are beneficial in preventative maintenance. Cross Training - can't keep telling you enough how important it is to get your core and upper body strength up to par to sustain the training and Race Day.

MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR - SATURDAY, AUGUST 16TH @ 7AM MIKE WEIR PARK, WE WILL START OUR RUN. RUNNING ALONG THE WATERFRONT / TRAIL and PATHWAY, INTO CAMLACHIE AND BACK. BREAKFAST TO FOLLOW, STAGGERED ACCORDING TO YOUR DISTANCE AT HURON OAKS. EVERYONE PLEASE COME OUT



Rock the Road is Sunday, August 17th - Good luck and Have fun

CRIM - is Saturday, August 24th
- Good luck to all who are running

Bluewater Health is Sunday, Sept 7th - Have you signed up? So easy, on our front page, click and go.

Hope everyone has and continues to enjoy this long Civic weekend, We are running Monday at 6pm

Stefania for FoF


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