Run from the heart. Right now you are on the brink. On the brink? On the brink of what, you ask? Sounds terrifying. Sounds exciting. It is. And, it is. This Saturday marks the last of your long runs for the season. You have somewhere between two and three weeks before your race day. The taper will officially be here. While tapering does wonders for your body, it can also play some nasty tricks on you mentally. You are now on the brink. For sure you are on the brink of accomplishing something amazing. This whole journey has brought each of you through a trial of miles that has changed you. You have grown through this experience. You are ready to race. You are ready to jump right back in and do it all over again. If you've really put the hammer down on your training may also find yourself on another sort of less pleasant brink. You are teetering on a fine line between being in top physical shape, and succumbing to injury. You're pushing yourself to the limits. After Saturday, don't let all your hard work go to waste. Shut it down. enjoy the taper. Don't get tricked into thinking you can squeeze one more hard workout in that will surely drop 20 seconds off you time. Yesterday, I was in the middle of what is traditionally my favorite workout to do, and I like to do it about 10 days out from a goal race. Whether that be a 5K or marathon. Midway through my workout I began to question everything. Are my legs ready? Are my lungs ready? My heart? By the time I finished up my last rep I had all but convinced myself that I'd over done it. Then I ran by the sign on the Olentangy Trail dedicated to my high school coach. On it is his timeless quote "Run as hard as you can, then let your heart take you the rest of the way." Coach Smith has been the most profound influence on my running and my career. He frequently reminded me to get out of my head and run from my heart. Running past his sign yesterday helped me do just that. Over the next couple of weeks you will experience feeling of elation and doubt. Trust your training. You are ready. Remember, less than one-half of a percent of our population has run a marathon. You are among a small but mighty crowd. Run from your heart and you'll do just fine. See you Saturday. Jeff Quick Updates, Notes & Reminders Don't forget to mark your calendars for all of our upcoming clinics! View the full schedule here! Our next clinic is Tuesday, April 18th! - Cap City Race Prep - Race Day Success Tactics - Coach Randy will make sure you have everything you need for race day, Coach Dave and Hilary will talk you through race strategy, and ways to make the most of your day. Join us Tuesday from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Fleet Feet on Polaris Join us in the woods after the workout Saturday!! We have 50 pine trees to plant at the Rocks and Roots Trail! Come join us and get your hands dirty! Tree planting day is 4/15 and then join us for alittle race at the Dirt of the Earth 10K & Half on the 4/23! dirtoftheearth.com New and Noteworthy Cap City Race Day Logistics We are finalizing plans for race day and wanted to give you a heads up on a few items. Where will we meet? We will again be meeting at the Hyatt. This year we will meet on the first floor in in the Hayes room. Plan to park in the hotel garage or the lots to the east of the hotel off Nationwide Blvd. E-mail jeff@fleetfeetcolumbus.com if you plan on joining us! What time should you arrive? The room will be open as early as 5:00am. Come early, relax, and join us as we walk you to the starting corrals! What about my gear? Leave that to us and our wonderful volunteers! We will transport your bags to celebration village. You just worry about following our crew to the starting line! Not racing? We Need Volunteers! We could use a few helping hands with transporting gear and of course our world famous cheer station! Click here to fill out our Google Form letting us know where you can help! Running Glass City Half or Full in Toledo?! Join us before and after the race in our cheer station tent located in mile 26! You can drop your gear, invite your friends and family to cheer you on from here, and then join us as we cheer on the rest of MIT as they finish up the race! We will have a Fleet Feet tent, complete with lawn chairs, coolers full of tasty beverages, and a safe, secure spot to keep your gear while you race! E-mail jeff@fleetfeetcolumbus.com if you plan on joining us! Work-Out Notes Can't make it Saturday? Join Team FrontRunner on Sunday at 7:00am. They are running from Three Creeks Metro Park. Email frtraininggroup@sbcglobal.net if interested in joining them Sunday, and Mike will get you the details! Also, don't forget about Core With Marie and Yoga with Marcy. Core with Marie starts at 10am at Fleet Feet Polaris on Sunday. Yoga with Marcy starts at 10am at FrontRunner on Lane on Sunday. Saturday April 15th, 2017 FrontRunner Worthington Start: 7:30AM Distances: Cap City Half Mileage: 12 Flying Pig Full Mileage: 20 Be sure to arrive no later than 7:15am! Educational Topic of the Week Tapering! Race day is coming before we know it! Most of you have 2-3 weeks until your race. Over the past several months you've logged hundreds of hard miles and those miles have prepared you for the task ahead. Know that each long workout, every speed workout, and all the other workouts in between have served a purpose, and you are now physically and mentally prepared to achieve your goal! Perfect recovery workout during your taper! AlterG anti-gravity treadmill can assist you with precise unweighting technology on a treadmill which has the following benefits: Thank you to our sponsors! |