September 4, 2007

We had a slim group of three, Susan, Matt, and Mark Hixson. We had a nice run a wee shorter than we anticipated due to getting lost for about 15-20 minutes. We recovered and ran about 4 miles. As it is getting dark sooner we will continue our runs until the end of September. No Bears were sited during our run. Hope to see a few more members next week now that school is in progress. If you would like to keep in touch, send me your email address for future fall group runs.

REMINDER TO REGISTER OF THE YMCA 5K ROAD RACE ON THE 23RD OF SEPTEMBER PREREGISTRATION ENDS SATURDAY 9/8 (ONLY $20)

-- Mark Hixson

Weekly Run Group 8/28

We had 8 members this week, forming 2 groups one male and one female group. The temperatures were mid 80's with a fair amount of humidity. We continue to run about 6-7 miles averaging 7-10 minute per mile depending on the day. This week we had our second bear siting while we were standing in the McCleans parking lot. It was crossing 10 & 202 by the Human Society, no threat to us. Unless you had a back pack full of bird seed. Many of our run group members are training for fall events. If you know anyone that would benefit from our group run please recommend us, running with a group has greater benefits than running solo. As the daylight hours shrink we figure our group will run through September early October. Come join us before the days get to short to run @6pm.

Weekly Run Group

The Weekly Run group had a bumper crop of runners this past Tuesday with
12 people participating in the run. We are averaging about 5-6 miles
running in 2 groups with times ranging from 54:00-1hr. The weather has
been stellar for the past month. Let us know if Tuesday is a conflict
with anyone, we can always look into moving it to Thursday to
accommodate triathletes who compete Tuesday evenings.
Let me know.
Running tid bit: Lean forward slightly on the down hills your momentum
will increase.
Till Next Tuesday have a great week.
Mark Hixson

Blog Post

Many thanks to Matt Smith you who took my place as the official 6pm run
starter on Tuesday's Run. I was unable to attend due to a pre-engagment
to see the River Dance performance in Hartford. I'm thinking about doing
some cross training with them (NOT).
We had another 10 runners and with 2-3 groups forming. Weather was
ideal again, and next week we will have two groups one group running 4-5
miles and the second group running for any hour 7-8 miles. Hartford
Track Club has our group run information out to its members so we may
get a few new runners in the future.
Thanks for all those who showed.
Reminder when running hard or racing keep your jaw loose and relaxed.
See you next week
Mark Hixson

Tonight's Run

Hi guys,

It looks like the weather will be great for another run tonight! Let me know how it goes. Have we had lots of sucess with the Hartford Runners Club?

May Day Run

Doug I hope you don't mind posting for me I don't have a google connection.

For Tuesday's May Day run we had nice running weather and a great group
of 10 runners of which 6 are becoming regulars, 3 were from out of state
IL/CA thanks Steve for bringing your guests and we had one new member.
Welcome aboard!
We ran about 5-5.5 miles in about 45-55 minutes (group range). Steve
and Eileen have been showing us some nice runs through Mcleans. Our
tempo has picked up, at the same time groups are starting to form.
Reminder those who are running in the group keep spreading the word and
bring a friend.
Granby 10k Road Race is Sunday 5/6 @ 1pm weather looks like it will be
Awesome!
Did you know group running pass the time quicker.
See you next Tuesday.
Mark

Tuesday Run Group

Thanks for all those you showed up this past Tuesday the weather was
awesome!! We had a group of 7 runners and ran about 4.5 miles. We
had two groups that ran with in an ear shot, at about a 7-9 minute per
mile. The Hartford Track Club will have information about the Tuesday
Run in their next news letter so we should see a few more runners.
Keep spreading the word about our weekly run and we'll see everyone
again on Tuesday at McCleans at 6 pm.
Thanks
Mark Hixson

Run 4/24

Are we running from the Mcleans parking lot at 6pm? I will be there.

S

Tuesday Run 4/17

I will be at the Rails to Trails Parking lot on the corner of Rt 315 and
Rt 202 today ready to run at 6 pm. All are welcome, remember stronger
in numbers, more the merry.
Reminder the Simsbury River Run 5k and 10k is this Sunday weather is
going to be awesome!!!!
Mark Hixson

Good Luck to the Boston Runners

I hope you guys survive the weather. Good Luck!!

Great Start

I also want to add my thanks to those who helped get this started. I now know what Mark looks like from the front - that has never happened in a race!

I look forward to running with the group in McLean's in the evening. I will miss the run this week, but I will leave maps with Ruth Monday.

See you all soon

steve

Thanks Doug!

Doug,
Thanks for setting up this Blog. Great Idea! I missed Tuesday's meeting (parents meeting at the High School for spring sports) but am very excited about this group.

I am recovering from a pretty tough bout of Plantar Fasciitis and haven't run much since the first of the year. I am now slowly gaining minimum mileage so hope to join you for some runs in the next few weeks.

I would be curious to know about everyone's running story and if anyone has any goals or races for this year.

I will start: I have run off and on since HighSchool with no great effort or enthusiasm. Then in 2005 I decided to lose weight and get healthy. I revamped my diet and started on the path of losing 55lbs. My good friend and occasional "jogging" partner suggested I train for a half marathon. That was it I became a runner at heart through that training process. I ran the Hartford Half in October of '05 and have run steadily since. Last year I logged a PR of 1250 miles. I am not fast but have fun. I run a 9 min mile for most runs. I love the distance runs. We have a group of 4 women who run 3x a week at 5:00 am and do about 6 - 7 miles (not me for awhile though). My sister and I had plans of training and running the Myrtle Beach Marathon this past February but she had surgery on her foot in October. We retooled our goal to Hartford '07 but not sure the PF will allow me this year - will have to see. One thing the PF has taught me is any running is good running, and every step I run I am very, very thankful for!!

Other activites for excercise are spin classes, stairmaster, elliptical and swimming.

Probably more than you wanted to know!! LOL

Annual Road Race Planning

I just want to remind anyone involved in the road race committee that our next meeting is this coming MONDAY, April 9, at 7pm in the conference room at the Y. Please let Maggie Griffin know if you plan on attending, or if we should reschedule the meeting?

DJT Wellness Festival & Bike Ride

Just a friendly reminder about the upcoming DJT Wellness Festival & Bike Ride on Saturday, June 9, 2007 from 10:30 am – 4 pm. The race will begin at Avon Park North at Dill, Joyce & Thresher, 19 Ensign Drive, Avon, CT - between Routes 44 & 10/202. Choose to ride your bike a distance of 5 miles to 100 miles to raise money for local charities.

First Meeting and First Run!

Welcome to the Farmington Valley YMCA's Running Club!

We had a productive first meeting last Monday, setting plans for regular runs and follow-up meetings.

Mark your calendar for next Tuesday, April 10th for a run through McLean Game Refuge. Anyone interested in running with our Runner’s club should be at the Salmon Brook entrance to McLean Game Refuge at 6 pm sharp!

A few of the runners are very familiar with McLean and have assured us that they know the trails. Steve Worthington will also be able to provide a few maps of McLean trails (just in case).

The run is open to all levels of runners, but it is recommended that you be able to complete at least 3 miles. The group runs are met to provide a fun venue for runners to get together to improve their running skills.

On Tuesday, the group will split into smaller groups based upon experience, speed, and length of run desired. We’re looking for group leaders to help out with this part! Small groups will head out into the trails at 6 pm sharp. Mark Hixson has generously agreed to facilitate the organization of this first run.

Online Running Tools

At our first meeting, Mark Hixson suggested using MarathonGuide.com for logging and tracking your progress.

Other tools include Nike's high-end tracking system, dubbed Nike+, which includes a transponder inset into a pair of Nike+ shoes, which then interfaces with an iPod or iPod Nano. The shoe-iPod combination tracks your distance, and you can create playlists that vary depending on your run. When you synch your iPod after each run, the exercise data uploads to Nike's site, and you can track your progress (and that of virtual teams) over time. If you want to pony up for the $100+ Nike shoes, ~$30 transponder, and ~$150 iPod, it's a great toolset. Learn more by visiting the Nike+ site.

Runner's World has a lot of great training tools as well. Visit their site to learn more.

There area slew of other tools available, some of which you can find listed here: http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_sw.html

Has anyone found other helpful training tools?