Brrrr...4th Week of Training Runs

Well the good news of this morning was we had a nice short 5 mile run on the schedule. Sole Train member Michelle braved the cold weather along with her fearless run leaders Bobby and Sandra. There was a pretty decent turn out on the whole for being such a cold and windy day. The overall pace today was a bit slower than normal due to the dodging of the ice on the roadways. The course was a fun and windy route through some really neat neighborhoods.



Although it was quite chilly, it was fun to have a nice crowd around. I suppose the saying is true...Misery does indeed love company. As we passed the bank, I documented that it was indeed that cold out...



The time was indeed 8 something in the morning on Saturday...and temp....



a balmy 14 degrees. That's the actual temperature...doesn't take into account the wind and what the windchill might be. When we went by the bank, I did a double take because when I drove by the bank on my way to Veteran's park earlier it read 16...dropped a whole 2 degrees in just a half an hour. BRRRR

But we all made it back to Veteran's park. No worse for the wear, except the accumulation of a few icicles in our hair..



Hopefully next Saturday it will be a bit warmer with a bit less ice obstacles to deal with. Just keep in mind that if you can run in these conditions, spring weather will seem wonderful!!

Happy Running everyone, and Happy New Year!!

A Snowy Week 3

Well it's week 3 of marathon training for the 10th running of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in April. It was a tad bit snowy out (okay 10" in places is more than a tad), but the fearless run leaders of Sole Train headed out on Saturday to the group run. There were 22 other runners out that morning. It was smart that everyone used their own discretion whether to venture out or not. It was very slow going. The Sole Train team averaged around a 20 min/mile pace for the 3.5 miles completed. Sandra was a little hesitant about venturing out at all as she has a marathon in just 2 short weeks. Hopefully it will be nicer next Saturday. We are scheduled to do a nice 5-mile run.




Hope everyone had a great week!! Enjoy the last few days of 2009!

Remember that Runners World puts on a run New Year's Eve that starts at 11:45 PM so that you can end 2009 running and start 2010 running. Yeah it's a little cold and crazy, but having done it last year I can tell you it's an absolute blast!!!

http://www.tatur.org/RINY.html

2nd Week of Training in the books

It was great to have some more members of Sole Train join us today.


Greg brought his running buddy Remi (short for Remington) to join us on the group. Sole train welcomes the 4-legged runners.



Stephanie and Ashley also ran with the group. Word is that Stephanie wound up connecting with the "Faster than Oprah" group. Which is a good reminder that you don't necessarily have to be an official member of any group you decide to run with on any particular day. We just want to make sure everyone knows their route and how many miles they are scheduled to do.



Michelle was back for her 2nd week as well, and Sophie joined the group as well.

It was not too bad weather wise for a 6 mile loop around the river with an extra mile tacked on to make it a 7 mile run. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and seemed to have a grand ol' time. Here are the splits according to Bobby's Garmin for the run:

Mile 1: 13:37
Mile 2: 13:17
Mile 3: 13:10
Mile 4: 13:30
Mile 5: 13:08
Mile 6: 12:25
Mile 7: 13:20

Total Time: 1:32
Average Pace: 13:13

It should also be noted that bobby does not stop his Garmin at water stops, bathroom breaks, or waiting on traffic. So his times are true to how long you were out there from start to finish.

A little note about some running etiquette:

When running on the River Parks Trail:
The new trail is divided into 2 halves. The East half is for bikers and the West half is for Runners. When using this trail you want to stay to the far right. We usually recommend trying to stay only 2 people abroad so that we are not monopolizing the trail or making it difficult for other runners or bikers to pass us. When the trail is not divided for pedestrians and bikes, stay as close to the right as possible.

When running on roads:
It is best practice to run into oncoming traffic, this means that you will be running on the left side of the road. Same as on the trail, it is best to not run more than 2 people across as you never know when a car will come toward you.

I run with an ipod, however I always have one ear bud in and one out, make sure that you can hear someone that is next to you or right behind you even if your music is on. As the weather gets warmer (it will happen) more bikes will appear along our routes, and you need to hear them coming when they announce they will be passing you. Also you just need to have good awareness of your environment and what is going on.

Week 1 Long Run

It was great to meet Ashley, Greg, and Michelle at the week 1 start of training for the Oklahoma City Marathon. It seemed to be quite chilly out, but once we all got moving the cold didn't seem to be as much of a factor. Ashley was off to run the jingle bell run (Hope ya had a blast!). So Greg, Michelle, Bobby and Sandra went out to represent Sole Train. The pace range for the group is between 13-14 minute mile average. We did quite well at maintaining that and keeping it toward the upper end of that range today. Michelle shared that the furthest she has run to date is a 5K. Greg shared that his longest run to date is the Tulsa Run 15K this past October. Members of Sole Train were a bit nervous about heading out for a "short" 6 miles, but they got it done with ease and with styles. Here was our group's splits per Sandra's Garmin.

Mile 0-1: 13:41
Mile 1-2: 13:44
Mile 2-3: 13:45
Mile 3-4: 13:51
Mile 4-5: 13:57
Mile 5-6: 13:17
Mile 6-6.5: 14:26

Average Pace over the entire distance (even counting waiting for lights and water stops): 13:45

Congratulations go out to Sole Team members Charles & Ashely for their strong finishes at the Jingle Bell Run!! Way to go!

Welcome to Sole Train

Your "fearless leaders" Bobby and Sandra are excited to have you "on board" for an adventure of training for a marathon. Whether you are planning on doing the Oklahoma City marathon or some other marathon, we hope to help you achieve your goals. The team name "Sole Train" comes from the fun play on words of soul and sole of your shoe. For those of you who have done marathon's before you know that it takes a lot to get it done...those of you who are training for your first, well...you will learn a lot about your heart and soul as it relates to running during this adventure.

Just a little about your run leaders...

Bobby is never found sleeping on the job. Only in the airport on the way home from running the Athens Greece marathon in November. Bobby has completed 5 marathons (Route 66 may have made 6, sorry Bobby I don't remember). His first marathon was Route 66 of 2008. He is a very down to earth and extremely reliable runner. No matter the weather or running conditions, Bobby will be there.

Sandra is usually the one trying to make "light" of everything. She completed her first marathon in Athens, Greece in November. She also then made the decision to run the Route 66 marathon and is scheduled to run the Disney marathon on January 10, 2010. Sandra hopes to use her role as run leader to help those who feel that they "can't" or it's "impossible" know that they can and it really is possible.

We hope to capture all of the members of Sole Train throughout the training session and share happenings within the group.