Tuesday, December 9, 2008

First Mid-Winter Group Run, First Snow

We launched our Peak Performance Mid-Winter Training Group this past Sunday, as the first snow fell on the greater Portland-area. Cape Elizabeth was pleasantly quiet for our 9:00 A.M. start, and our group was a very spirited 13 runners. In the weeks before the run, nearly 40 people responded to the open invitation to get together on Sunday mornings throughout December and January. Most are in-training for the Mid-Winter Classic 10-miler on February 1st, (check out the course here) but it is certainly not a pre-requisite to joining. Every week will be a new adventure with different faces!

Paul and I had put out two waterstops along the 10-mile course, and we had bagels, fruit and gatorade for the post-run. At the beginning we introduced ourselves, most for the first time, and talked about how long and fast we planned to run that day. I also let people know my preference for training on the course in a clockwise direction, at least for the first few weeks. We'll definitely run the race course several times, which is counter-clockwise, but I think it's harder; the downhill first mile can be deceiving for first-timers; legs aren't warmed-up for the hills in miles two and three; and I just like running it clockwise! It's an awesome run to build base and strength and to get familiar with the territory.

We had a range of paces and distances covered - Justin was probably running a seven minute pace for seven, and we had a couple at ten minutes; six-miles was the shortest leg, and six of us ran the ten miles, Pat and Rick for the first time! I love firsts, especially in running accomplishments. Kudos gentlemen.

The snow was certainly not a deterrent, altough it did get too chilly to hang around too long afterward. Dry clothing was a saving grace!

So there you have it - our inaugural mid-winter group run. It was really pleasant and I know the folks who made it out were definitely glad they did. Hope to see you next Sunday.

1 comment:

Rich said...

Jeanne it certainly was allot of fun..A blast is a better word for it. For all that didn't make it. I personally look forward to meeting you. I ran with several different individuals thruout the morning and loved the conversation. And before I knew it...I finished and ran my first 10 miles. yaaaaa. Thanks to all! After was great too. We got to talk to everyone that had already finished or came in at a different time. The food was GREAT. I think I ate 3 bagels myself. hehe. Anyways Jeanne and Paul are so welcomeing and with so many different paces and styles, anyone will feel right at home. I make the trip 45min. from Sanford and its worth it!! I look forward to seeing you all again on Sunday and meeting some new friends as well.
Have a great week.
Rich