Momentum

A week has flown by since my last post. Wow, it's amazing how the onset of Spring can get things so revved up.

All things running, that is.

We started training on Wednesday nights this month and have about 16 people showing up for the workouts led by Coach Ziggy Gillespie. March has been a base-building month and beginning in April, we'll do more structured strength training workouts to get ready for the Portland Sea Dogs Mother's Day 5K and Father's Day 5K. Progressively, we'll gear up for the Beach to Beacon 10K. This program is one of many offered by Peak Performance's Nor'Easter Run club.

There are free group runs on Sunday mornings. Yesterday we had eight people in spite of the rain. Nate ran circles around us as he wanted to get in some fartleks, and a few of us learned we come from similarly large families and ones where boys outnumber the girls. It's always nice to run with friends. You never know what you'll hear or see.

Another Nor'Easter Run program begins at the end of May. In preparation for the Peak Performance Maine Marathon and Half-Marathon on October 4th, I'll be coordinating an 18-week training program. Participants will follow a customized schedule and get together with the group for long runs on Sunday mornings. There will be an informational meeting about this program on April 29th, at Peak Performance.

There are several free running clinics scheduled this season covering topics such as stretching and massage, gait and running efficiency, strength training, nutrition, and of course, injury prevention. You can go here to learn more about them and to register.

For fun and games, Nor'Easter Run has put together a Scavenger Hunt series beginning the first Monday in May. The idea is to come with a partner; each pair of runners will get the same list of items to scavenge; teams will have one hour to run around Portland gathering the stuff; fastest team with the most correct items wins. There will be a weekly winner and a series winner. The hunt takes place every Monday in May from 5:45 - 6:45 P.M. Now, how can you resist such silliness? Please register here.

We also realize not everyone can or wants to run. Therefore, we've created Nor'Easter Walk. Folks can get specialized coaching and support, and meet as a group every Tuesday for an evening walk. If you know anyone who might want to participate, please pass along the information. It is open to all levels of walkers, from those just getting off the couch to cardiac re-hab patients, fit and fast walkers, to those interested in weight loss. There's a lot to gain from making the commitment to join.

As always, I would love to hear from you or see you at a Nor'Easter Run event. Did I mention there are road races nearly every weekend.....