Speed Work aka Time to Hurl!

Okay, I know that sounds gross, let me explain.

I looked at the schedule for today's speed workout and wondered if there was a mistake or was coach Marisa trying to kill me. :)  Then I figured she wanted to push my limits and see what I could accomplish. Challenge accepted!

Since it was supposed to rain all day today, I did this workout on the treadmill early this morning. Here's how it went:

15 minute warm up at 9:15 pace. That was just fine and dandy. Then I began the first of the 5 mile repeats on the schedule. These were to be done at a 6:45-6:50 min/mile pace. I set the speed at 8.8 mph, which is a 6:49 min/mile pace. Fast, but I handled it. After a 1.5 min recovery walk, up went the speed to 8.8 mph for the second mile. I repeated this for the third and fourth mile. Each time was more difficult, but I was determined to finish at this speed. As I approached the tail end of the fourth mile, something in my gut started to rebel...I was thinking, just let me finish this mile and I'll cut it short, but alas it was not to be. I ended .08 short on the fourth mile and couldn't do any more. I walked the 5 minute cool down and hoped my stomach would recede back were it belonged.

Now, if I had done this workout at the track, I would have naturally slowed to a pace that I could handle and completed all five mile repeats. Treadmills are different. You set the speed and you either have to keep up, hold down a button to slow down or stop, or failing that, jump or fall off. In my stubbornness, I refused to slow down until I just couldn't do it anymore.

I learned a lesson today. It's okay to slow down, especially if it helps you get to your goal.

~Suzanne

Continental Divide 10K

I love running on trails, so when I was browsing for a race to fit in my schedule, I found this 10K in Laurel Springs, NC. It looked like so much fun! Little did I know what I was getting into. Of course when I mentioned it to my running friends, Lori, Crystal and Andy, they were in! I found out that Hollis and Carl have been running this race for the past couple of years and they love it!

Lori, Crystal and I, with our significant others, went up the day before the race. We stayed at Freeborne's, which is sort of a biker bar/motel/restaurant. Great restaurant and very nice folks! After a hearty lunch of burgers, wings and beer, we went to the local winery for a tasting. We fit in a little relaxation, then a lighter dinner of wine and salad with chicken (but the brownie dessert was decadent!)

Race morning was cool and foggy. After a light breakfast in the room, we headed to the site. The sun came out and it warmed up quickly. The men started at 9am, so we were able to watch them start and finish. The women started at 10:15am.

OMG...did I mention this was in the mountains? Did I mention the trail elevation changes? Steep downhills, steep uphills, trees across the trail, drop-offs, switchbacks and rock climbing...yeah...AWESOME! My finishing time was 1:18, something (the official results aren't up yet.) That is a long time for a 10K, but considering the course, I felt really good about it.

I won first place in my age group...Well I was the only one in my age group :) Lori and I also won these fancy medals, but it was a mistake and we had to give them back since we're not USATF members. Maybe we should join!

Looking forward to continuing training with the Evolve Running Squad. Tuna 200 relay coming up!

~Suzanne

Trail Racing???

Well, the Continental Divide Trail Raced with Crystal Craig, Suzanne Sullivan, Carl Dixon, and Andy Sheppard, is in the history books.
I'm not sure it can be called a  "race"!  More like a climb, run, crawl, walk!! 
It was an experience, never before encountered, and I loved it!
From the trip up and overnight stay @ Freeborne's, to the awards ceremony!
Suzanne, Crystal, and I (along with our significant others), enjoyed a few awesome meals, a few beers, some wine @ Freeborne's Eatery, as we relaxed on Friday, getting ready for the race.  In between lunch and dinner, we went to the Thistle Meadow Winery for some wine tasting too!
Then Saturday---we all completed the most grueling 10K ever!  The crowd was small, but many elites in attendance.  Some of the men and women in the race were AMAZING!
Great job to Carl, Hollis, and Suzanne, who all won awards!
And, Suzanne and I won awards--1st in our age group, but then got them "stripped" because we were not USATF members(guess we need to join)!  Oh, well, in our hearts, we know we're winners and now know how Lance Armstrong feels-Ha!
I feel we'll do it again next year, and coach...we definately will need more hills and trails to prepare.  Perhaps a few trips to the mountains to actually experience the true topography of the race would be in order!
Another great experience with the Evolve Running Squad!!

Continental Divide Trail Race 8/25/2012

The Hill Crew with "couch" Nestor!

Saturday Run with Coach Marisa (8/18/2012)

Great run on the Greenway this morning!
Attendees:
Marisa, Tad, Marta, Hollis, Carl, Suzanne, Lori!
And, Kim!!
Nice of Carl to get out of bed to join us!!  Ha Ha! 
I was so shocked and surprised when Marisa said I could do the 6.2 with the Trail Runners!  I came (prepared?) to run 12 today!
It was a great, somewhat fast run.
Nice to be able to talk to our beloved coach and team members before and after the run.
Then, I went to Off N Running and picked up my funky trail shoes!
Have a great weekend team....anyone who wants to join me @ Bikram Hot Yoga on Sunday, I'll be there @ 10:30 (as usual)!!

New Trail Shoes-Funky, Huh? Guess Who??

Stupid Weather.com

Well--the experts @ weather.com predicted an 80% chance of thunderstorms in Greensboro today between 5-7 with the best chance @ 6:00.

So as not to risk driving in to town and get rained out, I did my track workout tonight on the treadmill!

Got 'er done, though!
4 x 200
10 X 400
Pace set @ 6:40 for each!
Felt strong and steady throughout!

7 miles total w/ the w/u, c/d, and recovery 200 walks.

Getting there!

I am feeling good about how my training is going at this point. Last Thursday's run at Country Park felt good and I was able to steadily increase my pace on each loop ending strong. Saturday's 8 mile run at Salem-Lake was hard, but I felt strong and kept a good fast pace the middle 4 miles and brought it in the final two not as fast, but steady and didn't drop off too much.

It's great when the group is able to run together. Lori, Nestor, Mauricio and I ran together (for the most part) on Thursday at Country Park and we also started together Saturday at Salem Lake.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at GDS track tomorrow! And Marisa will meet with us Saturday morning! Yay!

~Suzanne

Take the red pill.

Week 5.... - check!

I am SO proud of myself- not for doing the running necessarily, but mostly for making the training a priority and not missing a single run or strength work out. And the cool thing about that is that I'm beginning to see some results!

The mile repeats last Tuesday, although very hard, were my best times ever! Then yesterday's 11 miles felt really good -- my times were great (for me, anyway) and I felt good the whole time.

I ended up not going to Salem Lake with everyone else (because I ended up sleeping for an extra 1/2 hour) so I ran alone on The Greenway --- it was cool and beautiful - and that view at the bridge, after the storm was breathtaking....

LSD in between Thunderstorms!

Saturday at Salem Lake!
Serious thunderstorms last night, but it appeared we would have a window of opportunity!
Headed out the door--rain starts.
Get to the lake--rain stops!
Got in a great 13 mile run!  Suzanne was there, Nestor and Mauricio too.   No rain during the run!
Ran warm up with Suzanne, and then she "took off" to complete her speedy 8 miles.
Ran about 5 with Nestor-then, he "took off".  Was able to get in another mile with him at the half-way point! 
Met a nice young lady-Hillary--out there and ran a couple with her.  Turns out she is also training for the MCM--her first marathon.  She was doing 17 today!  I was completely happy to be doing 13!
The trail was in terrific shape.   Since the work they did out there, no more mud or water holes, even after the serious rain we've had the last two nights!
After the run, I rewarded myself with a pedicure.  Ohhhhh--how good it felt!
~Lori

Mile Repeats - Running from the Law

Tuesday's workout started out fairly normal for an early evening in August. Thunderstorms were threatening, but we had a window of opportunity. A good turnout from the group at the Grimsley High School track. Marta, Lori, Andy, Nestor, Mauricio, Crystal and myself. The gate was locked when we showed up, but it was not a deterrent. We jumped the fence.

After a good warm-up, we started mile repeats. After our first mile, we were interupted by a man in uniform. (Well, he had a logo on his shirt.) He asked if he could help us. Andy replied kindly, "No, we're good." He then proceeded to tell us that we were trespassing and needed permission to run at the track. We assured him that we did indeed have permission. Turns out that the permission wasn't forwarded to him, the Athletic Director and he knew nothing about it. He graciously let us finish our workout and coach Marisa said she would follow up.

For the record, my mile times were: 6:58, 7:18, 7:28 & 7:08. Easy to remember because they all ended in 8.

Coming up - loops at Country Park, then long run at Salem Lake.

~Suzanne

"Methinks that the moment my legs began to move, my thoughts began to flow."
- Henry David Thoreau

LSD/TRACK

Hollis..love the logo!! Thanks.

Saturday Urban Loop went very well.  I did 11.5 miles and finished running south on Elm Street to the Green Bean parking lot.
Marta, Suzanne, Mauricio, and I then did core work!
Scary thing happened.  As we were finishing up, some fire engines and ambulances went screaming up Elm St.  About 2 blocks north of the Green Bean, they cordoned off the block with yellow crime scene tape.  I saw a white sheet.   Come to find out, some man jumped from the parking deck @ Elm and Bellemeade, committing suicide!!!  YUCK!

After the run, I went to OFF N Running with Marta.  Got new shoes and trail shoes, recovery socks, total support inserts, and a pair of 60% off running pants (ready for winter now)!  Economic boost to the economy and tax free weekend to boot!

Track tonight was great.  Good turn out--Nestor, Mauricio, Andy, Crystal, Suzanne, Marta, and I!  Only one draw-back--we got banished from the track by the AD, stating we didn't have permission.  He was nice enough, however to let us finish our workout (some of us were actually hoping he wouldn't!!)!!

Happy Running!!

New Stuff

The Evolve Running Squad is now in full swing at week #4. Thanks to Hollis for the super cool logo!

One thing I love about running is getting new stuff. It's always very useful stuff, so I have a good excuse for buying it! My new shoes came in last week at Off 'N Running and I stopped in on Thursday to pick them up. I also bought a pair of bright pink compression socks. I put them on after my 10 mile run on Saturday and wore them while doing laundry and housework. Let me tell you - they felt great!! I don't know why I never tried these before! I tried out my Newton MV²s this morning on the 'mill. They are very stream-lined, light as a feather, and have that great Newton feel.

We have a new schedule from coach Marisa with some great workouts! We are going to be lean, mean, running machines! My first race is coming up the end of this month. I plan on being ready for it!

~Suzanne

Holla!

Thanks to Hollis, we have an official logo...look above...

Congrats to Crystal and Andy for bringing home hardware from "The Rabid Squirrel".

For those on vacay...I hope you are getting some R & R and running without a watch.

LSD Runners, good Urban Loop?  Some GB treats post trot?

Shout out from Chapel Hill!
~Marisa

Hills--first time this season

Great hill repeats with the "squad".
Nestor was our couch (aka, coach).
6 hill repeats and then celebration of Marta's birthday @ Kickback Jacks.

Craig Stresemann was our photographer!

Saturday, July 28th-Salem Lake

Nice run this morning with my good pals, Suzanne Sullivan and Marta Mitchell! 
It felt nice and cool when we started out, but that was somewhat deceiving.  It was humid!  By the end, we all looked like we'd jumped in the lake (like Marta said)!!
It was my longest run (10 miles) since the Boston Marathon.  I'm getting back into the mileage slowly and am slightly behind my "plan", but I'm enjoying the slower build and the companionship of my pals.   It's early..there's time to bust it out later!
Last week it was 8 miles, this week 10.  Next week..we'll see!  Gotta feel how the body is doing after this week and my beloved hills on Tuesday!
I have no photos to show, but Marta did a great job capturing the scenery from this morning!
~~~Lori S.

Long Run #3

We ran our 10 miles this morning at beautiful, shady Salem Lake. It was lovely to start with, then the humidity really hit -- by the time we were done we looked like we had jumped in the lake!
It was hard, but I felt ok. I was able to keep Lori and Suzanne within sight for about 3 miles, then they were gone.... (we met up again at the end).
Ahhhh- after a great breakfast and a "power nap", I'm now ready to face the rest of the weekend!
Marta-

Finally in the Groove!

This is my first posting..hadn't been able to get in before!
Tuesday track night with Hollis, Carl, Suzanne, Marta, and Tad went well.  It was supposed to be brutally hot, but the storms in the area and the clouds kept the heat at bay.
It was an intense workout, but felt great to get the speed work going!
The strength training with Brent was great!  He gave us instructions and a handout WITH PHOTOS! 
And, afterwards, we celebrated Carl's birthday with grub and a few brews @ the Tap Room!  FUN WITH THE GROUP (we're sorry Marta and Tad couldn't join us).
I am out of town tonight and it is brutally hot!
So, I did my "tempo" on the treadmill @ the hotel and Brent's core/strength training afterwards.
So glad I had the choice of doing tonights run inside!
I may hit the treadmill again in the am before going to work, so that I can spend some time with my family on Friday evening when I get back in town!
Thanks to my team mates and Marisa for the fun we're having so far!
Week 2's almost in the bag and I'm feeling good!
~~~Lori Stresemann

New track and new strength workout

Last Tuesday, the group met at Grimsley High-school's new track. It was nice and springy! We did need to pick up a few obstacles in the way, but otherwise, it was great! I found the workout quite strenuous, but was able to finish strong.

The strength training session with Brent Lester was very helpful. Brent was great to work with, showing us the exercises and taking time with each of us to make sure we were using correct form. The program he designed for us will help with range of motion, balance and core fitness-all needed for runners. Some of the exercises I have already been doing regularly - pushups and bridges. Balance has been a problem for me, so I hope these exercises will help with that.

~Suzanne

I feel stronger already!

Last night, after our track workout, six of us were lucky enough to have a strength training session with Brent Lester. Thanks to Marisa, our Evolve Multisport coach and trainer, Brent came by to give us tips, exercise suggestions, and form critique, which I'm sure will make us better runners (and judging by the sore muscles I am now experiencing, the workout was very effective!).

An activity I do in addition to running, as cross training, is tennis -- and one of the things I found interesting about last night's strength workout is that several of the exercises that Brent suggested (specifically the side-to-side exercises) are things that we do regularly during cardio-tennis workouts. Brent explained that runners, bikers, swimmers, are forward moving athletes, therefore we need to work on lateral motion to help prevent injury. I wish I had asked Brent about tennis, but I have been thinking about that since last night - and I guess tennis must then be a good complement to running....

I took these photos last year at the US Open. Watching these players on TV is amazing, but watching them live really enables one to see their mind blowing strength!

Marta-

Back in training mode.

I told myself I wasn't going to train seriously this summer. I'm not running a fall marathon, so I thought I would take it easy. That doesn't mean I wasn't going to run at all. I even planned on running a trail 1/2 marathon. I wanted to have a flexible schedule and run whenever I felt like it.

After recovering from the Boston Marathon, I started back slowly. I had a pretty good routine going, running three times a week, cross training and strength training on non-running days. I would take one day off a week.

When Marisa invited a select group to train this summer, I couldn't resist! (Sorry, Bill.) So here I am again...meeting with the group three times a week and fitting in the other workouts around group runs. Tuesday track, Thursday tempo or hills and of course Saturday 7am long runs. Yes, I'm hooked!

This first week has proved to me that I'm not quite in the shape I need to be...but I'll be there soon if I stay with the program Marisa has for us!

I'm honored to be part of the Evolve Multisport team with Coach Marisa!

~Suzanne

Bonked

Bonked today. Legs and body were not into it at all. barely 3 miles for me today. Hope to recover and refocus for training this week.
Tad

One of the many pleasures of running

As we start this new running season, it just turns out that I am working/vacationing at Kure Beach, NC for the very first week of training, therefore doing my long run on my own.

So I head out on this beautiful early Saturday morning determined to complete my "assigned" 9 miles.

As I ran I was reflecting on one of the many reasons I enjoy running: The sights! When we run (some of us not as fast as others....) we have the time to enjoy nature around us: the birds, the sunrises and sunsets, plants, trees, oceans, lakes, cities - whatever it may be.

So, here are some of the sights I got to enjoy today. ---Just for clarification, I wasn't stopping every 100 yards to take a picture -- I went back to photograph the sights for this post! :-)
--Marta Michell

First Run in the Bag!

The Evolve Running Squad survived it's first week of training and managed to do it in the middle of a North Carolina Summer.  Temps were in the high 90's and heat indexes reached 100+.  Our sports bras, hats, and shorts "got iced", water and sports drinks filled replenished or bodies, and visors kept us "shady". 

-Timed miles - check!
-Ladder tempo run - check!
-Aerobic run - check!
-Xtraining - check!
-Yoga - check!
-Strength work - check!
-Long run - check!
-Beer sipping - check!

After their long run this morning, several folks are volunteering at the Beat the Heat 5k in Winston-Salem, NC produced by The Twin City Track Club (www.tctc.org).  Look for them!


Way to go!  Strong work.


~Coach M

Live it. Love it. Train for it!

Welcome to the Evolve Running Squad!  

We are a team of people who: love to run, enjoy a good microbrew and post run margarita, and crave those lung-busting track workouts, leg-burning hill repeats, and long-slow-distance runs.  We train and race simply for the joy it brings to us and others.  And with running we discover our strengths that lie within.  

Join us on our journey as we set goals, strive to be our best, and pay it forward to those around us.