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.