The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team In Training

Our Wonderful TNT San Gabriel Valley (aka “SGV”) Summer 2010 Team,
WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME EVERYONE!

WHO DAT? WHO DAT SGV? WHO DAT? Congratulations to our SGVer’s that did the Surf City Marathon on Sunday, and a warm welcome to those that are new!! We want to congratulate you on making the choice to become a part of this amazing team! We appreciate that for many of you, signing up for a program like this one is a huge and potentially terrifying prospect. Now that you’ve taken that first step, we want you to know that we will be right beside you for every remaining step in your journey. Always remember that we coaches are here for one reason only and that is to support you! We are incredibly excited and honored to be able to share in this journey with you. We will tell you many times throughout this season that this is a journey, and with every journey there are ups and downs. We know you have lots of questions, fears, worries, concerns, and excitement too. Come out for the first practice, and we will help you take the next step on your journey.

We know that first run or walk can be tough. No need to worry, you will be doing your pace assessment 3 mile run/walk this weekend, and there is no pressure to make a certain time or keep up with anyone! We will see you all at 7:30 am in front of the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center.

In this email you will find the following information:

• You can do it!
• Shoe & Gear Clinic
• Team Website
• Phase I Schedule
• Wednesday Night Strength Training
• Questions
• Is it too late to sign up?

We know it’s a lot of info and a rather long email. Please bear with us as we want to make sure you all get off on the right foot. We promise that not every email will be this lengthy!

YOU CAN DO IT!
“Have a dream, make a plan, go for it. You’ll get there, I promise.”
- Zoe Koplowitz, Achilles Track Club member with multiple sclerosis and finished the 1993 New York City Marathon (www.achillestrackclub.org)

So first things first… At the Kick-Off many of you expressed concern regarding your current fitness level or your ability to participate in a program such as this one. Possibly your decision to walk a marathon or run a half-marathon has been met with skepticism and incredulity by those around you, by your friends, family and coworkers. Well, we on the SGV team are not skeptical…We are INSPIRED! You see the beauty of the marathon lies in the fact that it is equally arduous and equally accessible to all! When we contemplate running and walking 13.1 or 26.2 miles, we all become “challenged” athletes. These are long distances and each of us, regardless of age, ability or body type, must earn the right to take on these distances with dedication, persistence and hard work. We are here to tell you that there is no such thing as not being “fit enough” to train for one of these events. With the training, comes fitness. Provided that you are in reasonably good health and you are willing to put in the effort, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot achieve your goal! We KNOW you can do it!

SHOE & GEAR CLINIC
Following our workout this Saturday, we will be returning to the Aquatic Center for a shoe clinic provided by “Run With Us”, a local running store in Pasadena. This is a great opportunity to find out about the different kinds of running shoes and which one is right for you. As any marathoner will tell you, the right running shoe is the first line of defense against an overuse or training-related injury and the folks at “Run With Us” are experts in this area. In addition, they will introduce you to other kinds of training gear such as water & fuel belts, interval watches, technical fabric clothing and socks. We will be having a special social at Run with Us on 2/16 at 7:00 pm, if you want to meet some of your new teammates, purchase any gear from their store, ask the coaches any questions, or just hang out with your awesome SGV staff. You can go to the store anytime, but they have graciously opened the store just for us on that evening.

TEAM WEBSITE
If you have not already had a chance to do so, we highly recommend that you take a few minutes to browse through this Team website

Here you’ll find lots of helpful information including fundraising information, links to the marathon websites, staff information, and each week the coaches e-mail will be posted on this site for you to read.

PHASE I SCHEDULE!
Our Phase I Training Schedule was handed out at kick-off, and will be available on the website or at practice this week. This schedule is a framework for your workouts. Always listen to your body, and keep in mind that rest is the MOST important part of this program. Call/email your coaches if you have any training questions.

You are all coming into this training program at different levels of fitness and it’s important that you don’t overestimate where you are at or try to “catch up” by doing too much too soon. Your body will only develop at its own speed. Anything more than that is asking for injury. So please be kind to yourself and stick to the schedule unless you’ve spoken with the Coaches and have been given approval to do any additional workouts. When you do walk or run this week, please pay careful attention to the intensity of your effort. In this phase of marathon training, it is important that we keep your heart rate low (no more than 60 to 70% of your Max Heart Rate for those of you with heart rate monitors) so that we can build your aerobic fitness and keep you in the fat burning zone. What this means is that the pace that you are running and walking needs to be “conversational”. If you are having trouble speaking, or you have to talk BREATHE talk BREATHE (mid sentence) you are going too fast. So SLOW DOWN! Take more WALK BREAKS! Believe it or not, running too fast now is not only unpleasant, it can actually hurt your marathon or half-marathon performance later on. Besides, we want you to feel GOOD while running in our program!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT STRENGTH TRAINING
We have 4 Wednesday evening strength training sessions! Check this website for all the information. These sessions are for EVERYONE on the team and are a great way to build overall body strength and muscle balance and help avoid training injuries so please join us if you can.

QUESTIONS?
Don’t be afraid to call or email us with any questions or concerns that you might have. Remember, that’s what we’re here for!

IS IT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP FOR THE TEAM!?
Nope. Not yet. So please feel free to bring any interested friends or loved ones along with you to our practice. We only ask that you be sure to explain to those you bring with you that we are NOT a training program with a side of fundraising. THIS is a FUNDRAISING program with a very challenging and fun training program as a bonus. We would NOT be here training athletes if it were not for the dramatic need to save the lives of those less fortunate. That said, we’re going to have a spectacular time getting into the best shape of our lives together… so go out there and inspire a few other people you LOVE to join you on this journey, and the next thing you know you’ll be in San Diego, Seattle, or Alaska sharing the TIME of your life and in the SHAPE of your life with other people you love!!!

We are SO looking forward to seeing each and every one of you out there…

GO TEAM!!

Your admiring fan club and coaches,
Karla, Kevin, Kim, Chris, and E-Liz

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change
the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead