Week 9, April 19th, Haines Point

Week 9: Saturday April 19th:

We are meeting on Haines Point in the Golf Course parking lot at 9 AM for up to a seven mile run. Here in the ninth week we'll try to do our long run for the Program. There'll be no sighting of the giant though (Below: The Awakening Statue), he's gone! Left for PG County.

Afterwards, everyone is invited to Whitlow's on Wilson (WOW) Boulevard in Arlington (Clarendon) at about 10:45 to enjoy brunch with anyone from the Reebok SunTrust National Half-Marathon Training Program who wishes to come. This group recently finished its own race, the SunTrust National Half-Marathon and did quite well.

Last Week (week 8, April 12th): Everyone met at Roosevelt Island and Coaches John (south on the Mt. Vernon Trail, over the 14th Street Bridge, north on Ohio Drive to the Memorial Bridge and back into Virginia and to Roosevelt Island), Peter (same route), Renee (north into Georgetown over the Key Bridge, south to the 14th Street Bridge and back into Virginia, north to Roosevelt Island on the Mt. Vernon Trail) and Bob (south on the Mt. Vernon Trail to Gravelly Point and return) took their charges between 5-6 miles in a little over an hour. Everyone ran really well. (Right: Renee's group meets Peter's group on the 14th Street Bridge from opposite directions. Off to the left you can still see that a few Cherry Blossoms were still in bloom.)

A number of people, including Coach John and Marisa, ran the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Race last Sunday, April 6th. Congratulations to them.

You all should run three more times this week, at least 30 minutes each time. One run should be faster than you normally go. You could substitute the Wednesday night track workout for this faster-paced run.

Penultimate Week Eleven meet on Haines Point

Week 11 Sept. 22 of the TMG Program will be at Haines Point in DC. The meeting point at 7:30 am will be in the Golf Course parking lot (it's a double lot, really) to the west side of the eastern length of Ohio Drive SW, a quarter mile south of Buckeye Drive SW which runs across the northern part of the golf course. Here are directions.

We'll meet at Haines Point (same parking lot) for week twelve Sept. 29 also, the final meeting of the TMG before the ATM on October 7th.

Jeannie's group will run around ten miles, Matt's Group will run around 12 miles, and Linda's group will run 9.5 miles following this route:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1320302

This will cover the entire ATM race course as it runs through the District (but not the Virginia parts).

The directions are:

NB on Ohio Drive, WB on Buckeye, NB on Ohio Drive to the Lincoln, run on the East side of Lincoln and NB on Henry Bacon Drive to Constitution. EB on Constitution, then WB on Virginia to Rock Creek Park (got that, Christal and Michael?), SB in Rock Creek Park to the West side of Lincoln, cut down the marble stairs towards the Potomac until you hit Independence, EB on Independence to 3rd Street, NB on 3rd to Pennsylvania (Constitution), EB on Pennsylvania Avenue to 1st Street, SB on 1st running past the front of the Capitol, WB on Independence to 14th St., SB on 14th to Ohio Drive, turn left on Ohio and run SB to the parking lot just off Ohio Drive.

That's 9 1/2 miles. If you want to do 10 miles or more, run past the parking lot another 4:30 for every extra half mile you want to go. It's 1 1/2 miles down Haines Point to the tip where The Awakening statue (soon to be removed) is.

Last week (week ten, Sept. 15) at Gravelly Point, the technical program t-shirts were given out. They will be available for the next two Saturdays also if you didn't get one.

Thirty-three athletes showed up on a beautiful morning for running. Jeannie led her group about ten miles in about two hours, running up the Mount Vernon Trail to Key Bridge and back. With Christal in the lead, Kristin went with her group while they ranged over the entire ATM course in the District, from the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge (MP1) to the Virginia side of the 14th Street Bridge (MP9), about eleven miles in about 110 minutes. Matt's group ran about 13 miles in the District, at one point they were sighted blazing up Capitol Hill. Everyone looked terrific! (Below: A rare photo of Matt (left, holding the beer) and his group at rest.)

Army is three weeks out. Keep running regularly this week, through next weekend, then start to taper. The last Saturday (Sept. 29) we'll run less mileage than what we're now accustomed to. And after enjoying yourselves and taking a well-deserved week off after Army, keep up your training. You can continue to run long on Saturdays with the club's Saturday Long Run (SLR).

Some further races you are ready for that you might consider:

Baltimore Marathon weekend Half-Marathon (sold out) 10/13/07

MCM 10K near the Pentagon on 10/28/07

Turkey Trot 5-Miler in Alexandria on 11/22/07

Gar Williams Half-Marathon in Belle Haven (Alexandria) 12/1/07

A Metric Marathon in Columbia (MD) on 12/2/07 (this would require more training)

The club's Bread Run 10K in Glen Echo (MD) 12/9/07

In other doings: Jeanne ran the Philly Half-Marathon on Sunday and finished at a 12-minute per mile pace. Congratulations! Is she ready for Army? I think so!