Tuesday night run-Time change

I will be running at 5:30 from the Washington Park tennis courts for anyone interested. We will probably run 4-5 miles. Sorry, I had forgotten that some of you mentioned you could not make it until 5:30.
Hope to see you there!
Alyssa

Great Job!

It was wonderful to get to sit (not run) and spend time with everyone Tuesday night. I just want to thank you all again for the wonderful gift. It was definitely above and beyond. I can't wait to get my new shoe pouch ID, so I never have to worry about not getting back into my car! This summer was really a great time for me, and I can say with confidence that it was due to the people I had the pleasure of running with. I feel so lucky to have been matched with such a great group of people this year. While I enjoy running, it has always been the company that keeps me coming back and hooked me from the start. As a therapist, I must admit that running has been my own personal therapy/antidepressant over the last few years. I'm sure the physical act of running would be beneficial, but I am certain that without all the laughs and discussions that come with the running, I wouldn't feel quite the same. I hope that you will all continue to run and build on the accomplishments that you have already had. Great job to everyone on making serious improvements in time and running a great race! Don't lose touch! You should all have my cell phone number - don't hesitate to call or email if you would like to get together for a run.

Lovely Day for a Run

Karen and I will both be at Washington Park tonight at 5:45pm at the tennis courts for anyone that would like to meet up and run. We'll plan to run about 4 miles. I don't know about you guys, but I will be running in anticipation of the food I plan to eat later this week at the fair! Great job to Angie, who ran 8 miles on Saturday! Extra funnel cakes for you! Hope to see you all tonight.
-Alyssa

Tuesday Night

Sorry, my computer at home has a virus, so I have not been able to update the blog site. I am hoping that George ,Alyssa or Karen can lead tonight. The Governor called a special session at 3pm so I am sure I will be working late tonight. I was thinking the best place to meet would be Washington park by the tennis courts, two times around the big loop is 4 miles and also there is a drinking fountain by the pavillon/park. Good luck on Sunday, and email me if any last minute questions.

Saturday Run

Saturday we will be meeting out a the IDOT Trail at 7:00 am. We can not meet at the Fairgrounds and I think Lincoln Park will be too difficult to get to with all the one way streets. I will have a water stop at the 2 mile mark so we can also get water on the way back. I know the book has us running 8 miles I am game so if the group wants to run a little more we can do that. Also, the trail is marked every half mile so if you are not feeling up to running the full 8 you can easily modify your distance. Hope to see you on Saturday.

Rain, rain, go away

Well our incomplete run certainly wasn't for any lack of effort! What started off as the hottest Tuesday evening run of the summer, turned into the wettest! We will be giving the course another try on Saturday morning at 7:30am for anyone that is interested. We will meet at the starting line of Abe's Amble. You can still park in Lot 21 as usual, or you may be able to find a closer spot depending upon the amount of activity going on at the Fairgrounds in preparation for the Illinois State Fair. One bonus of running on Saturday morning is that we will be able to run the actual course through the cemetary. I will make sure there is water on the course as well. Try and get in some mileage this week and everyone should be in good shape.
Hope to see you all Saturday!
Alyssa

update

I do not think I will be at run group on Tuesday. My daughter has a manditory parents meeting for cheerleading and for some reason my husband does not want to go. Also, if anyone wants to run on Saturday morning email me at brih@casscomm.com. Good luck on Tuesday I know you can do it.

Tuesday Night

I did show up Tuesday night, I know I am crazy. I along with only one other person showed up. I did end up running but waited until the lighting stopped, I am not completely dumb. Actually I love unning in the rain, it is a nice break from all the summer heat. Also, if anyone wants to run the course on Saturday I can do that but it would have to be early like 6:45. I know that is early, but my daughter has to be at a birthday party at 9:00. Just email me at brih@casscomm.com, otherwise I will not be running that early. Good luck to all you ladies running the 2 mile race this weekend. Also, one more update I will not be there next Tuesday night; again my daughter has to be somewhere.

Saturday, July 5th

Great Job Tuesday! Everyone did extremely well. I am not going be able to meet you guys Saturday for a run, but Tara will be running the course at 7:30 am starting at the grandstand. I can run Sunday morning at 7:30 am for anyone that is interested. Please email me or call me if you are interested in Sunday.


Karen

Saturday Run

Just a reminder that on Saturday we will meet at Lincoln Park parking lot at 7:30. We will be running 6 miles, so rest up. Also, if anyone else wants to meet that is not in the group that would be fine this run will be very informal.

Hope to see everyone tonight at the IDOT trail for 5 miles. I know the 5 mile mark is very significant but I think everyone is able to do, and believe me it is much easier to do the long runs with a running partner.

Tuesday June 24th

According to Abe Army's blog, corporals will not be able to meet at the Fairgrounds this week.

Where does everyone want to meet? A few options is the Dove Center at Prairie Heart, IDOT-Lost Bridge trail, or Washington Park, or any other ideas you may have

Please add a comment or send me a email with your preference. Please check the blog or your email tomorrow (Monday) night or Tuesday to find out exactly where we will be running. We will be running 4.5 miles this week.

Thursday run

Great run Tuesday night! We will meet in Washington Park at the same location as last week (see the June 11th post for directions) at 5:15 for a 4-4.5 mile run on Thursday night for anyone that is interested in joining!
See you soon!

Mix it up

Great job on Tuesday night. I enjoyed the shade and the break from the hills was also nice. Hope everyone else had a good run, but anytime you put one foot in front of the other it is a good day. Remember, it is a fact of the running life that there are going to be good days and bad days, but run through the bad days and that will prepare you for the good days. I know it sounds a bit like a fortune cookie but it does works.

Also, remember to change you running habits i.e. hills, tempo runs and distant runs. Mixing the runs up will help with endurance and speed.

Tuesday night's run will have us back at the Fair Grounds. The course will be the same route as last time we were at the Fair Grounds; however instead of turning around at the top of the hill we will run to the entrance of the cemetery giving us 4.5 miles. Good luck and see you on Tuesday.

Tuesday June 17th Run

Hello All!!! Don't forget we are meeting at 5:45 at IDOT to run the Lost Bridge trail. If you are on Ash Street you will go straight across Dirksen and then follow the signs. We will be running 4 miles again.


Here are a few links that I use to map my runs.
www.favoriterun.com
www.mapmyrun.com

Look at 'em go!

Great job once again! Everyone really stepped it up and made some serious improvements on time and consistency overall. It was a warm but breezy night, which made for great conditions for running. We will continue to stick with the 4-mile distance for the next week or two. We will be meeting at IDOT ready to run at 5:45pm on Tuesday night. This will be a good night to work on pace, so make sure to bring a watch or run with someone with a watch in order to keep track as the trail is marked every half mile. And those of you concerned about those hills - don't worry! We will be working in some more hills in the coming weeks! You'll be sick of them before you know it! We will bring some water and dixie cups to carry with us and place at the 2-mile mark for everyone.
Also for anyone interested, Karen and I will be meeting up to run approximately 4 miles on Thursday night in Washington Park at 5:15pm. We will be meeting at the small parking lot that sits between the rose garden and the duck pond. If you drive north on Chatham Rd., turn right on Fayette and take your first right into the park, you will wind around and see the parking lot on your right. It is not the parking lot right off of Fayette. Hope to see you there!
See you all Tuesday!
Alyssa

Great Article

Though I'm not an elite runner by an means, I enjoy getting Runner's World and going online and reading lots of technical articles about shoes, technique and diet - even if I don't always follow them. But occasionally it's nice to read one that you can simply get a good laugh out of and not find yourself feeling guilty or taking notes. Thought I'd share this one...hope you like it!

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/The_10_Types_of_Runners.htm

Week Two

The warm weather has officially arrived. It was a humid night, but thankfully the storms held off until later in the evening. Great job on running 4 miles last night. Our week 2 run had some coverage of the course, some additional neighborhood coverage and a couple of nice hills at the end to finish it off. We will again run 4 miles next week with a couple more hills added in. Our goal will be to run the entire 4 mile course without walking. We will include a water break mid-way again, however this should be a quick stop in order to avoid any cool down. It will also be helpful for everyone to begin taking note of their pace. Leaders will try to help everyone with this by letting you know throughout the course what pace you are running. Our initial goals are for everyone to work up to the distance, while maintaining an even pace. This will be an especially important skill for those of you that are looking to improve your pace and/or would like to move on to longer races after the completion of Abe's Amble. Hills will be an important component, however we will be adding them in gradually until everyone becomes more comfortable in running the courses laid out for the week in their entirety. It is crucial that you are running at least 2 days in addition to our Tuesday night runs. Resistance and cross training will also prove beneficial to keeping pace up the hills and going the distance. If you are feeling stiff and sore, try attending a yoga or pilates class to ensure that you are maintaining flexibility. And as always, drink lots of water throughout the day-every day.
Great job! See you next week!

Welcome

Great Job! You made it through your first week of Abe's Army, and with any luck you will make it through week 2 without getting caught in a thunderstorm. The weather has created an unusual start to our training. At high temps in the low 50's our first night, everyone was all too ready to get running and warm up. However, it won't be long until we're all sweating and taking notice of our midwestern weather. Week 1 included a 3.1 mile run, and if you are following our training log, you will see that we are scheduled to run 4 miles for week 2. Check out this link to see what we have planned http://www.favoriterun.com/215918 Our route will include a winding run over to Lincoln Park (that will hopefully include a water break) and back around into the Fairgrounds via 8th Street. We will try to vary the route each week, so that we are able to cover the course, as well as prevent boredom. It is likely that we will begin to vary up our meeting locations later in the training. Additional opportunities to run throughout the week will also be available. Group members are also encouraged to meet up with each other at additional times throughout the week for continued support. For those of you concerned about your speed or about keeping up with faster group members-don't! There will be a leader at the beginning and end of the group and we will expect some differences in speed among members. We will go your pace and take it nice and slow if you you're feeling winded. Days will continue to get warmer and more humid, so remember to drink lots of water throughout the day leading up to a run.
Don't forget to bring some group name ideas to share at our second night's run!
See you at the Fairgrounds at 5:45!