Day One!

Welcome to the Flying 2:15, the fastest runners in our pace group!

We plan on running a half marathon together in December, in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. That translates to a 10 minute, 18 second mile, or a little faster than 6 miles an hour. Your car at idle is probably faster than that, so no worries about us! We have a lot of time together to take baby steps toward the starting line. I'm glad to see so many familiar faces, back for more, and especially glad to see the new faces.

Today's run was a good way to get a feel for the course and the group. We had a nice 2 1/2 mile run on our first half-hour together, and we found out a couple things: it's hot at 7 am. It's thirsty work, this running. I need good shoes.

7 am will be our start time for the next two weeks, then we'll move back to 6. That'll cool things off a bit.

Water? yup. We'll have water along the trail, every two miles. It's not a bad idea to get something to carry water if you find yourself drinking more: but wait a little bit before getting carried away with a water belt. You'll be surprised how quickly you'll adapt and your body gets used to running.

Good shoes keep you in good shape. Spend some time, spend some money and get properly fitted shoes that are right for you. Are you a pronator? a supinator? Do you heel strike? Do you have high arches? We have several dedicated running stores to assist you in making good shoe decisions. And socks? that's a fun task, finding the right ones. In three years of running, with a marathon, three half marathons, several 10k races, countless 5k races, and over 1000 miles running on Sunday mornings, I have had no blisters. I also have a lucky running hat, but good socks and shoes take most of the credit.

We'll be spending a lot of time together, so come ready to talk and make friends. Erin Tasko and I will be your co-Fearless Leaders, and there will be treats along the way: we have secret shortcuts, magic jelly beans, apple pie for Thanksgiving, a possible kidnapping, and the famous post-run libations.
Do your homework, tell people you're training for a half-marathon - and remember, you already ran 1/10 of a full marathon this morning! How hard can it be?

Thanks!

Ryan Young
aka Ryan the Terrible (and you'll soon realize why!)