Summer Races!

Really. I just typed Summer. While the pool is a good escape during the hot months...so is waking up early for a run before the heat hits! :) 

Have any summer racing goals? I've been working on form and speed.  Must.Get.Faster.  :)

To track my progress this summer...and keep me accountable - I've signed up for the Arizona RoadRacers Summer Series.  Check it out and consider racing in theses great community races!  $35 dollars gets you entered into 5 Summer races!

Arizona Road Racers Summer Series
Race #1 May 28th - Papago Park
Race #2 June 12 - Reach 11 Park
Race #3 July 4th - Rio Vista Park
Race #4 July 16th - Kiwanis Park
Race #5 August 14th - South Mountain Park

Entering Summer Races? Let us know where you will be racing!!!

Race Recap: Pats Run 2011

Were you part of the 28,000 people that raced in Pat's Run Saturday?!

If so - CONGRATS!

Loren and I at Pat's Race - 2011

A fantastic race put on by the Pat Tillman Foundation! Hat's off to all the volunteers and people who worked so hard to make it a success!

GOTRMC - Running Buddy

May 7th, 2011 at Kiwanis Park is Girls on the Run's 5k race! (sign up to run and be a buddy HERE!)  Its a day of celebration for the girls and an awesome fun time for the community. 

Girls on the Run (GOTR has) has a volunteer opportunity we call "Running Buddies" - this is where a female member of the community runs/walks/skips and encourages one of the participants of the program to the 5k!

If you are new to the Girls on the Run program its a great way to experience what GOTR is all about! I encourage you to be part of this special day by signing up to be a running buddy! (sign up to run and be a buddy HERE!) You won't ever forget your 5k buddy!

I put together a few things to ask your buddy before and during the race. Sometimes its hard to make conversation with a 9 year-old! Here is another link I found on a Self Editors experience being a running buddy :)

-What colors do you like?

-What is your favorite subject in school?

-What is your favorite animal? 

-What books do you read?

-What was your favorite lesson during your Girls on the Run training?

-What spirit award is your favorite? (spirit awards are fun awards given by the coaches at the end of the lessons)

- Lets plan our victory celebration at the finish line!

As a running buddy you are asked to run or walk at the girls pace and encourage her to do her best, but also recognizing and respecting her limits.

To encourage your buddy play games such as:
-Let's try to run to the next lamp post
-Play "eye spy" - have your buddy pick out something along the path and encourage her to run/jog/skip to it!
-Let's we pretend we are in the Olympics!

And most importantly cheer her on and have fun!!!! Clapping, high fiving, laughing and dancing are encouraged! :)

Source: http://www.gotrmc.org/

Girls on the Run - What We Do

Girls on the Run - What we do! :) Great video to inspire and make you smile today!

She Runs Strong Contest!

Click HERE for information on winning training from our SoleMates Coach, Ashley w/She Runs Strong!

This is an awesome opportunity to share your story, running goals and enter to WIN top-notch training!

Join Us for a Hike/Run March 27th!

The SoleMates Committee is working hard to bring exciting events and SoleMates program to you! We are hosting our first social event, a fun hike/Run at South Mountain!  Join us at 8:00AM at the Pima Canyon Trailhead (9904 S. 48th Street), bagels and juice will be served after the hike!


See event flyer in the link below! Hope to see you there!


March 27, 2011: SoleMates Social - 8:00 a.m. Hike/Run at South MountainThis event is open to everyone!  Join Girls on the Run SoleMates, volunteers, friends and supporters for a casual group hike/run.  This is a great chance to spend time with people with similar interests and get in a good workout.

Race Recap - Ragnar 2011 – 200 Miles or BUST

Ragnar = Cramped quarters, smelly vans, lack of sleep, lots of miles and BIG hills…but OH SO WORTH IT!!!

Last weekend I participated on a Ragnar team and conquered the 200 miles with an awesome team of 12. We raced night and day and ended up finishing 117 out of 306 teams.  Not too shabby!

The Ragnar series is great for all levels of runners.  I consider myself a novice and easily managed the 14 miles that were assigned to me.  While you run at night and early mornings (headlamp, LED and reflective vest required) you never feel alone out there as there are vans and other runners out there with you.

My 3 legs of the race were really fun and challenging. Leg #1 was a 6 mile run around 7:00PM from who knows where to Surprise. (That’s the name of the town…literally a “Surprise” people live all the way out here!) This run had a few hills and I was trying my best to catch the blinking lights in front of me. I never caught anyone!

Leg #2 was a little 4 mile jaunt through downtown Cave Creek at 4:00AM in the morning! It was probably my favorite because I actually passed someone! I also was chasing down a blinking light for a good 25 minutes…I was going to catch this person too!! When I finally approached the light it was a direction sign...gotta laugh at your self sometime…I’ll count that sign as a pass too! This run was rewarded with Smore’s and hot chocolate for breakfast at the exchange - YES!! Our van then headed to Fountain Hills High School to catch some zz’s.  I can now say that I slept on a gym floor with 100 other snoring people. 

The last run I did was up Palisades Drive in Fountain Hills. HILLS should be in all caps!  This was a 4 mile Hill MONSTER.  I try not to look back during a race but when I got to the top of Hill #1 I looked back and felt really accomplished.  The next hill killed me and it was then I realized I could cover more ground faster by walking than taking these little baby running steps. Last hill I tried to channel my inner super girl and had some fun entertaining the cars that went by.  Just for the record...putting your arms in front of you like super girl to take off really doesn’t make you fly!  

Suuppeerrr SSaarraaa

My goal is to run this Fountain Hills route once a month until NEXT Ragnar. I’m going to make that hill cry with how fast I run it in 2012!

As you can tell by my short little recap, Ragnar is a different animal…just how do you train to run 3 legs in 24 hours?  Ragnar provides a convenient training schedule that I semi-followed, but my advice is get some major hill work in. Most of the legs have elevation changes and your legs need that hill conditioning to get the job done!

Have you ever thought about or participated in a Ragnar Relay Race? Consider putting together a team and running for Girls on the Run, Maricopa County!! Its a great time and as they say..."crazy runners, inside jokes and a mild case of sleep deprivation. The result? Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it a Ragnar Relay".  (If you are on my team though, please wear deodorant).