Happy New Year!

Can you believe that it is 2009?  Crazy.  That's all I have to say about that. This Sunday is out first official East Nasty 1/2 marathon training session.  We meet at 9:00 am every Sunday at a variety of locations.  This week is at Shelby Park, under the train bridge.   I will remind you each week where we are meeting, but look at the bottom of this blog:  I have links to the three training plans.  Each of the plans tells you where we will be meeting each Sunday morning...

Watch the weather channel and be prepared to run rain or shine.   Bring a change of clothes to get warm and dry after the run, and bring some $$ to grab some coffee after the run.  After we finish, we usually head over to a local coffee shop to grab a bagel and a cup of joe.  This week we are going to invade Ugly Mugs (across from Rosepepper) where fellow East Nasty Dave Coleman brews some fantastic espresso drinks.

I have no idea what the weather will be like, but I'm sure it will be cold for at least one of our Sunday runs, so here are a couple of cold weather tips:

1) Your lungs will not freeze..this is a myth, but cold air is very dry -  you may not feel dehydrated but you are.  So be sure that you are drinking lots of fluids.

2) Dress as if you are going for a walk in weather that is 15-20 degrees warmer than the current temp.  So if it is 40 degrees, dress as if you were going to a walk in 60 degree weather.

3) Wind can make things seem really cold. If it is cold and windy, wear a light weight windbreaker and you'll be nice and toasty.

4) Keep your head and hands warm.  

5) Bring dry clothes to change in to after your run, and change ASAP.  I always keep a fresh pair of socks, and a towel in my car; and on Sunday mornings, I bring a complete change of clothes, (especially because we usually head over to a coffee shop after our run.)

6) If your shoes get wet, take the insoles out, and cram them full of newspaper.  (I am always excited when people get to take advantage of this little trick because it's amazing!  It works incredibly well.)

7) Always bring some sort of fluid for after the run. Water, gatorade, whatever...just drink a good 16-32 ounces of fluids immediately after you run.

I'm sure I'll have lots more tips over the next couple of months.  See you this Sunday!

Mark