Final Workout:  Saturday, April 24, meet at 8:45 AM, workout at 9:00 AM
at our regular location:  the parking lot of Columbia Island Marina!


If you need a ride to the workout location, please respond to this
message no later than C.O.B. Friday, April 23.


***************************************************

Walk-to-Run Trainees:


Welcome to the sixteenth week of our program.


1)   Last week of Walk to Run


Wow.   It seems like just yesterday we were running around Pentagon City 
mall after the blizzards, and now we're at the end of April, and coming 
to the end of our program.   But this is just the first phase of your 
running adventure, so please read on, and figure out what comes next.



2)  Our Route This Saturday


Our route will be up and around the Iwo Jima War Memorial, for a workout
just slightly longer than 4 miles even.

Please remember, both the route out and the route back crosses over 
Memorial Blvd.,
the road between Memorial Bridge and Arlington Cemetery.  And small 
steps up Iwo Jima hill!

Please print out this route map and bring it with you on Saturday:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2731864


Again, our interval will be 4:1, four minutes running to one minute
running.


3)   GW Parkway Classic


Good luck to all our trainees running the GW Birthday 5K this Sunday.

If you're running that race, make sure you park in north Old Town 
Alexandria and the race-supplied bus to Belle Haven Park, where the 5K 
starts.


If you take the wrong bus, and wind up at Mount Vernon (starting 
location on the Parkway Classic 10 Mile race), please call me at home, 
703-347-6658.   Laura and I live about 1.5 miles away, and might be able 
to get you back to Belle Haven using back roads.  


4)   Next Steps (Part 2)


A) Group Runs from Running Stores

Whether you are training for any particular distance, or merely running
to stay fit, the weekly runs conducted from the area's running stores
are a great, and free, option for runs of 2 to 6 miles, with others who
run at your pace.

Realize, of course, that the stores have a vested interest in having you
come out to their establishment and set foot inside before and after the
run. That's why they organize the runs, provide bag storage and
restrooms, and sometimes even offer prizes or subsidized happy hours for
participation and/or longevity of participation. Many offer
merchandise discounts to participants in their group runs (though those
discounts are usually the same as you would get if you belonged to a
formal running club, like ACF/MCP, anyway).

What should you look for in a running store group run? Here are a few
suggestions:


- close to where you live or work.

- easy access by transit and/or easy parking

- runs on courses good for your particular goals and druthers (scenic,
easy or challenging, on sidewalks or off-road, clear landmarks, options
for longer or shorter mileage, etc.)

- people who run at your pace.


Generally, the larger the group, the more likely it is that one or more
persons runs at your pace. For me, a runner toward the back of the
pack, the presence of any group of walkers (vis. runners) in the group
indicates that a slower runner would be welcome.


Wherever you live or work, call up the local running store and check out
their morning, evening or weekend run. Even if you train with a formal
program on weekends, a weeknight run from your local running store is a
great way to get in your midweek mileage in a group setting.


Two of the programs I am familiar with are:


- Pacer's Alexandria (King and Payne Street)
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 PM
3 to 6 mile runs on sidewalks of Old Town and Del Ray Streets
Laura and Coach Bev have joined me running these last Summer


- Pacer's Arlington (Clarendon and Highland Streets)
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 PM
4.3 and 5.7 Mile runs on the Custis Trail (lots of hills!)
I ran these runs for two years, and the hills *do* make you stronger


Pacer's also does 7 PM runs from its Fairfax and Silver Spring Stores.


Other stores to check out include

- Georgetown Running Co.,
- Fleet Feet (Adams Morgan),
Potomac River Running (Ashburn, Burke, Reston, Arlington),
RNJ (Bethesda, Gaithersburg), and
Metro Run and Walk (Springfield, Tyson's).


And I'm sure there are other stores out there with group runs that I 
simply don't know about, yet.



B) Running Clubs


As much as I think that MCC has one of the strongest distance
running training programs around, I do realize that there are other
running clubs out there, and I do belong to one of them, DCRRC.


Geographically-based running clubs sponsor local road races, training
programs, group runs on many days of the week, and may offer
close-to-home running opportunities that complement a more specialized
weekend training program.


Here are some clubs I know about:


1) DC Road Runner's Club (DCRRC). A club with members and activities
in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Lots of local races. A good
speedwork training program for advanced runners Wednesday evenings on
the track at Thomas Jefferson High School in Arlington.


2) Montgomery County Road Runners (MCRR). One of the largest and
best-organized running clubs in the country. Multiple weeknight
training runs, multiple training programs, at least one race every
weekend. If you live in Montgomery County (or anywhere in Suburban MD), 
you have to check out this club.


3) P.G. Road Runners Club (PGRRC). Smaller, local to P.G. County
running club.   If you don't think there are scenic places to run in 
P.G. County, guess again.  The members of this club know all the good 
routes and races close to home....and the ones worth traveling to 
outside of P.G.


4) Annapolis Striders  -  This club hosts a ten-mile race every August, 
which is usually hot, hilly.....and sold out!   The Annapolis Ten Miler 
is legendary for its swag (race premium for all registered 
participants).  They also host other races and training programs close 
to everyone who lives East of the Capitol Beltway in MD.


5) Howard County Striders - This club hosts an annual "Metric Marathon" 
(26.2 kilometers, or about 16 miles), as well as races throughout the 
year.   If you live North of the Capitol Beltway in MD, check out this club.


6) D.C. Striders - not really a running "club"; more like a loose 
network of folks who get together for impromptu group runs and socializing


Look up these clubs on the web to see everything that they offer. If
you buy two pair of running shoes every year, the club discount on them
may equal the annual membership cost of the running club. Many clubs
offer free or nominal entrance fees to club races, so you may recoup
your membership in race fees if you race as little as every other month.


There are even more running clubs out there, that I know little or
nothing about. Find one, and tell me all about it.


And sometimes, the group run you may find is not really an organized
activity of a running store or a running club. It may be a group of
runners from this year's or last year's training program, who found they
all lived near each other, and now have a small, informal running group.
They may not socialize at any other, but they run together every
[fill-in-the-day-of-the-week].


And, of course, some of those trainees might be the folks you've been
running with the past 15 Saturdays, or could be running with this Summer
in MCP!


Whether you stay with MCC training programs this Summer, or go off to 
explore other opportunities, I do hope you keep running this Summer.


If you've done all the training, put in the mileage, and completed your
5K race, you now have the tools to be at least a recreational runner or
casual racer for the rest of your life. And you have the building
blocks to go on to more advanced training. Remember, distance training
is safer, and perhaps more satisfying, for first year runners than
speedwork.


You live in an area rife with runners, support for runners, local races,
and great places to run. Stay healthy, stay fit, and have fun! The
rest of the running world awaits, one step at a time.


So........for one last time in this Walk-to-Run program, I hope to see
everyone down at the Marina on Saturday!


Coach John


John H. Steitz
RRCA Certified Running Coach
USATF Level 1 Certified Track and Field Coach
Marathon Charity Cooperation
vp@mc-coop.org
http://www.mc-coop.org/walktorun/