I have been consistently running, training hard and improving my abilities for almost two years now. During this time I have noticed all that life has brought me. Life does not stay still while we continue to run, it continues to happen all around us despite our wishing we could press pause once in a while. How nice would that be if we could pause life in the middle of the day when things get stressful, go for a good long run and then return to whatever was going on feeling great and ready to take on the world!?

But what I have noticed is that during the last two years a few things changed in my life as my running improved. First, I became a runner, an athlete, and as a result my overall confidence has improved. When I am faced with a hard decision in life I can usually think of a hard training run or race and think about how I got through that. Life is full of choices, and as runners we choose to take the hard road. We choose to suffer in the heat or cold. We choose to work hard. And as a result we are rewarded. I find that when I am on the road running a long run, or on the track doing speed work there comes a point during the workout that I question my abilities. Can I really finish this? I am so tired. I would like to stop and walk a little. No! Keep going! Keep going! And at the end of the workout I can honestly say that I am so glad I kept going! I always feel so much better than before I started, and with the accomplishment brings a great sense of pride and confidence.

The next time you face a challenge in life remember your accomplishments in running and how you got there. Whether it be a new job, new family member or friend, loss of a loved one, or a hard decision: perseverance, hard work, mental toughness and belief in yourself. These are the qualities we all build within ourselves as runners. And these are the qualities we use in everyday life.

Ode to “the Stick”

“The Stick” is a hard task master, unassuming at first with its benign appearance.

It doesn’t look like much, almost not worth a second glance,

It asks you to trust it and then it rolls over thighs creating tingles and burning and sweet pain as it locates and eases ropes, bumps and knots.

It luxuriates on calves and quads, neck and traps, pressing harder and working out spasms, twitches and tensions.

Stress is abandoned, replaced with stillness and calm, pierced only by hard breaths and gasps.

Lactic acid silenced once more until the next hard endeavor,

                                                                                                  “The Stick”, it’s job complete, waits patiently.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

“The Stick” is a wondrous invention, bringing together cylindrical, hard plastic rollers with a sturdy plastic rod and squishy handles.  The literature calls it “A Toothbrush for Muscles” but it is much more than that. 

I was first introduced to “The Stick” at the best running store on the planet – Jacksonville Running Company (JRC).  It seemed like any other hot, Saturday morning in Florida.  My dear friend, Jody and I had just finished 8 miles and I was minding my own business when all of a sudden I heard moans and groans coming from the floor near my feet.  I looked down and there was Jody – sweating all over the nice wood floor – rolling “The Stick” over her calves and making these noises.  I had to turn away…I felt like I was witnessing someting quite private until she gasped, “Katrina – you have GOT to try this!”    Then Jason told us that “The Stick” sometimes made him stop breathing…..  We stayed there for about 10 more minutes rolling the stick over our leg muscles until we regained our modesty and were finally able to tear ourselves away and go on about our day. 

I tried to put “The Stick” out of my mind but my muscles retained the memory of it and were crying out for relief.  Two days later I was at back at JRC on my lunch hour.  I needed to replenish my stash of GU and see if the pink technical socks were back in stock …oh who am I kidding, I went there to purchase my very own “Stick”!  I stood in front of the display looking at the different types and agonizing over which one would be best.  I could buy both sizes, right?  That’s not excessive!   I finally selected the smaller model after Lindsay convinced me that it was stiffer and had less give.  I barely got out of JRC before it was out of the package and on my leg.  I only had 30 more minutes before I had to go back to work.  I half heartedly questioned whether it would be appropriate to “Stick” myself in the office (it is now a verb and a noun), so I brought it upstairs.  My friend and co-worker Amber tried it out and liked it and even the head of HR, stopping by on another matter, was coaxed into trying “The Stick”. 

“The Stick” was waiting at home for me, but now I bring it in the car so it is readily available post run.  I’ve stopped worrying about what onlookers might think if they catch me, mouth open, straining in the front seat of my car, stick not visible unless you are looking directly in the window. 

If you have not tried “The Stick” you are missing out!

Katrina Papillon

After trying to independently rebuild my running with meager results, I joined PRS.  Coach Paul provided excellent structure, guidance, and support to return me to injury-free running and, most importantly, rediscover the joy in running. Coach Paul has an exceptional and holistic understanding for coaching all levels of runners to achieve their goals.

Although I have relocated to Virginia, Coach Paul continues to coach me. He uses online running logs, e-mail, and phone calls to provide continuous guidance and feedback.

-Shelley Knewstep-Watkins

None of this comes as a surprise.  I remember playing basketball in Middle School and missing what would have been the crucial game winning basket as the buzzer sounded.  I remember taking tennis lessons at the Y and after two summers being told by the instructor that tennis wasn’t for me.  I played field hockey the Fall of my freshman year in High School and was placed on the Thirds team because there was nowhere else to put the girls who could not make Varsity or JV (playing a sport was required at my school.)  I did love field hockey, I loved wearing the uniform - red polo shirt and short plaid skirt with white shin guards, while pushing myself to run the length of the field in pursuit of that little white ball.  I especially liked being able to knock other players in the shins with my stick.  I still have that stick!  And I remember playing intramural softball one summer and being put in left field because no girls ever hit balls out there.  It was very quiet and very far away from the action and I hated when I had to go in and face the pitcher.  Funny enough I was also on the Track team, one Spring, in High School – not as a runner, no….I struggled even on the warm up runs, so I decided that I would throw discus and shotput (don’t laugh out loud.)  I was on the Varsity team, but only because there was no JV.  In fact, the Coaches had me throw “exhibition” at track meets so that my dismal performance would not drag down the team’s scores.  I even took yoga as an adult and was told by three different instructors, after a year and a half of trying, that maybe yoga was not for me (I guess hyperventilating and stomach cramps aren’t the goal?)

When I turned 40, I decided that after about 14 years of couch potato life and carrying an extra 90 lbs on my 5′3 frame, it was time to get real, get healthy and be in the best shape of my life.  A couple of friends were avid runners and so I decided in January 2009 that I would run the Gate River Run and the Mud Run in 2010.  I started walking and what I thought was running (huffing and puffing about 100 yards and then walking again).  I lost about 30 lbs in the first 4 months and then decided to kick up my training by joining a gym.  I signed up with a personal trainer with a year commitment and promises that I would achieve all of my goals.  For 10 months I worked out 1-2 hours per day – 6 days a week, both cardio and weight training – and failed to lose a pound or gain any ground with my BMI.  I knew I was healthier and my clothes fit slightly better but I was not seeing the results I desired.  My 4th trainer (yes I went through 3 before finding the right one), was in tune with my running goals and suggested Personal Running Solutions and she gave Paul my number.  Paul called me the week before Christmas 2009 and we set our first session for the following week.  I was terrified.  I had run on the treadmill and could do about 15 minutes without stopping, at a very slow pace, but I was really scared about running outside. With a person I did not know.  Somewhere in Jacksonville that I had never been to before.  And did I mention I was supposed to run??

The first few sessions went okay, and I continued to turn up even after hip pain and cold weather and then breathing problems.  But I told myself that after the Mud Run I would never have to run again.  I hated every second of it. 

Gradually something changed.  I started hating it less and started to look forward to meeting Coach and my friends for a run on the trails at UNF.  Who would have thought that I was secretly a cross country runner?  I completed the Gate River Run and then the Mud Run came and went and I still kept scheduling workouts with Coach AND dragging my friends along.  I started surreptitiously reading Runner’s World and buying running clothes and talking about running to anyone who would listen.  I loved being around runners and being a visitor in the running community.  I even organized and led a team from work for the 2010 Corporate Run this past April, we had super cool t-shirts and everything.  Although I was not among the top 3 individual scores from the team that counted (I came in fourth, after a coworker who was not a runner and had not trained at all,)  I am still learning to not measure my success against others – hard for a competitive perfectionist.

There is still the occasional set back.  Like the day I went to Publix and was at the checkout purchasing the latest edition of Runner’s World, accompanied by two friends who happened to be thin and beautiful, and the older man bagging my purchases looked at me and then right past me to my friend Amber and said “You must be the runner.”  I had been feeling really good that day but that comment felt like a punch in the stomach… as if I was a poser and a fraud.  I bit back the tears and made the decision to ignore him.  Or the well meaning, very dear friend who said, “You are just not built to be a runner,”  after I told her about a bad training run.  Or the days when my legs feel like they are moving through mud and every step is a struggle.  I continue on.

I have now officially joined the Marathon Mania running group and am training for the Tour de Pain, and three half marathons in October, November and December of this year.  Don’t tell anyone, but I am even thinking about attempting the full Donna………

So what makes me think I can be a runner?  Coach made it possible for me to think and now believe that I am a runner.  He has never once told me “Maybe running isn’t for you.”    He has encouraged and believed in me when I did not believe in myself.  Now running and I have a better relationship.  I no longer hate it but I still get butterflies when I have to run with other people because I do not want to fail.  Old habits die hard.

And since the Mud Run in March I have lost another 25 pounds!  Running has made all the difference.

Thank you Coach for making this non-athlete believe and become a runner after all!

Katrina Papillon

I ran the Celebration 5K on Sunday, July 4th and got a PR – and all because I had Coach’s words in my head pushing out the barrage of negative self talk that had settled in for the duration.   I was tired and hot and thinking about all the other things I would rather be doing, including getting a root canal.  I was thinking about my friends, most of whom had already finished the race, and I was worrying about keeping them waiting.  I was thinking about my running buddy Judy and hoping that she achieved her goal (she did by the way!)  I was thinking, “Please legs – please keep moving forward and DO NOT STOP.”  I was worrying about dry heaving at the end of the race and about how totally un-hot I must look with my bright red face, streams of perspiration dripping off my nose and crotch sweat.   Mostly I was thinking “Oh please…a little walking couldn’t hurt, could it? ”  (Apparently I do a lot of pleading with my inner self.) 

All of a sudden, when I needed it most, Coach’s voice popped into my head, “Think positive, YOU CAN DO THIS!”   I wasn’t sure how much further it was to the finish but those words kept me going and I was able to push myself harder.  And then Coach joined me a couple hundred meters from the finish, shouting more words of encouragement.

Truth be told, I dry heaved most of the last 200 meters, but I stopped caring about what I looked like or the pleasures of dental work and let my inner voice take over.  I crossed the finish line with a PR that was 22 seconds faster than my last 5K.

So think positive and be amazed at what you can accomplish!

Katrina Papillon

Celebration 5K, 7/4/10

Whether your goal is to run your first half or full marathon or compete and run faster than you ever have before this is the program for you. This Marathon Mania program starts June 26th, 2010.

Bronze Training Package $200.00

• 16 week program to prepare for the marathon or half marathon
• Specific and individualized training plans for all levels/abilities
• 3 Weekly supervised speed and/or distance sessions
• Expert coaching
• A friendly and motivational network of runners
• Jacksonville Running Company/Personal Running Solutions Singlet 

Silver Training Package $425.00

Includes Bronze package plus choice of:

• Strength training with Timed Exercise, meets 2 times per week
• Or, 3 massage sessions with Jenny Lindley, BS, LMT

This package would normally cost $800.00 which means you get a $375.00 discount.

Gold Training Package $725.00

• Basic Running Program
• Strength Training with Timed Exercise
• 3 massage sessions with Jenny Lindley, BS, LMT
• $100 Gift Certificate to Jacksonville Running Company

This package would normally cost $1500.00 which means you get over 50% off.

Choose your package

Bronze Package $200.00 Silver Package $425.00 Gold Package $725.00

If you want to be able to run your first 5km or compete and run faster than you ever have before this is the program for you. This Short Sweet and on Your Feet 5km program starts June 26th, 2010 and last for 10 weeks.

Bronze Training Package $150.00

• 11 week program to prepare for 5k
• Specific and individualized training plans for all levels/abilities
• 3 Weekly supervised speed and/or distance sessions
• Expert coaching
• A friendly and motivational network of runners
• Jacksonville Running Company/Personal Running Solutions Singlet 

Silver Training Package $300.00

Includes Bronze package plus choice of:

• Strength training with Timed Exercise, meets 2 times per week
• Or, 2 massage sessions with Jenny Lindley, BS, LMT

This package would normally cost $420.00 which means you get a $120.00 discount

Gold Training Package $550.00

• Basic Running Program
• Strength Training with Timed Exercise
• 2 massage sessions with Jenny Lindley, BS, LMT
• $100 Gift Certificate to Jacksonville Running Company

This package would normally cost $750.00 which means you get a $200.00 discount

Choose your package

Bronze Package $150.00 Silver Package $300.00 Gold Package $550.00

Bail and Trail

Randy A. is on a quest to qualify for Boston. This is his latest blog posting. Check it out below or go to his blog page at : http://bostonorbust330.wordpress.com/

Just like the catchy song from the ‘80s band called “Europe” (insert drum roll here):  “It’s the final countdown!” in my marathon training.  Only 34 days remain until my date with destiny at the Tallahassee Marathon on Feb. 7.   I am in the midst of the most important weeks of my training program and everything is going disturbingly well.

Why do I say “disturbingly” well?  Because it all seems too easy.  I’m following Coach Paul McRae’s carefully crafted training plan, I’ve remained injury-free and illness-free for months even after significantly increasing my mileage (Did I just jinx myself?), and I’m seeing dramatic improvement in my performance.  After 30 years as a competitive runner, it’s about time that I achieved this “Duh!” moment – train properly, race smart, eat sensibly, and see the desired results – go figure!  It’s not rocket science and yet somehow I did it every way BUT that way for my entire competitive running career – relying on the invincibility of youth (for as long as it lasted up to my early 30’s), then relying on cross training (swimming, tennis, and rowing) as a substitute for proper running training through my 30’s and into my early 40’s, and then just plain struggling for the past few years with the challenge of aging, recurring job transitions, weight gain, high stress, low mileage, and little cross training.  Something had to give, so I figured I would do it the “right way” this time just to “see how the other side lives,” and now I wish I could reclaim those 30 misguided years and start from scratch.

Alek and I did some great training while we were on our family vacation on a Caribbean cruise during the last week of December.  We did all of our mileage on treadmills, but it felt great to run every day at or close to marathon race pace (and I didn’t feel worn down at all – catching up on my sleep definitely helped).  I ran a respectable 40 miles during our 8-day trip (Alek ran 68!), but I also felt a little apprehensive about what was in store at the end of the week:  my first 20-mile training run – ever!  But before I describe that training milestone, I should mention two other training milestones.  My mileage for 2009 was 1080 miles, which is my first 1000-mile year since moving to Florida in 2006 and, more significantly, my highest annual mileage since 1999 (which was the year I ran Boston).  In addition, my mileage for December was 133, which was my highest monthly mileage since 1999.  Unlike 1999, however, these miles weren’t largely “junk” miles – they were all run below, at, or slightly above marathon race pace, which really seems to have made a difference in my speed and endurance.

As for the “Big 2-0” (the 20-mile training run), I never dreamed of doing such a training run until joining this program (my previous long run was 16 miles several years ago and I hurt like hell during and after that run).  Even when I coached a charity marathon team five years ago, I supervised my runners’ 20-mile training run as part of their marathon training but still never dreamed of doing that distance myself (unless it was en route to completing a marathon race).  To add more challenge to my ambitious 20-mile undertaking on Sunday, the weather was incredibly cold – the thermometer was pinned at 33 degrees for the entire run, with a wind chill that put things in the not-so-toasty mid-20’s.  The only other time in my life that I had run close to that distance under those conditions was the Philadelphia Marathon in 2000 (it was 38 degrees and I dropped out at mile 14).

But wait – there’s more.  I ran the first 15 miles of this 20-mile training run by myself, which raised the challenge bar a little more.  My trusty Garmin watch was great company, though, as I was relieved to see how I was nailing almost all of the middle miles of the run at an 8:40 pace and it felt very comfortable (earlier this year, an 8:40 pace was a challenging pace for me for a 7-mile training run).  Even after starting slowly in this 20-miler to allow myself time to warm up in the frigid weather, and slowing down slightly with good conversation during the last 5 miles, I still managed a 2:58 for the 20 miles (8:57 pace), which put me on track to run about a 3:58 marathon that day, which is faster than 4 of my 21 marathon RACES in the past 20 years.  And this was merely a training run, without the crowds of fellow runners and spectators, and without sucking down a gel or other energy aid regularly throughout the run.  I went light on hydration and energy refueling during this training run to see how I would feel and I felt really good.  Of course, it will hurt much more to hold an 8:00 pace on race day for that distance, but that’s where the “race-day intangibles” come into play:  getting propelled by a healthy dose of good old-fashioned adrenaline from the electric “game day” atmosphere on marathon morning, ingesting copious amounts of high-octane energy drinks, gels, and chews throughout the race, and enjoying the pacing services of my relentless coach for the day, Alek (who will shout in my ear incessantly that I’m a slow, cowardly sloth while he runs next to me effortlessly for the entire second half of the race). With all that good karma on my side, the elusive Boston-qualifying time of 3:30 should be within my grasp.

Perhaps most encouraging in the wake of my 20-miler was that my legs weren’t sore later that day, or the next day, or the day after that.  Huh?  Can you say that again in my good ear?  I had to pinch myself to make sure that my muscles and nerves were still working.  How could I have run that obscene distance at that respectable pace under those nasty conditions and not feel like I had been beaten to a pulp with baseball bats by a gang of hoodlums?  To drive home my point, on the day after my 20-miler, I ran a two-mile shake-out run at an 8:26 pace and it felt great.  I could have danced all night.  So, above all else, the quality and quantity of training that I have done since August has produced one extremely valuable quality in me – the ability to recover quickly, both during and after a race, which is something that I have never experienced in my competitive running career.  Prior to this year, I always paid dearly during and after my races as a pupil of the “wing it” school of moronic distance running training.  But those 30 years of ultimate human suffering (like the torture Wesley endured on the life suction pump in the classic movie, “Princess Bride”) helped build my character, and almost killed me in the process.  If I had a dollar for every minute that I spent as a patient in a medical tent after a marathon, I would be filthy rich.

I just hope that this surreal sense of invincibility lasts for the Tallahassee Marathon.  I keep expecting to wake up from this euphoric state and see these delusions of grandeur dissolve instantaneously, just as one loses the thread of a dream as soon as the alarm clock pierces the morning silence.  As far as I can tell, though, the “signpost up ahead” bears the name of the street where I live, and is not the detour exit ramp for “The Twilight Zone.”

Free to Breathe 5km:
Linda K. broke her 5km PR and ran sub 30mins for the first time                29:33
Maryfrances broke her 5km PR and came close to breaking 3omins        30:03
Jessica R. dipped under 21mins smashing her previous best by 1min       20:57

Mandarin 10km:
Shannon R.            44:32
Jessica R.                 43:34
Raysa V.                    54:58
Judy R.                      58:07
Lauren F.                 58:00
Maryfrances C.    1:01:23
Linda K.                    1:03:27

Maryfrances (left) and Linda after the Free to Breathe 5km