8 Weeks to go for Nike Women's and Long Beach Marathons!

I was so happy to see old friends like Kerry S and Claire D yesterday on the Sunday run at the Berkeley Marina. Just as I arrived I saw a large group of women beginning their “warm-up” walk towards Aquatic Park. It was fun to run counter clockwise and greet the strong women that comprise the WOW team.

Sunday’s run was 60 minutes or more for fitness, 9 miles for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon, 11 miles for the San Jose Rock n Roll, and 20+ for the Marathoners.

Coach Stephanie and I again used the 9 minute run and 1 minute walk technique for 20 miles, and then walked an additional mile, and ran a final mile. You continue to learn more about running and yourself from each training run. Toward the end, (about mile 17) we were really looking forward to the one minute of walking. Most interesting of all was after walking mile 20-21 we felt as if we just couldn’t get our legs moving—a real snail’s pace. However, ½ mile later we were moving comfortably, though not at race pace. The good news was that we maintained the average pace suggested for our training.

Next week we cut back to 15 miles (10:28 pace) on Saturday, September 4 at Sawyer Camp.

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!

Follow Coach Stephanie's Column as Bay Area Women's Fitness Writer for examiner.com

Become a fan of the WOW Team on facebook at Go WOW Team! or twitter

Personal Training Site for Coach Stephanie at Health and Fitness Professional's Network follow this link

Heidi H and Lauren G at Lafayette Reservoir

For the week of August 23 - 29, 2010. Here's what WOW is up to!

San Jose Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon Training is happening. Join us now!

Training continues for Nike and Long Beach Marathons and half marathons on October 17. Go for it!

Join WOW to train for a fall 5K or 10K Walk or Run

Join WOW for 60 minutes of workout, walking or running, or a combination of both for FITNESS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Ongoing...

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
1. Track in SF with Coach Stephanie - 6:00 - 7:00 AM. Drop-ins always OK

2. Personal Training Time with Coach Stephanie - 7:00 - 10:00 AM. Extra fee

3. Track in Piedmont with Coach Stephanie - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

4. Track in Walnut Creek with Coach Rob - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

Thursday, August 26, 2010
1. Boot camp in Walnut Creek with Coach Rob - 6:30 - 7:30 PM. $15 with RSVP, $20 at the sight

2. Track/boot camp with Thursday focus on speed, core and strength training in San Francisco with Coach Stephanie - 6:45 - 7:45 PM. $15drop-in, $20 on site (Minimum required, Must RSVP)

Saturday, August 28, 2010
1. 60 minutes and up. Walnut Creek group meet at Walden Park, Walnut Creek. Go for maintenance (60 minutes) or for San Jose Rock'n'Roll at 150 minutes (or 11 miles, whichever comes first). Led by Coach Stephanie, Jessica M, and Viriginia G - walk, run, or run/walk - 8:00 AM

2. 60 minutes led by Sarah T and Kim L. Runners only. The Zoo/Java Beach Cafe #2, San Francisco/Sloat Blvd.- 8:00 AM

3. Join Coach Stephanie for Boot Camp at Lake Merritt, every other Saturday. Meet at El EmbarcaderoPlaza near the Grand Lake Theater and the columns at the lake at 12:00. Bring water, yoga mat (or towel) weights, and lunch for afterward. Extra fee. RSVP and pay at http://meetup.com/gowowteam.com Next boot camp is August 28

Sunday, August 29
1. Berkeley Marina, 60 minutes to 20 miles Go for maintenance or 5/10K Training or keep increasing for San Jose Rock'n'Roll/LB 1/2 at 150 minutes (11 miles). Led by Coach Stephanie, Lauren G, and Virginia G - walk, run, or run/walk - 8:00 AM

Times and Distances based on goals
Maintenance and 5/10K Training - 60 minutes

Week 8 of Nike Women's and Long Beach/Fall Marathon Training - 20 miles

Week 7 for San Jose Rock'n'Roll - 150 minutes or 11 miles (whichever comes first)

Follow the WOW Team on Facebook. Here's the link

Follow the WOW Team on twitter. Here's the link

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!

Lauren G (center) is training for a 4:30:59 or faster marathon time. When she completes her marathon she will qualify to run the Boston Marathon. Go Lauren!

We were greeted by cool and comfortable running weather at Sawyer Camp on Saturday morning. Sarah T, Mayra M and Mary Sue T ran 6 miles or 60 minutes. Letty D and Aisling F ran a strong 10 miles, while Coach Stephanie and Lauren practiced the 9 minute run, 1 minute walk technique for a total of 18 miles. The technique worked well and we actually ran faster than our 10:48 target.

Next week on Sunday, August 29, at the Berkeley Marina (across from Sea Breeze Market) at 8:00 am, the Rock’n’Roll Half Marathoners will be running 11 miles (9 miles for Nike); the Marathoners will be running 20 miles, this time at a 10:48 pace; they will also add an additional 1 mile walk followed by 1 mile slow run for an actual total of 22 miles.

If you are running the Long Beach Half or Marathon, your electrolyte liquid is Powerade. There will also be Mocha, Raspberry, and Strawberry Cliff Shots offered at some of the aid stations. The Strawberry contains 25mg of caffeine, the Mocha 50 mg of caffeine and the Raspberry 0 mg of caffeine. It’s always a good idea to try the liquids and gels during your training runs to make sure that they agree with you and help you maintain your energy for the entire time that you are running.

Let’s continue to stay strong as we run together. Join us next Sunday, August 29 at the Berkeley Marina for another great run!

For the week of August 16 - 22, 2010. Here's what WOW is up to!

Join WOW to train for a fall 5K or 10K Walk or Run

Join WOW for 60 minutes of workout, walking or running, or a combination of both for FITNESS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Ongoing...

Wednesday, August 18, 2010
1. Track in SF with Coach Stephanie - 6:00 - 7:00 AM. Drop-ins always OK

2. Personal Training Time with Coach Stephanie - 7:00 - 10:00 AM. Extra fee

3. Track in Piedmont with Coach Stephanie - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

4. Track in Walnut Creek with Coach Rob - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

Thursday, August 19, 2010
1. Boot camp in Walnut Creek with Coach Rob - 6:30 - 7:30 PM. $15 with RSVP, $20 at the sight

2. Track/boot camp with Thursday focus on speed, core and strength training in San Francisco with Coach Stephanie - 6:30 - 8.00 PM. $20 with RSVP/$25 drop-in (Must RSVP)

Saturday, August 21, 2010
1. 60 minutes and up. Walnut Creek group meet at Heather Farms, Walnut Creek. Go for maintenance (60 minutes) or for San Jose Rock'n'Roll at 140 minutes (or 10 miles, whichever comes first). Led by Jessica M, and Viriginia G - walk, run, or run/walk - 8:00 AM

2. 60 minutes to 18 miles, led by Coach Stephanie, Lauren G, and Sarah T. Runners, Run/Walkers, Walkers. All abilities welcome. Sawyer Camp, San Mateo - 8:00 AM

3. Join Coach Stephanie for Boot Camp at Lake Merritt, every other Saturday. Meet at El EmbarcaderoPlaza near the Grand Lake Theater and the columns at the lake at 12:00. Bring water, yoga mat (or towel) weights, and lunch for afterward. Extra fee. RSVP and pay at http://meetup.com/gowowteam.com Next boot camp is August 28

Sunday, August 22
1. Inspiration Point, Berkeley Hilles, 60 minutes to 10 miles (or 140 minutes, whichever comes first). Go for maintenance or 5/10K Training or keep increasing for San Jose Rock'n'Roll/LB 1/2 at 140 minutes (10 miles). Led by Coach Stephanie and Virginia G - walk, run, or run/walk - 8:00 AM

Times and Distances based on goals
Maintenance and 5/10K Training - 60 minutes

Week 7 of Nike Women's and Long Beach/Fall Marathon Training - 18 miles

Week 8 for San Jose Rock'n'Roll - 140 minutes or 10 miles (whichever comes first)

Follow the WOW Team on Facebook. Here's the link

Follow the WOW Team on twitter. Here's the link

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!

Lauren G is training to qualify for Boston. You can too! Join us.

Sometimes you just have to “do it!” I stick to my training so I can reach my goals, but I wasn’t looking forward to 4 laps at Lake Merritt. It turned out to be much easier and more fun than I imagined. I was joined by Coach Stephanie and Meghan W to keep me talking and moving which made the time pass by quickly. We also began our work-out with Ruth and April who did 3 laps, and Joanne, Christy and her mother Jeanette who walked the Lake, or 100 minutes. Great moving, ladies!

For those of you training for the San Jose Half Marathon, the course electrolyte liquid will be Cytomax, citrus flavor. It’s a good idea to try some on your practice runs to know that it agrees with you. You will also be offered Gu at one station.

Next week, Saturday, August 21, we will be running 18 miles at a pace of 10:48 per mile at Sawyer Camp. Come out and join us!

Follow the WOW Team on Facebook. Here's the link

Follow the WOW Team on twitter. Here's the link

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!

Coach Stephanie's track workouts for the week of August 9 - 15, 2010

Intermediate to Advanced Runners
Warm-up 10 - 20 minutes
6 X 800@5K pace or faster with 1.5 min RI
Cool-down 10 minutes
Stretch

Novice Run, Walk, Run/Walk
Warm-up 10 - 20 minutes
Complete 1 lap with at least 1 hard segment. You choose the pace and the distance. Listen to your breathing. Use your arms!
Rest with Advanced Group then repeat 5 more times. Keep track of time, if you have a watch
Cool-down 1 - 2 laps easy
Stretch

Before stretching, if we have time, we will check cadence for anyone interested.

Veg out Track Workout
Warm up with the group
Set the music, earphones in 1 ear please, stay in the outside lane
Just keep moving!
Stretch

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!

Follow Coach Stephanie's Column as Bay Area Women's Fitness Writer for examiner.com

Become a fan of the WOW Team on facebook at Go WOW Team! or twitter

Personal Training Site for Coach Stephanie at Health and Fitness Professional's Network follow this link

Unique and that cute pup at Lake Merritt. Hope to see you this weekend!

For the week of August 9 - 14, 2010. Here's what WOW is up to!

San Jose Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon Training is happening. Join us now!

Join WOW to train for a fall 5K or 10K Walk or Run

Join WOW for 60 minutes of workout, walking or running, or a combination of both for FITNESS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Ongoing...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010
1. Track in SF with Coach Stephanie - 6:00 - 7:00 AM. Extra fee

2. Personal Training Time with Coach Stephanie - 7:00 - 10:00 AM. Extra fee

3. Track in Piedmont with Coach Stephanie - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

4. Track in Walnut Creek with Coach Rob - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

Thursday, August 12, 2010
1. Boot camp in Walnut Creek with Coach Rob - 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Extra fee

2. Track/boot camp with Thursday focus on speed, core and strength training in San Francisco with Coach Stephanie - 6:30 - 8.00 PM. Extra fee (Must RSVP)

Saturday, August 14, 2010
1. 60 minutes and up. Walnut Creek group and all others meet at Lake Merritt, Oakland. Go for maintenance (60 minutes) or for San Jose Rock'n'Roll at 130 minutes (or 9 miles, whichever comes first). Fall marathoners will run 13 miles. Led by Jessica M, Lauren G, Coach Stephanie, and Viriginia G - walk, run, or run/walk - 8:00 AM

2. 60 minutes to 9 miles, led by Kim L and Sarah T. Runners only. Great Hiway, Java Beach and Judah. 8:00 AM

3. Boot Camp at Lake Merritt, led by Coach Stephanie. Meet at El EmbarcaderoPlaza near the Grand Lake Theater and the columns at the lake at 12:00. Bring water, yoga mat (or towel) weights, and lunch for afterward. Extra fee. RSVP and pay at http://meetup.com/gowowteam.com

Sunday
1. Harbor Bay, Alameda, 60 minutes to 9 miles (or 130 minutes, whichever comes first). Go for maintenance or 5/10K Training or keep increasing for San Jose Rock'n'Roll/LB 1/2 at 130 minutes (9 miles). Led by Coach Stephanie and Virginia G - walk, run, or run/walk - 8:00 AM

Times and Distances based on goals
Maintenance and 5/10K Training - 60 minutes

Week 6 of Nike Women's and Long Beach/Fall Marathon Training - 13 miles

Week 7 for San Jose Rock'n'Roll - 130 minutes or 9 miles (whichever comes first)

Follow the WOW Team on Facebook. Here's the link

Follow the WOW Team on twitter. Here's the link

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!

OK, I'll start drinking my milk for recovery if I'll start looking like Dara!

I am looking at some very cool stuff from our chocolate milk sponsor on meetup. I have coupons for everyone who RSVP's (and shows up) for any WOW workout this week.

Also WOW will give out 4 cool packs, aluminum water bottles, fitness books, and t-shirts for a drawing of all names that RSVP online, each week for the next 3 weeks.

You can RSVP on your meetup site (look to your right on the website for those links); (WOW has 5 of these), or go to the Go WOW Team site and tell us which workout you will attend; (or pay for a drop-in at http://gowowteam.com/join-us), or comment here on this page and telling us which workout you'll be coming to.

Questions? Contact me and/or take a look at the chocolate milk meetup website for a contest and additional information on the benefits of milk for workout recovery.

What to do:

The Coach dishes it out like a pro!

Hello to all You Wonderful WOW Women and Interested Readers,

I think about this group all the time. Maybe too often.

Visions of women, who have been with us in the past and do not come anymore, pop into my head… Sonia, Peggy, Stephaney, Marnie, Barbara, Ludy, Susan, Erica, Pam and many more. What are you doing now? Why did you stop coming?

The WOW Team has been in existence since 2006 and I was coaching some of you well before that time. The lives of the members have touched me deeply. In the time that we have known each other we have changed as our lives have continued – some changes have been good and some have been just plain rotten; some events have been joyous, and some intensely sad; we have all seen success and failure during that time. But what keeps some of us coming back and stops others from returning? I want you to know that, when you stop coming, I notice. I miss you. Each one of you makes a difference to me and to the WOW Team.

I miss the relationship and opportunity to share fitness with you. I miss your friendship and seeing your growth as an athlete. Additionally, what I have seen, over several years, is that the friendships that have developed from those of you who have kept coming are significant.

We have a special connection because of our commitment to each other through WOW along with a respect for our lives outside of this group. We come together to share a lifetime goal of fitness. What we look like, how much money we make; what political party we belong to; all fall outside of the scope of judgment of the WOW Team.

If you are a committed member of the WOW Team, thank you and keep coming! If you have fallen by the wayside, for whatever reason, please know that we want you back. When you return we will all be better because of it.

The time is now…

Follow this link to the article. It tells you about three essential steps to take before getting into your training.

Then, follow this link to the pdf file that has a 6 week training program for novice racers. Have fun.

Lauren G is training to qualify for Boston. You can too! Join us.

It’s hard to believe it, but Coach Stephanie and I actually ran 20 miles at Sawyer Camp on Saturday and our pace was right on target for our training. We had the company of Carol H, Shelly G, Kim L, Jen W-G, Aisling F, and Karen S at the beginning. Now we have the confidence to do more 20 milers which will occur later on in the training schedule.

Come join us for the shorter run of 13 miles at Lake Merritt on Saturday, August 14. Our target pace is 10:33 a mile. We hope to see you there at 8:00 a.m.

Follow the WOW Team on Facebook. Here's the link

Follow the WOW Team on twitter. Here's the link

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!

Watch the turnover

Coach Stephanie's track workouts for the week of August 2 - 8, 2010

Intermediate to Advanced Runners
Warm-up 10 - 20 minutes
2 X 1200@5K Pace or faster with 2 min RI
4 X 800@5K pace or faster with 2 min RI
Cool-down 10 minutes
Stretch

Tempo Run, Walk, Workout
Warm-up 10 - 20 minutes
Complete 12 laps without stopping, concentrating on your breathing and landing softly
Keep track of time, if you have a watch and try to keep the same lap time for each of the 12 laps
Cool-down 1 - 2 laps easy
Stretch

Novice Walkers, Walk/Run, Runners, Half Marathoners
Warm-up 10 minutes
2 X 800 hard. Rest until others return.
4 X 400 hard. Rest until others return.
Cool-down 10 minutes
Stretch

Veg out Track Workout
Warm up with the group
Set the music, earphones in 1 ear please, stay in the outside lane
Just keep moving!
Stretch

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!

Follow Coach Stephanie's Column as Bay Area Women's Fitness Writer for examiner.com

Become a fan of the WOW Team on facebook at Go WOW Team! or twitter

Personal Training Site for Coach Stephanie at Health and Fitness Professional's Network follow this link

Claire D, Ellen G, Kiera N going over course details

For the week of August 2 - 8, 2010. Here's what WOW is up to!

San Jose Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon Training is happening. Join us now!

Join WOW to train for a fall 5K or 10K Walk or Run

Join WOW for 60 minutes of workout, walking or running, or a combination of both for FITNESS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. Ongoing...

2. Co-ed Runner's boot camp with Tuesday focus on track in San Francisco with Coach Stephanie - 6:30 - 7:30 PM (Must RSVP)

Wednesday, August 4, 2010
1. Track in SF with Coach Stephanie - 6:00 - 7:00 AM

2. Personal Training Time with Coach Stephanie - 7:00 - 10:00 AM

3. Track in Piedmont with Coach Stephanie - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

4. Track in Walnut Creek with Coach Rob - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

Thursday, August 6, 2010
1. Boot camp in Walnut Creek with Coach Rob - 6:30 - 7:30 PM

2. Co-ed Runner's boot camp with Thursday focus on core and strength training in San Francisco with Coach Stephanie - 6:30 - 7:30 PM (Must RSVP)

Saturday
1. 60 minutes and up. Walnut Creek. Arbolado Park. Go for maintenance (60 minutes) or for San Jose Rock'n'Roll at 120 minutes (or 8 miles, whichever comes first), led by Jessica M, and Viriginia G - walk, run, or run/walk - 8:00 AM

2. 60 minutes to 20 miles at Sawyer Camp, led by Coach Stephanie and Lauren G (marathon training), Carol H (SJRNR run/walk training), Kim L (60 minutes running) Sarah T (60 min run, walk, or run/walk)- 8:00 AM

Sunday
1. Point Isabel, 60 minutes to 8 miles. Go for maintenance or 5/10K Training or keep increasing for San Jose Rock'n'Roll/LB 1/2 at 120 minutes (8 miles). Led by Coach Stephanie - walk, run, or run/walk - 8:00 AM

Times and Distances based on goals
Maintenance and 5/10K Training - 60 minutes

Week 5 of Nike Women's and Long Beach/Fall Marathon Training - 20 miles

Week 4 for San Jose Rock'n'Roll - 120 minutes or 8 miles (whichever comes first)

Follow the WOW Team on Facebook. Here's the link

Follow the WOW Team on twitter. Here's the link

The WOW Team encourages fitness, through running and walking, for all women, all sizes, all ages, all abilites, all year round. Join us!