Okay, this is totally going to sound like bragging. But please bear with me, because there’s an actual point to it. Quick side bar and honest admission…I am a Baby Boot Camp Fitness instructor, which you know if you have read my bio. But there’s a whole different program that Baby Boot Camp offers that has nothing to do with stroller fitness, and that’s their running program. It’s an 8 week program that takes place with a race in mind to train for, though doing the actual race is your prerogative.
My first experience with this run training program was in January of 2016, when I joined the Shamrock Run training session. The first thing I had to do when I showed up after the stretch and warm-up was a mile time trial. Alexa, the RRCA certified running coach, instructor, and owner of Baby Boot Camp in Sherwood and SW Portland, stands there at the end of the track with her stopwatch and you run 4 laps around the track as fast as you can. Generally when you come back to your last session at the 8 week mark, you do it again to see how much you have improved. I started at a 9:48 min mile and I finished after 2 months at an 8:25 min mile. I was really happy to see that number improve that much. But here’s where the real grandstanding begins.. I kept taking the run training every time it was offered and I saw myself getting faster. Fast forward to the last run training I completed, again for Shamrock a full year since the first one, and my final mile time trial was a 6:24 min mile. I never in my life would have thought I could achieve that had I not done it.
So the point of that boast above is simply this. It works. You put in what you want, and you can do amazing things if you want it enough. You can push yourself further than you ever thought you could go. I was never a “numbers” girl. I kept a log of my times for races, but I never kept track while I was running and I could never could tell anyone what my pace was or whether I was improving. But a valuable thing I’ve learned in running training is that paying attention to those numbers helps push me to run stronger and to try my absolute best. Sometimes I fail and that’s disappointing. But it makes the victories that much sweeter. And the comraderie among the group is really something very special. We are all out there with different goals and strengths, but we are all out there .. Period. And we all cheer for each other every step of the way. It makes me run faster every single time.
If you are wondering what the running training is all about, here’s a little breakdown for you. Every week, you meet one evening (generally a Tuesday or Wednesday) with the group at the designated track, and Alexa will work with you on speed, endurance, pace, and anything else you want to improve on. She’ll give you a milage calendar to follow on your own, depending on what you are training for, and you’ll get all sorts of tips on everything from shoes to hydration to what to eat on race day. There will be at least a couple of “field trips” to do some hill repeats, and she’s been known to throw some bleacher workouts in there to keep your heart rate up. She’ll give you stuff to do that will burn out your legs so you can experience what you’ll be feeling on race day when you are tired but have to keep going. There are also lots of great warm-up and cool-down exercises, so if you don’t want to do bearcrawls or anything involving a plank, you’re out of luck. I’m not going to lie to you.. This is a challenging training program and I would not suggest eating beforehand unless you like throwing up your dinner, but I can’t say that I have ever once regretted doing it. I always go home exhausted but feeling strong and accomplished. There is a reason that a high percentage of people who sign up for this program return over and over for the next one.
Something else worth mentioning is that this program is open to ALL people. Men, women, people with kids, people without, basically anyone who wants to run can come! Since this program is affliliated with Baby Boot Camp, you’ll probably notice by looking at the photos that it’s been only females participating in the program thus far. This training is open to men as well but we haven’t had any sign up yet. We’d love you (or your husband or your brother or anyone else) to change that!
There is a running training currently in session that runs through June, but the good news is there is always another one pretty close behind. If you want to sign up for the next one, you are in luck, because there’s a special 12 week training coming up in June to prepare for the Hood To Coast relay. You don’t have to be doing Hood To Coast to join, but if you are, it’s an added bonus. This training begins June 6th and will be on Tuesday nights at the Wilson High School track in Portland at 7:15PM. There will also be another Hood To Coast training for those people who would rather go to Sherwood starting on June 8th at 7:00PM at Sherwood Middle School. Both of the location’s training programs will end just before Hood To Coast weekend, which is August 25th and 26th. And because everyone loves options, there will be another standard 8 week running training session starting August 2nd thru September 20th, (Wednesday nights, also at the Wilson High School track at 7:15PM,) in preparation for the Country Girl Half Marathon/10k/5k on September 23rd. If you choose to do BOTH the Hood To Coast and Country Girl training programs, the cost will be adjusted during the overlapping weeks in August, but you are encouraged to come to both the Tuesday night Hood To Coast sessions and the Wednesday night Country Girl sessions at no additional cost.
So, if you are looking for a running program this Summer and you need an evening to get out of the house and be motivated by a bunch of runners, please consider joining us! I’ll be out there like always and I can’t begin to tell you how much I recommend it!
Details:
What: Hood to Coast/Fall Half Marathon Training & Country Girl 5k/10k/Half Marathon Training
Where: SW Portland location is Wilson High School Track (1151 SW Vermont St.) Sherwood location is Sherwood Middle School Track (21970 SW Sherwood Blvd)
When: 6/6/17 thru 8/22/17 at 7:15PM-8:15PM for Hood To Coast Training in SW Portland, 6/8/17 thru 8/24/17 at 7:00PM-8:00PM for Hood To Coast Training in Sherwood, 8/2/17 thru 9/20/17 at 7:15PM-8:15PM for Country Girl Training in SW Portland.
Cost: $129 for Hood To Coast Training, $99 for Country Girl Training for new participants. There is a discounted rate for returning participants and if you sign up for both, there will be an adjustment rate for August overlap.
Register: Here for Hood To Coast/Fall Half Marathon Training (SW Portland.) Here for Hood To Coast/ Fall Half Marathon Training (Sherwood.) Here for Country Girl Half Marathon/10k/5k Training
