Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Performance Program

Performance Program

By Appointment


This month-to-month program goes way beyond our classroom training sessions and is aimed at the goal oriented runner of any ability. The program is a personalized training routine based on your own situation and goals and has an emphasis on strength building, flexibility and balance to improve performance.

Whether your goal is to run a faster 5K, qualify for Boston or to feel more comfortable with your fitness level, this is the program for you. Each month you will get a personal one-on-one consultation with a trainer followed by a comprehensive training program to fit your lifestyle and goals. This schedule is passes back and forth with your trainer to ensure you are adhering to the program or make adjustments based on your bodies responses to the training.

During your consultation sessions you will also receive specific instruction in technique and fitness training to ensure you get the most out of the program.

What you get:
-Personalized one-on-one consultation with a trainer
-Personalized Training Schedule
-Performance Training Log
-E-mail Q&A with the trainer
-Evaluation of your current running fitness level
-Instruction on technique and fitness conditioning
-"Club runs" every Sunday morning, Boot Camp and Thursday night programs for the duration of this program
-Race and training support to get you through those tough runs
-Social events


Cost:
$120 per month or
$300 for 12 weeks

Contact:
Tony Denford
Tony@hittheroadrunning.com
(647) 882 9755

Yoga for Runners

Here's an interesting article on Yoga for Runners sent to me by Sheree.

If you're interested in how Yoga could benefit your running visit Sheree's website.

You are going to see an increased emphasis on building core strength, flexibility training and balance as our programs progress. All of these factors will improve your running and overall quality of life.

Monday, November 28, 2005

SOCIAL EVENT - Xmas Party!



Our next Social Event will be held on December 10th, 7pm 'til late.

Unfortunately due to size constraints this will be open to current clinic members and their partners and a few special guests by invitation. I will be sending out the invitations by e-mail in the next couple of days. But if for some reason it doesn't get to you, feel free to e-mail me at tony@hittheroadrunning.com


Party 'til your feet hurt!

Club Runs December 3 - 4

Road Run - Sunday December 4th - Pickering Waterfront Trail

Where : Foot of Liverpool Rd., Pickering
When : 8am
Distance : 16K

Directions : Take Liverpool South to the very bottom and park in the lot on the left. (If you drive onto the beach you've gone too far!)



Click map to enlarge.

This Past Weekend

What a wild weekend for runs we had. A group of us tackled the Rouge Valley trail on Saturday in some tricky conditions. Snow, hidden leaves and the contours of the trails made for some pretty neat running. Add to that the funny looks that we got from the people walking their dogs, it was quite enjoyable.

Sunday, we had a good size group meet at run from Mr Bean's Coffee Co. at Pt Union and Lawrence. We ran to Col Danforth park and ran up the paved path towards Morningside park. The path was paved so that meant road run, but it turned out to be almost completely covered with snow the whole way. So it turned out to be more of a trail run experience.

Way to go all you runners who made it out this weekend. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Here are the maps of the runs that we did.


Friday, November 25, 2005

Sorry to do this...

Trail Run Cancelled, Venue changed to Highland Creek

Okay, I went to check out the trails today and they seem to be a little too treacherous for our group's Long Slow Distance Run. With the combination of slick conditions, leftover snowy spots and leaves on the trail it all adds up to slow and slippery running.

Instead we are going to be running the Highland Creek paved trail. We will be meeting at Mr. Beans Coffee company at the corner of Pt Union and Lawrence. Please come ready to run at 8 am. We will be running west from there the short distance to Highland Creek/Col. Danforth park. This weeks run is an hour and a half for most of us. Don't forget your water and fuel for running.

If you have any questions or special needs for Sunday's run please email or phone me at 905 831 5329.

Remember that this run is open to everyone so come on out and join us.

Weekend update

Yes the trail run on Sunday is still on, despite the snow. The forecast for Sunday is actually around plus 9° C and rainy so be prepared to get a little dirty.

The good thing about running trails is you can guaranty it will be slippery so you will have to exercise caution and take it slowly. When road running people get a false sense of security and presume they wont slip and that's not a good thing unless your job happens to be making leg casts or crutches.

So come on out and have some fun in the woods but take it easy.

Have a good one.

Tony

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Running in the Wind

When it's cold outside it's particularly important to know which way the wind is coming from before you go out for a run. As I mentioned before, the windchill does not actually make it any colder but it helps remove heat and so feels colder.

If you happen to go out for a run when it's bitterly cold outside and do the first half of your run with the wind at your back you may find the conditions quite different once you turn around and the wind is in your face. This could actually be quite dangerous if you are doing a long run, especially if you have any issues on the way back that make you slow down or stop.

Try to either do the first half of your run into the wind or plan a route that loops the area that you are finishing in, that way you could always take a shortcut to the finish if you run into trouble.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Free Lunch and Learn Sessions

One of Hit The Road's business models is to provide Run Team training to corporations and charity organizations. We try to make this program as convenient as possible by doing the training at the organizations site at a time that is convenient to it's members or employees.

There are multiple benefits to organizations having fit and active employees including better productivity, less sick days, less stress, increased communication, more exposure for your organization, the list goes on and on.

Best of all for the organization is that it doesn't have to cost them a penny.

If you think your organization may be interested in a free Lunch and Learn for it's employees, please feel free to drop me an e-mail at tony@hittheroadrunning.com.

Share your passion for running with your co-workers before one of them snaps and brings a high powered rifle into work.

Keep Running.

Tony

Monday, November 21, 2005

Club Runs November 26 - 27

Trail Run - Sunday November 27th - Rouge park

Where : Glen Rouge Campground, Scarborough/Pickering.
When : 8am
Time : 1 hour 30 minutes run

Directions : Highway 2 (Kingston Road) between Altona and Port Union/Sheppard in the Valley on the north side is the driveway to Glen Rouge Campground. Plenty of parking available at the campground.



Click map to enlarge.

Be prepared to get a little muddy as the forecast is wet at the end of this week.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Lots going on at Hit The Road

Wow there's a lot of stuff going on at Hit The Road.

Tomorrow night is our November Social Event which is open to everyone at the St. Louis Bar and Grill in Ajax. NEW TIME is 7:30pm. Feel free to come out and bring your friends.

Our December Social Event is in the works and will be on Saturday December 10th in the evening so check back for details which will be posted soon. Book it in your calendars now.

We are half way through our Fall Programs and already thinking about our Winter Programs. Stay tuned for details on an Around the Bay program and Mississauga or Ottawa Half and Full programs.

We will also soon be offering some performance and strength oriented programs for those of you who take your fitness a little more seriously and we'll be posting all the details soon.

As always, we love your feedback and we want to build programs that our customers want so feel free to e-mail me any ideas you would like to see.

Keep running.

Tony

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Some more pictures from the pub run

Austin made an appearance

Laid back good times

Quite a crowd

The Drama Queen and the Duchess (royalty?)

Caught on Film- Tiffany does smile! Amazing

Who let these guys in the bar?

Thanks to the Viret's for the photos. If you have any photos you'd like to share, just e-mail them to ken@hittheroadrunning.com or tony@hittheroadrunning.com

Cold Weather Running

With the temperature projected to go below zero° for the first time this winter it's important to remember to cover certain parts of your body when you are out there running.

Even though you are generating a lot of heat and may feel warm usually the first part to cover would be your ears which have a poor blood supply and could suffer from frost bite if unprotected. Probably the next thing is the finger tips.

As the temperature gets lower it becomes increasingly important to cover exposed skin unless you want it to turn black and fall off!



By about -10° C you will probably want everything covered but your face although you may want to put a little vaseline on your nose and cheeks. By about -20° you will want your face covered too.

Wind chill does not actually affect the temperature but what it does do is to cool surfaces down to the ambient temperature faster. The more wind chill there is, the faster your generated heat will dissipate so it becomes more important to cover up and layer.

You'll be surprised at how little you need to stop frost bite, even a thin layer will provide enough of a micro climate to stop your skin from freezing.

Some other quick winter running tips:
Wear moisture wicking fabrics, you don't want that sweat to freeze.
Illuminate yourself on those dark winter nights.
Watch your footing for ice, take shorter steps or run slower.
Drink lots of water, you actually lose a lot of moisture through your lungs.
Don't drive into wet mud when turning your car around!
Don't get into a game of chicken with a snow plow, you will lose!
If you're running on the road, beware drivers with frosty windshields.

Winter is a great time of year to run, as long as you dress appropriately so don't use it as an excuse to take some time off. Get out there and enjoy it.

Tony

Monday, November 14, 2005

Club Runs November 19 - 20

Road Run - Sunday November 20th - West Hill - Highland Creek

Where : West Hill, Highland Creek.
When : 8am
Time : 1 hour 30 minutes run

Directions : Meet at Mr. Beans Coffee Co. Take Port Union Road south to Lawrence. NOT TO THE END! Mr. Beans is in the plaza on the North West corner of Port Union and Lawrence.



Click map to enlarge.

Coffee after the run at Mr. Beans Coffee Co.

Pub Night Time Change

Please note the pub night time has changed from 8pm to 7:30pm to ensure we get enough space in the bar!

See you there.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Motivating yourself during bad weather

Today is a typical example of one of those rainy, dreary days where it's hard to motivate yourself to go out and do your training but over the years I've realized a few 'truths' that never let me down;

- It's never as bad outside as you think it will be and
- Once you're wet, you're wet.

How many times have you sat indoors thinking 'it's too cold out there' or 'I don't want to get wet'. I have always found that the fear is worse than the reality. Once you're outside it never seems to be raining as hard as you thought and it never seems quite as cold (once you're warmed up).

As long as you dress for the conditions there's no reason to skip your workout unless the conditions outside are dangerous like a tornado, lightning, ice storm or potato throwing competition.

Tips for dressing for the conditions;
- Always dress like it's 10 degrees warmer, running at 10° C in shorts is very comfortable.
- Layer, layer, layer. You can always take something off if your too hot.
- If it's below freezing, wear something to cover your ears and hands (unless you want to lose them).
- Wear a wind proof outer layer.
- Keep moisture wicking materials close to your skin. The dryer you are, the more comfortable you'll be.
- Never tie a plastic bag around your head, there's a reason they put keep away from children on them. I found this one out the hard way.

Once you get out the door you always have the option to turn around and go home but I can almost guaranty you won't.

Enjoy your run...


Tony

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

SOCIAL EVENT - Pub Night


Our Next Social Event will be on Friday November 18th at 7:30pm 'til late at the St.Louis Bar and Grill, 11 Harwood Ave S. (Just south of Kingston Road) in Ajax.

Click here for their web site.

All welcome to join us, bring your friends.

Monday, November 07, 2005

Angus Glen Half Marathon

What a race weekend!

For those of you that missed out on registration for the 1st annual Angus Glen Half Marathon in Markham, you missed quite a race. What started out with Thunderstorms looming on the horizon, followed by teeming rain, ended up being a warm yet windy day for a race. The course was a very open, yet quiet race route. A mixture of rolling hills and long flat sections turned out to be quite a course to PB on. Even with a very strong headwind on the southerly routes, it was most enjoyable.

The following people are some mentionables from the current clinics who all had personal bests at the race:

Greg D'Cruz 1:50:10.2 Pretty good for his First Half marathon.

Cindy McKay 1:48:20.2 11th in her age. 40th woman of 358.

Jennifer Roxburgh 1:44:44.5 7th in her age! 24th woman overall. YAW!


To check out the finishing times click here.
To see more about the race click here.

Club Runs November 12 - 13

Geocache Road Run - Sunday November 13th - West Hill - Rouge Beach Park

Where : West Hill and West Shore, Rouge Beach Park.
When : 8am
Time : 1 hour 15 minutes run

Directions : Meet at Rouge Beach Park. Take Port Union Road south to Lawrence, head East on Lawrence to Rouge Beach Park at the end of Lawrence (as the road turns north, take the driveway on the right to the park).



Click map to enlarge.

Ken will be leading us through a few Geocache finds just to make the run a little more interesting. For more info on Geocaching click here.

Coffee after the run at Mr. Beans Coffee Co. at Port Union and Lawrence.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Shorts in November!

Well winter seems to be over and spring has finally arrived... I wish, but it has been great this week running in shorts.

As a special treat to Jo Anne who missed the trail run last weekend, Ken and I will be dressed as Marines for the clinic tonight seeing as somehow they all managed to slip through her fingers at the Marine Corps Marathon last weekend.

Don't forget with the clocks going back last weekend, it's now darker earlier. It's always a good idea to get some reflective clothing and light yourself up like a Christmas tree although with most of the drivers around here it won't make much of a difference and they'll still try to run you down. Just be careful out there.

For those of you not running the 1/2 at Angus Glenn this weekend, come out and join us for our regular Sunday run at 8am. We are meeting at the Second Cup at Valley Farm and Kingston Road. Click here for a map and details.

We're also starting to think about our Winter programs which will start after the new year. Feel free to post your ideas about what you would like to see from Hit The Road and what target races you are interested in (OK, who shouted 'Road Trip').


Keep running,

Tony