Ottawa Marathon Price Increase

If you're thinking of signing up for any of the events at the Ottawa Marathon do it soon!

The price increases as of February 15th. The next price increase is due April 30th. For more details on this event click here.

Free Hit The Road...Running Newsletter

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Trainers Needed

Hit the Road...Running is expanding and we're looking for certified trainers with an interest in running to work part time with our clients and training groups.

Applicants must be PTS or FIS certified and be available for regular scheduled training sessions and have group run training experience. Positions are available in the downtown Toronto area with possible expansion to the whole GTA in the future.

This would be an excellent position for independent trainers looking for regular income. Income would be based on experience level and paid by hourly rate.

Interested parties should send resumes to jobs@hittheroadrunning.com.

We thank you for your interest but only qualified candidates will be contacted.

SALTYDOG group trail run - Durham Forest

Don't forget the SALTYDOG group trail run this Saturday in Durham Forest in Uxbridge.

Join SALTYDOG for a 7.5K run or snowshoe through the trails of Durham Forest this Saturday at 9am. For more information, click here.

Running in snow and ice

There are a few important things to remember when running in snowy and icy conditions. Here are a few simple rules to help you avoid slipping and falling.

• Only do one of these things at a time: accelerating, decelerating and turning. Trying to turn while changing your speed can be disastrous and make you lose traction so slow down BEFORE you corner.
• Try to shorten your stride. This will help you recover if you do slip and also keeps your centre of balance over your planted foot. Another benefit is that taking faster steps can help to improve your VO2 Max and make you faster in the long run.
• Snow has more traction than ice so you're better to run in an inch of snow than not.
• If your neighbourhood tends not to clear it's sidewalk, find an area where the city maintains the walkways. Usually main non-residential roads are cleared by the city so at least the sidewalk is consistent.
• Go for a run in the country. There's usually a lot less traffic so it could be safe to run in the road as long as you're facing traffic and are prepared to dive into a snowbank if needed.
• If you live in an area with a lot of snow, try snowshoeing.
• Slow down. It's not worth doing your speed work in icy conditions. A broken leg will put you out for the whole season so use the winter to work on your base mileage, do some strength training or do your speed work indoors.

Most important is to use common sense but get out there and enjoy the cold. You'll be glad you did.

Mexventure

Here's something I thought some of out traveling Hit The Road members may be interested in......

Frontier Adventure Racing and Esprit Rafting are teaming up to bring you an intensive week of adventure race training in the coastal mountains near Veracruz, Mexico on March 10-18 2007. This week long extravaganza focuses on the skills and knowledge required to complete your first adventure race and/or take you to the next level in competitiveness.

This "Mexventure" skills development week will feature workshops and certifications on navigation, ropes, wilderness first aid, flat water and whitewater paddling techniques, swift water rescue, mountain biking and more!

For more information contact
Joshua Dias
Marketing Coordinator

Frontier Adventure Racing
416.783.4464
www.far.on.ca

SickKids Winter Beginners Program - Now Full

Due to popular demand, we have had to put a cap on new entrants for the SickKids Beginner Program so we cannot accept any new participants at this time.

If you're still interested in joining this program then please drop me an e-mail. If we have enough interest for another class we will be looking into staging a second program.

Thanks for your interest.

Goal Setting

If you've gotten this far into the new year without setting some goals you are not alone. A vast majority of people do not set good goals for themselves and this trait is not helping them to realize their dreams.

I've written a lot before about goal setting but it's a good time to renew some of those ideas and if you're one of the many, start thinking about what's important to you.

Without a goal you cannot have a plan and without a plan you will not achieve great things. The first thing to do is think about what you want to achieve in the long run. Not this week or this month, maybe not even this year. Think about your ultimate goal. It could be to climb Everest or to do an ironman or run from coast to coast. Whatever it is, write it down and put it somewhere you will see it everyday.

Now you have your ultimate goal, start thinking about interim goals which will help you move in that direction. If your ultimate goal is to run a marathon, for example, set interim goals to run a 5K, 10K, half marathon etc.

Goals are good to have but there are several things you need to take into account when setting them. They must be achievable, specific and have a timeline. For example you could say that 'I want to be a runner' but this is not specific (what makes you a runner) and does not have a timeline (by when). A better goal would be 'I want to finish a 5K run within the next 3 months'. It's achievable, specific and has a timeline.

Now you have your interim goal, start out making the plan to achieve it. If you want to run 5K then you need to do some training so plan out how much time you have and can dedicate to achieving the goal. Be realistic with the plan and you can't fail. If your plan requires too much of your time or you think it's not achievable in the timeline you set, adjust the timeline.

If you are really a type 'A' personality you could be setting goals each and every day. Things you want to do that will move you towards your ultimate goal. Most people don't need to get into that much detail but having a plan for what you need to do in the next few days will be a big step to achieving your dreams.

Trail Running One Day Seminars

Looking for information on the upcoming Trail Running One Day Seminars produced in association with SALTYDOG?

Pencil the dates in for April 21st and May 19th. Clinic locations will be in the east end of Toronto/Durham Region just in time for the upcoming 5 Peaks races at Albion Hills and Durham Forest.

Details will be published soon.

Mississauga Marathon Price Increase

For those of you signing up for the Mississauga Marathon on May 13th, take advantage by signing up now before the price increases on February 2nd.

There will be some great improvements to the race this year according to Joe Hewitt, Race Director for the marathon.

Commit to your goal early and save money!