Runners in Disguise

It's been a while since the last blog post and alot has happened over the course of the running season. We've had new runners complete their first race at the Rock 'n Run event in July. Other members travelled as a group to the Johnny Miles event in New Glascow. And more recently, 25 club members took part in the Legs for Literacy event in Moncton. There have been some great personal achievements along the way - some awesome personal best times, a couple of Boston qualifiers, inspirational lifestyle changes, and weight loss successes. Most importantly, new friendships have been made and it is so much fun to see so many runners on the streets of Miramichi!

On October 30th, we held our Annual Holloween costume run but due bad weather we took out the "run" part and just met for a costume party! The costumes were great and, as usual, we collected lots of great stuff for the local food bank. Thanks to Andrea Paul for looking after getting the donations to the food bank for us. Andrea also took home 3rd place for her awesome Avatar costume. It was a hard choice, but in the end Sue McLean took 2nd place for her "Bingo Granny" costume and top prize went to Nicole MacCallum for her very creative iPod costume!! Honorable mention to Lori Singleton with her hilarious 70's marathoner costume. Awesome! Thanks to everyone for coming out to support the food bank.

Track Attack

Our Thursday night speedwork sessions have begun! Speedwork is an essential part of a well rounded running program. A good article in the June 2009 Runner's World lists the benefits of track workouts even if your goal isn't racing fast. These include quicker weight loss, better running form, more stamina and the ability to run stronger for longer.

We are lucky to have Brian Richard as our speedwork coach again this year. Brian groups runners with those of similar abilities. Over the past two Thursdays, Brian has had us doing 4x400m (one lap) at an assigned pace, followed by one recovery lap. The workout also includes a good warm-up and cool-down.

Track workouts are done at higher intensity so yes...it's hard...but it's "good hard" and it's alot of fun. If you have a year of running under your belt, coming out to the track sessions is a really fun way to spice up your running routine. As always, we all run at our own pace and runners of all speeds are welcome. Workouts take less than an hour so we'll see you all next Thursday at 6:30pm, JMH track. Please show up around 6:15pm to get warmed up. Bring water. Oh..and remember...stay in the inside lane for your fast laps then move to the outer lanes to cool down.

We're Up & Running in 2011!

The weather is slowly getting better and the 2011 Miramichi Running Club is well underway. We have a huge group again this year and we have alot planned.

Our weekly group runs have been drawing good crowds and we hope that everyone is enjoying the support of the group. Plans are in full swing for our Kouchibouquac run and we are starting to iron out some details for the Johnny Miles road trip in June. Thurday evening speedwork is also starting next week.

Stay tuned for further emails about these and other club events. We are looking forward to a great season of running! Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or suggestions. miramichirunningclub@gmail.com