Ribbons and bows

You'll notice there are a lot of ribbons floating around this week at the runs. Here's what they stand for: Gold ones are for folks who have completed the 4-miler training program, green ones for the Greenbelt Girls, and red ones for the 6:30 a.m. crowd, or as I fondly call us, the Red-Eye Runners. These ribbons are meant to be worn on race day for a sense of solidarity and accomplishment. You can tie or pin them to your shirts if you like. Get the recognition you deserve!

UPDATE: Gold ribbons will be available at packet pickup Friday and at Foxfield on Saturday if you haven't gotten one. Look for the pink ladies.

Thursday, Day of Rest

Joan brought up a good piece of advice this morning. If possible, go to bed a little early Thursday before the race. I know I always have trouble sleeping the night before a big event, and I suspect I'm not alone, so try to rest up 2 days before.

Another item: If you want to carpool on Saturday, there are people meeting at Bank of America (Barracks Road shopping center) at 6:30, and at Shenanigans (in North Barracks) around the same time. Remember, anything you can do to shorten the line of cars on Garth Road, the better.

Still runnin'

I overheard a question today about whether we'll do our rookie runs this week. We sure are! One mile on Monday/Tuesday, one mile on Wednesday/Thursday. On Friday, though, you rest.

Listen to the man

Mark Lorenzoni addressed us Saturday morning. Unfortunately, because of the rain many people missed out. So, here's a list of his tips for a successful 4-miler. And don't forget, ladies, you're not the Wicked Witch of the West. You won't melt if you get a little wet!

"24 hours and counting..."
1. Stay off your feet as much as possible on Friday.
2. Hydrate properly throughout the day and evening on Friday and again on Saturday morning.
3. Pick up your race packet on FRIDAY evening, not Saturday morning. (details in your race confirmation, which was mailed last week)
4. Don't stray from your normal Friday evening and Saturday morning routine.
5. Pin your race number to your front BEFORE you leave the house.
6. CARPOOL and arrive before 7 a.m. (Garth Road closes at 7:45 for the race, so please notify friends or family who plan to attend.)
7. Trust and respect your race day volunteers. (Especially the parking coordinators. Don't slow up or stop to drop someone off. Just keep driving until you reach your parking place!)
8. Follow an appropriate warm up routine 25 minutes prior to the start.
9. Line up in your appropriate pace group.
10. Take the first half-mile relaxed, easy and slow.
11. Listen to your "splits" (times announced during course of the race), and make sure you're not going too fast.
12. Stick around for the awards ceremony and CELEBRATE!

You should have received a letter this week from the Charlottesville Track Club confirming your race entry. If not, or if you have questions, call the Ragged Mountain Running Store this week. More info will be posted during the week.

Easy Street!

It's tapering time -- we're running 3 miles tomorrow, in preparation for the race. Saturday marks the last time we, as the 2005 Women's 4-Miler Training Program participants, will run together before the race. Let me tell you, it's been a delight, and I can't wait to join a lot of you at Foxfield next Saturday. Remember, no matter how many people pass you, you're a champion because of what you've achieved in the program. You can make it 4 miles!! Bet you never thought that would happen back in June.

The First Couple of Charlottesville running, Mark and Cynthia Lorenzoni, will talk about the race before we run tomorrow. Here's a preview: Don't do anything different before the race than you've done throughout the training. Including wearing a pink flamingo suit, Joan! Mark will give you further details. Then there's picking up your race packets, getting a good dinner and a good night's sleep (maybe), and finally, The Race!

We'll have more details later, but there will be a celebration with a quick run and some delightful food and company on Sept. 10 at the track. It's creatively called the Post-Run Party. And then, well, it'll be bye-bye to some folks, but all of us Pink Ladies want to remind all of you runners that there will be ample opportunities to run during the off-season. The 6:30 a.m. crowd will still be out there Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Greenbelt group is hardcore through the fall and winter! Plus, there's always people out there on Saturday morning at the track. And of course there is the 10-miler training beginning this fall. So don't give up running because you think you won't have company out there on the streets of C'ville. We're there -- even if you spot us only by our reflective vests one early morning! And you're always welcome.

UPDATE: The Post-Run, excuse me, Celebration Brunch (we are getting fancy, aren't we?) is set for 8 a.m. Sept. 10 at the track, or Law School park in case of rain. We'll take an easy 2-mile run, with food and drink to follow. We'll celebrate, share success stories, eat, drink and recognize and thank everyone. Here's what you'll have to bring:

A-F: Drinks (juice, water, Gatorade)
G-M: Bagels, muffins, other bread products
N-Z: Fruit, whatever.

Terrific T-shirts

The W4MTP t-shirts will be on sale at the Fun Run, and this time only one Pink Lady, Linda, has charge of them. Help her clear out her car! $10 apiece.

Think Pink

We'll be looking for new Pink Ladies for next year's program soon, so if you are so inclined, talk to a Lady at the track. A little about us: All running and walking speeds are welcome (as you're aware, not everyone is Speedy Gonzales), and there are behind-the-scenes duties as well as the coaching/cheerleading on Saturdays. We start working on the program at the start of the new year, putting together the notebooks and fluffing up Joan's stage (the pink box she stands on). There are enough of us that no one person has to get stuck with a whole lot of work. You just take on what you can, and you're allowed to take vacations, even on Saturdays in the summer. It's a great way to make friends and to help others, and the only real requirements are enthusiasm, loyalty and reliability.

Coming up Saturday

I know some of you thought you wouldn't get here, but you have: Four miles. Take a moment and pat yourself on the back. Here's a list of other wonderful things that come in fours: Beatles, Kit-Kats, years in a presidential term, stars, Tops, doors on a sedan, seasons and quarters.

This Saturday, we'll have another break-out session at 7:15 a.m., and I want everyone to come for this one because it honors cancer survivors, the program's raison d'etre. Dr. Janet Herman, a survivor, Pink Lady and UVa professor, will talk about living through the disease. Please come, especially if you have survived cancer.

Health also is the topic of the main talk by Dr. Christine Peterson, who will speak about exercise and women's health. She is an OB-Gyn at UVa and assistant dean for medical education. And of course, there's the run. Four miles. Good job!!!

Drink your Daily Double

I really shouldn't have to write this, but some ladies still are not bringing water to the track, 10 weeks into the program. Come on. You risk heat exhaustion and even heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. Please bring water. And in fact, bring two bottles this week, as we're running 4 miles. Got it? OK, lecture over.

More pics from Week 8

RAD classes

Here's info on the Rape Aggression Defense classes, for those of you who asked:

Rape Aggression Defense Class
Come one, Come all
Commitment to attend all sessions required.
WHO: University of Virginia Police Officer instructs classes in self-defense not only for students, faculty, and staff, but for people from the community.
WHAT: The program deals with escapes, physical attacks, personal awareness, risk avoidance, community assistance, and procedures for prosecution.
HOW: The instruction and practice totaling 12 hours, broken down into 3 hour blocks per day.
Instructors use the Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) System to teach self-defense.
WHEN: NEED TO COMMIT TO ATTEND FULL HOURS AND ALL SESSIONS. Sunday, August 14, August 21, August 28, September 4, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
(NOTE: Possible date change to 3 sessions in August of 4 hours each if the participants who show at 1st session agree to that. Otherwise it is 3 hours for the four sessions listed above.)
WHERE: University of Virginia Sponsors Hall, North Grounds of the University of Virginia adjacent to the Darden School
INSTRUCTOR: Melissa Fielding, UVA police officer, assisted by other police officers
AGE: 11 years and over (Content can be heavy for younger people.)
NUMBER: Will be able to do multiple classes at once
COST: NO COST if 2005 Women's 4 Miler Training Program Participant; otherwise, $25 payment to University of Virginia. Donations to put toward for purchase of additional RAD student padding equipment will be accepted.

Saturday highlights

Here we are, at 3.5 miles on Saturday. Advanced ladies, 4.75 miles. Can't catch us! It is expected to be very hot that day (high of 95), so as usual, drink up and keep track of how you feel. We'll be hearing from Laura Jones, Daily Progress fitness columnist and UVa research associate, on race day jitters -- a topic you'll know plenty about Sept. 3! The Virginia School of Massage (the people with the magic fingers) will be back to work out your kinks.

Lookin' good, last Saturday

More pics to come later:

There is such a thing as too much water

We still want you to hydrate before and after running, but it's important to be aware of the problems caused by too much hydration. A 25-year-old police officer in Washington D.C. died after drinking as much as 3 gallons during his 12-mile bike patrol yesterday.

According to the Washington Post story, "Many experts believe hyponatremia has become more common in recent years. More people are engaging in endurance events, such as marathons, that last many hours and during which participants are urged to drink water.

The blood concentration of sodium is normally about 145, measured in millimoles per liter. A study published in April in the New England Journal of Medicine found that in a random sample of 488 Boston Marathon runners, 22 percent of women and 8 percent of men had sodium levels below 135, the formal definition of hyponatremia. One participant, a 28-year-old woman, died of the condition."

Watermelon Wednesday

It's snack time at the Greenbelt -- watermelon will be served, post-run, on Wednesday evening. This is part of a Pink Lady tradition at the park. On previous weeks, they have brought popsicles, freezy pops, oranges, etc. -- and of course, watermelon. You're welcome to run and nosh.

UPDATE: There will be a demonstration on how to drink water in the race at Wednesday's Greenbelt rookie run. I know this sounds a little silly, but there will be water stops in the 4-miler, and we want to save you from sloshing your water all over yourself. What you do is squeeze the top of the paper cup and chug it like a bottle. Or something like that. Go and find out.

That sure is racy!

OK, the 4-miler race is closed to new participants; the 2,100 limit was met weeks ago. Now, if you didn't make it, please don't be sad. There are other things you can do.

First, the nice ladies from UVa (at the first table you see on the sidewalk near the track) on Saturdays will be here one more week. If you haven't stopped by yet, Saturday is your last opportunity. They are seeking race day volunteers to give out water, help with parking, monitor the course and assist at the finish line. All volunteers receive a free Nike Dri-Fit t-shirt. To sign up, call Ragged Mountain at (434) 293-3367. Next, you can still make a donation to the UVa Cancer Center Breast Care Program, where the proceeds of the race will go. There's another form for the Motivational Mile, where signs with the names of loved ones who have battled cancer will be posted. You can buy a sign for $30. These signs are posted on the final mile of the race and are a real emotional booster for most participants. The ladies at the table have forms for all of these things.

Also, the training program is offering a 4-Mile Fun Run on Aug. 24, a Wednesday, at 6 p.m. It will take place at the track, and there will be music, water stops, refreshments and prizes. The Pink Ladies will fly in special from Las Vegas to perform. Who knows, maybe Wayne Newton will join us. This is open to anyone who is in the training program, particularly those who missed the race deadline.

For those who are running in the race, on Saturday you heard about amazing prizes for the runners who bring in the most sponsor donations for the race. Like 2 Southwest Airlines tickets, 2 gift certificates to six of Charlottesville's finest restaurants (we aren't talking McDonalds!), and tea for four and a fashion show at Neiman Marcus at Tysons. That's for the people who collect the top amounts of money from sponsors. Ragged Mountain is offering a prize for the runner with the top NUMBER of donors. You can turn in donor forms up to the time you receive your race number and packet.

Watch here for much more race information in coming weeks. And keep running!

Support (of the physical type)

Good running shoes are the most important thing a runner needs. The second most important thing for female runners is a good sports bra.

Ladies have been asking about how and where to buy sport bras. I found this article on www.runnersworld.com. They had a track club test out bras and picked their nine favorites. They list the price and the size of woman best suited for it.

Do make sure to try on several to see which feels best to you. In your training book, there is a section on what to wear with an article on how to buy.

The Pink Ladies each have preferences as to what they like and where to buy them, so feel free to ask.

Saturday's sked

Three miles this week --- can you stand it?!? We're really getting close to the goal, and for many people (including me), this was a real landmark distance. It means you truly are in better shape than most of America. Good job! We'll be taking the chapel run.

Lots of exciting stuff is happening at the track too. Dr. Robert P. Wilder, head of UVa's Runner's Clinic, will speak about dealing with injuries and other aches. And, to deal with those aches in person, will be representatives from the Virginia School of Massage. Get in line for your free massage -- but don't think about skipping the run, ladies! Finally, the training program T-shirts are still on sale for $10 -- money goes to a good cause; Pink Ladies get to clear out the backs of their cars; go ahead and buy one.

Let's get motivated!

Sharon Drake Petro has kindly provided her notes from her Saturday talk from a couple weeks back.

I Need Help to Stay Motivated
Women’s 4-Miler Training Program 7/23/05

Sharon Drake Petro, Ph.D.
Sport Psychologist and Director of Head Coaching

Let’s check some of your attitudes (how you look at life) that might be affecting your motivation and offer some strategies to help you get where you want to go.

Quiz: What's one technique or attitude change do you think may be helpful for you?

1. Who’s the most important person in your life? If you didn’t answer “Me,” would you consider changing your attitude?

2. Pay attention to your self-talk. How we talk to ourselves is critical. If you find yourself saying, "This is too hard," change it to, "This is challenging, and I have done challenging things before." We choose how we look at situations.

3. Remind yourself of your past successes. This builds self-confidence.

4. Revisit your goals and commitment to the training program. What are the obstacles getting in your way? Create solutions to those obstacles.

5. Make the time to train because you usually can’t find the time.

6. Nike: Just do it! Don’t ask, "Do I feel like running right now?"

7. Tell yourself, "I can make it to the next tree." Then re-evaluate.

8. Find an accountability partner. We all can use some support, and it’s a lot more fun.

Which one(s) might you find helpful?

Between a stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space lies your freedom and power to choose your response.
In those responses lies your growth and happiness.
--Author unknown

I hope the responses you choose will contribute to your growth and happiness.

Nutrition news

We all know you have to have some fuel to run on, so here are some newsworthy items about nutrition.

The big story is that the Atkins company has gone bankrupt -- people are indeed returning to bread. This story examines what diets (if any) are taking low-carb's place.

Ah, sugar. Doctors say you should eat a little of it to keep down cravings, but don't go crazy eating a whole box of doughnuts. My mother and I remember a neighbor who lost a lot of weight by rewarding herself with one cookie -- bought at a local bakery -- each day. She learned to keep the box of cookies out of the house so she wasn't tempted. Smart move.

Here are some energy foods for runners, brought to you by Runners World magazine. Mark and Cynthia Lorenzoni, owners of Ragged Mountain Running Shop, will advise you on eating before the race on Aug. 27, the Saturday before the 4-Miler.

Finally, the USDA food pyramid. It may not be as sexy as the latest diet, but it's very reliable.