I started this great program on Saturday, July 26. Foot Traffic University is run by the Portland area Foot Traffic stores. There are several classes, starting at different times throughout the year and with training regimens designed for various goals.I'm in the Session Two Half-Marathon class, a five-month program running through December 14.
At the first class, we got all the starting-up info, walked over to the Sellwood Park, did some dynamic stretches, and then jogged two miles.
(I mean, other people jogged two miles. I was still coughing and hacking from the worst summer cold I've had since 2013:), so I just walked back to the store where I bought a great pair of running shoes for half price. Are these people smart, or what?!? Having classes in their stores where you can see all the great products and take advantage of the great deals, even greater because you get a 10% discount from being an FTU member!)
I missed the second class, on Aug. 2, since I was running in the Crawford Crawl. (Yes, I know I'm doing it backwards: training for a half-marathon for 5 months after running my third one....Oh, well, you've gotta start sometime, right?)
I'll miss the Sept. 13 class, too, because I'll be biking in Ride Around the Sound.
But I'll be going to every class I can from now through the end of the session. The "recommended goal" for the session is the Holiday Half Marathon on December 14, but I won't be running in that because it's on a Sunday. I'll be choosing another goal to work towards.
Meanwhile, the Foot Traffic people send me two email messages every week with training goals and suggestions for that week, and every Saturday session also has some running and/or fitness expert talking about, and demonstrating, some aspect of fitness.
From the FTU Web site, I learned that we'll be training with the "SMART" goals method. The site says SMART goals are:
S specific
M measurable
A action-oriented
R realistic
T time-based
Which totally makes sense, doesn't it. Anyway, I'll be writing more about this as the session continues.
Sounds like you're doing some great training and keeping yourself moving forward. I love to hear about your progress.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great you've found a group session just for running training, that doesn't sound insane, or is being run by uber-experienced runners who don't understand that everyone starts off a beginner. This sounds great!
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