Ragnar Relay Blues

It's been a little while since I last wrote. I've picked up 3 new Couch to 5k clients and have a few things in the works for summer but really my main focus right now is getting through the Ragnar Relay with a team.

Today it looks like we might have a whole team with the final addition of 2 more females and 2 males. I haven't received the guys registration fee yet so in my mind they are in limbo. The 12 passenger vans are 95% secured and there is a renewed slight hope for sponsorship. Now I just have to worry about leg placement, pace times and getting all the little crap together plus are our runners running? At this point we don't have any alternates so hopefully no one gets hurt and fingers crossed our runners have been training.

Speaking of running tonight should put me at right around 100mi. for the month. These John "Hate" Sales challenges have kept my miles up plus coaching isn't hurting either. I keep being impressed with how much all these miles, even slow ones, have helped with my pace and overall form. Hoping to keep it up for Portland!

Sales Pitch

Last month Road Runner Sports sent me an email and wanted to know if I wanted to do a Shoe/Support Clinic in their local store. I was told that it would be fun, there would be giveaways and of course a discount. I have been meaning to get down to the store to get an alternate pair of running shoes anyway so I thought it sounded like a great idea. I actually got clients to come and sold everyone on turning in their old shoes for the additional $10 discount. In retrospect maybe I should have read the exclusions.

Cutting a long story short the clinic wasn't more than a sales pitch, there was fun but not because of Road Runner (we're just fun people) , there were no giveaways and sadly most of us walked out without shoes! And not because we wanted to. However the sales staff was all friendly enough and the next day when I did the online chat with RRS the customer service representative was amazing and finally all those without shoes found their shoes... eventually.

This ends up being a happy story because I found my new universal alternate pair of shoes. So far I am loving these Newton Momentum. Not only do they feel great but the color is kick ass! I may not give up on RRS just yet but next time I'm solicited for an event I am definitely going to ask a lot more questions.

 

 

Semi-Controlled Chaos

May starts a new month of group runs.  Some have been expanded to also double as Ragnar training but I am also starting to offer a speed/form class and a trail run series.  The speed/form class I am most nervous about.  I never did track as a kid so I worry about drills and getting the intervals right for the right clients.  Thankfully the class is a basic speed/form class. I am definitely not coaching anyone to BQ but I still want to make sure I am doing everything as correct as possible. I am most excited about the trail run series.  We are holding them on the Lake Youngs Trail and should be fun and challenging.  This is a popular trail for the locals but is notorious for its steep hills.  May be good for some repeats.

Ragnar is coming up soon and we are still down 4 team members. Always leads on runners but for one reason or another they fall through.  We lost 2 good, fast runners so the whole team is a bit bummed about that but gained a runner who is currently residing in Beijing, China.  She will definitely win the award for farthest distanced traveled for a race but another team member is moving to California but flying back twice for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon and Ragnar.  She may be up for the dedication award if we had one. There is a lot to do to get this team together and now with the Boston Marathon bombings our rental vans may not have only skyrocketed in price but also are requiring some kind of clearance through Home Security?!?  We also toyed with the idea of sponsorship but have yet to get a sponsor letter together and the printing of team shirts is definitely getting held up due to this.  I'd like to control this chaos for sure but I think it just may be out of my hands.