WooooooWhooooooooo! 2011 here I come!!

I hope all of you had a most amazing Christmas! Let's begin 2011 on the right foot (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...) with the Resolution Run on January 1st, 2001. Instead of meeting at 6:30 a.m.... let's run with the Birmingham Track Club at 9:30am at 5 Points South. Distance begins at 2 miles and goes up from there. You may need to decide that morning how far you want to (can..) run after all the New Year celebrating. Hey! You could even wear your running stuff to you New Year's Eve party and just go straight from the party to the run!!

Can't wait to see you guys again!
peace be with you -
Hilary

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” -Pre


What a great run we had early Saturday morning - what a huge group - including two dogs. That's got to be a good sign. It was 40 degrees. I had on short sleeves. Perfectly lovely weather. Today it's snowing tiny, beautiful snowflakes. Snow makes me feel like a kid. Running makes me feel like a kid. Perfect combination. 


Saturday evening I went to a Christmas party hosted by runners for runners. I realized as I introduced my husband to these friends of mine what an amazing year this has been. Here was a room full of people I have run with several times a month, month in and month out, for over a year. Here was a group of friends, new friends, solid friends who I never would have known without the blessing of running. I don't think I've made that many new friends in a year since I was 5.


So my friends, I know it's cold but don't give up. Even if you take a break or are out sick for a week, don't give up. You are so close. Our Sole Saints ran what I thought was an 8-mile loop, turned out to be closer to 8.5 or even 8.8 for some :) That's a long way. For some, it was their LRE - their Longest Run Ever. That's huge. Don't give up. Remember our cheesey tagline: Together we CAN do anything. 

Next Sunday we meet at the back of Dawson church for a fun tour of the neighborhoods. It's our last run before the Christmas so let's get merry - jingle bells are welcome. Santa hats are welcome. All are welcome.


peace be with you my friends -
Hilary

The Joys of Vulcan and Chocolate Milk

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.
- Les Brown

Saturday morning was GORGEOUS! Especially standing beneath Vulcan looking out over Birmingham knowing it was all down hill from there. We had a great run - the temperature was perfect, the company - divine.

If you'd heard scary stories about the Children's Hospital to Vulcan run make sure to ask Erica, Addy or Jim to give you the lowdown... I promise we'll do that run again soon :)

Many thanks to Felcia for the water stop!

Next week we run 8 from Brownell and it promises to be rather chilly so dress well. But remember, if you're not a little cold when we start running, you'll be too hot pretty soon. With our runs getting longer please remember to eat something when you get up - ike a banana with peanut butter or half a PBJ or a cereal bar of some sort (my favorite are the Luna bars - ¢99 at Publix and lots of flavors) or a bagel. I always have a spot of coffee as well and a gatorade.

For you chocolate fans, chocolate milk is a super post run drink. Here's the scoop:The drink you loved as a kid has the ideal amount of carbohydrates and protein that tired muscles need for recovery, says Joel Stager, Ph.D., director of the department of kinesiology at Indiana University. According to a study Stager led, drinking chocolate milk postexercise speeds up recovery and increases the time it takes to reach exhaustion during a subsequent exercise session better than sports drinks. And a 2007 British study found that regular milk is better than water or a sports drink at restoring fluid levels following a bout of exercise in the heat. Plus, milk contains bone-strengthening vitamin D and calcium.

For those who are anti-chocolate:

Cherry Juice
If George Washington was more of an athlete, he never would have felled his dad's cherry tree. A study done in 2008 by British researchers found that runners who drank 16 ounces of tart cherry juice in the days before, the day of, and two days after a marathon decreased inflammation, oxidative stress, and muscle damage. "Cherry juice is very useful for postexercise recovery," says Declan Connolly, Ph.D., professor of physical education and exercise science at the University of Vermont. Cherries are higher in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties than many other types of fruit. Try drinking a cup of tart cherry juice after exercise—particularly during heavy training. But don't guzzle it like it's tap water: One cup has about 30 grams of natural sugar and 130 calories.
Sipping Points: If cherry juice is too tart for you, try a sweeter blend with cherries and other 100 percent fruit juices.


Vegetable Juice
Chock-full of a variety of nutrients in a concentrated package, 100 percent vegetable juice is a tasty way to get a serving or two of veggies. Those made mostly with tomatoes have lots of lycopene, an antioxidant that a British Journal of Nutrition study found protects muscles from oxidative stress caused by exercise. Many brands have three to five times the amount of sodium and 13 to 17 times the amount of potassium in sports drinks, "which makes vegetable juice an ideal part of a postrun snack or meal that includes carbs and protein," says Kimball.
Sipping Points: Sodium levels can range from 140 to 620 milligrams in regular (non—low sodium) brands. Choose higher levels if you crave salt postrun.

(all drink info above is from an article from RunnersWorld online called Natural Solution: Mother Nature's healthy drinks recharge muscles and aid performance.)

Here's to strong bodies, full hearts and open minds,
peace -
Hilary

so it's a little chilly...

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're probably right."
-Henry Ford 

It was freezing this morning and our group was bigger than ever :) We even had three teenagers join us - in the cold - in the early morning. The sky couldn't have been much bluer. We were also honored to get to run with Prince Whatley and Ken Harkless - both amazing coaches and incredible people.

It's cold from here on out and our long runs are getting longer - and our friendships stronger - and we CAN do this. Today was our first 7 miles, more than halfway to our half marathon distance. Today I ran with Deneen (sp?) and her two wonderful daughters and they ran 7 miles for the first time ever - I hope they are still smiling because I am!

Remember to dress in layers - stay away from cotton. Get gloves. Get a hat. Get moving. You'll warm up :)

Next weekend there are two options: One is the Jingle Bell 5k for Arthritis, Saturday at Underwook Park. Two is a 7-miler beginning at Children's Hospital, heading up to Vulcan and back down into downtown. For the Children's Hospital run we'll need to stick together, we do some off road sneaking around. There are some great hills and a fantastic view of the city to be had.

To see the route check out http://runkeeper.com/user/samaru/route/211778 - we'll add two miles on once we are back downtown.

You guys are amazing! We missed you Felicia!
PEACE - Hilary

Our almost 10k Saturday

Hey runners!
we ran 6 miles, collected 7 cans of food, and were 10 in number. Not bad:) It was perfect running weather and we were blessed to have Charles McCalley, the founder of Sole Saints, join our group.

So we ran an almost 10k without thinking too much about it. That's pretty impressive. You probably didn't run into (no pun intended) too many other people this weekend who could say the same thing.

It's going to get colder, a lot colder, before we line up for Mercedes. We're going to have to help each other stay motivated to roll out of our cozy beds on freezing Saturday mornings. But it's worth it. Not just for the tech shirt and the medal. Not just to cross the finish line standing up. Not just for the crazy conversations that help us keep our feet moving but for something more personal. A sense of "I can do this" - I can get up. I can run 11 miles. I can run a half marathon. 

Here's a thought from the great runner Pre who overcame many obstacles to prove a lot of people wrong about what he could and couldn't do:

"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
- Steve Prefontaine

I'm really blessed to get to run with you guys. Looking forward to our first 7-miler this Saturday. We'll meet at good old Brownell and run to Greensprings and back on the Greenway. Please remember to bring a can for our food drive and something to drink... in case I forget.


peace be with you my friends -
Hilary

New Faces

With a cool start and a warm finish it was a great morning with plenty of sunshine.  We had 4 new faces today - Jim, Ted, Cherry and Alexa.  Thanks to each of you for coming out and being a part of the solefullness! The funny thing is not a one of us remembered to bring a canned good.  Maybe we can bring 2 next week, if we remember ;-). 

This morning in our prayer I meant to say a special prayer for Hilary.  She is running her second marathon tomorrow.  She is such a inspiration to me, and I feel her energy just being around her.  So may she have a healthy, happy, and most importantly fun race tomorrow.  Knowing Hilary she will probably bounce her way through it!

So till we run again.
Peace,
Felicia

Together, we CAN do anything!

So Sole Saints, fellow runner, Jack Alvey, mentioned that the AllSaints food drive goes to the Firehouse Shelter this month. I vote we add our cans to the mix. 

"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'."
-Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner

There are no standards and no possible victories except the joy you are living while dancing your run....you are not running for some future reward-the real reward is now!

Fred Rohe, author of The Zen of Running

The great Geb, Haile Gebrselassie, surprised everyone when he announced at the New York City marathon this past weekend that he was retiring from running. I watched the videos of his press conference, I heard the dead silence as it sunk in to the press around him - that was his last race and he stopped at mile 16 due to a knee injury.

Listening to him talk, trying to explain, he said a couple of times, "I don't want to complain anymore." To me, it sounded like running had lost its joy for him. I love my runs, they still bring me great joy. Some of the joy comes from watching the sun rise, running in the quiet of the early morning, crossing the finish line standing up - but most of my joy comes from the people I run with.

I hope more of our Sole Saints come out and join us. There is no pace we set and no one we leave behind. It's just us finding a little joy in the cold, early morning.

peace be with you -
Hilary

BRRRRRRRRRRRR

So it was Beautiful, Brusque, Bright and a little Below zero when the Sole Saints hit the road this morning. Thank goodness for warm hats, gloves and good friends to keep us cozy and smiling. Next weekend our fearless solesista, Felicia, will be heading up our first 6-miler. Right now it's scheduled from AllSaints but she may change it up so be sure to check back for location info. I'll be in Pensacola for the weekend but I will be running - no polar bear swims for me :)

I've got us scheduled for an 8k on November 20th but I'm thinking about changing it to a regular group fun, whoops, I mean, run. Save us a few sheckles in this season of holidays. Please holler loudly if you are opposed to changing the November 20th run to our second 6-miler.

Sometime in early December there will be an everyones-invited group run along the Mercedes route. As soon as I know an official date I'll get it on our calendar.

Here's to open minds, full hearts, strong bodies and fellowship -
peace,
Hilary

Sunrise thoughts from Al

I heard you guys had a great run on Saturday. I'm sorry I wasn't there to play but I did get to see the Milky Way for the first time in years :) Coach Al posted his new blog late last night and I wanted to share part of his post with you -

"When you run is sometimes chosen out of necessity, sometimes out of choice. For me, I'll run whenever I can, but given the choice, let me begin my run during the last gasps of night so that I may greet the sun and a brand new, glorious day."

It is early. It is cold. But it is so worth it. For your health. For the friendships that form. For 'peace' of mind :)

Hope you have a glorious Sunday -
Hilary

What a beautiful morning!

It was wonderful to be out on this chilly morning with wonderful friends.  We all made it on our 4 mi loop to Crestline Shell and back followed by fellowship at Starbucks.  Thanks Erika, Melanie, Susan, Henry, Susie, Charles, Andrea.   I missed my fellow Sole Sista, Hilary, but know she was having a great time with family.  We skipped and jumped and even did some high leg kicks in her honor!  See you next time.

Peace,
Felicia

Welcome!

Hello runners -
feeling the need to be able to have maps and a calendar and a place for us to communicate... hence the birth of our Sole Saints blog.  

Welcome to our newest runners Karen, Leslie and Anita! We do our last 4-miler this Saturday at 6:30am from the Starbucks in Mt. Brook. If you feel like a bit more, we'll also do a quick 3 miles from Starbucks starting at 6am.

If it's raining - feel free to make your own call. I love to run in rain, splash in puddles, so most of the time I run regardless. I do not like lightening or crazy winds or freezing rain - so don't come looking for me under those circumstances - I will be warm, cozy, dry and probably asleep.

Please post questions, comments, your favorite route - this is for all of us.

peace -
Hilary Moreno