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Race Director's Notes June 2, 2008 - Welcome to race week! Congrats! You have made it to race week! It was a long, cold, wet winter and I for one never thought the sun would come back out. But you trained and worked hard and now race week is here. Below is information you will need to help make this week a little easier. Online registration is still open! You can register online through Wednesday, June 4 at midnight by going to www.hospitalhillrun.com. You can also register in person at packet pickup on Thursday, June 5 from 4:00pm – 7:00pm and Friday, June 6 from 11:00am – 7:00pm. PLEASE NOTE THAT PACKET PICKUP HAS MOVED TO THE THIRD FLOOR OF CROWN CENTER SHOPS INSIDE THE OFF CENTER THEATER. Can I switch distances? Yes. Please pick up your original packet and bring it to the New Registration desk and we will switch you to your new event. There is no cost for moving down in distance and a $10 fee to move up in distance. Can my friend register at packet pickup? Yes, registration for the half marathon, 10K and UMKC School of Medicine 5K will be open during packet pickup on Thursday, June 5 from 4:00pm – 7:00pm and Friday, June 6 from 11:00am – 7:00pm. There is no race day registration. Can I pick up my packet on race day? Yes. Race day packet pickup will take place on the third floor of Crown Center Shops between the hours of 5:00am and 6:30am. My name is spelled wrong, my age is wrong, etc. No problem! Just let us know at the information desk during packet pickup and we will update the database. Can I use my own ChampionChip? Yes. We just need your ChampionChip number. Do you have a course map? A course map is inside the Race Weekend Brochure, and it is also online. Can I pick up my friend’s race packet and shirt? Yes, you may pick up your friends’ race packet, shirt and goodies. I won’t be able to participate. Can I still pick up my t-shirt? Yes. Please pick up your bib, t-shirt and goody bag. We will not be mailing goodies after the event. I won’t be able to participate. Can I transfer my registration to next year? No. We are sorry but there are no transfers of registration to another person or to next year. I don’t know my bib number. Where can I find it? Find it here! I have a friend who would like to volunteer. Can he/she help? Yes, we always need an extra set of hands! Please stop by the volunteer check-in area (located right out front the Crown Center Shops entrance) and we will put you to work. Please stop by at 6:00am on race day. Where is the start line located? On Grand Blvd., right in front of Crown Center Do all races begin in the same place? Yes. Please note that this is a new start area for the UMKC School of Medicine 5K. Where is the finish line? Grand Blvd., right in front of Crown Center. Do all races end in the same place? Yes. What are the start times? All wheelchair races begin at 6:45am, Half marathon and 10K 7:00am, UMKC School of Medicine 5K 7:15am What is served on course? How often are the aid stations located? Water and PowerAde are both served at all aid stations. There are eight aid stations on the half marathon course, three on the 10K course and one on the UMKC School of Medicine 5K course. They are located approximately every 1.5 miles (1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, 7.5, 9.0, 10.5, 12.0). There will be orange slices located at the 7th aid station for half marathoners (mile 10.5). I will be waiting for you at the finish line! May 27, 2008 - 11 days and counting! This past weekend I was catching up on my reading, and the local sports magazine in Chicago had a letter from the editor entitled, “The Reason We Suffer.” He was discussing the reasons why we participate in endurance events, noting that some of us simply must love to suffer. For me, though, if I’m suffering, then I must be doing it all wrong! My letter to the editor would have been entitled, “The Reason We Challenge Ourselves” – that is, the reasons we get up early to train, why we love endurance events, etc.. I will never be first across the finish line, no matter how hard I train, but I always make sure that I am having fun. Remember next weekend while you are tackling Hospital Hill Run, enjoy yourself. Packet Pickup will take place on Thursday June 5th from 4pm – 7pm, Friday June 6th from 11am – 7pm and Race Day from 5am – 6:30am. Packet Pickup will take place in the Crown Center Shops on the third floor (the old movie theatre site). Please note the new location. In addition to individual pickups, Thursday night will be open for group pickups. If you want to pick up a lot of packets for your school, charity, or co-workers, please stop by on Thursday evening from 4pm – 7pm. You can email me a list of participant’s names and bib numbers and we will try to have everything pulled in advance for you. To look up bib numbers go here. Online registration is still open! We will continue to take online registration through Wednesday June 4th at midnight or when we hit 5,000 combined participants. This year’s goody bag is bigger and better than ever. All participants receive a technical short-sleeved shirt, runner’s visor and nylon back pack. Finishers also receive a great medal and special gift. But you must have a bib number to be a part of the fun. To register now, go to www.hospitalhillrun.com. Aid Station Volunteers needed! This year’s Hospital Hill Run will have 8 aid stations along the half marathon course. Each aid station will offer water, PowerAde and entertainment to the athletes passing by. We still need to fill a few aid station slots. Any group is encouraged to volunteer (school groups, church groups, Boy Scout \ Girl Scout Troops, etc.). Hospital Hill Run will provide each aid station with all the necessary supplies needed including tables, hoses, garbage bags, PowerAde, mixers and more. We need for you to supply the energy and excitement! Each aid station will be allowed to promote their own cause by wearing your own shirts or uniforms and hanging up banners around the area. Additionally, this year all aid stations will receive a donation to your group or cause. The aid station with the most spirit and creativity (as voted on by the participants) will win an additional cash donation. For more information or to sign up email natalie@hospitalhillruncom. I will be at Garry Gribble’s Stroll Park store (119th & Quivira) on Wednesday June 4th at 6:30pm. Please stop by; I would love to meet you. I will be discussing the new courses and some last minute tips and tricks. I will also raffle off a Forerunner 405 to registered participants who attend. Congrats to Tiffany Donohoe bib # 1510 who won a free Garmin Forerunner 405. Everyone who registered online prior to May 16th was eligible to win. I'll see you at the starting line!
May 20, 2008 - Taper Madness With Hospital Hill less than three weeks away your training has changed into taper mode. For many people this is a very frustrating time. You have been training hard, putting lots of time and miles and for the next few weeks you are told to cut back and it just doesn’t make sense…or does it? Many are questioning why they didn’t run the full 13 miles in training? Did you do enough to get to the finish line? Can you fit in more training in the next two weeks? Am I ready? We go into taper mode (or cut back mode) to give our bodies a break. This way, on race day, we have had ample rest, our legs are at full strength and we are able to perform at our best. Many get ancy during these few weeks and continue putting in lots of time and miles. This will work against you on race day, and your body will not be at peak performance. One suggestion is to cross train! This is the perfect time to go for a walk, swim in the pool, or take a yoga class. Work some different muscles; it will help to keep your mind and body busy without taxing it so much. Look back over your training log and see how far you have come in your training. If you have followed the schedule, you are ready. Resist the urge to run extra miles over these last few weeks. If you have missed some of the training, especially the long runs, it is too late to safely increase mileage this late into the training. It is safer on the body to rest up for race day by following the remainder of the schedule as prepared. Enjoy the day. If you have not registered, what are you waiting for? We will cap the 2008 Hospital Hill Run when we hit a cumulative of 5,000 participants; we are on pace to hit that number around the end of the month. You don’t want to miss out on the fun or the goodies! This year the best goody bag in the Midwest includes: short sleeved technical shirt, nylon back pack and a runner’s visor. All finisher’s will also receive a unique finisher’s medal; Chris Cakes pancake breakfast and a special anniversary gift! Don’t miss the fun, register now at www.hospitalhillrun.com Check online later this week as we will be posting a downloadable version of the race weekend brochure. This will answer many questions you have regarding race weekend, including times, locations, parking and more. Also check out the FAQ section of the website http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/faq/ for additional answers to your questions. Looking for a place to stay while in Kansas City? Stay at our host hotel, the Hyatt Crown Center, located so close to the start \ finish line that you can roll out of bed and be there. Special room rates for Hospital Hill Run participants. For more details go to: http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/travel/ Our host hotels have sold out for the past two years, and there are only a few rooms left! Are you injured and unable to participate? Want to give back to the running community? We are still looking for volunteers. If you or your group is interested in helping out, please contact Natalie at natalie@hospitalhillruncom and she can discuss the various roles available. Happy Taper Time! May 13, 2008 - The long and winding road . . . I run for the medals (ok and chocolate chip cookies). I love finisher medals. I know that I earned it, it is not available for purchase and my two feet and my feet alone earned me my medal. I also love the fact that the guy who won the event, got the same finisher’s medal as I did - way at the back of the pack. The medal has nothing to do with who is first or last it has everything to do with finishing! Why all the talk about medals when there are still 3 1\2 weeks to go? Well this week is your longest run yet and the llast long run in your training. It will take a long time and it will be difficult, but you are preparing your body and your mind for race day. This is the perfect time to “test” the race morning breakfast, on course energy gels, and the song that will take you across the finish line. Imagine yourself finishing Hospital Hill Run, ___ (insert your favorite song) is playing at the finish line, your friends and family are cheering and I am waiting to place a finisher’s medal across your neck. Every finisher receives a special and unique medal and this year to commemorate the 35th anniversary we will have special ribbons as well. But no finisher medals are sold, or donated or handed out after the event, you need to earn it on your own. So go out there and conquer your last long run and if you happen to hear Styx playing Come Sail Away, I may not be far behind you! A HUGE thank you to Coke and PowerAde who has come on to sponsor the Hospital Hill Run, there will be PowerAde at every aid station on course (8 in the half marathon, 6 in the 10K and 1 in the UMKC School of Medicine 5K) and the finish line. If you have never had PowerAde, go and pickup some at a local store and use it on your training runs – remember nothing new on race day! Not registered yet, well what are you waiting for? Registration is 65% ahead of last year and if we continue at this pace we will close at 5,000 by the end of the month. Don’t miss out on the fun register today at www.hospitalhillrun.com Next week - taper maddness! Have a wonderful training run this weekend! I will be waiting at the finish line with your medal! Beth May 6, 2008 - The Power of Only Do you remember back in January when you decided to take on Hospital Hill Run? You looked at different training schedules, spoke to your friends and finally registered. In February, when looking at your training schedule you thought that a 10-mile workout was crazy - you don’t even drive 10 miles to the store! Now you have conquered the 10-mile long run and this week you are back in a cut-back week of ONLY 8 miles. When the word ONLY creeps into the vocabulary about your training, you have made it! Relish your training; tell all your friends, you have earned it. To ensure that your first name is printed on your race bib, register by Friday May 9th. Registration will close once 5,000 participants have been reached. To register now, go to http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/registration/ To verify your registration go to http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/registration/ and put in your last name to search the database. The database is updated every Tuesday morning. This week make one of your mid-week runs a three-mile predictor run. Mark off a course that is three miles (use your car, bike, or online tool [i.e., mapmyrun.com] to measure) and run your race pace for three miles. The key to the run is you cannot use a watch or GPS to time or pace yourself. Learn to listen to the signals of your body to see if you are going too fast or too slow. Race pace is faster than you run your long weekend runs and slower than you would run a 5K race. Do the three-mile predictor run this week and then again in two weeks. See how close you can come to your goal. To be your best on race day you need to fuel your body now. Athletes of all ages need proper nutrition in order to perform their best and stay healthy. Check out the “Go Getter Game Day Snacks” handout from Midwest Dairy Council that was developed by registered dietitians and provides tips for parents and coaches on ways to pack the cooler with fun, nutritious dairy snacks to fuel their kids for competition. Hospital Hill Run packet pickup will take place on Thursday June 5th from 4pm – 7pm, Friday June 6th from 11am – 7pm and race day from 5am – 6:30am. Packet Pickup will take place in Crown Center Shops on the third floor. Please note the new location! You can have a friend or family member pick up your race materials for you. The #1 song in 1974 was Bennie and the Jets by Elton John - a great song! What song would you like to start this year's Hospital Hill Run? Email your suggestions to me and the winning song will be played for the start of the event. Last year's song, U2's Beautiful Day is not eligible this year. Happy training! April 29, 2008 - Nothing New on Race Day! With 5 1\2 weeks to go until Race Day, you are probably thinking to yourself, why are we planning race day now? Now is the perfect time to put together your race day plan. What will you wear? What will you eat for breakfast? Where will you park? What time will you leave your house? You want to know the answers to these questions and many more prior to race day, to ensure that you have a fun and relaxing Hospital Hill Run. Breakfast on race day is tough for many. Don’t want to eat and drink too much and spend the morning in the port-o-potties; don’t want to run out of energy on Broadway Hill. Use the next few long runs to experiment with what time you need to get up to eat something and have it settle. Also play with different foods. Some people can eat a bagel with peanut butter and a banana prior to racing. Me, I get nervous and can only stomach an energy bar. Knowing that I will need additional energy on course I usually carry some Clif Blocks. What will you need to get through race day? There will be 8 aid stations on course this year, located every 1.5 miles on the half marathon course. Each aid station will have water, energy drink and two port-o-potties. Are your shoes starting to fade from all the training? Race day is not the time to break out the new shoes. Even if you have been wearing the same make and model of shoes for years, each pair fits a little differently. Now is the time to get a new pair of shoes and slowly break them in. By race day, they will be perfect. The same goes for your clothing. Many of us like a new outfit for special occasions. I can tell you from experience that you want to “try” out your new shirt, socks, and shorts prior to race day. Seams have a funny way of showing up in all the wrong places at mile 3 of a half marathon, making for a very scratchy day. Last year I wore an outfit that I had worn before, but I put my hotel key (one of those credit card types) in my front pocket. I had never used that pocket before, I usually put things in my back pocket, but felt that it would be safer closer to me. When I got back to the hotel room later that day, I found that the key had been cutting into my thigh the entire 13.1 miles, I was in pain the rest of the day. Now is the time to try something new - buy new shoes, a special race day outfit and the perfect breakfast foods. You want Hospital Hill Run to be a great day! If you are not sure how long it will take you to drive to Crown Center, you don’t want to have to worry about parking on race day, consider spending the night at the Hyatt Crown Center. Located just steps from the start \ finish area, you will be able to get a good night’s rest and hop in the shower after the race is over. We have sold out all our hotel rooms two years running and we are currently 75% sold out, go to http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/travel/ for details and to make your room reservation. When you are finished with the half marathon, 10K or UMKC School of Medicine 5K, stick around for the party. For the third year in a row, Panera will be treating runners, friends and family to their wonderful cookies. If you can’t wait (and why should you) Panera Bread has 21 KC Metro locations and locations in Wichita, Lawrence, Topeka and Manhattan. Come in and try the new grilled breakfast sandwiches - three varieties in the morning, hand-tossed salads and hearty soups in the afternoon and inventive hot panini sandwiches in the evening. Visit them online at www.panera-kansas.com. Not registered for the 35th annual Hospital Hill Run? What are you waiting for? This year we will close registration at 5,000 participants (combined participants). You don’t want to miss out. Once again, Hospital Hill Run will have the best goody bag in the Midwest! All registered athletes will get a nylon backpack goody bag (filled with lots of fun samples), a running visor and a great dri-fit shirt. All finishers also receive a commemorative finisher’s medal, special finisher’s gift and Chris Cakes breakfast! All that and a great run! You don’t want to miss the 35th annual Hospital Hill Run. Have a wonderful week - here comes May!! April 22, 2008 - Hospital Hill Run 101 Happy Earth Day! One of the most exciting parts of Hospital Hill Run is seeing the face of the many first timers as they cross the finish line. They know that they were able to achieve something special, unique, and difficult, by pushing themselves. There are no shortcuts to crossing the finish line, just proper training and information. I will try to answer some of the most common Hospital Hill Run questions… 1 – What is ChampionChip Timing? 2 – What does “Net Time” and “Gun Time” mean in the results? 3 – What is a Pace Team? Does it cost anything to participate? 4 – Why do athletes needs to wear a bib? 5 – Why is there a course limit? What are the time limits? 6 – What are the Hospital Hill Heroes? The Heroes will be walking the Half Marathon course at a minimum of 3 and 1\2-hour pace. They are the official end of the event. No aid stations or course marshals will close or leave prior to the Heroes passing by. 7 – What kind of goodies do I get? All participants will receive a nylon back pack goody bag, running visor and short sleeved Dri-Fit shirt. All finishers receive a special commemorative medal, special 35th anniversary prize and a Chris Cakes breakfast. If you haven’t registered, go to www.hospitalhillrun.com to make sure you are part of the party. Registration is up by 100% right now over last year and we will be closing registration when we hit 5,000 participants. You don’t want to miss the fun! Also, everyone who registers by May 9th will have their first name printed on their race bib! Make a weekend out of your Hospital Hill Run. Stay at the Hyatt Crown Center and wake up a few hundred feet from the start and finish. Hotel rooms are going fast, we sold out in 2006 and 2007, so don’t wait until the last minute. Go to http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/travel/ to make your Hospital Hill Run hotel reservation. Visit www.3aday.org to sign up for the 3-A-Day of Dairy e-newsletter, which includes a mom's corner, health expert advice and delicious dairy recipes. Also, take advantage of the opportunity to download Dairy Connect, an innovative way to keep your fingers on the pulse of new dairy product information, exclusive coupon offers and more great recipes. 6 Weeks until the 35th anniversary of the Hospital Hill Run! Happy Training! April 15, 2008 - Run for a Reason Welcome to all our 10K training participants. This week is your kick off for your training program. There are 4 free 10K training programs available on the Hospital Hill Run website (http://www.hospitalhillrun.com/training/) look through them and find the right program for you. Last week I asked why you run \ walk \ train \ participate and I got lots of different reasons. Many very personal (I want to lose weight, I want to prove that I can still do this, I need a new challenge) and some reasons bigger than ourselves. Hospital Hill Run began a new charity program this year; we were not sure what kind of response we would receive in our first year. The response has been WONDERFUL and I am thrilled to introduce you to 14 great reasons to participate in Hospital Hill Run, our charity partners: American Liver Foundation Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America Catholic Charities Don Linville Memorial Fund Girls on the Run Habitat for Humanity Hillcrest Transitional Housing
Kansas City Retired Greyhounds as Pets
Kids Enjoy Exercise Now Marian Hope Center Ozanam Quest to Walk Saint Luke’s Foundation for Women TLC for Children and Families, Inc. Looking for a fast training run, why not join the inaugural MAIN STREET MILE, Saturday, May 10, 2008, Kansas City, Missouri. They offer a 1-mile run at 8:30 a.m. The run starts at Linwood and Main Street and heads south to 40th Street. The goal of the 1-mile run is to change perception, raise awareness and participation within the community, and to develop public improvements on Main Street. The beneficiary for the inaugural event is the Major Murray Davis Park, located just immediately south of the intersection of Main Street and Westport Road. For more information, go to: www.kcmainstmile.org or call 913-485-3254. This Sunday will be the Women’s Marathon Olympic Trials in Boston MA. You can watch them streamed live at http://bostontrials2008.com/. It is very exciting to watch the best American Women compete for the chance to represent the rest of us in China this August. Register now for the Hospital Hill Run Half Marathon, 10K or UMKC School of Medicine 5K online at www.hospitalhillrun.com or download a paper application from our site. You don't want to miss this anniversary party!! Have a wonderful week – happy training! Beth April 8, 2008 - Hills? What Hills? They don't call it Hospital Hill Run for nothing, there are many hills in the Half Marathon and 10K courses and one hill on the 5K course. If you have not done so already, you need to prepare by adding hill training for race day. Hill training incorporates going up and going down a hill, some tips from runnersworld.com: Going Up Here's how: Coming Down • Try to visualize gravity pulling you down the hill. The question I get asked most is why do you do this? I work year round planning and event for race day. This past weekend I saw the joy on the face of a woman who crossed the finish line 7 hours and 46 minutes after the start of the race. I could see in her face that she was a changed woman and she now knows that with a little hard work she can accomplish anything, nothing will ever be as hard as the past 26.2 miles. She asked for a hug and I was honored to give her one. What a great moment and I was able to be a part of it. Why do you train? Race? Send me an email I would love to share your stories. If you are looking for more inspiration next week, I will be sharing the details of our new charity partners. What are you doing on Saturday June 7th? Don’t miss out on the biggest Hospital Hill Run ever! New courses! New charity program! Great finisher’s medal! New visor and nylon backpack! Great performance t-shirt! And special finisher’s gift for all participants! Don’t miss out – register now at www.hospitalhillrun.com, we will close registration at 5,000 people! May 9-11- Fiesta Kansas City Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at this eighth annual event, which features great music, food, dancing and exhibits. Sponsored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. Open 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday; Noon to 11 p.m., Saturday; Noon to 10 p.m., Sunday on the Crown Center Square. FREE admission. Check www.hccgkc.com or call 816-472-6767 for more information. 70’s flashback… The top 5 movies in 1974 were Blazing Saddles, The Towering Inferno, Young Frankenstein, The Godfather: Part II and Benji. This weekend will be your longest run yet at 9 miles. Enjoy your run \ walk and then go enjoy a classic movie! Have a great week! April 1, 2008 - Headphones, headphones, headphones! Who knew this would be such a hot topic? A few weeks ago, I announced that we would allow runners to wear headphones and, in doing so, I created a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. And, for that, I apologize. Background: USATF is the governing body of all distance running and track and field events. They're the boss. They banned headphone use in December of 2006 at their annual meeting, which caused quite a bit of controversy, confusion, and outright anger (you see, some people love their MP3’s so much they won't run without them; others think the noise-makers are an atrocity. Personally, I love all runners, I love my MP3, but I don't race with it. That, of course, is just me). I attended the Running USA Conference in February and learned that USATF was going to repeal the headphone ban and apply it only to the long-distance championship race. So, I announced here that Hospital Hill would allow runners to wear headphones. Well, what a difference a couple of weeks make! For better or worse, I have since learned from USATF that although it is repealing the ban on headphones, the repeal won't occur until December of this year. Until then, the ban is still in effect. (see section 144.3b - page 4 of the pdf) So, here's the final scoop: USATF sanctions Hospital Hill, and USATF insures this race. We have to follow USATF rules to keep our sanctioning and insurance, and the suits and lawyers have made clear that without insurance, this race will not occur. Thus, I regrettably revoke the policy I adopted a few weeks ago. This is the last word on headphones at this year's race. So, for all of you MP3 lovers, that's the bad news. The worse news, perhaps, is that you will find this same exact rule applied at most, if not all, races you enter this year. The repeal should come in December. In the meantime, this is the rule. Now for the good news. Just because you can't wear your MP3 doesn't mean you should skip Hospital Hill. Why? Because you'll be entertained by the thousands of runners running with you, by the themed aid stations that will be competing for your vote as the Best Aid Station, and by the beautiful courses that help Hospital Hill stand out and apart. Regardless whether the USATF rule is short-lived or permanent; it won't change my outlook about this race. This is a wonderful event, with or without headphones, and I hope that you'll join us on June 7 as we celebrate our 35th year. Looking forward to seeing you on the starting line! Happy April Fool's Day Wikipedia defines a course as the intended path of a vehicle over the surface of the earth. Hospital Hill Run defines a course as a hill-covered, potentally-hot running path over which 5,000 participants will conquer and enjoy on June 7th. Not registered yet? What are you waiting for? www.hospitalhillrun.com to register now! You have asked to see the new half marathon course, so here it is: , Click here http://wwwhospitalhillrun.com/images/2008coursemap.pdf Here are some answers to the questions I know you have… 1 – Why did you change the course? We changed the course due to bridge construction on 31st street that makes it impossible to reach Trinity Hill. We expect Trinity Hill to return to the Hospital Hill run course next year. 2 – What other changes did you make? The course now heads farther north to the Sprint Center, the half marathon does not go quite as south as in the past (it now turns at Meyer Boulevard), and all three events begin at Crown Center on Grand Boulevard. 3 – Did you change the start \ finish lines? YES! All three events (half marathon, 10K and 5K) will now start on Grand Boulevard. right in front of Crown Center and, as always, will finish there as well. 4 – Is everyone starting at the same time? No, all wheelchair athletes will begin at 6:45am, half marathon and 10K athletes begin at 7:00am, and 5K participants begin at 7:15am. 5 – Is the course flatter? We are still in Kansas City, so it still isn’t flat. The hills that made the event famous are still there - Hospital Hill, Rockhill Hill and Broadway Hill. Cherry Hill and Trinity Hill have been removed for this year, but Trinity Hill will be back next year. To see an elevation map of the half marathon click here. 6 – What about the 10K? The 10K will start and finish with the half marathon on Grand Boulevard right in front of Crown Center and turn at 39th street before joining back up on the half marathon course. There is a brand new hill on the 10K course only – introducing the 39th street hill! To see a course map and elevation click here. 7 – What about the UMKC School of Medicine 5K? The UMKC School of Medicine 5K has a new start line allowing for athletes to cheer on the half marathoners and 10K participants before starting themselves. The turn will be located on 29th Street before joining in with the other two events for a great finish! To see a course map click here. 8 – What about aid stations? With the course changes we have changed the locations of the aid stations. There will be eight aid stations on the half marathon course, three on the 10K course, and one on the 5K course. Each will be stocked with water and energy drink. The aid stations will be located every 1.5 miles on the half marathon course (mile 1.5, mile 3, mile 4.5, mile 6, mile 7.5, mile 9, mile 10.5, and mile 12). There will also be water available near the start line before the event, bottles of water at the finish line, and energy drink at the finish line. 9 – How do you measure the course? A certified measurer from USATF rides the course on a bicycle to determine the shortest possible route. That means that the measurer stayed near the curb and took every available tangent (shortest possible point between two points). If your GPS unit suggests that you ran longer than the advertised race distance, you probably ran around other participants, veered to the side of the road to get some water, or stayed in the middle of the road during a turn. All these extra steps add up. Congratulations to all who participated in the Olathe Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K last Saturday. It was a windy day, but you know what they say about race day – you can’t control the weather! Looking for another local challenge before the Hospital Hill Run? On Sunday, April 20th, join many of your friends for the second annual TherapyWorks Lawrence Half marathon and 5k in Lawrence, KS. The race is comprised of three races-a half Marathon, 5k, and a 1-mile fun run. All events start and finish at Haskell Indian Nations University. The half marathon course runs past numerous historic landmarks, Downtown Lawrence, KU’s campus, and has an Olympic-style finish on the track at Haskell Stadium. Almost 2,000 runners participated last year. For more information go to www.lawrencehalfmarathon.com or contact srmriley@sunflower.com. Hurry - you don’t want to miss the early registration deadline of April 9th. I am back on the road again this week, to the GO! St. Louis Marathon, if you are participating, please say hello, I will be at the expo on Friday and Saturday and at the finish line on Sunday! Hope you have a great week! March 24, 2008 - Relax, don't OVER do it! I love cut back weeks! You have permission to take it easy and run less! All kidding aside, cut back weeks are a very important part of training. You will notice on the training schedules that the weekly mileage and the distance of the long runs increase for 3 weeks, then is reduced by 25% or more. This is your cut back week and is important to staying healthy during training. Through the course of training, the body undergoes significant stress as the mileage increases. To reduce the risk of injury over a long training season, cut back weeks are designed to let the body recover before embarking on increased mileage over the succeeding weeks in training. The body heals and gets stronger during these cut back weeks. We prepare ourselves for another layer of stress in the upcoming weeks by the reduction in mileage. During a training program, the total weekly mileage should not increase by more than 10% per week, and the length of the long run should not increase by more than 1 or 2 miles from week to week. Increasing mileage more than this poses a greater risk for injury. What’s new at Hospital Hill Run? New in 2008 will be an aid station contest! The aid station with the most energy and excitement will win a cash donation. Hospital Hill Run will provide you with everything you need - water, cups, energy drink, etc. and the volunteers provide the entertainment! Aid stations will be voted upon by the participants, and the winners will receive a donation made to their school group, team or charity. Use your creativity and treat the athletes to a 70’s flashback, a toga party, a Hawaiian luau, or some other wild theme you dream up on your own! For more information about being a part of the aid station contest or to volunteer, email Natalie at natalie@hospitalhillrun.com. Aid stations are filling up fast, so hurry! I will be in Kansas City this week! I will be at packet pickup all day Friday for the Olathe Marathon and Half Marathon. If you are participating in one of these events, please stop by and say hello! In June 1974 the world’s population was 4.012 billion people; as of today we are estimated to be at 6.79 billion people – WOW! Many of whom are signing up for the 35th anniversary of the Hospital Hill Run. We have more than double the number of registrations than we did this time last year. Don’t miss out on the fun - go to www.hospitalhillrun.com to be a part of the celebration. All 6.79 billion people won’t be there, but we will close registration when we hit 5,000 – don’t miss your chance! Good Luck to all who are participating in the Olathe Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K! And a special good luck to HHR Board Member Sandy who will be participating in a half Ironman this weekend! Happy Training! Beth March 18, 2008 - Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today we all are a bit green as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Hospital Hill Run will be going green for the second year in a row as we have said NO to plastic goody bags and will once again be offering all participants Nylon Backpacks for goody bags. Do something good for the environment and something good comes back to you. Also in your goody bag this year will be a runner’s visor (check out a picture of the visor and the backpack at www.hospitalhillrun.com) and short sleeved dri-release shirt. All finishers receive a commemorative finisher’s medal and a special anniversary gift. But only the first 5,000 will be invited to the party, so don’t miss out, register today at www.hospitalhillrun.com. My favorite part about a new training plan is new stuff! I love to get the stuff! There are lots of goodies out there and by no means do you need it all, but make sure you that you are fitted for a pair of running shoes by a specialist. This does not mean purchasing a pair of shoes at Sports Authority, but stop into your local running store and take the time to be fitted for the right shoe. Everyone asks me what is the best running shoe out there and my response is always the same, what ever fits YOUR foot. Recently, the Running Network found the 50 best running stores in America and we are so lucky to have 3 in our backyard. Congrats to Big River Running who has two stores in the St. Louis area. Owner, Ben Rosario won the 10K in 2007, his running and business experience will guarantee you the right shoes and details about the Hospital Hill course. Congrats also goes to Elite Feet of Overland Park, who in addition to being a great store offers customers something to do with their old running shoes, they recycle them! Finally a big congrats to our friend Garry Gribble who has three running specialty shops in the Kansas City area. Garry and his staff are very knowledgeable not just about running shoes, but also the local races, Garry has participated in Hospital Hill Run for many years! Besides shoes, you can find the perfect running clothing (chafing is not our friend), a Garmin Heart Rate monitor to help with workouts and pacing, a training journal to see how far you have come and a hydration system to carry with you on those long, hot workouts. Enjoy the training, enjoy the shopping and enjoy the ride! Is this your first race? Are you excited? Nervous? Happy? Unsure? All of the above? That is ok, those feelings are normal. My first half marathon was the Indy Mini Half Marathon in 2004. I had completed many triathlons up to that point, but I thought running longer than 6.2 miles was crazy – didn’t these people know of cars? I signed up and started training. I did my long runs on Saturday, my speed work on Wednesday and tried to get a few workouts in on my own during the week. I wanted to stop many times, I was tired, it was hot and I was sure I couldn't do it, but when I crossed the finish line, they called my name and put a medal around my neck, I knew I could accomplish anything. I pushed myself when I was hot and tired, I trained when I wanted to sleep and I set a goal and met it. I won’t promise you a perfect training season or even a perfect race, but I will promise you that when the volunteer puts the finisher’s medal around your neck, it will change you! Are you unable to participate this year, but would still like to be involved? Volunteer with the Hospital Hill Run! It is a great way to get involved and still be a part of the excitement! New this year is an aid station contest will all aid station recieving donations to their chairtiy or school groups! To get involved or to find our more information about volunteering, email Natalie at natalie@hospitalhillrun.com. A little more 70's trivia...As if spring wasn't a good enough reason to go for a walk or a run, in 1974 the average price of gas was 53 cents per gallon, today the average price of gas in the midwest is $3.25 - OVER a 600% price increase!! Go for a run or walk today! Have a great week! Beth March 11, 2008 - I train therefore I am! You have started your training and you think it may be a bit easier than you thought it would be. I can run faster, harder, longer or more days than the schedule recommends. Don’t! These schedules were put together to help you get to the starting line injury free and excited for race day. Although the program may seem easy at first, the schedule builds. Do not overdo it; you may cause yourself injury or burnout. So who do you rock to? What song puts an extra step in your run? For me every time Styx's Come Sail Away comes through my headphones, I pick up my step. Email me your favorite get moving song and we will compile a list and put it on the Hospital Hill Run Blog for you to compile the best training list ever. If you haven’t visited our newest community click here. It is a message board dedicated to Hospital Hill Run. Feel free to ask questions or offer support! Plan your stay now! The Hyatt Crown Center is the official hotel of the Hospital Hill Run and located only steps from the start and finish areas. There is a special rate of $135 for Hospital Hill Run athletes. The official event hotels have sold out the past 2 years at Hospital Hill Run; don’t miss your chance to stay at the staring line! Go to www.hospitalhillrun.com and click on travel for more details. This year is the 35th anniversary of the Hospital Hill Run, but you get all the gifts! All participants will receive a short sleeved dri-release shirt, a runners visor and a nylon back pack and finishers will receive a special commemorative medal, Chris Cakes breakfast and a special gift! But you need to register to be a part of the fun and we are limiting this year’s event to 5, 000 participants. To register go to www.hospitalhillrun.com. A little 1974 trivia, in the year that Hospital Hill Run was founded the price of a first class stamp was 10 cents today we pay 41 cents – over 400% increase in only 35 years! More fun trivia facts to follow! Have a great week! See you on the starting line! Beth March 3 , 2008 - Ready, Set, TRAIN! It is finally here, the beginning of the Hospital Hill Run Half Marathon training program. If you are following one of the free online schedules (www.hospitalhillrun.com/training/), training with a group, or found another schedule - today’s the day to get started! These emails will arrive weekly to offer training advice, event information and a little humor. You have taken the first step, now let’s go! Registration is up – we mean WAY up! We have more than doubled from 2007 at this time. In order to ensure a safe experience for all athletes we are capping this year’s event to a total of 5,000 athletes (combined with the three events). Don’t miss out on the fun register now at www.hospitalhillrun.com Reading the schedule. Before you start any training program read through the schedule. Make sure you understand what the different terms mean. Here are some of the terms on the Hospital Hill Run Schedule: EASY – This term means that this is an easy run or walk. How do you know? If you can’t hold a conversation you are working too hard. Yes and No answers do not make a conversation. This should be an easy work out – enjoy it! CROSS TRAIN – Cross training is finding another spot to do to give your running \ walking muscles a rest but still keep you body moving. Some suggestions, swimming (great full body \ low impact sport), biking \ spinning, weight work, yoga or Pilates. You do not have to do the same cross training sport every time, experiment and try new activities – your body will thank you! TEMPO – A tempo run is steady running at threshold pace. If you own a heart rate monitor (another great reason to purchase a Garmin Forerunner) tempo runs are done at 90% maximum of your heart rate or if you do not have one it would be described at “comfortably hard”. LONG – This is your one long run of the week, training your body for race day. This should be done at a nice easy conversational pace. FARTLEK – Literally fartlek is Swedish for speed play. For runners (and walkers) fartlek is a form of running in which the athlete varies the pace significantly during the run. This may mean speeding up for one minute and slowing down for 3 minutes and doing this for a total of 30 minutes. This is a fun way to break up a work out and challenge yourself in a new way. HILLS – Since Hospital Hill Run is famous for it’s hills, we have included hill training in the schedules. Try to find a hilly outdoor location and do your workout there (as opposed to a flat course or on a treadmill). This will best prepare you for race day. SPEED – In some of the advanced schedules there are speed workouts. Often it will say something like – 6 miles – 6 x 800. What that means is that you are running a total of 6 miles and within the 6 miles you will 6 sprints of 800 meters each with a cook down time in between. It is best to do speed workouts on a track where you can easily measure your distance. It is easy to want to sleep in and miss a workout (in the spirit of full disclosure I did this last Saturday), there always seems to be work or family obligations that take us away from our workouts. Commit to the workout and commit to Hospital Hill Run. If you have not already done so register for Hospital Hill Run and place the receipt somewhere, where it will be seen often. Tell your friends and family that you have committed to the Hospital Hill Run. It is a lot harder to let others down than ourselves. Again, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am training to run The Flying Pig Half Marathon the first Sunday in May. Now that I have told everyone I have to complete my goal! Share your goals, training successes, failures, inspiration, and even look for a new training partner on the NEW Hospital Hill Run message board. It will be all Hospital Hill all the time. To read or post on the board go HERE. Please make sure to log into www.active.com first, then go to the message board. Next week…To iPod or not to iPod, that is the question! Have a great week! Beth February 14, 2008 - Happy Valentine's Day! Follow your heart this Valentine’s Day, straight to heart rate training! Chocolates are a yummy treat but you know that they say, “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips” and flowers die within a week. Why not treat your valentine or yourself to the gift that is truly heart healthy! Running gives me an “excuse” to feed my gadget addiction and this fall I purchased a brand new Garmin Forerunner 305. This heart rate monitor is so much more! I have set up the watch face (with help from Natalie!) to tell me my current pace, current mileage, time of day and calories burned. But I wanted more information and I am able to scroll to another watch face for my heart rate duration of workout and even more info. This is a great tool that helps me track my workouts and make changes as needed. If the Forerunner washed my dirty clothes when I returned from a workout, I think that Garmin would have world domination! There are many Garmin training tools (you can even download the Hospital Hill Run courses and training schedules into your Forerunner) and many different watches that it is best to work with an authorized dealer to find the one that is best for you. Go to www.garmin.com to locate a dealer and to see the full line of Garmin products. Of course on race day we will all raise our Garmin wrists in unison! The rumors are correct; Hospital Hill Run is changing all three courses. Due to construction that is currently taking place on 31st street, we have changed the half marathon and 10K course to turn on Linwood and will bypass Trinity Hill. If construction has finished by May 15th we will go back to Trinity Hill, if not consider this the year for a PR and in 2009 we will return to our old friend Trinity Hill. In addition, all three events will now start on Grand just north of Pershing. The Half Marathon and 10K will begin at 7am and the UMKC School of Medicine 5K will begin at 7:15am. All three courses will head further North this year, close to the new Sprint Center and the Half Marathon course will not go as far south. To check out the Half Marathon course and elevation go to http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/mo/kansas-city/403443107. If you are looking for a flat course to help in your training for the Hospital Hill Run, then check out the Olathe Marathon, Half Marathon or 5K on Sunday March 29th. All marathon and half marathoner finishers receive a keep sake medal, ChampionChip timing and more make this spring time race a perfect kick off to the spring running season. For more information, to register or volunteer go to www.olathemarathon.com Training for the 35th annual Hospital Hill Run begins the first week in March, with your weekend long run of 4 miles. If you feel that you are not up to this level, DO NOT WORRY! Begin ramping up now with 30 minute workouts (run, run\walk, or walking) three times and week and in no time you will be able to handle 4 miles. I will begin sending out weekly training emails with suggestions on how to get in those long workouts, define cross training, what to eat and drink while in training and some humorous stories to keep you going in just a few weeks. NEW this year, Hospital Hill Run is setting up a message board where you will be able to get advice from one another, learn from one another and motivate one another. Details will follow in early March! Are you registered to run the 35th annual Hospital Hill Run? Well you want o make sure you don’t miss the party and since registration is up over 125% since 2007 at this time, there will be lots of people to party with! To register or for more information go to www.hospitalhillrun.com Have a great holiday! January 21, 2008 - Brrr... It is cold outside! Do you ever have a hard time getting out of bed to go for a run (last weekend)? Do you find that it is easier to let yourself down rather than someone else? I will be the first to admit that I have often skipped a workout when it has been just me, but when I started training with a charity group and had a bigger reason; well I never missed a workout! This year the Hospital Hill Run is adding a charity component to all three events. What does that mean? It means that you can dedicate your training and race day to honor someone or something and raise funds in the process. It is easy and FREE! Very shortly we will be adding logos of charities that are looking to participate in this program to the Hospital Hill Run website. You can choose one of those charities of add one of your own. Tell your friends that you are participating in the Hospital Hill Run Half Marathon, 10K or UMKC School of Medicine 5K to raise funds and awareness for the charity of your choice and encourage them to help you. It is a great way to do something special for yourself and someone else. If you are involved in a charity and would like to be apart of the program please email Kristina Olkowski at kristina@hospitalhillrun.com and she will send you all the details. There is NO cost to participants or charities to be a part of the program. And just maybe it will help you get out of bed in the morning! My favorite post running snack is string cheese. It comes in its own wrapper, is a little salty and has protein for rebuilding all those muscles I used by staying in bed this past weekend. Best of all it encourages those who eat it to play with their food! Then I learned it is part of the three-a-day campaign, encouraging all of us to eat three dairy things per day (milk, cheese and \ or yogurt), unfortunately ice cream does not count or I would be a rock star! Over the next few months we will get some recipes and snack ideas from the Midwest Dairy Council as we welcome them on as the newest sponsor of the Hospital Hill Run!! Yes it is cold and windy outside, but in just a few months it will be hot and humid outdside and we will fondly be remembering those days of winter...NAH! We are just 4 and a half months away from the Hospital Hill Run, have you registered yet? Why not do it now and commit yourself for the rest of the winter? Training schedules for the Half Marathon, 10K and UMKC School of Medicine have been posted (for all skill levels) and training emails will begin shortly. Try to stay inside and stay warm - you deserve it! But the next time you go for a run, think about making it a bigger reason - I promise you it will change everything! See you at the starting line! January 3, 2008 - Happy New Year! Don’t you wonder why all the magazines and television shows have programs called, New Year, New You? Just because the calendar has changed that doesn’t mean that you have to start over. Instead I will call it New Year, Better You! I think you are pretty great and that 2007 was pretty great, together we can make 2008 even better! In 2007 I made a resolution to run my first full length marathon. I have participated in 27 triathlons and 9 half marathons (but who is counting) and I felt that 2007 was my year. I started off the year with a half marathon in March and felt that I would slowly build until my marathon in October. During the summer I did another half marathon (as a training run) and it felt great. I conquered my 16 mile and 18 mile run and felt like a super star. I started my first 20 miler in early September, visualizing the finish, on a cool, crisp autumn day. By mile 5 I had severe pain in my right foot, by mile 6 I could no longer walk. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew that this was not in my plans. 2 Days later I was told that I had a stress fracture in my foot and I would not be allowed to participate in the marathon I had trained months for. My foot has healed and I am once again hoping to finish a marathon this fall (race to be determined). 2007 was good for me and my training, but 2008 will be even better! What can you do better? As a side note, I walked the half marathon in San Francisco as opposed to running the full marathon. It was my slowest race ever and by far the most fun! Sometimes you have to change your game plan, but it can still be just as fun! Did you know that in 2007, 3,500 athletes participated in the Hospital Hill Run, the largest turn out since 1991? In 2008 let’s make it better with a goal of 5,000 participants! Did you know that in 2007 we introduced the Garmin Pace Teams for half marathon participants? Many of you worked with these talented pacers getting you to the finish line, meeting your goal time. In 2008 the Garmin Pace Teams will return with more pacers and more finishing times, making the pace groups even better! Garmin will also be hosting a seminar on how to use a Garmin Forerunner effectively for training. Dates and details to follow. In the past the UMKC School of Medicine 5K has started at the top of Hospital Hill, cutting off 5K participants from the excitement of a big start. In 2008, we will be making the UMKC School of Medicine 5K better by starting on Grand Avenue just North of Pershing, the same starting line as the Half Marathon and 10K use. The 5K will start at 7:15am allowing 5K participants to cheer on the 10K and Half Marathoners and getting the big start they deserve! We are always looking for ways to make Hospital Hill Run even better. Please email me your suggestions at beth@hospitalhillrun.com. We love new ideas! Did you know that from the 3,500 participants of 2007, 44% are younger than the Hospital Hill Run? The event will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the oldest running tradition in Kansas City. No matter what your age, make the Hospital Hill Run part of your yearly running tradition. The 2008 Hospital Hill Run will take place on Saturday June 7th. Registration is now open and you can make it even better by putting the code better08 in the coupon code line. This will give you a $5 discount for the half marathon, $4 off the 10K and $3 off the UMKC School of Medicine 5K. Together we will make 2008 even better! Click here to register. See you on the starting line! November 20, 2007 - Happy Thanksgiving! It is around this time of year that I take stock of my life and give thanks for my many blessings. I want to thank everyone who has participated in the Hospital Hill Run over the past 34 years - there are 100,000 of you! I want to thank all the volunteers who help out every weekend at the various races, who are up early setting up the course, handing out water and give up their free time to help us reach our running goals. I want to thank all my friends and family who put up with my many hours of training (ok, some times not so many hours) and are at the finish line cheering me on! And I want to thank the Hospital Hill Run sponsors, for without them there would be no event. Thank you to Crown Center, Saint Luke's Health System, UMKC School of Medicine, BlueCross \ Blue Shield, Garmin and Union Broadcasting for supporting Hospital Hill Run over the years! Now for a little giving...Hospital Hill Run is participating in the first National Runner Survey Project being conducted by Running USA and the Road Runners Club of America. The results will give us a more accurate snapshot of runners and walkers. Your anonymous responses will help us plan, market and build the sport both locally through Hospital Hill Run and nationally. Feel free to skip over questions that you don’t like or don’t have time for. Whatever sections you complete will be used. Click the link below to go directly to the survery: Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and we look forward to hosting you for the 35th annual Hospital Hill Run on Saturday June 7, 2008! Beth
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