First Strides® - North Myrtle Beach Workshop

Dear First Striders,

What a busy night at the NMB Sports Complex!   Thank you all for working with your mentors to follow our route safely!  

ANIMAL GROUPS:  You are now in our smaller animal groups:  Go Cheetah, Fox, Gazelle, Lynx and Panther!  Look for your group’s animal flag as you arrive next week.  

These groups are structured by ability in order to allow your mentors to keep the group close together during the workout.  Big differences in individuals’ paces within one group means that the group will spread out too much for the mentors to function as we intend.  

What am I asking?  Please participate in the group that best matches “your” pace.  It is great that you and friends have joined First Strides NMB together.  But selecting a group to be with your friends does 2 things:

- it means the more-fast Strider will not improve as much as they could if they hold back to accommodate the less-fast Strider's pace;

- unevenly paced groups stretches our mentors out too thin, resulting in group members getting separated. We started to teach "regrouping" this week..."regrouping" occurs when the group spreads out too much so, after each harder interval, the lead mentor and the more-fast striders will turn back while the less-fast striders keep moving forward. The result is that the entire group is back together, "regrouped", and then everyone moves forward to continue the workout. Think of it as an accordion! The group collapses down from the front and the group gets closer together before the next push. It's a tough concept to visualize, we know.  We'll practice "regrouping" again next week.

For those that weren’t able to attend Week 3, don’t worry. Mentors will suggest which group to join. Then you'll go your own comfortable pace (easy) and push (harder). Your mentors will make sure you're in the correct group for your ability.

WEEK 3 HOMEWORK: Refer to Training Schedule>>

Start with warm up stretching..see Dynamic Stretching Warmup>>
5 minute warm up
Then 4 repetitions of the EASY/HARD Interval Minutes3 minutes easy, 2 minutes harder
3 minutes easy, 2 minutes harder
3 minutes easy, 2 minutes harder
3 minutes easy, 2 minutes harder
5 minute cool down
End with cool down stretching...see Static Stretching Cooldown>>
     ---  How often?  3 days this week (every-other-day)!  Do NOT do 2 days in a row!  Wednesday's workout counts as 1 of the 3.

TOPICS: Injury Prevention and Safety - Mentors Ginny Wolfe and Julie Bell from One Body Fitness, one of our supporting sponsors, presented these topics.

Injury Prevention - Remember to “listen to your body”.  If something aches because the activity is new, that’s okay!  If it’s a pain that is tender to the touch, red/warm and/or swelling and it is only getting worse, it’s time to rest it for a couple days, maybe replace old shoes or perhaps seek the advice of your doctor or physical therapist.

Safety - Always be alert and aware of your surroundings. Be especially alert for cars...stride against traffic so you can see what's oncoming. Carry your cellphone and identification. A whistle will help call attention to yourself if needed. Trust your intuition, avoid trouble and seek help when you need it.

Remember to do your homework - that is the key to your success!  Check the website for the topics we’ve covered so far. We’ll see you next Wednesday at 5:30 pm.

Jane and your Mentors

P.S. Attendance counts!  In order to “earn” your graduation shirt, you must attend 8 of the 12 workshops.