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, Jaguar, 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.  

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 on website

Start with warm up stretching..see Dynamic Stretching Warmup on website
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 on website
     ---  How often?  3 days this week (every-other-day)!  Do NOT do 2 days in a row!  Thursday's workout counts as 1 of the 3.

TOPIC: Shoes for Striding

Paul Rogers, owner of Fleet Feet Myrtle Beach and supporting sponsor of First Strides North Myrtle Beach, spoke to us about one of the most important pieces of equipment for a successful striding lifestyle: Shoes. Buying something that properly fits your feet is what's most important for comfort, support and avoiding injury. He invites you to come let Fleet Feet help you choose the best shoe for your foot (and receive your 10% discount).  Click here for the following handouts:

Shoe Selection and Shoe-Perfect Fit 

Reminder - You are registered with Fleet Feet for 10% off on shoes, apparel and accessories. 

Fleet Feet is located at 7931 N. Kings Hwy, Suite 120 in Myrtle Beach.

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 Thursday at 5:30 pm.

Your FSNMB Mentors

P.S. Attendance counts!  In order to “earn” your graduation shirt, you must attend 8 of the 11 workshops.