The returning runner…

Act 46 – Team up and travel (or Posse Power)!

The group chatted excitedly as we headed west on I80 to our favorite altitude romp – the Martis Creek trail loop. Not really that high, but up in the pines and around 6,500 – a nice cool trail and the 4-mile loop distance made for a convenient workout depending on how good you felt. We were pumped as we prepared for the upcoming Shamrock half-marathon. Gave us extra zip on our loop as we pushed ourselves and each other.

A week later, the excitement carried through as we traveled over the hill to Sacramento the evening before the big event. We couldn’t stop talking about everything race related – pre-night dinner, fuel morning of, negative splits, how fast we were shooting for, and every aspect of the course (of course). The excitement carried through to the morning and we hit the course fired up and ready to go!

On occasion (ok, fairly frequently), I’ve arrived at the starting line just plain “flat”. It never happens when I’ve been planning for the event working with a team or group of buddies! So, get your “gang” together or join a team to really reap the benefits of group prep for the big events:

·       Better workouts.

·       Focus on nutrition.

·       Great advice from teammates.

·       Game day energy!

Photo: My posse at the Shamrock ½ Marathon in Sacramento (back row from left: Bruno Carlini, Mark Gookin, Ron Randall, George Golbov; front row: Gray beard guy…).