Please register with CMM first, we need your CMM confirmation number for our registration process.

Please note: For the question “would you like to fundraise and join the St Jude Heroes program” – choose “NO”

Click this link - CMM Registration

Detailed instructions for Registering with CMM here – CMM Registration Instructions.

Once you have successfully registered with CMM, you are ready to join Powered by Hope!

Click this link – Powered by Hope Registration

Here are the five baby steps to fundraising. Each step is designed to help you reach your goal of $1,000 as quickly and easily as possible with minimal demands on your time. Click the link to view the individual blog post with instructions on each baby step.

1. Set up your FirstGiving.com account
2. Personalize your sample fundraising letter
3. Compile your list of names and addresses
4. Put your letters in the mail
5. Send your fundraising email

How to Register

• We have a two-step registration process this year.  Team members must to register with both CMM and Powered by Hope.  Please register with CMM first, we need your CMM Registration number for our registration process.NOTE: Check “NO” to becoming a St Jude’s Hero unless you plan to do that as well as Powered by Hope.

Training

• Training starts on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 7:00 AM at Fleet Feet in Brentwood.
• Runners and walkers of all levels are encouraged to participate.
• Learn more about training with Powered by Hope here.

Fund-raising

• The fund-raising goal is a minimum of $1,000.
• Learn more about the impact of the dollars you raise here.

Some athletes embrace winter’s chill as a welcome change from exercising in summer’s heat.  But others complain about hating cold weather.  If that’s your stance, remember that exercising with proper nutrition (and layers of dry clothing) offers the opportunity to chase away the chills.  After all, an aerobic workout can increase your metabolism by 7 to10 times above the resting level.  This means, if you were to exercise hard for an hour and dissipate no heat, you could raise your body temperature from 98.6 to 140 F.  (You’d cook yourself in the process!)  In the summer, your body sweats heavily to dissipate this heat.  But in the winter, the warmth helps you survive in the cold environment.  Runners can enjoy a tropical environment in their running clothes within minutes of starting exercise.

Because food provides the fuel needed to generate this heat, the right sports diet is particularly important for runners and other athletes who are exposed to extreme cold.  Following are some common Q&A about winter and nutrition that offers tips to help you enjoy running during the winter season.

What’s the big nutritional mistake made by winter athletes? Failing to drink enough fluid is a major problem among winter athletes – runners, skiers, and winter hikers alike.  Cold blunts the thirst mechanism; you’ll feel less thirsty despite significant sweat loss (if you overdress), to say nothing of respiratory fluid loss.  That is, winter athletes need to consciously consume fluids to replace the water that gets lost via breathing.  When you breathe in cold dry air, your body warms and humidifies that air.  As you exhale, you lose significant amounts of water.  Some winter athletes purposefully skimp on fluids because urinating can be problematic – too much hassle to shed layers of clothing.  Yet dehydration hurts performance even in the wintertime.

Why do I feel hungrier in the winter than in the summer? A drop in body temperature stimulates the appetite and you experience hunger.  Hence, if you become chilled during winter exercise (or when swimming, for that matter), you’ll likely find yourself searching for food.  Eating “stokes the furnace,” generates heat, and helps warm your body.  Food’s overall warming effect is known as thermogenesis (that is, “heat making”).  Thirty to sixty minutes after you eat, your body generates about 10% more heat than when you have an empty stomach.  This increased metabolism stems primarily from energy released during digestion.  Hence, eating not only provides fuel but also increases heat production, warmth.

Do I burn more calories when I exercise in the cold? Cold weather itself does not increase calorie needs.  You don’t burn extra calories unless your body temperature drops and you start to shiver. (And remember: the weather can actually be tropical inside your exercise outfit.)  Your body does use a considerable amount of energy to warm and humidify the air you breathe when you exercise in the cold.  For example, if you were to burn 660 calories while cross-country skiing for an hour in 0º F weather; you may use about 23 percent of those calories to warm the inspired air.  In summer, you would have dissipated this heat via sweat.  In winter, you sweat less.  If you are wearing heaving clothes, you will burn a few more calories to carry the extra weight of skis, boots, heavy parka, snow shoes.  The Army allows 10% more calories for the heavily clad troops who exercise in the cold.  But the weight of extra clothing on, let’s say, winter runners is generally minimal….

Why do I find myself shivering when I get cold? Shivering is involuntary muscle tensing that generates heat and offers a warming effect.  When you first become slightly chilled (such as when watching a football game), you’ll find yourself doing an isometric type of muscle tensing that can increase your metabolic rate two to four times.  As you get further chilled, you’ll find yourself hopping from foot to foot and jumping around.  This is Nature’s way to get you to generate heat and warm your body.  If you become so cold that you start to shiver, these vigorous muscular contractions generate lots of heat—perhaps 400 calories per hour.  Such intense shivering quickly depletes your muscle glycogen stores and drains your energy.  This is when you’ll be glad you have some emergency food in your pocket!

What’s best to eat to warm myself up? If you become chilled by the winter weather, the best way to warm yourself up is to consume warm carbohydrates – hot cocoa, mulled cider, and steaming soup, as well as oatmeal, chili, and pasta.  The warm food, added to the thermogenic effect of eating, contributes to rapid recovery.   So bring out the thermos of soup!

So bottom-line, you’ll stay warm if you dress right, fuel well, and drink fluids to prevent dehydration.

Excerpts from Dressing For Cold Weather Running by Rick Morris
Used with permission

So why do people who love the outdoors hibernate through the cold months as they wait for spring?  Most of the time it’s because people just don’t think they can stay warm.  With some understanding of how to prepare for the colder temperatures, and a willingness to venture into the cold, running during the winter season can be fun.

Dressing for cold weather running can be a challenge.  If you dress so that you are warm at the start of your run you will probably be over heated at the end.  When running in cold weather always remember one word—layers.  The layers of clothing will keep you warm by trapping heat against your body.  As you generate heat during your run you can remove layers to avoid overheating.

Depending on the weather conditions, you should wear either two or three layers when dressing for cold weather running.  Each layer has it’s own purpose.

Layer 1

The purpose of the first layer is to wick moisture away from your skin so be sure to choose a technical (wicking) shirt rather than a cotton shirt.

Layer 2

The second or middle layer should insulate your body and keep you warm. This layer should be made from an insulating material such a fleece or heavy cotton. It should also be able to absorb a small amount of moisture so that it can assist your first layer in keeping your skin dry and warm.

Layer 3

Your third or outside layer is there to break the wind and keep rain or snow away from your insulating and wicking layers.  This outside layer should be made from a waterproof material such as Gortex or nylon.

During moderately cold and dry weather you may need only two layers.  If it is extremely cold, raining, snowing or windy you should wear the third outside layer.  One rule of thumb when dressing for cold weather running is that you should be a bit cold when you start running.  As you run you will begin to generate a lot of body heat which will warm you up.  If you are comfortable at the start you will overheat rapidly.

Don’t forget about wearing a hat or headband and gloves too for your head and hands.  If you have poor circulation in your feet, you can put little warmers in your shoes.  I did it last week when it was 20 degrees and it made a big difference!  So now get out there and enjoy running during the winter season.

If this is your first time to run or walk a full or half marathon, you will be asked to estimate your finish time when you register for your race.  This may seem daunting if you’ve never done it before.  So, we’ve provided a few guidelines to help you estimate as accurately as possible.

Keep in mind that the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 requires you to complete the half marathon within 4 hours and the full in 7 hours.

If you know your average pace per mile, click this link to calculate your estimated finish time using distance (full or half marathon) and pace.  Remember to add 2-3 minutes per mile to your regular pace to accurately predict your half or full marathon pace.

If you don’t know you average pace per mile follow the steps below:

Time yourself

Run or walk three miles at a moderate, sustainable pace.  Do not run or walk as fast as possible, nor at your hardest comfortable pace possible.  You’ll be doing 13. 1 miles on race day, so a sustainable pace is the key.  Add 2-3 minutes to the average pace per mile to get an accurate half marathon pace.

Calculate Your Finish Time

Once you have determined your pace per mile, click this link and enter “half marathon” and your pace.  It will calculate your estimated time.

Additionally, here are some general guidelines to get you started.

Estimated Finish Time Guidelines for Walkers:

Fast Walkers:  13 minutes/mile (2:50:0 estimated half marathon time)

Medium Walkers: 15-16 minutes/mile (3:16:0 estimated half marathon time)

Slower Walkers: 17-19 minutes/mile (3:30:0 to 3:50:0 estimated half marathon time)

Estimated Finish Time Guidelines for Runners:

Fast Runners: 7-9 minutes/mile (1:31:0 to 2:00:0 estimated half marathon time)

Medium Runners: 10-11 minutes/mile (2:11:0 to 2:24:0 estimated half marathon time)

Slower Runners: 12-14 minutes/mile (2:37:0 to 3:03:0 estimated half marathon time)

It’s hard to believe that the New Year is just around the corner. If you’re like us, you’re probably not even thinking about it yet. Instead, you’re likely consumed with holiday planning, shopping, and preparations. But, the ubiquitous message on your car’s side mirror applies to this time of year nonetheless, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.”

You may wonder, why should I think about signing up to run or walk a half marathon in April–now? There are several good reasons.

You’ll save money

If you’ve participating in the Country Music ½ Marathon before, you know there is a substantial discount for early registration. You’ll save about $20 by registering before December 31.

You’ll minimize the backward slide of the holiday season

Something incredible happens when you decide and commit to do something in the future—it informs your choices in the present. This is a powerful thing. If you’re like the rest of us, you can really get off track during the holidays in terms of taking care of yourself and making good choices for your body. In fact, it often ends up at the bottom of the list. Deciding to do the half marathon now will empower you with the vision you need to stay on track and even make progress between now and the first of the year.

You’ll be ready to take-charge in the New Year

Rather than wait for the inevitable freak-out moment when the calendar rolls over to January 1 and you feel the pressure to make a New Year’s resolution, start the holiday season with a plan. By deciding to train with Powered by Hope now, you are taking a stand about the kind of person you want to be in the 2012. This decision gives you the tools to happen to your life, instead of it happening to you. You will step into the New Year with a powerful commitment to health and wellness that will enhance every area of your life—physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Are you ready to be Powered by Hope? Register now!

Here are the five baby steps to fundraising. Each step is designed to help you reach your goal of $1,000 as quickly and easily as possible with minimal demands on your time. Click the link to view the individual blog post with instructions on each baby step.

1. Set up your FirstGiving.com account
2. Personalize your sample fundraising letter
3. Compile your list of names and addresses
4. Put your letters in the mail
5. Send your fundraising email

Excerpts from Galloway Training Programs, used with permission.

Q:  I run three days a week.  Do I need to vary each workout?
Absolutely.  Training variety increases motivation and fitness because you continuously challenge your body in different ways. Here’s a three-day schedule that balances running for strength, speed and endurance.
 
Tuesday:  Between a warm-up and cool-down of 10 minutes each, run some hills to build leg strength, you can either run two to five times up one moderate hill (200 to 800 meters long) or do a regular training run in a hilly area.
 
Thursday:  After an easy five-minute warm-up, practice accelerating to develop leg speed. Gradually pick up the pace for 25 to 30 steps, then glide along at that faster pace for another 10 to 15 steps. Jog for 30 seconds to recover. Repeat the sequence two more times, increasing the number of steps during the acceleration and gliding by a couple each time.
 
Saturday: Increase your endurance by doing your long run.  Keep the pace comfortable during your long run.
 
Q:  What’s the best way to get faster if I’ve never done speed work before?

The first step to getting faster is to teach your body what it feels like to run faster. Here are three simple drills that prep our body for speed. Each takes only three to six minutes. You can do them on separate days, or combine them all in the same workout. Start the drills after 10 minutes of easy running.

Light Touches: Shortening the amount of time your feet stay on the ground allows you to run faster. Run for 10 steps, concentrating on picking up each foot as soon as it hits the ground. Jog for a minute, then try a set of 20 light steps, then 25 and finally 30. Jog a minute between each set.

Turnover:  A quicker stride turnover is important for faster running.  First, count every time your left (or right) foot hits the ground hill running for 30 seconds. Jog for a minute and repeat, trying to increase the count by one. Repeat four or five times, trying each time to add another step (or at least maintain an increased count).
 
Acceleration Gliders: Staying relaxed as you speed up helps you run quicker with less effort. Try this four-part drill. Walk for 10 steps, jog for 10 steps increase the a fast-but-smooth pace for 10 more steps then finally “glide” for 10 strides by using the momentum from the faster portion to keep your speed up as you slightly decrease your effort (the same way you can relax a bit as you run downhill yet still maintain your speed with the momentum of the decline). Jog for a minute, then repeat the whole series four to six times. Eventually you can increase the glide portion for up to 30 strides.
 
Q. My energy levels often fluctuate on runs.  Is this normal and what can I do to get through the rough spots?

This roller-coaster ride is caused by blood-sugar fluctuations.  The key is to find a pre-run eating strategy that will stabilize your blood sugar and keep it level throughout your run. If you’re especially prone to blood-sugar fluctuations, try taking in between 100 and 200 calories 20 minutes before your run. Some sports drink and part of an energy bar would do the trick. If you’re running for more than an hour, take along some portable carbohydrates (energy gels or sports drink) in case your blood sugar level starts to drop. But don’t wait until you’ve tanked to take them. At the first sign of energy loss, toss down a gel or take in some sports drink to head off a full-blown crash.
 
Q. Why do I feel great one day and awful the next?
 
To a certain extent, you have to expect this. Some runs will feel good, and some will feel bad. But if your runs regularly seem to ride a roller-coaster of “great” and “awful”, it may be because your easy days aren’t quite easy enough. Without adequate rest after the stress of intense running, your muscles don’t have time to properly repair themselves and grow stronger. Your real gains occur not during a speed session or hill run but during the rest period that follows.