WEEK 10 – Saturday – 09/16/17 – Wild Pear

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Hi Y’all,

This is one of my favorite weeks of the season…it just feels like the REAL START. All the grunt work that we didn’t want to do in the first place is D.O.N.E…NOW WE GET TO RUN!

This weekend is the first of the Bridge Series so a bunch of folks are going to reap the rewards of ALL. THOSE. HILLS. GO GET ‘EM PARR!

Now get comfortable…I had a lot to say this morning.

Groups & Group Leaders

Laurence sent out the group leaders yesterday…HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that agreed to lead this year. Either for the first time (Daniel, Robia, Melanie) or the old hats (Laurence, Cynthia and Meredith). Please read and re-read his notes. And I know some folks aren’t even in groups yet (or at least they are but not listed on the page). I know we seem like a well-oiled machine, and we are…WHILST RUNNING. Administratively, we are a little clunky. Like, we are all volunteers-with-real-jobs-kind-of-clunky. Especially after we close registration so we can get a handle on everything…AND 30 MORE PEOPLE JOIN! Then a hurricane is thrown in the middle and our running, personal and/or professional lives are flipped upside down. So we appreciate your patience! Don’t let that hold you up. You just need to show up, there will be a bunch of people ready to run (and if you’re new, before you have a million questions… read the past emails)

#PARRpresentations

A reminder that this week Airrosti is coming to Wild Pear on Saturday September 16 at 6:30 to demonstrate proper foam rolling. And if you don’t know already…foam rolling is like flossing your teeth. Everyone should be doing it every day. So come learn the right way to do it. I promise you will learn something new!

HYDRATION

Just want to remind everyone as we get up in miles, to make sure you have a plan for your hydration. IT IS HOT. And will continue to be these coming months. The water is provided to be a supplement to get you to the finish, not the sole source of hydration.  While I wish we could have manned water stations every mile, a clean-up crew and volunteers beating down our door to help do whatever is needed …it’s not a reality. So we all need to work together to make sure we don’t get in a scary situation out there.

Please, please, please PARR Members:

  • You must have some sort of hydration on you – a fuel belt, a backpack…heck carry a canteen. You can’t rely on the water provided as your only source. Use the water provided to refill these things. There will NOT be cups at the water stops any longer.
  • Water will be on routes that are longer than 10 MILES – We should all be able to carry the amount of water we need for a 10 mile run, so if you’re scheduled run is less than 10 miles, there may not be water on the route. Or if you’re scheduled run is longer than 10 miles, the water may not be until mile 10 or 12.
  • Get familiar with the different water fountains in Pearland, should you get in trouble – there are many…think Parks & Rec.
  • Make sure you are carrying enough water for yourself to run 10 miles – there were many folks hitting the water stop on their way out on their run, so mile 3. And that meant those FM coming back from their long run at mile 10…nothing.  Zero. Zilch. And still 3 miles to go.  And that’s not good.
  • Check your timing – The water is out for the scheduled run only, so if you’re running at a different time (later, earlier, longer, shorter)…just make sure you’re window, time, distance coincides with the plan if you need to supplement your water. Or make a plan to set out your own water. It’s totally normal to hide a jug of water behind bush along a route.  The volunteers pick up on the route at the estimated time that the last folks go by.  We realize folks run at different times, so if that’s you, make an alternative plan (hide some water/fuel on your route)
  • Volunteer –If you happened to mention on Saturday that you were disappointed that the water ran out…WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HELP! We’ll get you plugged in and together we can all work to solve the problem!

ROUTE SAFETY & PARR’s Rep

This one is near and dear to my heart.  Do you know what our right of way is whilst running?  PRETTY MUCH NONE.  We are running in our community and want to keep PARR in the good graces of the residents, law enforcement and other runners. There were so many close calls while crossing the streets and folks running 3-5 abreast in the street on Saturday.

  • LIGHT IT UP – Please make sure you have some sort of light on you, preferably on your front side as we run against traffic.  A taillight isn’t a bad idea either, just be mindful of the folks running right behind you.  How do you think our fast FIREFLY girls got their name?!
  • Do NOT ever assume a car can see you – never give a car a reason to see you.  You have much more lead time to get the heck out of their way.  You have no idea what’s going on behind that windshield…a crying child, a cell phone, a sleepy driver, a drunk driver (it’s 4AM, you never know!), a spilled coffee…just assume all of these things are going on and get out of their way before they even realize you’re there.
  • NO WAVING ARMS – As much as you think that is going to get a driver’s attention…it’s too late if that’s your defense.  Let’s just get out of the way.  Jump up on the sidewalk until they go by. We have SEEN a car drive up onto the curb at 4:30AM, think your cute little hand is going to stop that? Not a chance.
  • Crossings – Please use extra caution when making a crossing at an intersection or otherwise.   As tired as we are and as important as we think this training run is, we need to be mindful that…A) People may not see us and B) We aren’t nearly as fast as we think we are, especially at the end of a run. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY C) Someone was actually hit year before last on a weeknight run, thank goodness they are ok…but it can happen. Before you know it.
  • You give other people heart attacks – Even if you think you’re fine and YOU GOT THIS…it’s making other folks nervous as all heck. Please be cautious.  We all signed up to run, not call 911.
  • Other runners – I know it’s hard to believe that not every other running human is in PARR, but it’s true. There are still a few hold-outs that are not part of our group.  Soooooo…we need to be aware especially when they are coming at us to GET OUT OF THEIR WAY and let the folks you’re running with know.  So if you hear someone yelling “RUNNER UP”…we’re not talking Miss America pageant second most beautiful girl, we mean “GET TO THE RIGHT A RUNNER IS COMING AT US”
  • BUT ALSO….when we’re all out there running in a group and we have the mindset that “there’s a ton of us…that car can get out of the way”…it is a bad reflection on PARR. We look like jerks. And I take that very personally. Because when someone wants to complain about that running group that runs in the street acting like they own the place, who do they find to give a piece of their mind to? This girl. So please, please, please…keep PARR in good graces with our little community and just step off the street when a car is coming. Every time.

Saturday Details – Wild Pear

We are back on the WEST SIDE, Y’ALL! After nearly 9 weeks of Turner, we’re back to our un-official home-base of Wild Pear Running Store. We just linger outside until someone shows up and unlocks the doors and sells us stuff. As you know, PARR does not have any sponsors, so all the stuff Wild Pear does for us, is out of the pure goodness of his tie-dyed heart. Seriously, the generosity of Wild Pear to PARR and the community has earned David everyone’s business in all the land. Make your friends in far-away places call them to order shoes (or gift certificates…for reals, my dad calls David from Seattle for my Christmas gift!).

Now for where to be when on Saturday:

FM – 5:00AM – 14 miles http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/899775005/ – turn around at Magnolia Elementary

HM – 6:00AM – 8 miles http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/605351552/ (I know this has the start at PB, but it’s Friday and I don’t have the umph to make a new route to start at Wild Pear)

Water will be at SE corner of Magnolia/FM 1128, which means it will not hit the HM route (see notes above on water!)

For those that are new to PARR, this route through Silvercreek neighborhood is a gold-standard for us, we kick off a lot of our runs on this route. So write the turns down so you don’t get lost. You might never find your way out!

There will not be official CORE work after the runs from here on out…the timing for everyone to get in is so mathy, I just can’t.

Hope to see everyone out there tomorrow! Have a GREAT RUN, y’all.