Team Robin Hood 2016

There will be two opportunities to run the last 10 miles route with the group!  The first is on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 8 AM, and the second is on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 8 AM.  You are more than welcome to join for both if you’d like!

Turn by turn:

Start at 1st Avenue and 60th Street, southwest corner.   

Run up 1st Avenue to Willis Ave Bridge. Cross Bridge via sidewalk path on the left (~MILE 3.8)   

At the end of the bridge it's 135th street. First cross CAREFULLY straight then TURN LEFT running down the hill. Make FIRST QUICK RIGHT onto Alexander Ave.   

Continue about 250 yards on Alexander Ave to 138th St. Cross 138th and then TURN LEFT (MILE 4.2)   

Continue about 400 yards on 138th St to 3 way intersection (Third Av/Morris AV/Lincoln Av). CROSS all the way across the street and TURN RIGHT onto Morris Ave. NOTE: It's very poorly marked but it's the "furthest" street.   

Continue on Morris Ave to 140th St TURN LEFT   

Continue on 140th St to Rider Ave TURN LEFT   

Continue on Rider Ave to 138th St TURN RIGHT   

Stay on right hand sidewalk - continue onto Madison Ave Bridge pedestrian way   

At bottom of bridge, Fifth Ave TURN LEFT (Mile 5)   

Continue on Fifth Ave to 124th St (Marcus Garvey Park) TURN RIGHT   

Continue on 124th St to Mt Morris Park TURN LEFT   

Continue on Mt Morris Park to 120th St TURN LEFT (~MILE 6)   

Continue on 120th St to Fifth Ave TURN RIGHT   

Continue on Fifth Ave to 90th St/Engineer's gate TURN RIGHT into park (~ MILE 7.5+)   

Continue on East Drive to E 66th St exit LEFT to head out of the park   

Continue on 59th St TURN RIGHT (~MILE 9.5)   

Continue to Marathon Finish line at Tavern on the Green.   

Congratulations! Picture yourself crossing the line looking great for your picture!

Maps:

Happy Tuesday, Runners and Volunteer Poverty-Fighters, As marathon day draws nearer, expect to continue receiving lots of information from Coach Tiffany and me!  I'll start below with more information about the Marathon Health and Wellness Expo, where you'll pick up your race bib: MARATHON EXPO DETAILS As always, every runner must attend the TCS New York City Marathon Health and Wellness Expo to pick up his/her own bib.  Photo ID is required - no one else will be able to pick your bib up for you.  The expo is located at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Hall 3B, at Eleventh Avenue and West 36th Street (Map), and features more than 100 vendors and exhibitors. Highly recommend you set aside some time to explore (and score some free samples).  Operating hours are below:

Thurs,  November 3 

10:00  a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Fri,  November 4

10:00  a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Sat,  November 5

9:00  a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

TUESDAY TEAM RUN, NIKE RUN, & CROSS TRAINING

Please join us tonight for our team run in Central Park. The group will meet at the Maine Monument in Columbus Circle at 6:50pm, where we’ll warm up and get running right at 7:00pm. Coach Tiffany can answer any questions you have. Hope to see you there! On Saturday mornings, do your long run with Nike. Create a Nike+ account and RSVP via the Nike website. Meet at NikeTown on 57th and 5th (location occasionally varies, be sure to check the website!).  If you are interested in free indoor rowing classes with EngineRm, please contact me for more information.  Finally, we also have a free ride code for first-time riders with SWERVE.

MARATHON JAM

This week's jam is "Running Down a Dream" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  Can't beat Tom Petty.

WEEK 13 - GUIDANCE FROM COACH TIFFANY

It's back again!  Marathon pace week!  This is the last marathon training pace workout, so let's take advantage.  As noted before, it's important that you practice everything you would do leading up to and during the marathon these last few weeks.  Start with a balanced meal 2-3 hours before your run.  Plan to take your first GU or gel 40-45 minutes into the run, then every 30-45 minutes after.  This is a range and you may find that you need to take in calories every 30 minutes, or that might be too much and you prefer every 45 minutes.  You won't know for sure unless you practice!

If you prefer to take a gel before you run or race, then you must take it within 5 minutes of starting (no earlier!).  Always take gels with water, not gatorade.  

Tonight's workout is a long one!  This is an 8 mile continuous run.  1 mile easy, 3 miles at marathon pace, 1 mile at threshold pace, 3 miles at marathon pace.  The goal is to run focused.  Visualize your race, it's marathon day.  Imagine yourself clicking through miles with calm and ease.  We will throw in a faster mile to stress the body and then resume marathon pace.  Imagine the last 3 miles of the marathon during the end of the workout.  Visualization is a great tool for athletes to help mentally prepare for a race.

This weekend is the last really long run!  Most of you are scheduled for 18.  I encourage everyone to do a minimum of 16 miles. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

SEE YOU TONIGHT!

Happy Tuesday, Runners and Volunteer Poverty-Fighters, Only six weeks left until the big day!!  As a token of our thanks, your three teammates leading the way in fundraising, Dan, Brendan and Naureen, have received exclusive invites to Robin Hood's Heroes Breakfast – together, they have raised over $20,000! Congratulations to you three, and keep up the amazing, life-changing work!  Remember also that our final top 3 fundraisers will have the opportunity to specifically direct the dollars they’ve raised, and our top 10 will receive a seat at our annual Benefit in May. REMINDER: UPCOMING EVENTS

September 28  at 6:15pm: indoor rowing 101 clinic exclusively for Team Robin Hood at EngineRm to activate your 5 free classes. See below for further details.

October 2 at 8:00am: meet at the Maine Monument meeting spot; this will be an easy long run (15 - 16 miles). No bag check.

October 26 at 6:30pm: Team Robin Hood Pasta Party at Parm Battery Park (bring a plus one!)

October 30 at 8:00am (note the updated date): meet at 1st Avenue and 60th Street for a "Final 10 Miles of the Marathon" route. No bag check.

 Tiffany and I will send around turn-by-turn directions for the Sunday long runs soon. Hope you're able to make it to several of the above! TUESDAY TEAM RUN & SATURDAYS WITH NIKE Please join us tonight for our team run in Central Park. The group will meet at the Maine Monument in Columbus Circle at 6:50pm, where we’ll warm up and get running right at 7:00pm. Coach Tiffany can answer any questions you have. Hope to see you there! On Saturday mornings, do your long run with Nike. Create a Nike+ account and RSVP via the Nike website. Meet at NikeTown on 57th and 5th (location occasionally varies, be sure to check the website!). MARATHON JAM

This week’s jam is another from resident Robin Hood DJ Bonnie: Earth, Wind and Fire’s September.

 WEEK 11 - GUIDANCE FROM COACH TIFFANY

We did short reps and hill repeats early in the plan to improve speed and economy.  Tonight, we return to 200 repeats in a similar workout.  This session is more about maintaining that work as your body begins to endure longer mileage.  The workout will be fast and fun!

 1 mile warm up

4-6 200's at repetition pace with 200 meter jog recovery

1 mile easy

4-6 200's at repetition pace with 200 meter jog recovery

1 mile cool down

Happy Tuesday, Runners and Volunteer Poverty-Fighters! Congratulations - you've all made it to the halfway mark!!  Meanwhile, New York City students have returned to their classrooms.  That also means that the Robin Hood education team is busy reviewing last year’s investments in schools (public, transfer, charter, parochial and independent), after-school and summer programs and organizations that ensure students receive the supports they need to learn.  Why does Robin Hood invest in education?  Because research shows that a high school diploma provides the single largest boost to adult earnings of any of the educational factors we track—at least $6,500 per year. In 2015, Robin Hood served 55,000 New York City school children and educated more than 10,000 teachers, improving learning for hundreds of thousands of children.  You will allow us to do even better in the future. REMINDER: UPCOMING EVENTS We have our first long run coming up this Sunday - hope to see you there!  Leave your bags at home, as there will be no bag check for the weekend long runs.  Remember to mark your calendars and join us on the following dates:

September 18 at 8:00am: meet at the Maine Monument     meeting spot; this will be a Threshold workout within the park. No bag     check.

September 26 at 6:30pm: come to the Robin Hood offices     for an Unplugged     conversation about our relief efforts in New York City after the tragedies     of September 11th and Hurricane Sandy (RSVP to me, please!)

October 2 at 8:00am: meet at the Maine Monument     meeting spot; this will be an easy long run (15 - 16 miles). No bag     check.

October 26 at 6:30pm: Team Robin Hood Pasta Party     at Parm Battery Park (bring a plus one!)

October 30 at 8:00am (UPDATED DATE): meet at 1st Avenue and 60th Street for a "Final 10 Miles of the Marathon" route. No bag check.

Tiffany and I will send around turn-by-turn directions for the later two runs as we get closer.  Hope you're able to make it to several of the above!

TUESDAY TEAM RUN & SATURDAYS WITH NIKE

Please join us tonight for our team run in Central Park. The group will meet at the Maine Monument in Columbus Circle at 6:50pm, where we’ll warm up and get running right at 7:00pm. Coach Tiffany can answer any questions you have. Hope to see you there!  On Saturday mornings, do your long run with Nike. Create a Nike+ account and RSVP via the Nike website. Meet at NikeTown on 57th and 5th (location occasionally varies, be sure to check the website!).

MARATHON JAM

This week's Jam is Come With Me Now by Kongos, a catchy hit from recently in 2014. A fun fact: members of the band say that the song is heavily influenced by kwaito music, which is described as being a blend of South African jazz, township pop, and Western house music.

WEEK 9 - GUIDANCE FROM COACH TIFFANY

With only 8 weeks to go, longer tempos and mileage become more important.  This week we have a marathon pace workout and a threshold tempo workout.  Tuesday's run should be a continuous run, 1 mile easy, 3 miles at marathon pace, 1 mile at threshold pace, 2 miles at marathon pace and 1 mile easy.  Think of it as a very long tempo with a faster mile thrown in the middle.  This faster segment in the middle will challenge you to switch gears up and then back down just slightly.  The extra stress on the body will help you handle challenges later in the race.

Our weekend workout is a standard threshold tempo workout, 2 x 2 miles at threshold pace with an extra long warm-up and cool-down.  I encourage everyone to practice everything you would do leading up to and during the marathon on these quality sessions.  Start with a balanced meal 2-4 hours before practice.  Your first gel should be taken 40-45 minutes into the workout, and then every 30 minutes after.  Experiment now!  You may find that this is too many gels, too often, or not enough.  Everyone is different.  (GU is a good brand that tends to test better clinically.)

If you have nutrition questions, here are some tips from Alicia Shay for the day before a race, during the race, and after the race.  Looking forward to seeing you all twice this week!

SEE YOU TONIGHT!

Happy Tuesday, Runners and Volunteer Poverty-Fighters,

Welcome to September!  With Labor Day behind us, it’s time to put your nose to the grindstone.  You are just nine weeks away from your five-borough tour!  The arrival of September also means sending out your second round of asks for support.  The time is now; your friends, family and co-workers are back from summer travels.

TONIGHT'S RUN: RAIN IN THE FORECAST

Despite the forecasted rain, we will still be running tonight in Central Park. Please consider leaving your bags behind if possible, or packing them inside plastic trash bags to keep them dry.  We will still meet at the Maine Monument in Columbus Circle at 6:50pm, where we’ll warm up and get running right at 7:00pm. Coach Tiffany can answer any questions you have. Hope to see you there - it'll be good practice in case it rains on Marathon Day!  

REMEMBER TO REGISTER WITH NYRR!

If you have not yet done so, make it official and register for the marathon with New York Road Runners by September 15.  Each of you should have received an email from NYRR with an invitation to “join” Team Robin Hood. Follow your unique link to the NYRR online portal, and follow step-by-step directions before making your registration payment. When you register, be sure to choose your:

Transportation – All Team Robin Hood members are invited to take the team bus leaving midtown Manhattan at 5:30am on race day. If you do NOT plan to take the bus, select a ferry transportation boarding time and email [email protected] with the title “MARATHON BUS”.

Baggage – All runners will be assigned to the “Bag-Check” option. The alternate “No Baggage” option has reached capacity at this time. When you pick up your bib at the Marathon Expo in November, you’ll receive a UPS bag and a sticker with your race number; the bag will be large enough to hold shoes, warm clothing, and small personal items. You’ll check the bag, with sticker affixed, at the start OR you may just choose not to check the bag at all. Regardless, all runners will exit through the “Bag-Check” exits after the race.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

You will receive your bib number directly from NYRR one month before the race. In the meantime, let us know if you have questions.

MARATHON JAM

In honor of Hurricane Hermine allowing us a beautiful weekend around here instead of pelting us with rain and wind, this week's jam is Beautiful Day by U2.  Channel the sunshine with this song when the rain hits us today!

WEEK 8 - GUIDANCE FROM COACH TIFFANY

This week and next, we will focus on running threshold and marathon pace workouts to improve your endurance.  Everyone should aim to run a minimum total of 30 miles this week.  As we enter the middle portion of training, it is more important than ever to commit to getting the miles in, sleep well, eat right and hydrate often.

Tonight's workout starts with a 1 mile warmup, followed by 4 mile repeats at threshold pace with 1 minute rest, and ending with a 1 mile cooldown.  Here is a fun video explaining threshold pace.  On the weekend, run 7-10 mile of your long run at a marathon pace.

SEE YOU TONIGHT!

Mackenzie

Happy Tuesday, Runners and Volunteer Poverty-Fighters!

It's time for another BIG THANK YOU!!!  Your commitment, both athletically and philanthropically, is truly remarkable. Robin Hood is here to help you prepare for November 6 and we will be at Mile 20 to cheer you on to the finish line. And, because our board covers all operating costs, every dollar you raise goes directly to the New Yorkers who need it most.

FUNDRAISING UPDATE

To date, Team Robin Hood has raised $31,512 (!!!) to fight poverty in New York City! Leading the charge is Naureen M. who has raised $5,392 to date.  After Labor Day is your time to re-ask those who have yet to give.  Remember that you need to ask three times and thank twice.  As folks return from summer vacations, they will appreciate your reminder.  Consider including your recent training achievement or one of the Robin Hood videos found on our website.  Last year, one of our runners “sold” naming opportunities on his race shirt.  Think of other incentives for your donors and incorporate the poverty statistics we provided for your use.

WEEKEND LONG RUNS WITH COACH TIFFANY

Remember to mark your calendars and join us on the following dates for long runs:

September 18 at 8:00am: meet at the Maine Monument meeting spot; this will be a Threshold workout within the park.

October 2 at 8:00am: meet at the Maine Monument meeting spot; this will be an easy long run (15 - 16 miles).

October 23 at 8:00am: meet at 1st Avenue and 60th Street for a "Final 10 Miles of the Marathon" route.

Tiffany and I will send around turn-by-turn directions for the later two runs as we get closer.  Hope you're able to make it!

TUESDAY TEAM RUN & SATURDAYS WITH NIKE

Coach Tiffany is back! Please join us tonight for our team run in Central Park. The group will meet at the Maine Monument in Columbus Circle at 6:50pm, where we’ll warm up and get running right at 7:00pm. Coach Tiffany can answer any questions you have. Hope to see you there!  On Saturday mornings, do your long run with Nike. Create a Nike+ account and RSVP via the Nike website. Meet at NikeTown on 57th and 5th (location occasionally varies, be sure to check the website!).

MARATHON JAM

Because she stole the show at Sunday's night's VMA Awards, this week's Jam goes to Beyonce and her Video of the Year, "Formation".  Highly recommend you check it out if you haven't seen it yet (but watch out for some explicit language).

WEEK 7 - GUIDANCE FROM COACH TIFFANY

This week we are focusing on a new training intensity - VO2 Max Intervals!  What does that mean exactly?  Workouts at interval pace will help generate more aerobic power and improve your VO2 max or your maximal oxygen consumption.  Here is a video explanation.

We start with the usual 1.5 mile warm-up, then 4-6 800 meter repeats with 3 minutes rest between each one.  800 meters is equivalent to a 1/2 mile.  End with an easy cool-down and foam rolling.

Intervals are hard, but not all-out running.  Usually this is a pace you could maintain for 10-15 minutes in a serious race.  For most of you, this will be slightly faster than 5k pace.  Let Tiffany know if you have any questions at [email protected].

SEE YOU TONIGHT!