Week 3 Email
Dear First Striders NMB,
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:
Start with warm up stretching
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
--- 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: Injury Prevention - Dr. Taylor M. Dawley, PT, DPT, Cert. DN, Professional Rehabilitation Services, Carolina Forest
Dr. Dawley is a Physical Therapist with Professional Rehabilitation Services, at the Carolina Forest location. Professional Rehabilitation Services is one of our Supporting Sponsors for Spring 2024!
Dr. Dawley told us that while there are no “striding” specific injury prevention recommendations, general considerations include proper stretching and hydration, the use of warm up and cool down periods, progressing duration and frequency, and listening to your body. She noted that’s what we do at First Strides NMB!
Check out the image below for some common “striding” related injuries that Dr. Dawley provided. But it’s always good to seek the opinion of a professional Physical Therapist like the folks at Professional Rehabilitation Services.
Also, you’ll find more information about Injury Prevention on our website, www.firststridesnmb.com, look under Workshop Topics on the website’s sidebar. Lots of great information there!
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.
