Training with the Best

Sonja Friend-Uhl
I had the pleasure of meeting Sonja at the Key West Half Marathon.  I would suggest going to her website, http://www.runfastpromotions.com/and sign up for her free monthly e-newsletter.  She is a great person to know and a great resource to our Club. -John McCusker

A World-Class Athlete, Sonja Friend-Uhl has trained people of all ages and abilities for over ten years. A skilled fitness programmer, Sonja holds Personal Training Certifications with ACSM and AFAA as well as AFAA specialty certifications in Youth, Senior, and Pre-Natal Fitness. She is a USATF Level I Certified Coach and PR/AED Certified. Sonja has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the College of William and Mary. A natural and motivating public speaker, Sonja has performed as the keynote speaker for athletic banquets, Rotary Club functions, and national TV affiliates. Sonja developed and coached dynamic fitness programs for The Athletic Club at Weston and The Athletic Club in Boca Raton while serving as their Athletic Director from 1998-2003. Sonja is the President and Head Fitness Trainer of FIT Studio (www.fitstudio1.com) which she opened in 2004. She has been a member of seven U.S. world teams, a 2000 Olympic Trials Competitor in the 1500m, and currently is ranked in the top twenty-four women in the country for distances from the 5k to the Half-Marathon. A prime example of maintaining a good balance in your life, Sonja prioritizes her roles as a wife and mother in addition to her fitness career and competitive endeavors. Sonja currently resides in South Florida with her husband and daughters.  Contact Sonja at SFUHL@aol.com.

Nancy Clark
Internationally Known Sports Nutritionist
Best Selling Author
Our Monthly Columnist
Avid Runner, Cyclist and Hiker

I first met Nancy back in the 80's at the RRCA Convention in Maine, where she was a keynote speaker.  I recently ran into her at the ING Georgia Marathon, and she offered to write monthly articles for our club. - John McCusker.  www.nancyclarkrd.com.

 

 

Dennis Kelly Sharing his running summary for 2008...
 
Races
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- 75 races total
- 61 5k races
- 5 10k races
- 3 half marathons
- 6 races in other distances
- Raced in 3 states
- Most races in a month 11
- Most races in a day 3
- Number of times I started a race late 3
- Number of 5k races where I ran sub-20, where the course was a true 5k distance 21
- Fastest 5k 18:40 (Mile 1 5:40, Mile 2 11:51) Thomaston Christmas Lane 12/13
- Slowest 5k 35:18 (Brasstown Bald) due to that one hill
 
Miles
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- 1861 total miles
- Miles per week before June - 20 something
- Miles per week since June - 40+ (except for about 3 weeks in the 30's)
- Most miles in a week 50 (3 times)
- Most miles in a month 193 (December)
- Least miles in a month 100 (April)
- Most miles in a day 15
- Most consecutive days off 3 (once)
- Longest single training run 11.1 miles
- Two training runs in the same day - many
 
Monthly Mileage
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Jan - 121
Feb - 114
Mar - 119
Apr - 100
May - 135
Jun - 185
Jul - 175
Aug - 181
Sep - 165
Oct - 177
Nov - 192
Dec - 193
 
Distribution of Miles per Day
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- Did not run 73 days (20%)
- More than 0 but less than 4  47 days (12.8%)
- At least 4 but less than 6  97 days (26.6%)
- At least 6 but less than 8  55 days (15.1%)
- At least 8 but less than 10  45 days (12.3%)
- At least 10 but less than 11  36 days (9.8%)
- 11 or more   12 days (3.3%)
 
Accomplishments
----------------
- Overall winner in 5 races (four 5k's and one 10.5k)
- Male Open Runner of the Year in "Run and See Georgia" Grand Prix Series
- 1st in Age Group in "Run and See Georgia" Grand Prix Series
- PRs in every distance I ran

Brian Oringderff has been training hard.  He decided back in May that he wants to attempt an ultra-marathon, so he signed up for the Chattanooga Stump Jump 50K on October 6th. 

 

“I then started a 16 week Hal Higdon marathon program to get me somewhat ready.  Keep in mind I have only been running since January so this is a pretty good size jump in distance, considering my longest race was 13.1 miles at the ING in March.  I am only training on the trails, mostly down at Kennesaw Mtn, running 4 days a week.  I have run just over 500 miles in about 14 weeks.  I have just completed my longest training run to date, last week, of 28.21 miles.  It took 6 hours and 45 minutes and was really tough.  I made it, though, and hopefully it gave a taste of what to expect in the Stump Jump.  If I survive, I am going to attempt a 50 miles race on March 8th, 2008 in Laurel, Mississippi.  http://www.ms50.com/index.htm  My goal is to run that in under 11 hours to qualify for the Western States 100 in June of 2009.  They won't let you apply for the Western States 100 mile race in California unless you have run a 50 miler in under 11 hours.

 

So, that is basically what I have been doing.  Long, slow runs in the woods.  I have run a couple of really cool races, the last one was the Springmaid Splash 10K in Spruce Pines in NC.  It was labled as the toughest 10K trail race on the east coast; it was a trail race that had 4 full water crossings that were at least knee deep, a ton of climbing...it was very tough, but a blast.

 

Denise has been training hard with me also, and will run her first half marathon in Raleigh, NC on November 4th in the City of Oaks Half Marathon.

 

I hoping to finish primarily, but barring injury, to also do so in under 7:30:00.  Keep your fingers crossed.  I am a bit nervous as I have not ran a marathon before, but I have trained pretty hard for the past 15-16 weeks and feel I am as ready as I am going to be at this point.   Whew! I have my work cut out for me for sure.  Wish me luck...my 50K is in 6 days.” – Brian Oringderff.