Are you ready to SWEAT?

Are you ready to SWEAT? Well, I hope so. After all, you are probably one of many who signed up for the Black Girls Run! Sweat With Your Sole Race and Conference Weekend. Knowing that the theme title of the weekend's events has the word "sweat" in it can be a bit intimidating. Don't say I didn't warn you, because even if you are attending the conference courses, you may be subjected to sweat. During last year's conference, one of the courses I took was about Tabata basics. For those of you who don't know, "Tabata" involves a series of high intensity exercises which target all major muscle groups in a short period of time. It is highly effective, and I tailor most of my workouts to be tabata-like. The instructor of the course was excellent, but I didn't think she was actually going to have us do stuff! I came in there with my cute little maxi dress on and tennis shoes, thinking I was just going to be doing a light exercise routine. This chick had us on the ground alternating between doing push-ups, sit-ups, and various other exercises throughout the whole seminar. I was seriously sweating!I refused to miss out on the session just because I was dressed cute. After all, I did pay for it. So, I tucked my dress between my legs and dropped down to the ground like every one else. I'm a lady, but I can get down and dirty, too!

The way I have always learned was to do. I expect that many of you will find this to be true of many of the conference sessions. To get the most out of the weekend experience, you have to be proactive. The weekend is designed for people who are serious about fitness, and how various aspects of fitness relate to running. I have quickly learned that running is not just about running. You engage every part of your body when you run. Your mind is about 90% responsible for helping you get through a run. It tells you when you are running too hard or too fast,and it tells you when you should push a little more. Your arms propel you forward. Your core muscles help you to maintain good running form, and slow fatigue. Your legs are your power sources; you have to build them up so that they can carry you. Sometimes you need to subject your body to other types of physical activity other than running to be a better runner, and continue to enjoy the sport without being burned out. Activities like Tabata, dance, and yoga are great complimentary exercises to running. The conference sessions will expose you to such activities. There is a science to being a runner, and a lot of the conference sessions teach you that running is comprised of many puzzle pieces. The actual race, well, it's just icing on the cake. You've done short runs, long runs, tempo runs,and hill repeats. Now it is all coming together into one spectacular event, and the community will see what you are made of. Plus, you get a sweet little metal to commemorate such an awesome weekend!

This past weekend, I got to participate in a preview run of the 10K course for the Black Girls Run! Race. Okay, there are a few things I will note about the course. First, the race course actually turned out to be about 6.5 miles, versus 6.2(actual 10K distance). This may not seem like a huge difference to some people, but when you are drenched in sweat from the humidity and you just set your eyes on that last hill, you don't have anything left to give. There was a point when I almost cursed out loud because I knew something was a little off. Had not the lovely lady in front of me kept encouraging me, I sure enough would have passed out. It had been awhile since I ran over six miles on the asphalt, so I was definitely pushing myself. Don't worry! I am sure they will find a way to remedy the distance situation before the actual race. Second, there are a lot of turns! With the race being in Uptown Charlotte, I suppose the layout of the area doesn't allow for the course to be any other way. It's cool though, but I was like, "Man, another turn?". Third, despite the other two factors(which really aren't negatives, just observations) it is a wonderful course. The course captures a lot of Uptown Charlotte's beautiful parts and has just enough hills to make you feel like you really accomplished a great feat. Did I sweat? OH YES!!! I learned I had a little more work to do to get my 10K time under an hour, which will also be beneficial to my half marathon training. The preview run revealed areas I needed to improve in as a serious runner. It is definitely time to get on my A-game!

On September 6-8th, I hope you come prepared to engage your mind and body. Take advantage of the whole experience and participate in great dialogue geared around the sport of running. Then get out there on race day and SWEAT WITH YOUR SOLE!