Author: Rosalie Smith

When I worked as a nurse in Critical Care, I would frequently take care of patients after having major abdominal surgery. One of the most critical parts of their healing, and often the most painful, was for them to get out of bed and go for a walk. This often happened in steps. First, just sitting up on the edge of the bed. Next, getting from the bed to the chair. The next day, getting from the bed to the chair and then taking a few steps. I remember telling a patient one day about my running adventures and her telling me how easy it must be for me to do what I was asking of her. I told her, everyone’s marathon is a little different. For me, yes, it was 26.2 miles, but for her that day it was 26.2 steps. It takes time, hard work and an incredible amount of patience to meet the goals we set for ourselves. It doesn’t matter how big or small our dreams might be, only that we have determination to chase them!

February was an exciting month in meeting some run club goals. We met with Luis Escobar, the founder of All We Do Is Run (and a runner himself,) and started our planning for a local, fall trail run! His group will put on the event, we’ll be there to help and learn about what it takes to put on a race, and a portion of the registration fees go directly back to Templeton Run Club! The Tierra Redonda Mountain Trail Run will take place the weekend of November 18th-20th. This event will feature a runable 10k, 21k, 24 hour and 48 hour run on a dirt, single track, loop course out at our ranch! (Located in North San Luis Obispo County in between Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio.) Bring your tents or travel trailers and let’s make a weekend out of it!

Other goals for the next few months include reaching out to potential run club sponsors as well as working with the Templeton Rec Department to start planning a kid’s summer run camp! If you are interested in either becoming a sponsor or want to help plan the run camp, please email me at rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com. My time is dedicated to the Templeton High School Track and Field Team right now but I’d like to get back on track (ha!) with getting some of our run club ideas rolling!

The 126th annual Boston Marathon is right around the corner and while many of us are finally starting to taper, there are many more of us that are gearing up for Mountains to Beach Marathon and Half at the end of May. I ran Boston in 2016 and while it was an absolutely incredible experience, I struggled with the training leading up to it and that was reflected in how I felt during the run. Some of you that have known me for a while have read this before, but I’ll leave you with this Boston Marathon Race Recap I wrote on the plane ride home.

Katie and I were laughing about my race experience on the plane ride home…..so if you have some reading time, here’s my 2016 Boston marathon race recap!

 

Mile 1: Oh no! What have I done?? I’m in NO shape to run a marathon! …oh man…25 to go…

 

Mile 2: It’s hot out here! Why is it so hot? My left shoulder is hurting…am I having a heart attack?? So soon?? I didn’t fill out the emergency info on my bib…I wonder how long it’d take for them to get to me….

Mile 3.1: Enjoy the down hill…enjoy the downhill…but not too much….5k done!! …how many 5k’s in a marathon? Wait scratch that…it’s just 5 miles 5 times…5 miles 5 times…

 

Mile 4: Ashland…this is a cute town…oh look…kids! High five kids! Whoa and adults …and more kids….move to the center! Move to the center!

 

Mile 5: First five miles…Honey stinger time…five miles five times…what does that make that? Just over 20 miles to go…ok just stop counting…

 

Mile 6.2: It’s still hot! Rosalie–you like the heat…suck it up…ooo ooo guy with the garden hose! Over here! …NOW it’s 20 miles to go…20 miles!!!

 

Mile 7: This is the “easy” part…pace under 9…if I can just keep this pace…keep this pace and you can stop at mile 10…

 

Mile 8: I like mile 8…I don’t like THIS mile 8, but I like 8…this is my 8th marathon…8 is my favorite number…geeze I’m still not feeling this! I usually feel good by mile 8!

 

Mile 9: Mile 10 Mile 10 Mile 10

 

Mile 10: YAY! 10 miles!! Break time! Where did all these people come from?? I can’t stop now! You go town of Natick! Look at all the cool old buildings!

 

Mile 11: Is my knee hurting? No…my knee isn’t hurting…really?? Nope…not hurting…

 

Mile 12: What’s that sound?? Ooohhhh….Wellesley….already?? I thought these girls were later….hi hi hi girls!

 

Mile 13.1: HALF WAY THERE!!!!! (Glances at watch) ugh…under 4 is going to be tight…

 

Mile 14: Mile 15 Mile 15 Mile 15…..

 

Mile 15: GU time!! Bleh…oh my gosh I just breathed water…seriously?? I have water up my nose during a marathon! This is not a swim Rosalie!

 

Mile 16: ok…just a few more to go until mile 20…THANK YOU headwind! I think I’m starting to feel like I can run this thing…

 

Mile 16.2: stop looking at your watch…

 

Mile 16.4: you’re slowing down…

 

Mile 16.8: seriously?!?!!

 

Mile 17: ok…mile 17…all downhill until mile 17…bring it on Newton…oh hi Santa Claus…whoa he really looks like Santa!

 

Mile 18: O.M.G. That hill sucked…Quick check…breathing?…mediocre…knee?…not hurting (what the hell?? Do I make this stuff up??) …legs? Kinda crampy…feet? Think I have a blister…or 4…so much for toenails!

 

Mile 19: ok…almost to mile 20…stretch break at mile 20…ahh! Is that a sprinkler tunnel??

 

Mile 20: Stop to stretch…(race volunteer checks on me…you doing ok ma’m??) Yep just stretching! Wow…these guys are on top of it!

 

Mile 21: Heartbreak hill time!! Where is it……Wait…is this it?! Woo-hoo! Downhill coming up!!

 

Mile 22: FOUR more miles!! I want to stop SO bad but this crowd is AMAZING!! Just keep running..doesn’t matter how slow…3 more miles til Joe and the kids…

 

Mile 23: oh my gosh my legs hurt!! Will I make under 4?? Not likely, but keep pushing just in case!! 3 more miles!! No no random stranger…not 3 and a half…3.2…are we still moving downhill???

 

Mile 24: Someone just said “welcome to Boston!”…I’M IN BOSTON!!!

 

Mile 25: Where are Joe and the kids?? Maybe I missed them….one more mile… one more mile…the freaking longest and best of them all….oh there’s Joe! Hi kids!!! Hi!! ONE MORE MILE!!!

 

Mile 26: oh my gosh…oh my gosh….oh my gosh….this is so freaking awesome!!

 

Mile 26.2: YAAAYYYYY!!!! I made it!! (Knee…how you doin??…still walking…not hobbling around! Woo-hoo!!) THIS CITY IS AMAZING!!!!

 

Official time 4:03:17….not a PR but considering the challenges in training, by far the smartest and most inspiring race I’ve run!! So so happy!!

Happy Running Friends,

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Templeton Run Club

PO Box 522

Templeton, CA. 93465

As we start training, you’ll notice our Saturday long runs getting longer. That does not mean you have to run the entire distance, especially if you’re just starting out. We always include options for shorter distances with information for loops and turnaround points. Check out our maps on Strava! Bringing it up on a desktop instead of your phone gives you a little better picture of what the route entails….ie. elevation profiles, segments, etc.

Good luck to everyone running Buzz Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k this weekend!! Can’t wait to see you all out there!!

 

As we look ahead for 2021, we would like to continue training for and participating in local events. Registration is currently open for City to the Sea Half Marathon and 5k to be held in SLO Sunday, September 12th. As races slowly start to come back, we’ll be adding them to our race calendar and crossing our fingers that COVID conditions continue to improve! If you have a race in mind that you want to participate in or think we’d love, let us know! (There is a trail race in Lake Tahoe October 2nd we’ve been eyeballing as well!)

Also, if you haven’t signed a waiver for 2021 please fill one out and bring it to the next run! I bring blank ones with me to the runs so let me know if you need one!

Feel free to reach out with any questions or ideas for runs and routes! You may have noticed we added a few trail runs to the calendar this month. We’d like to continue with a trail run at least once a month (this Saturday will be at Santa Margarita Lake) and are hoping to add an occasional Wednesday and Friday in April. Keep an eye on the calendar! We’d love to see you!

 

Other than the random Wednesday we have planned next week, our run club schedule will remain the same. This month’s runs are Tuesday mornings at 7am, Thursday evenings on the track at 6pm, and Saturdays at 8am (no group run on April 10th.) We will continue to work around high school sports and will alternate between the Templeton and Atascadero high school tracks. Starting in May, our Saturday runs will start at 7am to beat the heat. For those that are currently marathon training, we’re planning a supported 20-22 miler to Cayucos on May 22nd starting from Templeton Park at 7am. We’d love you to have you join us!! There will be plenty of options for shorter distances. Please be sure to RSVP so we can plan ahead!

In some other exciting new, Templeton Run Club is now a non-profit organization under the RRCA (Road Runners Club of America)!! This was one of our first goals in creating this club and I am so happy that it’s finally coming to fruition. We would love to eventually put on local races and anticipate having to reach out to local businesses and community leaders for support. As a non-profit organization, contributions towards our club and events will not only be tax deductible but also increases our ability to apply for government and private grants. So excited for this opportunity!

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the club or are interested in joining us. Our membership is free, other than the time spent filling out a waiver, and we’re really not as scary as we look…not all of us anyways!

Happy Easter Running!

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Templeton Run Club

PO Box 522

Templeton, Ca. 93465

 

There is nothing like a good pair of shoes. Comfortable, form fitting, stylish, light, supportive…you name it. The right pair of shoes can boost your confidence like no other. As runners we become slightly obsessive about them, and for good reason! The right fit will prevent injuries and keep us running longer. I took personal offense when Saucony upgraded their Kinvaras a few years ago and my favorite style no longer fit the same. Brooks saved the day, but now their Revels are new and I’m in the same predicament as before! If I was writing an Instagram post, I’d hashtag this #firstworldproblems! What a fortunate problem to have! I found a new pair btw… Cotton candy pink, incredibly light and fit like they were made for me. I feel like my son when he was little, “hey mom, check out my fast shoes!”

And yet now I have a new problem…a closet full of beautiful running shoes that despite being worn for a few hundred miles, are still perfectly good shoes. I can’t just throw them away. I still have the shoes I wore at the Boston marathon. I’ve kept the shoes that carried me through the footsteps of the elites and had tears spilled on them through hard runs and across finish lines. It got me thinking. Who would benefit from these shoes?

Soles4Souls is a non-profit organization that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. This June, Templeton Run Club will be holding a shoe drive to collect gently worn shoes to donate back to this organization. Since 2006, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 53 million pairs of new and gently-worn shoes in 127 countries around the world to provide relief and create economic opportunities. We hope to collect at least 200 pairs of shoes (I have five in my closet right now!…195 to go…)

From June 1st until June 30th, you can drop your clean, gently worn shoes off at the following locations:

Templeton:

ARC Physical Therapy

Templeton Recreation Department

Twin Cities Community Hospital in the Founders Pavilion

Paso Robles:

Kennedy Club Fitness

Atascadero:

K-Man Cycle and Run

San Luis Obispo:

GH Sports (permanent drop off location!)

You can also bring shoe donations to any of our group runs throughout the month. (Please make sure your shoes are tied together by their laces or bound by a rubber band.) Speaking of next month, June will be a busy month for us! Kids are graduating high school and some of our runners will be wrapping up training for the Sun Valley Marathon in Idaho.

Keep an eye on the calendar as some of our regular group run days will be postponed. Also, if you’re running over the Memorial Day weekend, be careful out there! Get out early and avoid those busy roads!

Happy Running friends!

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Templeton Run Club

PO Box 522

Templeton, Ca. 93465

 

The term “slow” runner always makes me feel a little twitchy. What exactly makes a runner slow? What times do you need to hit to be considered fast? Nicole and I coach Cross Country and our fastest runs don’t even come close to these high school athletes! 

Unless you are a world-renowned, elite athlete, there is ALWAYS going to be someone faster. Speaking of….I had the opportunity to go run with Mammoth Track Club last month, held June through October at the Whitmore Track in Mammoth California where the elevation is about 7000 feet. I’m a decent runner but my sea-level lungs might have made me the slowest runner on the track that day…not to mention that the workout was led by the current American woman’s marathon record holder, Deena Kastor. Talk about feeling slow!!

The thing is, in running, speed is relative. Heat slows us down, dehydration can increase our heart rate, stress and fatigue can wear on our bodies, the wrong shoes can feel too heavy, the right shoes can boost our mood, the right running partner can make 10 miles feel like 2, and a good mindset can literally change how hard a run feels…in other words, runners are a little like Goldilocks. “The temperature this morning is a little too cold, this shirt is a little too hot, but these shoes are juust right.” Training helps us figure out what works for us and what doesn’t. It’s very individual. What works for me, may not work for you. And when all my Goldilocks needs are met and I beat my fastest time, but it’s slower than everyone else, should I feel bad? Hell no! I’m going to brag to everyone about my 2 minute PR and how I beat my biggest competitor…MYSELF!

On that note, we have 20 weeks until City to the Sea on November 21st!! (and about 19 weeks until the Wine Country Run in Paso Robles November 7th-14th!) This month, we’ll be starting our group runs with “Base Camp,” a running program that will be starting out with low mileage to begin building a solid base and work into training for the upcoming half marathons. This will be geared towards runners that haven’t run in a while and are starting over and new-ish runners that are up to a few miles and wanting to train for a 10k or half marathon. 

If you’re interested in participating, please contact me ASAP so I can include you in an email that includes the training plan for the month, a link to a Google doc that you can record your mileage (aka accountability journal), as well as any other updates. We will meet during our regularly scheduled runs on Tuesday mornings at 7am, Thursday evenings at 6pm, and Saturday mornings at 7am.

 

Our first run will start this Tuesday, July 6th at 7am at the Templeton Park. We’ll warm up together, run/walk 1-1.5 miles and cool down afterwards. (Be sure to bring a yoga mat for stretching!) Thursdays will typically be at the track but we’ll meet at the park on July 8th at 6pm to pack up the shoes collected from the Soles4Souls Shoe drive after our run.

We still have a few shoe donations trickling in! We’ll get a total count on Thursday and be able to announce which drop off location brought in the most shoes! A big “THANK YOU!!!” to Kennedy Club Fitness in Paso Robles, Templeton Recreation Department, ARC Physical Therapy, Twin Cities Community Hospital, K-Man Cyclery and GH Sports in San Luis Obispo that all made this shoe drive possible! I am still SO impressed by the quality of shoes that have been donated and am so proud to send these to people and communities that can truly use them. Bring your tape gun and come on by to lend a hand! We’ll get a group picture with our over 200 shoes collected!!! Hope to see you!

Happy Running!

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Templeton Run Club

PO Box 522

Templeton, Ca. 93465

 

Did you know there are glaciers in California? Real glaciers…IN California. I didn’t. And it didn’t really dawn on me the significance of it until today as I packed to go find one. I’m not going to Alaska or Antarctica…I’m going to the Sierras, just a few hours away. Makes me wonder what other surprises our lovely state has hidden in plain sight! or at least a few miles off trail….THEN in plain sight!

One of the things I love about running are all the sights we see along the way. Sights that on a normal day we might miss. The roads we drive on, zipping along in our cars, without a second thought to the way the sunlight peeks through the oak trees in the morning or how the trees we’ve grown accustomed to have started to bear fruit. (Have you seen the peach tree growing in Templeton Park???) The views we see from running shoes are so unique and offer a perspective that’s hard to find anywhere else.

If you’ve run with me, you’ve probably seen me whip out my phone (at usually the most inopportune times) to take a picture. Most of my shots are blurry, crooked or obscured by a thumb or finger, and I actually have quite a few of the inside of my pocket, but some of them come together, even if it’s impossible to capture the feeling in that moment. There is a distinctness to each run. Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes not, but typically unexpected and unanticipated. An eagle up close on the ranch, a cat that ran up to Nicole and I like he knew us, the wood bridge that spanned a little creek on our run this morning. Such fun little nuances that make this area so special!

This month, we’ll head down to Avila Beach on August 21st to run on the Bob Jones Trail. Not only is this a great place to run, but the last half of the trail is part of the City to the Sea Half Marathon Course. It’ll also give us a chance to run the biggest hill of the race. Yay!! Hills!!! (I joke, I joke……kinda!) The rest of the month is status quo with morning runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 7am from Templeton Park, and Thursdays on the Templeton High School track at 6pm. On Thursday, August 19th, we’ll hold a field test to determine estimated VO2 max and associated heart rates to help dial in individual training paces. Feel free to join us any of these days! Check out Strava for course maps and to RSVP!

There are a few of us headed up to Toro Park in Salinas for the Spartan Trail Race on August 22nd as well as down to the La Cuesta Ranch in San Luis Obispo next month for a trail run with All We Do Is Run. Hope to see some of you there!

Happy Running!

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Templeton Run Club

PO Box 522

Templeton, Ca. 93465

 

Hi, it’s me again! Twice in one month!!

Registration is open for the City to the Sea Half Marathon & 5k and they have given Templeton Run Club members a promo code for $5 off each registration!! I’ve heard rumors that the price is supposed to increase soon so I wanted to get this out to you all before that happens. Click on the Registration link and enter as an individual. Click on the “Enter Promo Code” link on the top of the page, type in “TRCLUB”, and click apply.

I’m in the process of getting TRC team shirts made for the race and training. (If you’ve been running and want to get in on our Base Camp ½ marathon training program, shoot me an email! We’ve got 12 weeks until race day!) As soon as we get the design and shirt selection finalized I’ll send out ordering information. If you have a favorite brand/style of running shirt let me know! I’m currently looking into Sport-Tek shirts as they’ve proven nice to run in and they tend to be more affordable…and they have neon yellow…aka HIGH VISIBILITY! I also still have sweatshirts in case anyone wants a TRC hoodie before the weather gets cold again.

September 11th is a trail run put on by All We Do Is Run at La Cuesta Ranch in San Luis Obispo. (Registration for the 10k, 25k and 50k is still open and will close on September 9th.) We have some absolutely gorgeous trails in SLO County and this race is extra special because it’s held on property not open to the general public.

September 25th we’ll have our TRC Rock to Pier Run from Morro Rock to Cayucos Pier, followed by a tailgate breakfast at the beach!!

Lastly, if anyone has any connections with SLO County, let me know!! I’d like to find out how we go about requesting a crosswalk on Vineyard Dr on the 1.2 mile stretch between Main Street and South Bethel Road (preferably at Santa Rita Road where a lot of our runners cross.) Thoughts?? Suggestions?? I’d love to hear them!…and since I’m asking for favors…TRC would eventually like to put on a 5k race that benefits the Templeton High School Cross Country and Track Teams. Maybe even a scholarship fund later on down the road…pun totally intended!! The first thing we need is a location. Maybe a local winery? Please feel free to reach out with any ideas!

That’s all for now! Happy Running!

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Templeton Run Club

PO Box 522

Templeton, Ca. 93426

PS. We found the glacier!!

 

Running as an adult is hard on multiple levels. Level I: It’s time consuming. You have to dedicate time to a) getting dressed in running clothes, b) finding said running clothes and shoes, and c) actually getting out the front door. Level II: It’s hot (or cold, or windy, or dry, or muddy, or humid, or ….) In other words, most of the time, it’s going to be generally uncomfortable. And finally Level III: Running requires you to actually run…which depending on your current fitness, could make you feel like dying.

I’m sure you’re expecting me to say something like, “but despite all these things, running is still the cat’s meow!!” Which it kind of is, but in reality, I think it’s always hard. Can you hear Tom Hanks shouting in A League of their Own…“It’s supposed to be hard! If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it…hard is what makes it great!” Yes, as fitness improves and our bodies become stronger and more efficient, running feels easier. But certain challenges will always remain (….like finding a pair of matching running socks in the sock basket when you’re late and needed to leave 5 minutes ago.)

Know that it’s ok if you don’t get your run in when you wanted to, know that sometimes there are other priorities that require more attention, know that ONE run isn’t going to make or break your training and know that you’re not doing anything wrong if you think running is hard…in fact, you’re probably doing it right.

 

Now, before you go and skip your next run, I want to remind you that City to the Sea Half Marathon and 5K is TWO MONTHS away!! If you haven’t signed up yet, don’t forget to use the TRC team discount “TRCLUB” for $5 off your registration! I’ll be sending out our C2S Base Camp training plans for weeks 13-16 this week. Feel free to email me if you want me to include you…its free, I don’t require much, maybe a high five at the finish line. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not where you want to be yet with this training…(see above.) Be consistent. Be patient. In Brad Stulbery’s book The Practice of Groundedness, he says “that sometimes you need to pound the stone over and over again before it breaks. That doesn’t mean your previous blows weren’t working. The tension may very well be building; you just can’t see it yet.”

Join us at Barrelhouse Brewing after the track workout on Thursday for a beer and to plan out our October run club routes and schedule! (Run at 6pm/ Barrelhouse at 7:30pm) We’d like to plot out our A-town pub run and Halloween costume fun run as well as pick a date for an official board meeting. All are welcome to join us!!

Last but not least, this Saturday’s run will be in Morro Bay at 8am for the TRC Rock to Pier Run. We’ll start at Morro Rock and run to Cayucos Pier. Be sure to wear shoes that can get wet! We’ll meet at the big parking lot (near the restrooms) at the rock! Don’t forget to RSVP on Strava! We’re planning a tailgate pancake breakfast at the end! Hope to see you!

“It isn’t easy to be consistent, but it sure is easy when you are!” quote from TRC Run Club member Melissa Egger.

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Templeton Run Club

PO Box 522

Templeton, Ca. 93465

It’s October! And not only is it one of my favorite months, but we have some great runs coming up!! First though, if you want to order a Templeton Run Club race shirt, the time is NOW! We’re going with neon yellow for high visibility on the road as well as a way to spot club runners during the upcoming races and events. (It was fun to spot Tony in his neon shirt on the La Cuesta Ranch run from literally a mile away!) They’ll cost approximately $16-$18 depending on how many we order. I’ll be finalizing our order tonight if you want one!

Front:

Back:

Mens Sizing: https://www.sporttekusa.com/p/5754_NeonYellow

Womens Sizing: https://www.sporttekusa.com/p/4296_NeonYellow

Since Cross Country is now in full swing and Nicole and I are gone nearly every Saturday in October for meets, we’ll be switching our long run days to Sunday mornings at 7:30am for the rest of the year. This might change come 2022 but we’ll try it out and see how everyone likes it. We’re also changing our morning runs on Tuesday to 6:30am (as part of our traffic avoidance program) and bumping up our Thursday evening track runs to 5:30pm so we can run with a little more daylight. Strava is still the best source of information for dates, times, and routes if you have any questions!

On Friday, October 15th we’ll be hosting our second Pub Run in Atascadero at 5pm! We’ll start and end at Wild Fields Brewhouse, run or walk an easy 5k lap around town, and enjoy some good brews at the finish! All ages and paces are welcome!

Start thinking of your costumes for the TRC Halloween Costume 5k Fun Run on October 31st at 8am!! We have some AWESOME prizes waiting for the top three best dressed runners!! (Make sure your costumes have good visibility as the roads will be open!) This was such a fun event last year and we can’t wait to see everyone dressed up in your Halloween best!

Happy Running!

Rosalie Smith

rosaliesmith@templetonrunclub.com

Templeton Run Club

PO BOX 522

Templeton, Ca. 93465