In the first week of June, on one of those Very Hot Days, a handful of hardy souls showed up at Lebanon High for the first TNT and the NHGP Virtual-5k.  I was so delighted to see real 3-dimensional people.  But I actually had expected to see a few more bodies.  By the end of June the numbers had increased and we had migrated to the Dartmouth track.

But then July started with a bang!  Was it that the Red, White and Blue made racing feel real again? Are people more confident about their vaccinations? Or is it that once you have tasted TNT again, you can't go back?

By the middle of July about 30 people are showing up, many of them are the old crew that we knew from pre-pandemic days.  But there is also a lot of new blood, including a few high school cross-country runners who are joy-riding around the track, and also a few Dartmouth students who are challenging UVRC's fastest.

As a coach, it is a delight to see so many people out there giving it their best!

When I plan workouts I know that people have a variety of goals and objectives.  We all don't run the same races, but a lot of us do run some of the New Hampshire Grand Prix.  So a quick reminder of that series' schedule. June - Virtual 5k, July - Bill Luti 5 mile, August - Sandown 5 mile, September - Rail Trail (Enfield-Lebanon!) 10k, November - Manchester Half Marathon. I think you can see the trend; the races get longer as we head into the fall.

The workouts will tend to emphasize this change, moving from 5k preparation to 10k / half marathon preparation.  I am aware of the fact that "Run for the Pie", and a lot of Turkey Trots are also on the calendar, so we wouldn't abandon all the shorter, quicker stuff - it will continue to be a mix.

What are my goals as I design workouts? 1) It really is good for your running in that it stresses your muscles and cardiovascular system - without over straining. 2) You are challenged beyond what you would run by yourself. 3) You as a runner feel like it was good for you. 4) By next week you really want to come back for more.

I feel like having a whole bunch of great people there really helps with that last point.

I'll be traveling a lot in August, I haven't seen much of my family since pre-Covid, so Dorcas will be leading the workouts.  But I look forward to seeing more and more of you as the fall racing season gets going!