Janette's Recap of 10 Miles

The 10 mile run that we had to run  was such an accomplishment for me, but I'm pretty sure it was for everybody else. I thought it was going to be hard and I was going have to stop for a breather or just start walking, but I didn't walk at all.  It was a lot easier than what I thought and all the hard work I have been putting in is paying off.  I went from running out of breath fast and getting tired, to learning to keep a good pace and keeping my breathing under control. Seeing that I have come a long way and have learned so much makes me more excited for the half marathon.

Ana Laura's Recap of 10 Miles

The feeling I got finishing these last 10 miles was great! I felt like I was on a natural high - I didn't know that it would feel that incredible. I thought I was going to be super tired and sore but I actually wasn't - especially because I didn't walk any of it. They also introduced us to Gu and it helped so much. JJ and I said that it will become our new energy go to energy. It was awesome!! 

Preparing for it mentally I would tell myself that I couldn't give up and even if I had to walk I was going to finish it. Also I had to prepare myself physically. During the week JJ and I ran 4 miles each day. It helped me a lot to speed up a little bit and she helped me a lot on just pushing me and telling that I could do it. During the 10 miles JJ and I ran together the whole time and she made it seem so easy for me, well for the both of us. If at a point I would see her tired I would tell her that we could do it and she would do the same. We just really helped helped each other. Personally I don't think I could if done it without her support. She was literally there with me from the beginning to the end.

 

On January 5th I started this journey as it just being something else to do. But now it's all I think about, all I want to do is keep working hard to finish this and make this the best experience ever. I run everyday just to make sure that, that next mile I run will be as easy as the last. It's a completely different experience but I'm super glad that I am doing it.  

 

I'm even more happy that I started this journey with my best friend and we will both finish it together. Running is really becoming something that my body asks for. It's just great. Even though those 13.1 miles are exactly a month way which make nervous I know I can do it. It will be a great accomplishment that I get to check off my list!

Jaontra's Recap of 10 Miles

This week a new challenge was placed in front of me. It was time for us to run ten miles. We finally were going to reach double digits. For the entire week, I was absolutely terrified by it. I knew I had to condition myself and prepare myself mentally for such a difficult challenge. I ran three times throughout the week and did some core workouts to ensure that I would be able to run 10 miles on Saturday. Even with all this preparation, I was still terrified and I knew for certain that it was going to be a difficult task. I wanted the week to go slowly, just so I wouldn't have to do it, but finally Saturday arrived.

I got up early Saturday morning to eat some breakfast and make sure I was hydrated for this run. Time passed quickly and before I knew it, I was in the car heading to Lake Merritt with Ana Laura. Throughout the car ride, we discussed our fears, but kept telling ourselves that we could do it. We arrived at the lake, and we were greeted by Tod. He reminded us that we were doing 10 miles that morning, with a smile on his face, and we sort of just looked at him.

Time passed quickly, and we were doing our stretches. Before I knew it, we were off on our run. The volunteers at RBO kept reminding us to stay at an easy pace since we had 10 miles to go. So we did just that. We stayed at a nice pace throughout the run and this time we made sure that we were running on the grass and dirt paths so our knees wouldn't be in too much pain later on. We made our first lap around the lake and stopped for water and a chance to try GU. Ana Laura and I were nervous about this, but figured we needed some extra energy since we still had 6 miles to go. We grabbed Vanilla Bean flavor and braced ourselves. We tasted the GU and were pretty disgusted by the taste, but we finished it and drank a lot of water and set off on our second lap around the lake. 

 

Our pace was still good and we had actually managed to stay with each other. Later on throughout our run, Janette and Jasmine caught up to us and we made an even bigger pack. Our pace continued to stay even and no one was huffing and puffing. We weren't even feeling tired yet. Ana Laura and I definitely had the GU to thank for that. Before we knew it, we had finished our second lap, and stopped for another round of GU. This was our final lap and then we only had to go half a mile out and back. Our pace had definitely increased from our last lap and instead of running 11 minute miles, we were running 8 minute miles and we all had smiles on our faces. Our energy was still high and it felt like we could keep going, which was good because when we finished our third lap, we still had another mile to go. Luckily, we still had energy to burn and we picked up the pace once again since we were cheered on by the other Running Club members who had already finished and  Mrs. Schooler. We kept running and were questioning where the turn around point was. Luckily, Mr. Schooler had caught up to us and showed it to us. We turned around at that point, and ran all the way back to the RBO tent where we were greeted by Lalo and Junior. 

Ana Laura and I were ecstatic because we did not stop and we managed to stay together for the whole time. We grabbed our chocolate milk and other goodies and went to stretch with other runners who had just finished. It was truly a remarkable feeling. I felt like that was the greatest thing I had ever done and I truly felt all the progress I had made from our first run. I felt happy all over and I just couldn't stop smiling whereas after my first run, I was completely pooped and felt like I never wanted to run again. After this run, I really feel like I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to. With the marathon being less than 5 weeks away, I know I still have training that needs to be done, especially since I have to run 3.1 more miles than I did yesterday, but I know that I can really do it now. It doesn't matter when I finish, but I know I will. I can't wait until the Half-Marathon so I can yell, "I did it!"

First Double Digit Run

Today the students ran 10 miles!  This was their first double digit run.  This run had us running three times around Lake Merritt plus an additional .5 mile out and back to make it 10 miles.  I was so incredibly proud of them.  Many of them ran the entire time without stopping!  This was also their first experience fueling up during the run by taking a Gu packet. 

Ivan, Anthony, and Jefferson enjoying cold chocolate milk and granola bars after they finished. 

Jonathan and Jefferson were sharing which Gu flavored they liked the best.

Assistant Coach, Ms. Hernandez, and myself after we finished 10 miles (my first ever as well!). 

I was so proud of all of the students for their excellent effort and progress today!  Less than 5 weeks to the half marathon!

Wednesday's 4 Mile Recap

Karina recaps today's 4 mile run. One struggle I've had as coach of the running club is working with such a large group of students who run at different paces.  When everyone shows up for the runs it makes it easier to group them with others who run at their pace but when some students don't make the runs it's hard.  Given that we are 5 weeks away from the half marathon, I hope ALL students make EVERY run from now on!


"I got kind of lost so I ended up running a little more than I should have but nevertheless made it. I had to stop a few times in the beginning but I caught up with Shelby and from there we ran a bit faster.  We ended up catching up with the first group and finished before them. This practice run was somewhat easy for me. Running is difficult when you don't have the right running partner to talk and encourage with.  I am actually excited for the 10 mile run this Saturday, I want to see how far I can go. I still don't know what are the requirements to be considered a  "runner" except from running but I just hope I will get in the habit of running more on my own in the future. I want to continue participating in these type of things, it's exciting."


Karina is definitely a runner in my eyes!  I hope she begins to see herself as one as well! 

4 Miles

Today the students ran 4 miles.  We've incorporated some hills into our weekly runs.  Even though the half marathon course is flat, we figured the hill training would be good for building up their endurance. 

And they're off!

5 Mile Recap

I've been disappointed because I haven't been able to run with my students these past two weeks.  Two weeks ago I didn't have a babysitter and this past weekend I was in Italy.  I'm looking forward to tackling 10 miles with them next Saturday.

Ivan recaps today's run:
This past Saturday's run was awesome.  It was unfortunate that Mr. and Mrs. Schooler weren't there to encourage me to run the 5 miles faster and faster.  But I guess, I'm a big boy and I have to learn to do things on my own.

This time I did most of the run with [RBO volunteer] Nate.  He is a pretty cool guy and was easy to talk to.  I'm looking forward for our next run which is going to be 10 miles.   I can't wait!!!!!!! Actually I can...

8 Mile Recap

The students ran 8 miles today!  What an accomplishment!  They are definitely on their way to meeting the 13.1 mile goal!  Eduardo recaps the run today:

Running 8 miles seemed like the ultimate challenge to me. I woke up
that morning thinking that I was going to die during the run. I also
knew that Mr. Schooler was not going to be there, which meant that I
had to set my own pace. The first couple of miles felt like nothing. I
decided to run with one of the volunteers from RBO who was a
ultra-marathoner. He told me about his struggles while running 105
miles and gave me some useful advice. He told me that its better to
start off slow and then pick up the pace towards the end. The one
thing that I made sure to do this run was hydrate. After each lap
around the lake I made sure I drank water before starting the next
lap. I was glad I stayed hydrated because it really helped. It wasn't
until close to the 6th mile where I began to grow tired. I took the
volunteers advice and i picked up my pace after the 6th mile.
Surprisingly, I felt good going through the last two miles and the
pace felt good. As I came to the final stretch, I felt relieved and
picked up my pace just a little more. Once I reached the RBO tent I
was greeted by Junior and Victor. Despite my doubts, it feels good to
have accomplished running 8 miles.

Wednesday's Run - 4 miles

Jefferson recaps our 4 mile run today:

The Wednesday run was awesome! It felt great to run 4 miles in the middle of the week. When I began to run I felt as if I could go on for days, it was a great feeling to have. When I first began training for the half marathon I would of never imagined that I could run 4 miles so easily. I felt relaxed and I was confident that I would not stop until I returned to the school. I really enjoyed our running route, it is a bit more challenging with the hill that we have to go up as you can feel the burn in your calves when you head up the street. Overall, the run was really great. I enjoyed it a lot and it was a lot of fun. I hope that the upcoming runs are even better. Go Mustangs!

JJ's Recap of 7 miles

Jaontra recapped our 7 mile run today.  When I asked her how she felt running 7 miles as soon as she finished she wrapped it up pretty accurately for me as well when she said, "The first 5 miles were great but the last 2 were unnecessary."  Well said, JJ, well said.

This Saturday, we were instructed to run seven miles. The entire week I was a little nervous since this was a two mile increase from the week before and to make things even make exciting we had to be up and ready to run at Lake Merritt at 8:15 in the morning. I had gone on three extra runs throughout the week, but seven miles just seemed like a big challenge. I got up in the morning earlier than usual on Saturday and went to eat breakfast. Then I changed into my running clothes and my running shoes. Once I was ready I waited around for my friend Ana Laura to pick me up. We arrived at the lake at 8:10 and it was a lot colder than usual. Despite that, we still had to check in do our morning stretches and set out in our pace groups. Once the run started I was completely surprised we were at a nice, steady, easy pace. I didn't have any side cramps and I wasn't even breathing hard. I reached the one mile mark and told myself there were only six more to go. Normally by the time I was at one and a half miles I would be heavy breathing or moving way ahead of my pace, but this time I was perfectly fine it felt like I could go on for miles and miles and I did just that. I finished my second mile, my third mile, and then turned around to go back around the lake for my second lap. I still felt good and I wasn't tired one bit. I joined a pair of other runners who are in the Running for a Better Oakland (RBO) program and kept pace with them until my fifth mile until one of the girls had to stop to tie her shoe. This was the challenge. The first five miles were so easy it didn't even feel like I was using any energy. It all just came so natural but each step I took after that fifth mile became such a challenge. I kept my same pace, but I could feel my body getting more and more tired. I just kept telling myself, "No walking. You cannot walk." That inspired me to keep going and that I did I completely my second lap around the lake and as a passed by I heard Lalo and Mrs. Schoolers cheering me on. This inspired me to keep going and finish my last mile I had to go half a mile out and come back. That half way mark seemed to take forever to reach, but I got there, by this time I was heavy breathing, but I kept going. When I was almost done I saw Ms. Hernandez cheering me on and this gave me the little bit of energy I needed to run up the hill. Lalo was waiting there to give me a high five and I was done. I completed my seven miles, running and it felt like the greatest thing I had ever done. I had completed more the half of the half-marathon distance and I was very proud of myself and everyone else.

7 mile run

Today the students ran 7 miles.  They ran twice around the lake and then an additional out and back.  Seven miles was a milestone in many respects.  First, it was running around the lake not once, but twice.  Second, this was the longest distance everyone had ever run before (including myself).  Third, accomplishing this run meant the students were more than halfway to the 13.1 mile half marathon.

The students did great.  Almost everyone finished the 7 miles and everyone did it with a smile on their face at the end!  I was very impressed!  One thing I love the most about the Running Club is how everyone encourages everyone.  It doesn't matter if you finish first or last, we realize that we are all in this together.  We clap and encourage one another.  We high five each other when we pass them on the lake path.  I love it. 

Here comes Jaontra, Ana Laura, Janette, and Jasmine:

 Here's Milton (in blue, class of 2005), Jefferson, Ivan, Mr. Schooler (in blue), Victor, and Eduardo:

 Junior was in the lead the entire time!

 Here's Alex, Alex, and Jonathan.  You can see Javier in the back as well.

 Eduardo

 Ivan waving running with Mr. Schooler.

 Jasmine and Janette

 Here are most of the runners after finishing 7 miles. 

 Anthony was running on his own catching up to the faster group.  He arrived late but did great catching up!