2004 Olympian Kate O’Neill Tenforde joined the runcoach staff in April, 2010. Having grown up outside of Boston, her earliest running memory is traveling downtown every spring to watch the end of the Boston Marathon.
Kate competed for Yale University, where she was a seven-time All-American, ten-time Ivy League Champion, and was named NCAA Woman of the Year for Connecticut in 2003. During Kate’s senior year she was a three-time runner-up at the NCAA championships. She was also awarded Academic All-American honors three times and was a two-time Academic All-Ivy.
In the lead up to the 2004 Olympics, she dropped over a minute from her previous best in the 10,000 meters, with a time of 31:34 which eclipsed the Olympic A qualifying standard. She later cinched her spot on the Olympic roster by finishing third at the 2004 Olympic Trials and finished the year ranked third for American women at the distance.
In 2007, Kate made her marathon debut at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and finished 3rd. In 2010 she returned to competition after a long layoff due to injury and finished 7th at the Bay to Breakers and 14th at the Peachtree Road Race.
We began with a great breakfast to jump start your day, then a tasty chickpea and egg dish for lunch or dinner. Now we have a flavorful vegetarian dish, perfect for lunch or quick dinner when you are on the go. This is another crock-pot meal, so you can just throw everything in and have it ready when you get home in the afternoon. It stores well in the fridge or freezer, making for a healthy, sustaining meal that is packed full of great flavors.
Brown Rice Quinoa Fennel Risotto
This dish, prepared with brown rice and pecorino, creates a gluten and cow dairy free recipe, while vegetarian, packs a lasting satisfaction with the addition of quinoa along with fiber. Just 30 minutes to prep, then slow cook for 4-6 hours.
Directions:
Coat a 4-quart crock-pot with cooking spray. Crush fennel seeds and combine with diced fennel, brown rice, carrot, shallot, garlic, green beans, olives, lemon zest and mushrooms in the pot. Add broth, 1 cut water, wine, and stir to combine. Cover and cook until rice is chewy and risotto is thick and creamy. On high heat 2 ½ hours, or low heat 4 hours.
Before serving or storing, stir in pecorino. If it too dry, add water to loosen.
Servings: 6
Nutrition: Calories 353; Fat 8g, Carbs 56g, protein 14g
New name, new look, new feel!
The runcoach iPhone app is here! Download it now!
Note: The latest version is called runcoach. Version 1 was called
iRunning coach.
Now it's even easier to check and log your workouts on the go!
The content of your workouts will not change. We are just making the workout descriptions easier to understand. The new format contains an outline that reads like a cookbook and simplifies the times you need to run. Less thinking, more running!
Your workout descriptions will change in 3 places:
Here is an example of the enhancement in action:
Before Enhancement After Enhancement
Our philosophy is to train at current fitness level to race at peak performance. For that reason, we don't use goal times. Instead, we use your past race performances to generate your pace chart and training schedule. This is the safest way to progress to the next level.
With that said, we encourage you to consider running a shorter distance race prior to your goal race (for example, a 5K or 10K). We expect that as you start to condition, you will run an equivalent faster non-goal race. The system will then update all your training to match your new fitness level.
To enter your new race time, follow the steps below:
Race day is almost here! Remember to lay low and stay off your feet the days before the race (no Expo attendance for longer than 1 hour). Your reward is race day itself and the challenge of running. . . .
Arrival
Make sure you get outside and feel the air. Go for at least a 20 minute walk or jog on either the day before, or two days before (or whatever is on your schedule).
Think about what you did, not what you didn’t do in your training. When you go to pick up your race number and run into old friends, family etc. everyone will want to ask about your training so they can tell you about theirs. Forget about theirs and don’t compare yourself to anyone. You followed a terrific training schedule and are well prepared.
Night Before, Morning Of
Have a full meal the night before. Try and consume some complex carbohydrates (pasta). Do not over eat, but make sure you fill up.
On race day eat a light breakfast of 200-300 Kcal of carbohydrates including the sports fluid you drink. If you have a normal pre-race breakfast then stick with it. Don't try any new foods before the race. Drink gatorade (or any sports drink that doesn’t include protein) and/or water frequently to assure you are hydrated (clear urine is a good sign). You should stay well-hydrated throughout the morning before the race. At some point prior to the race stop drinking so you can empty your bladder before the start. It is important to refrain from over-consumption of water alone, as that will drain your body of needed electrolytes.
I suggest you take some throw away warmups to the start especially if it rains or will be cold. This could be an old t-shirt or old sweat pants. Also old socks will keep your hands warm. Some runners will even wear a t-shirt for the first couple miles of the race until they warm up and then pull it off and throw it away. This is a good strategy to prepare for all temperatures.
Take a bottle with gatorade/sports drink to the start with you and right before (less than 5 mins) the gun goes off drink 4-8 ounces. This is your first water stop. If you drink close enough to the start you shouldn’t have to pee – the fluid should only drip through your kidneys because most of your resources (blood) will be in your legs and out of your gut as soon as the gun goes off.
Early Miles
I suggest that you start 5-15 seconds per mile slower than your goal pace. By the 2nd mile you should be running at around goal pace while listening to your body. I recommend this approach as it may activate (and utilize) a higher percentage of fat fuel over the first couple miles. Remember we are trying to conserve glycogen and muscle for as long as possible.
Stay on top of hydration. Drink early and often (4-8 ounces every 20 minutes). It is better to consume enough fluid early and sacrifice the later stops if necessary.
Remember the 3 ‘C’s’
Confidence: Have confidence in your ability and your training. Remember all those hard workouts you did. Remember those early mornings, late nights, sore calves, tight hamstrings etc. - they weren’t in jest.
Control: You must relax yourself early in the race. You absolutely must go out under control and run easy for the first 8-10 miles. Remember the 1/2 Marathon is evenly divided into three sections of equal effort: first 5M, second 5M and last 5K. We want to save a little bit for the last 5K (Miles 10-13).
Collection: Keep your thoughts collected and on your objective. There will always be lots of distractions on race day. The further you get in this race the more you need to focus on yourself, goals and race strategy. Don’t let the fans and competitors into your zone.
The Ebb and Flow
I said before that I can’t guarantee anything about the training or the race itself. Well, I can guarantee this: you will feel good at some point and you will feel bad at some point within the race.
Races usually ebb and flow, runners rarely feel terrific the entire way. We always hit little walls. If you hit one just focus on the next mile, don’t think about the end of the race. If you take each difficult moment one mile at a time you will usually feel better at some point. It always comes back because. . .
You Always Have One Cup Left
That’s right – you always have one cup of energy left. The difference is that some people find it and some don’t. Remember what normal, untrained people do when they feel discomfort – they slow down and feel better. You are not a normal un-trained person.
You are a runnining machine!
You are programmed to give your personal best so. . .
Go get that last cup!Just one and a half more weeks until the big day! Our last group training run will be held on May 7th. We will start at 8:30 AM in front of the Sports Basement at 610 Old Mason Street. Runners and walkers of all abilities are welcome! We will have a variety of loops and training groups to fit everyone's goal for the day.
This is a perfect opportunity to...
Directions to the Sports Basement - Presidio can be found here.
Calling all Bay to Breakers trainees and local FNF athletes!
Please join us this Saturday (February 26th) at 9AM for a group training run starting at the Justin Herman Plaza.
In honor of the 100th running of the race, the grandson of Robert Jackson "Bobby" Vlught, the first Bay to Breakers champion, will present the 1912 trophy to the Bay to Breakers committee.
Justin Herman Plaza is located at the foot of Market Street at the Embarcadero, just behind the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It is just across the street from the Ferry Building.
You can find driving directions here, but we recommend taking BART or Muni to the Embarcadero Station. If you drive, there are parking garages at Embarcadero Center, and at various locations South of Market.
We hope many of you can enjoy us for this special event honoring the great legacy of the Bay to Breakers!
