Stay tuned!
Stay connected.
To follow our activities and progress, join our mailing list! Contact caroline@reachouttohumanity.org.
Congratulations!
by Thida, September 25
Dear runners,
Congratulations to all for your race! I hope the experience was satisfying despite the rain and humidity. So, this is what you've been waiting for: the grand total of our fundraiser (*roll drum*)…
More than $17,000!!!
We have surpassed our objective of $10,000 and this total might be even higher as we are still counting our bracelet sales results at the Expo-marathon that took place at Place Bonaventure. Stay tuned for the exact amount.
The individuals who raised the most money are:
Serge Turgeon: over $5,000
Viviane Elferink: $3,000
Paul Martin: $1,801 (and more to come?)
Thank you to all for your dedication and enthusiasm. Thanks to your help the children of Hijos de Luya will a great day care and will have the opportunity to grow in adequate conditions.
Before I leave you, I wanted to give special thanks to Caroline, Nathan and Julie. Julie Moreau, who gave us our second wind, enabled us to complete this campaign. Nathan, our fantastic web designer, showed us so much patience. Caroline, great leader, whose enthusiasm motivated us and brought us together to support this cause.
Thanks everyone!
Thida
Tips for success!
by Nathan, September 4
With race day fast approaching here are some last minute preparations and useful race tips to keep in mind:
TRAINING PREPARATIONS
- You will need to reduce your training leading up to the race. That amount of reduction and when to do it depend on your fitness level and the distance of your race. Usually with long distances such as 42 or 21 kilometers, your cool down period is about 2 weeks prior to the race. What this means is that since your body has been accustomed to eating a lot over the course of the summer, you will need to also reduce your food consumption. Otherwise you'll gain weight leading up to your race.
- You should be eating your race day breakfast before your long runs. If you haven't found out what food works for you yet, then experiment now for any of your training runs (hill, short or speed/intervals). On the same note, eat the same high carb meal the day before the race.
- If you intend on consuming power gels during your race, again find out now what works for you and also the timing of your consumption. For example, my body cannot consume one package at once so I take half at a time. Why power gels? Well in addition to the obvious that after a certain long distance your body will need to be replenished, gels actually lessens the amount of "work" your body needs to find a source of energy. When your body finds a source of energy from one location it will continue to go there until there is no more then it will start looking elsewhere and thus exerts more effort and time in finding that new source of energy.
- Hydrate your body well starting at least three days prior to the race.
- Start getting plenty of sleep for a few days prior to the race. Chances are you'll be very nervous the night before the race so at least your body would have received plenty of rest days leading to it.
- It's not a bad idea to get a sport massage to loosen the muscles prior to the race. Just do so days before the race because you wouldn't want your muscles to be sore so close to that important day.
- Do not change your shoes so close to the race and specially do not run with a new pair of shoes. If you must buy a new one then do it immediately and buy the same model you are currently training with. Should you buy new shoes, alternate between old and new shoes for the first few training runs.
- If you have not done it yet, you can run one long distance at a comfortable pace equal to the time you intend on completing your race. So, for example, if you intend on running a 21k race in two hours, then do a training run that last two hours.
- If possible do a long run on the same route as your race. This will give you an idea of what to expect and an opportunity to visualize yourself succeeding in your goal.
RACE TIPS
- If you're a man and running a long distance (21 or 42 k), consider taping your nipples with band-aid to prevent discomfort or worse: unnecessary bleeding.
- At the start you'll be very pumped so it's important to control your speed. Very often runners make the mistake of running too strong early in the race only to fall flat later on. Another tip is to stay away from the front at the starting gate because you will be pulled forward by the crowed of runners. Mentally it is better to be passed by runners at the beginning then be passed by them in the end.
- Depending on your race, you will encounter one or two notable hills in the Montreal Oasis event. The first one is the underpass located at Berry and Sherbrooke and the second on Pie-IX. The former is a short steep hill and the latter is a very long hill near the end of the race. You must manage your running to handle these hills and any hills for that matter. Remember that if you push yourselves up these hills, your heart will be beating fast by the time you're at the top which means that your breathing is rapid and you may feel really exhausted. To avoid any potential problems for you, consider slowing down for a few minutes once you reach the top to regulate your breathing and get your running form back to where it should be.
- Smile and enjoy the moment. My favorite moment in a race is not the finish but the silence that surrounds you minutes after the start when everyone around is faced with the realization that their long journey has come to this moment. It's a sharp contrast to the cheers at the starting gate and those at the end of the race. This is the moment when I hear the footsteps and the breathing of runners the loudest. It's for this moment that I run races. Truly beautiful.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for supporting ROTH. I'm extremely proud to be running with you and hope that you continue to grow as runners and as advocates for social change.
Cheers!
Vivianne superstar!
by Caro, August 21
Congratulations and thanks to Vivianne for reaching her fundraising goal of $1000!!!
What to eat before a race?
by Thida (our very own nutritionist!), August 8
A question often asked amongst runners is: What should I eat before a run?
Well, it all depends on your personal habits. But here are a few bits of advice that can guide you down the right path:
- Eat foods that your body is familiar with. If you have been eating a banana and milk before your runs, do not switch to pizza. Anything that your body is not used to can cause problems.
- Keep your meal light and load up on carbs! 65 to 75 percent of your food intake before a run or a race should be complex carbohydrates, like grain products, fruit and fruit juices, vegetables and legumes.
- Avoid high protein and high fat meals. Both take longer to digest and may remain in your stomach longer. This can cause problems like cramping during the race.
- Remember to get hydrated! Drinks lots of water during your meal and plan to take a water bottle along with you during your run. If you’re run is over an hour, put a sports drink in your bottle to give you a bit of energy in case you’re running low during your training.
- Make sure to allow 2 to 3 hours or more between your meal and your run. If there’s less time between your meal or snack and your run, try to eat something lighter.
Happy training!
So we’re supposed to run KILOMETERS?!?!?!?!?!?
by Caro, June 24
Training for a first race and starting to count kilometers can be a daunting and scary thing. Where to start??? Not to worry! There are many online sources there to help you start your training on the right foot and pace yourself. Have a surf through these sites to find the training schedule that’s right for you:
Another super online resource is Courir.
http://www.courir.org
In need of a bit of motivation? A great way to get started is to join a running group. Courir has a great list of running clubs in and around Montreal.
http://www.courir.org/l_club-de-course.html
Happy training!
We're online!
by Caro, Thida and Nathan, May 26
Greetings! And thanks for popping by.
Okay, here we go! The website is up, runners are being recruited, and we're taking on the challenge.
In September 2008, a bunch of runners in tow, we’ll take part in the Montreal Marathon Oasis’ races to raise $10 000 to help make Reach Out To Humanity's Luya day care centre project a reality. Construction is slated for later this year.
Our objective his high… but we'll never know we can do it if we don't try!
We're rookies… None of us have ever organized a fundraiser like this before. But after meeting founder Frédérique Vallières and getting to know her organization, sitting down to brainstorm how we could help, scratching our heads and talking in circles, we figured the best thing we could do is stick to what we know and do best: RUN.
We're doing this because we're a bunch of crazy runners who want to train for a cause. Because 5 million of Lima's inhabitants live in extreme poverty. Because slum-dwellers make up a third of the world's urban population and their number continues to rise. Because we know that every cent raised during this initiative will go directly to the construction of this urgently needed facility. Because we believe in Reach Out To Humanity's approach and tight collaboration with local organization Associacion Gabriela Mistral. Because the construction and running of the centre will create local jobs. Because it will provide one hundred children with a basic education, food, safety, and a sense of community.
We're doing this because we can.
Join us. Run with us. Sponsor us. Donate to the cause. Get in touch!
And do keep visiting our site, we'll be posting our progress, training and nutrition tips for runners, and all sorts of fun stuff.
See you soon!...
