The ASHA program training began in earnest today. We had to show up at Shoreline by 8am. Now waking up at 8am on a Saturday morning is a little difficult, showing up at 8am on a Saturday morning doubly more so. But I better get used to it and fast, because as the training moves into the summer months, we have to 'show up' in various places by 6 or 7am. If you are not a morning person...well you just have to train to be one.
So I show up at Shoreline kite flying area at 8am. Shoreline is a nice place to run if you can run with nose plugs on, but our stretching area is far away from the marshlands, so its not an issue. We are first made to run a small warm-up lap. This being the first session, everyone's eager to impress and takes off, only for the coaches to shout 'slow, slow, SLOW!!'. Apparently you are supposed to run the warm up lap slow. Tell us beforehand!
Once the warm-up lap is over everyone congregates in a grassy area. Most people (including me) are trying hard to pretend how easy the warm up lap was, while cursing under our breath "that was only 0.5 miles? $%&@##". This is going to be interesting.
Whenever I play any kind of sport I don't bother to stretch before and after. Bad idea! I always knew the importance of stretching but never bothered. For the coaches here it's priority numero uno, as they consistently drum into our heads during the stretching. Always always ALWAYS stretch before AND after a run!
The stretching itself feels really good. There are some classic stretches and also some new ones. The one I have a little problem about is this stretch called ITB. It's difficult to execute and remember, and it feels awkward. Right now, I'm convinced this is some cruel joke by the coaches to make us look like ballet dancers for five minutes while they snicker under their breath.
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