
Week 2 Newsletter
Off to a great start
We are underway
Week 1 started with a bang...the alarm went off on Monday morning and you may have wondered how epic you really are. Good work on the first HIIT/Track session and Hill Repeat session.
For those of you new to Epic, the first couple of weeks are just about finding your feet and understanding how the sessions work, as the week's progress you will get better and better and your hill running confidence (and strength) will increase.
For those of you who have done Epic before and who have been running at intensity recently, now it's time to lift the intensity from Week 2...time to test yourself.
For everyone in this Epic team, get to know each other and make the most of the group dynamic, use each other for motivation and support - it is a powerful thing
For those of you who have done Epic before and who have been running at intensity recently, now it's time to lift the intensity from Week 2...time to test yourself.
For everyone in this Epic team, get to know each other and make the most of the group dynamic, use each other for motivation and support - it is a powerful thing.
Week 2 Sessions
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Monday 1 July, 6.00am
Meeting Point: South Hagley Park Netball Courts
HIIT/Track Session
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Wednesday 3 July, 6.00am
Meeting Point: Outside Zeroes Cafe, 81 Cashmere Road
Hill Repeat Session
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Saturday 6 July, 7.30am
Meeting at Hansen Park, Opawa (entrance off Hawford Road) click here
You can park in the Hansen Park carpark or on Riverlaw Terrace and walk over footbridge into Hansen Park (see parking map below). We meet on the courts, just passed the playground.
Course Map: Click here
This Saturday you will be running up Rapaki Track, it's a 90min session.
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Course Description
All roads are open and Rapaki track is also shared with mountain bikes. The track is uneven in places so please watch your footing. You will all be running to time.
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From the start point, run over the footbridge from Hansen Park coming out onto Riverlaw Terrace - cross over where we have indicated with cones so you are running on the footpath.
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At Armstrong Ave, turn left and run up to Centaurus Road - turn left.
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Run along Centaurus Road to where we have indicated for you to cross over onto Rapaki Road. PLEASE TAKE CARE AT THIS CROSSING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.
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Run up Rapaki Road (on the footpath) to Rapaki Track - run up Rapaki Track.
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Continue up Rapaki, at the top - TURN RIGHT and continue along Summit Road until your turnaround time.
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As the downhill will be faster, turnaround at 50 mins. Please do not go over this turnaround time. Reverse the course back to the start/finish at Hansen Park.
Car Parking Map
Click on image to enlarge
Start of Course:
Click on image to enlarge
Full Course:
Click on image to enlarge

This week's quick tip:
'Gear Bag! Keep one in the car that has gear for every weather condition!'
- Steve Dowling
Education
Uphill Technique
Most runners’ natural reaction when they start running up a hill is to lean into it, usually by bending forward at the waist. Although some degree of forward lean is necessary when running up a hill, a lot of people lean too far forward, this negatively impacts your uphill running ability in several ways:
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Leaning forward inhibits your ability to flex your hips and drive your knee up during the “swing” phase. You can prove this to yourself right now by standing up straight and lifting your knee towards your chest using your hip flexors, then attempting to do the same thing if you bend forward at the waist. Note the small but noticeable increase in difficulty. An excessive forward lean shortens your hip flexor’s range of motion, hurting your efficiency.
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Leaning too far forward inhibits your ability to produce a powerful “toe-off” during the “drive” phase of your gait. To push off the ground and take advantage of the additional energy stored in your calf muscles, you need to fully extend your leg straight behind you which is achieved most effectively when your upper body is not slanted forward. When you “stand tall” when running up a hill it makes it easier for your glutes to extend your leg behind you.
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Finally, a forward lean also throws your body off-balance by moving your centre of gravity too far forward. Without getting too detailed, this makes it harder for your glutes to drive your leg backwards by increasing the leverage they have to overcome. The positioning of your centre of gravity will also come into play when it comes to running downhill, so don’t forget about it.
Helpful mental cues to maintain proper uphill form:
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Although you will have a noticeable forward lean when running uphill, it’s helpful to think about “standing tall, chest lifted” when you run up a hill, since you’re unlikely to be leaning too far back. This is one of those mental cues that, while technically inaccurate, is still very helpful.
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Other helpful cues include "lift your knees and drive through your glutes” which reminds you to focus on using your glutes to power your way up the hill and extend your leg fully behind you.
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Finally "eyes up", this helps you keep your head lifted and helps avoid bending over and collapsing through the chest - you need all the oxygen you can get!
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Once you have done your 10km race and have your time, you can now find out what your real and current 10km and 5km paces are using the VDOT app. You will be working to these paces within the Monday morning track sessions going forward.
Download the VDOT App:
Apple App
Android App
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Select Distance: enter 10km
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Select Time: enter in your time you did for your 10km
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“Calculate”
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SWIPE across TWICE. This screen will show you your min/km paces in the 3rd column. This gives you an idea of what paces you should be trying to hit during your Monday morning track sessions where we do 5km and 10km pace work.
If you don’t have GPS watch, use “perceived exertion” and your breathing as your guide:
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10km pace: Uncomfortable running, you are working hard but you could say the “odd word” if having a conversation. You can hold the pace for the duration of time.
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5km pace: Very uncomfortable running, shouldn’t be able to talk, breathing hard - but you aren’t running “all out”.
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Paces for the HIIT/Track Session

Other News
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Make sure you bring a GPS watch or a watch with stopwatch function to every session.
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Good shoes! These are the tool of your trade for the next 10 weeks. If you haven't had new shoes for a while, make sure you go to a good shoe fitting retailer (we recommend Shoe Clinic at Westfield Riccarton and Northlands) and get yourself fitted into the right shoe. At the Shoe Clinic, mention you are from Extra Mile Runners and they will give you a discount (we don't receive any commission from any sales, we just believe these guys know what they are talking about when it comes to running shoes).
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Please bring warm gear for before and after your session and layers - it will be cold, wet and possibly frosty!
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Please bring a headlamp to each session as the mornings are dark.
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Well done in getting through the first week. You are doing great!