FAQ's

And other good information for you.

Below are many of the frequently asked questions.  Of course, if you continue to have questions, let me know.

General & Program Questions

What is it?
The Team VAVi Running Club (TVRC) is an organized running club that trains for half and full marathons in San Diego.  We have two (2) seasons per year: A fall/winter season that starts in September and trains fro the Carlsbad Half or Full marathon in January.  And a Spring/Summer season that starts in February, includes the La Jolla Half Marathon in April and ends with the Rock n Roll Full Marathon in June.

Is it limited to "racing" marathons?
No, we have many people join just because they love running and the camaraderie and friendships they have made and make.  But a majority of the members do have the goal to run (or walk) either a half or full marathon.

What else do I get with joining?
Along with assistance in achieving your goals to run a marathon or half marathon and the chance to meet great friends along the way, we're visited by professionals around the county to give clinics like free sports massages, nutrition advice, goodie bags.  Also, since we're a big group here in San Diego, alot of the local race sponsors like to give us great deals on race entries and other goodies.

How many people are in your club?
We have been growing every seasons since we started in 2003.  Our first season in 2003 had a whopping 34 runners ;)  Last season (RnR2006) we had 141 and RnR 2008 saw nearly 200 . . . wow!  It has seen tremendous growth. With this, we continue to add coaching staff, clinics and other great things for you :)

UPDATE: 2010 saw over 450+ runners through the entire year.

Is there an age limit to your club?
Of course not.  We accept all ages (and abilities)

Is it possible to have an information packet sent to me? I have a lot of questions about the Running Club.
Hopefully this page will answer them.  Further, check out the orientation page which includes the presentation and overview.

I won't be at the Orientation, Can I pick up the materials later on?
Yes, I will have all of the training materials on hand for the first few weeks.  They are also available on the Members section of the website.

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Schedule Questions

What will be the schedule for the marathon group?
As you can see in the presentation or overview, the training plan calls for running 4x per week.  Some do it in 3, but I don't recommend it.  We will formally meet 2x per week on Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings.  The other 2 runs per week are on your own (or with small informal groups that sometimes form.)

What time do we meet for the group runs?

  • Tuesday's at 6:00pm
  • Saturday's at 7:30am

Can I see the Run Schedule?
Yes, when you join the team ;)  But, you can also come to the orientation to see a sneak peak preview of the training schedule.  Seriously, we customize each season's training schedule to the VAVi running program.  It would not be fair to make it available to the general public.

Will you tell us how far to run on our 'off' days?
Of course!  Every single run of the week and of the season will be laid out for you in the training schedule.  This includes your personal training days when the group does not meet.

I have class on Tuesdays and will not be able to make the first couple of Saturday runs. How will this effect my training?
The training is based on 4 runs per week, 2 with the group, and 2 on your own.  Even if you can't run with the group, you should still try to run on your own.  Many runners have to miss some training, and that's totally okay.  I can help you re-arrange your running schedule to make it fit yours.  For instance, you can do your first few long runs on Sundays, and join up with us after your Saturday commitments end.

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Training Questions

It is on my goal list to  participate in the RnR for this year, even though I haven't been seriously running in quite some time. Do you think that's an attainable goal?
Yes, of course.  The program is designed, like many other marathon training programs to take any walker or runner and attain the full 26.1 miles after 18 weeks. 

But, we have just added the DUAL SEASON training program where you can join the fall/winter season, do the 1/2 marathon in January, then continue with the spring/summer season and finish with the Full RnR in June :)

Program Format - Do I really have to do a 20 mile run 4 days a week?
Nooooo.  The training program follows the same as many other programs out there.  The general format of the program is to do three (3) "mid week runs" of 5-7 miles (intermediate-advanced) each and then one (1) "long run" every Saturday.  The long runs progress each week, starting at 5-6 miles early on and working our way up to "the" long run of 20-22 miles when we peak.  We then spend a few weeks "tapering" as we near the race.

We also maintain a "core base" building phase during the first 6-8 weeks, then move into specialty runs such as Tempo, Speed and Hill workouts during the 2nd portion of the schedule.  These "specialty" runs are done on Tuesday nights, while we maintain base runs during our Long saturdays.

Is it OK to miss some sessions and do the training workouts on my own?
OF COURSE!  (Don't forget that 2 of the 4 runs per week ARE on your own) We all miss sessions here and there.  One good thing about running, however, is that you can pack your shoes and gear into your suitcase.  If you can bring a hair dryer, you can bring a pair of running shoes. :)

I see that there will be organized runs throughout the county, what if my fitness level is not equivalent to others in the group?
Great chances are, there will be other runners in your fitness level.  We have totally first time, run/walker beginners join all the way through to seasoned marathoners.  My advice, come check us out this Saturday and meet your fellow runners :)

Would part of the training have a nutrition component?
Yes, we have a Nutrition component of the training.  It's broken up into 3 sessions.  See the overview page or the presentation for a breakdown of clinics.

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Locations

Where do you run at?
There are two components to selecting run locations:

  • Where do we all live/work?
  • Availability of locations (to be able to accommodate 100, 150 or more runners.)  Ya just can't show up to your local park with 150 runners.

The majority of our runs are held in central/coastal San Diego; Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla, Downtown/Pt. Loma.  We do venture north some to Solana Beach, Del Mar and Encinitas. We do a run or two in Carlsbad too, in prep for the Carlsbad full/half marathons.

In summary, our Saturday Long runs, we run in various areas of San Diego, with a majority of our group runs originating in the following locations:

  • Mission Bay
  • Downtown / Airport Area
  • Beaches (Mission, Ocean, La Jolla)
  • North County (Solana Beach, Encinitas)

We do NOT do any runs in the South Bay, or far out East (La Mesa and beyond)

I live in Encinitas though and would like to participate in any runs that are going on in North County.
If you're in the club, you should participate in ALL the runs regardless of location (though not required.)  We will have some runs in N. County too, especially in the fall/winter seasons since we're training for the Carlsbad Marathon.  We do many runs on the actual course.

What Type of Surfaces do you Run?
All of our runs are in safe areas that can accommodate groups.  We run on streets (asphalt) about 30%, sidewalks/boardwalks (concrete) about 50% and an occasional trail run about 20%. 

Different Seasons & Races

What is this Dual Season thing all about?
Essentially, you get both seasons back to back.  You sign up in the fall, and are a member of the club all the way through to Summer for the Rock N Roll marathon - and it's done at a reduced rate, so you save money compared to signing up for two single seasons. We put together the dual season training program for two reasons:

  1.  Over the course of 7 past seasons, we learned that many runners would have liked to see a more gradual training program to a Full Marathon.  (Many programs are indeed the typical 18 weeks, like ours) But we wanted to offer an additional program.
  2. We have alot of runners that keep coming back season after season.  This is an opportunity for them to do so, and save a little money too.

What's the new Winter Half Marathon Format?
In 2008, after alot of feedback from the runners and the coaches, we changed the format for the Carlsbad (Winter) Season. We shortened the season a bit (and reduced the price a bit too :) and streamlined it to fit our overall program.  It trains ONLY for the Half Marathon.

  • No more 22 mile long runs on New Years Eve morning (that happened 2 yrs ago)  They now may be about 11-13.
  • Is much more compatible with the holidays.
  • Offers a better, more gradual Full marathon program (essentially a 32 week training session from October to June)
  • Transition from Carlsbad to Rock n Roll is smoother (not going from 22 mile long runs to 7 mile re-start long runs.

Do you have a half marathon training program in the Spring/Summer?
Yes!  Starting in 2009, we've added a 13 week Half Marathon training program strictly for the La Jolla Half Marathon. 

NOTE: Because the The LJ Half Marathon Training Program is piggybacked on the Full Marathon program, it is designed for runners that have some running experience.  Those with NO running experience should review their experience and current fitness levels before joining.  This is different than the Winter Carlsbad Half Marathon program.

Also, many runners train with us until June, and then continue the training to the popular for the very popular America's Finest City Half. http://www.afchalf.com/

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Signing Up & Test Driving us

Can I check you guys out before signing up?
Of course, we welcome it.  The running club is a big investment (like everything is with big goals :) We would love to have you come out for 1 or 2 sessions (the first week) to test drive the club.  We do ask that you limit your "free" attendance to the first 2 sessions.  See more info below on our first week!  If we've already started, Contact Me if you want to join us for a run or two before signing up. 

You will be added to a special email list to be notified of the runs. We do cut off entries at the end of the 2nd week and we will discard the email list and restrict membership to those who have joined.

I am interested in signing up for the running club, but will be out of town this Saturday.  Am I still able to join and start on the first Tuesday
OF COURSE!  We allow sign-ups well into the season.  (Since there is no "team" that we have to have minimum players, etc. The nature of our club allows it)  We've had runners join up in weeks 2, 3 and even 5.  I wouldn't recommend waiting too long, unless you're a runner in decent shape already, but it can be done :)

This allows you to join up, see really how FUN it is, then spread the word to all of your friends, coworkers, classmates, etc. and let them join next week. 

Can I join up for a later program?
Of Course, keep in mind we only do 2 seasons per year, one for Carlsbad Marathon (Jan) that starts in September and one for the Rock-n-Roll (June) that starts in late January. If you want to get a head start on RnR, joining the fall/winter group is a great way to get a full 32 weeks of training in.  You can do the 1/2 marathon in January and continue training for the Full marathon in June.

How can I go about signing up for this?
You can visit www.govavi.com/running and signup online.  There is also a form you can print, mail/fax if you don't want to do it online.

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Website & Admin

If I sign up online today will I have access to the running clubs schedule?
Yes, once you officially sign up, you will get access to the schedule, training materials, etc.  These will be prepared and sent to you separately.

Why won't my VAVi password work here?
The VAVi running club website is managed specifically for the running club members.  Unfortunately, we don't have the two systems linked together so you will have a separate login/password for this site.

Is the username and password I use for govavi.com the same as the one I will use for the vavirunningclub.com site?
No, this website is designed and maintained specifically for the running club (by me ;)  We may integrate the two in the future, but for now we keep them separate.  Once you sign-up, you will receive your username and password.  I distribute those during the first week of training to everyone at once.

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