Gallagher Fitness Resources

Tag: Inspiration

  • Runners for Boston

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    Gallagher Fitness Resources presents “Runners for Boston” a unified walk/run by Salem Area citizens to show our support and solidarity with the victims and families of the Boston Marathon bombing tragedy April 15, 2013.


    Date:     Monday, April 22 6:30 p.m. We will observe a Moment of Silence before beginning.


    Where:     Salem Riverfront Park – Rotary Club Pavilion


    Cost:     FREE event – donations encouraged to One Fund Boston (see below)


    Distance:     As short or long as you wish to walk or run


    Route:     Please stay on the pathways within Riverfront Park, the Union Street RR Bridge, and Wallace Marine Park. Please do not run or walk on the streets in the parks.


    Details:     This is not an organized, registered run, it’s more of an impromptu meeting to show support for those impacted by the Boston Marathon tragedy.  No money will be exchanged on site.

    T-Shirts: Please wear blue and yellow (Boston Marathon official colors) or any Boston Marathon apparel, anything that says Boston or a race t-shirt from a local event.

    Running Specialty Stores of the Independent Running Retailers Association (IRRA) across the USA are concurrently hosting “Runners for Boston.” While we are walking and running in Salem, tens of thousands of people will be participating simultaneously nationwide.

    Donations

    This is an opportunity to stand with the national running community and let the people of Boston know that we love their marathon as much as they do, that it’s much more than just a race, and that Boston is much more than just a city.

    Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc. to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15, 2013.

    Find out more here.

    To donate click here.

    To send a check by mail:

    One Fund Boston, Inc.

    800 Boylston Street #990009

    Boston, MA 02199

    Send inquiries to: info@onefundboston.org

    Thank you for participating in “Runners for Boston” with Gallagher Fitness Resources, your Running Specialty Store for the Salem area.

  • Reflections on 2013 Boston Marathon

    Reflections on 2013 Boston Marathon

    Boston Marathon 2011

    “Hey, ya look like a runnah.  Ya here ta do Bahstun?”  Imagine being greeted with that line by a cab driver on Friday as you arrive at Logan Airport.  The race is Monday – Patriot’s Day, three days away – and it’s apparent the city has already accepted you with open arms.  Everywhere you look are signs, banners, and billboards welcoming you to the Boston Marathon.  The first, the oldest, the most famous.  You and 27,000 others from all over the world earned your way here by meeting a qualifying time or by raising a target goal for a charity. You belong here and Boston is already celebrating your achievement.

    For one hundred and seventeen years Bostonians have cheered their local citizens and guests from every corner of the world to that finish line on Boylston St.  The spectators spread out over 26.2 miles have exceeded a half million people in recent years.  They shout and applaud as if you were a superstar for the Celtics, Bruins, Patriots or Red Sox.  Crazy thing is that you are as average and normal as those people screaming your name.  Like them, you have a job, a family, and responsibilities.  What links you is a shared passion – the passion to run in this race.

    I have been a runner for over 40 years.  I have coached runners and walkers for 30 of those years and have been blessed to own a running store in Salem for the last fifteen plus years.  I have personally run the Boston Marathon three times and plan to run it again.  Today, I’m still working my way through the tragedy we all witnessed on Monday.

    On April 15, 2013 the finish line on Boylston Street was senselessly splattered with the blood of innocent spectators.  Within a few terrifying moments, those spectators in Boston were taken from a world of Boston Marathon Day magic to an agonizing reality of a world tainted by evil and infected with fear.

    It is true.  We runners and walkers shut down parks, cause traffic to be re-routed and create inconveniences for those not directly involved.  However, the trade-off is typically a city-wide happening that celebrates health, hard work, and personal achievement.  In cities and towns worldwide, road races offer participants and fans a unique opportunity to use the roads for a different purpose – to raise money for charities and to challenge ourselves to be better.  The intention is to provide for the good of many while offering our hometowns a free spectator event.  I pray to God that has not changed – not now, not ever.

    In my book, innate human joy and the unconquerable feeling of personal achievement trumps anything an evil mind can ever hope to defeat.  My wife, Susan, and I have witnessed that countless times as we have cheered runners, walkers, friends and family members to their own personal goals.  Accepting a challenge, whatever it may be, and continuing forward to a finish line, wherever it is, defines us as human beings.  We cannot let fear and terror take that sense of accomplishment from our hearts and souls.

    On Monday, three people were killed and many still cling to the hope that their lives will somehow be normal again.  Boston showed the world how to respond immediately to an unthinkable act of violence.  I believe Boston will also show us how strong and resilient we all should be when faced with tragedy.

    Put on your shoes, Salem.  Let’s join up with walkers and runners in Boston and worldwide and send a clear message that you can’t take away our streets or our dreams.

  • Women’s Clinic Inspiration

    Hi Susan!

    I was in last spring’s women’s clinic in the Panther group. I had sent you an “accountability” email during the first running phase of my life, and I wanted to send you a little update now as well. You see, I was inspired to do the clinic not because I wanted to become a runner so much as because I had a family vacation planned in Colorado. I wanted to be able to really hike the trails at Rocky Mountain National Park, and I knew that I needed to put some stress on my lungs to be ready for it. So, I signed up for the clinic. (Granted, I also have a morbid curiosity to see if I can do the things I think I cannot do feeding my inspiration as well… which applies mostly to running and some to hiking at high elevation)

    That vacation was last week… I hiked 16+ miles on trails (mostly) ranked “moderate” -in four days and one hike being nine miles long! I was fatigued, but never sore. I bought the right size of boots because of the clinic… I kept my head looking up (in spite of the immense climb) to facilitate breathing- because of the clinic… I had my trigger point gear ready at the end of the day and I was NEVER sore, which also means that I effectively built those little capillaries up. I knew what food I should eat how much water to bring and why…All because of the clinic. Our hikes frequently started at 9,000 ft of elevation or more and several ended around 10,200+. Most of Oregon’s trails never end as high in elevation as those trails start. I saw seven lakes and several waterfalls. I have always loved that part of Colorado, and on this trip I got to see more of it than I ever have!

    I am excited to sign up for clinic in July! I plan to be in the Panther group again to see if I can get from the back of the pack to the middle or more toward the front… When I signed up last spring, I planned on being able to use running as a “tool” to get ready for other priorities in my life. It never occurred to me that I would love running too!

    The family wants to vacation in Colorado again next year, and I want to hike at least one trail ranked “strenuous.” I’ve got some running to do!!!!! 🙂

    Thank you!
    Andi

    ….In case you are wondering, I was in Estes Park when the wildfire started there. It was surreal to see the tanker planes with retardant and helicopters drawing water from the lake and dropping it less than two miles away. I am thankful that they could put that fire out! I could also see the High Park (Ft. Collins) Fire smoke from the vacation home we stayed in. Each time a plume of black smoke went up, we knew someone had lost their home. We were leaving Colorado earlier in the day on Wednesday when Colorado Springs was evacuated a few hours later. The fires are terrifying. I wish that there was a way to run or hike to help the families. Most of my closest friends and my significant other are firefighters. Some of them go to the wild land lines. As wonderful as my vacation was, it was taking place at a time when so many were losing so much. That weighs on me.

  • Logging

    Keeping track of exercise sessions and how we feel during exercise allows us to see improvement, helps us learn to avoid mistakes that lead to injury and helps us stay accountable and consistent. Logging can also be a great source of inspiration, both to yourself and to others.

    More on logging:

    • Provides information on how weather conditions, clothes, shoes and food affect exercise
    • Provides information on favorite places to exercise
    • A “journal of your journey” says John “The Penguin” Bingham
    • No matter where you are at this moment, a year from now you will have traveled to a new place
    • Helps you track physical and emotional change
    • Allows you to feel great enjoyment and accomplishment looking over past experiences
    • What may seem like trivial data today can be the basis for analyzing progress or meeting challenges in the future
    • Reflections on times when things went well often lead to future success in meeting your goals
    • Allows you to analyze what led up to an injury or less-than-satisfactory performance
    • Past problems can help you make powerful changes – if you have the right information written down
    • The accounts of your successes can often lead to more success
    • One of the main reasons why we don’t log is because we don’t want to know the truth!

    Tip from the Big Cat Kahuna:

    • Secure homework slips onto an 8 ½ by 11-inch sheet (4 weeks per sheet)
    • Record actual minutes walked or run each day and total your minutes at the end of the week
    • Leave space after each week to write notes: weather, time of day, route, shoes, how you felt, what you wore, who you went with, what you learned, goals, etc.
    • Have fun!