Merry Christmas!!

A friendly reminder that our 261 Fearless Club Toronto will be on a two week break for Christmas holidays.  We hope you get to spend this festive time with your friends, family and some running buddies!  We highly recommend taking a running tour of the holiday lights in your neighbourhood.  

See you in January 2024.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, 

Coaches, Julie & Kelly 

Our Empowered Coaches

Did you know that your 261 Fearless Club coaches are fully certified running coaches who continually upgrade their knowledge and skill sets?  We have expert knowledge in areas of running that are so important and significant for female runners specifically.  

Here are the last 3 certifications that have been added to the 261 Club Toronto:

1) Running and Burnout

2) Running and Pelvic Health

3) Running and the Heart

If you have any questions about female specific running issues for our coaches we are always happy to chat!  Let's stay healthy and fit together. 

Layering for Cool Weather Runs

Now that the cooler autumn weather is upon us, it is an appropriate time to start talking about layering for a run. The key is to dress for weather that would be about ten degrees warmer than what it actually feels like, due to the fact that when you run you will produce more body heat, then walking or sitting.  

We recommend layers! A thin moisture wicking base for the inside next to your skin, a warmer thicker mid-layer and a weatherproof shell jacket for the outside. If it is really cold you can add another mid layer.  

Socks can be doubled up, or warmer natural fabrics like wool add an extra layer of warmth for your toes.  

Don't forget your hat or buff for your head, and gloves for your hands.  

Everyone is a little different, so don't be too worried about experimenting with layers.  Most runners use some trial and error when adjusting to colder conditions for the first time. You may be a little chilly to start, but once you do your warm up drills and start moving you'll be fine. Your fearless coaches speak from experience, you can trust us, we are here to help. 

Fun & Games - Women's Running Trivia

Its not just warm-up/cool downs and the same old group runs each week.  We like to keep it fun and fresh.  Last week we played a fun warm up game involving running history - as it pertains to women.  Here are some of the questions (and answers) for those who missed it.

Q1. When was the first marathon ever? 490BC

Q2. When was the first modern Olympic marathon? 1896

Q3. When was the first Boston marathon? 1897

Q4. What year did Katherine Switzer run the Boston Marathon? 1967

Q5. What year was there a female marathon category in the Olympics? 1984

That's a long time before women were allowed to compete in marathon.  Ladies sure had to fight for the right to represent!  Don't let the time pass you by, come and run with the 261 Fearless ladies. 

Bonus Q. What was Katherine Switzer's Bib number in her first marathon? 261

We'll have more fun and games tonight with Coach Julie leading this evenings group session. Hope to see you there!  

Using yoga to help with running - Part 2: Stability

In a continuation of our fall yoga feature, last week Coach Kelly used yoga to help improve stability for runners.  Popular yoga exercises like bird-dog and tree pose improve balance and stability by targeting the core stabilizer muscles. Allowing the body to safely adapt to change while moving. 

Why should runners worry about stability?  When we run we are constantly challenging our balance. Running is basically jumping from one leg to another, so while running you are constantly balancing on one leg and adapting to the changing ground conditions (e.g. uneven ground, leaves/rocks, stairs, pets).  

What fun and helpful tips will the 261 Fearless Toronto Club do at this evenings run meet?  You'll have to meet us at 6pm in Ramsden Park to fun out.  Coach Julie has a fun session planned out for us all. Hope to see you there.  

Using yoga to help with running - Part 1: The warm up

We all had a lot of fun exploring how yoga can help us as runners during our run meet last night.  As you can see from the pictures, our fearless team learned how to warm up muscles and joints using yoga technique. 

Did you know that you can modify downward dog to open the hip joint as well? This is important for those of us with tight hips, as your hip flexor is a key running muscle.  Here we see Coach Kelly demonstrating this move.   

If you're tired of the same old boring pre-run warm-ups join us for our fun fall feature on how yoga can help us become better runners with targeted warm-ups, stability drills, strengthening moves and cool down stretches. 

Our coaches are here to make running fun and accessible to all the women who want to participate.   Come and join us Wednesday evenings, 6pm at Ramsden Park.  

Welcome to our Fearless BlogSpot!

Hello Ladies!

Welcome to our brand new blog for 261 Fearless Club Toronto.  Consider this a fun site to check for regular updates on our club activities, interesting fitness articles and a deeper dive into some of the run topics we may want to discuss.   This is meant to be fun, informal and of course, fearless! 

No running topic is off limits! Remember, we are Fearless and encourage women to discuss the running issues that are important to them.  

Starting this week Coaches Julie & Kelly would like to start sharing their knowledge of how yoga can help prepare the body for running.  Both Kelly & Julie are certified 261 run coaches, as well as fully certified 200Hr Yoga teachers.  Double happiness!!  Before our run this week we will lead you through a run focussed yoga routine that will warm up your major muscle groups and focus your mind.  Mats will be provided. 

Fun fact: guided yoga is a fun and safe way to warm up the body before almost any activity.  Your favourite stretches like pigeon, warrior 1,2,3 and lunges will target the hips and glutes, Cat-cow and child's pose will stretch the back, and downward dog will target the back of the legs.  

We look forward to running with you!

   

As a reminder, our club is open to women 18+, who would like to run with other women in a non-competitive environment.   Our goal is to educate and empower women through running and socialization.  New members are always welcome.  We meet at Ramsden Park (Gibson Ave entrance), Wednesdays 6-7pm.