Hit The Road...Running

Update - What's going on at Hit The Road

2008-06-27T15:28:00.001-04:00

Wow it has been the busiest Spring ever for us here at Hit The Road. You may have noticed a lack of posts here on the main site as we spent a lot of time with the personalized web sites and corporate sites as of late. Now that those programs are up and running we intend to start focusing on new programs to be released soon.

Now that the weather is getting sticky again feel free to read this article I wrote a while ago about hot weather running and remember to stay cool and keep running.

CLINICS - SickKids Spring Programs - CLOSED

2008-04-25T15:23:00.001-04:00

Registration for the SickKids Spring running programs has now closed.

If you missed out, please e-mail us and we will notify you early of the next session.

CLINICS - SickKids Spring Running Programs

2008-04-03T15:00:00.001-04:00

Sign up is now available for the SickKids Wellness Program's Beginner Running Program and Advanced Running Program.

There are three ways to sign up:
1) by Credit Card or PayPal just click on the 'PayPal' link at the bottom of the program description and you will be re-directed to the secure PayPal website.

2) by mail just download the Application and Health Questionnaire and mail them with a cheque for $80 payable to Tony Denford to the address below:
497 Summerpark cres,
Pickering, ON. L1V 7A8
Applications must be received before Friday April 25th.

3) in person, download the Application and Health Questionnaire and bring them with you to the first class along with payment in cash or cheque. In-person applications will be taken on a first come first served basis and this class has been capped in the past so please e-mail me before the class to secure a spot. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early for the class to ensure there are no issues with the health questionnaire.

UPDATE - What's going on at Hit The Road

2008-03-10T10:57:00.000-04:00

It's been an extremely busy few months here at Hit The Road and I want to congratulate all of our runners who have been toughing it out through all this snow.

Keep an eye on the website as we will be announcing some exciting new programs soon and also the start of our spring programs.

Winter is almost done so keep up the good work.

UPDATE - SickKids Winter Class Registration Closed

2008-02-04T09:28:00.000-05:00

Registration for the SickKids Winter Beginner and Advanced Class is now closed.

If you missed out, please e-mail us and we will notify you early of the next session.

CLINICS - SickKids Winter Running Programs

2008-01-27T21:15:00.000-05:00

Sign up is now available for the SickKids Wellness Program's Beginner Running Program and Advanced Running Program.

There are four ways to sign up:
1) by Credit Card or PayPal just click on the 'PayPal' link at the bottom of the program description and you will be re-directed to the secure PayPal website.

2) by mail just download the Application and Health Questionnaire and mail them with a cheque for $80 payable to Tony Denford to the address below:
497 Summerpark cres,
Pickering, ON. L1V 7A8
Applications must be received before Friday February 1st.

3) in person, download the Application and Health Questionnaire and bring them with you to the first class along with payment in cash or cheque. In-person applications will be taken on a first come first served basis and this class has been capped in the past so please e-mail me before the class to secure a spot. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early for the class to ensure there are no issues with the health questionnaire.

4) in person at the SickKids Health Fair on January 30th and 31st in the Garden Terrace in the Atrium at HSC. Download the Application and Health Questionnaire and bring them with you to the Health Fair along with payment in cash or cheque. In-person applications will be taken on a first come first served basis and this class has been capped in the past.

UPDATE - SickKids New Year Advanced Class Registration Closed

2008-01-14T21:33:00.001-05:00

Registration for the SickKids January Advanced Class is now closed.

If you missed out, please e-mail us and we will notify you early of the next session.

UPDATE - SickKids New Year Beginner Program Registration Closed

2008-01-13T20:35:00.000-05:00

Registration for the SickKids January Beginners Class is now closed.

If you missed out, please e-mail us and we will notify you early of the next session.

NEWS - Four good habits to have

2008-01-09T09:17:00.000-05:00

We are now well into the new year and I wonder how peoples resolutions are doing? Chances are, not so good. Most peoples resolutions fail because people don't set realistic goals and make a plan to get there.

Even if you've broken those resolutions already, don't give up. You obviously wanted to achieve them so now you need to set realistic goals and work on the plan to see them realized.

If you didn't have any resolutions there are four easy habits to adopt that can add years to your life. A new study from Cambridge University concludes that if you don't smoke, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink in moderation you will add, on average, 14 years to your life.

Next time someone tells you that they don't have time to exercise think of all the things you could do with an additional 14 years.

For more information on how to set goals, read these articles we published earlier.

Good Luck.

NEWS - Run it or Drive it?

2008-01-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately it's a fact of life that sometimes people die while exercising but it usually makes the headlines so a lot of people come to the assumption that exercise is dangerous.

Here's an interesting study in the British Medical Journal that compares mortality rates for marathons with driving over the same route.

Click Here to read the article.

NEWS - Social Responsibility Scorecard

2008-01-03T14:27:00.000-05:00

If you've ever read the Hit The Road Corporate Profile you may have noticed the following :-

"Hit The Road prides itself on being a social enterprise and as well as the financial bottom line we also focus on the social bottom line by ensuring that the communities in which we are based benefit from our presence."

Hit The Road is proud to announce our 2007 Social Responsibility Scorecard. 2007 has been an amazing year for us being our most profitable to date but more importantly our social bottom line has been more healthy than ever.

So here are our 2007 results...
Funds donated to charity through Hit The Road programs....$2,920.
Amount of litter collected from local trails..............5 bags.
Pairs of running shoes donated............................22 Pairs.
Number of volunteer hours through Hit the Road programs...210 hours.

Beyond this many Hit The Road members raise funds and volunteered on their own time for various charities.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in our programs in 2007 and we look forward to an even better year in 2008.

UPDATE - A Run For Liane fundraising

2007-12-21T10:37:00.000-05:00

The STWM presented the Charity Challenge winners on December 7. A record $912,372.00 was raised this year for over 50 local charities! Instead of offering $5,000.00 to the winner of our three categories, Scotiabank upped the stakes by awarding $7,500.00 to the winner in each category, along with $5,000.00 and $2,500.00 to the 2nd and 3rd place in each category respectively….and A Run For Liane won!

Most runners:
$7,500.00 – Assaulted Women’s Helpline 150 runners
$5,000.00 – A Run For Liane 110 runners
$2,500.00 – Hope For Children Foundation 55 runners

The full story can be found at here.

Thanks to all the ARFL runners for making this our most successful year yet! This year’s total (including the prize) was $43, 541 and our 5-year total is just over $161,000.

For more information about A Run For Liane, please visit www.rememberliane.com.

CLINICS - Corporate Advanced Running Programs

2007-12-14T10:08:00.001-05:00

Hit The Road's Advanced Corporate Running Program is specially designed to help your organization continue to enjoy the benefits of a corporate running team.

The advanced program encourages those who already run and those graduates of the beginner running program to continue their healthy habit while fostering teamwork and communication. It also show your employees that you are investing in their continued health.

This program consists of a structure workout program designed for runners with different aspects covered in each weekly session including technique, injury prevention, speed work, balance and reaction training.

All of Hit The Road's running programs are instructed by insured and certified trainers who focus on improving the fitness of your employees while limiting risks to participants.

Employers have the option of fully subsidizing the cost of the training for employees or to endorse the program to their employees at the their own expense. Both options have high participation rates with a drop out rate of less than 18% over the course of the program.

Hit The Road can also measure the effectiveness of their programs and supply that data to the employers for wellness program planning.

If you'd like more details about Hit The Road's Running programs for corporations please contact info@hittheroadrunning.

For more details on the benefits of corporate running teams, please read the Corporate Run Programs White Paper published by Tony Denford.

EVENTS - Post Race Celebration

2007-12-14T09:23:00.000-05:00

This is an open invitation to join us for a post race celebration on Wednesday, January 2nd 2008 at 5:00pm at the Devils Advocate Pub at the corner of Elm and Bay Streets.

Come on out and celebrate your running success for 2007.

NEWS - New Look and Feel to Website

2007-12-13T13:15:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have noticed over the last few weeks that we have been converting our website over to a new, cleaner look and feel. We hope you like the changes.

Keep an eye out for some exciting new features to the main website and subsites.

hittheroadrunning.com
corporatewellness.hittheroadrunning.com
articles.hittheroadrunning.com

NEWS - Focus on Fitness, Not Fatness, for Longevity

2007-12-07T14:50:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting article posted in the Journal of the American Medical Association which focuses on whether fitness or body fat determines a persons longevity.

Click here to read the article.

PROGRAMS - Workplace Wellness Survey

2007-11-30T14:48:00.000-05:00

We are interested in hearing your views about workplace wellness programs offered by your employer. Please take a few minutes to complete our workplace wellness survey.

Click Here to take survey

All responses are completely confidential. Thanks in advance for your participation.

If you'd like to know more about Hit The Road Running's Corporate Wellness Programs please visit http://corporatewellness.hittheroadrunning.com/

TIPS - Winter Running

2007-11-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

The colder weather is starting to roll in and I hope it's not putting too many off from your running plans.

One thing that strikes me every year around this time is how many of my newer runners (who haven't run through a winter before) mention to me that it's not as cold outside as they thought it would be. After the first 3 or 4 minutes you are warmed up and produce your own micro-climate which is surprisingly comfortable. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that if it's below freezing, you should cover your extremities so get a pair of gloves and something to cover your ears and you're all set.

People are also asking me about this time about what to do in terms of footwear once it snows. Typically your regular running shoes will be fine, especially downtown where the sidewalks get cleared pretty quickly. If there's fresh snow on the ground just shorten your stride, run slower and don't try to turn sharply and you should be fine. Just use common sense. If it's right after or during an ice storm, I'd suggest skipping your run outside for another day.

The only other piece of advice is to be even more cautious of the traffic. Please keep in mind that cars may not be able to stop if there's ice on the road but also that the outward visibility is also reduced due to ice or road salt on the windshield. That, combined with the darker nights, could be a reason (although not an excuse) for why a driver doesn't see that runner they weren't expecting.

CLINICS - Corporate Beginners Running Programs

2007-11-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

Hit The Road's Corporate Beginners Running Program is an excellent way for your organization to realize the benefits of initiating a corporate run team.

There are benefits for the employees and the employer. Employees will benefit from participating in regular activity and all the health benefits associated with doing so while the employer benefits include lower absentee rates, higher employee retention rates, more productive workforce, improved corporate image and improved communication and teamwork.

All of Hit The Road's running programs are instructed by insured and certified trainers who focus on improving the fitness of your employees while limiting risks to participants.

Our beginners programs can get your workforce up and moving and culminates in a goal run where you can increase your companies profile in the community.

Employers have the option of fully subsidizing the cost of the training for employees or to endorse the program to their employees at the their own expense. Both options have high participation rates with a drop out rate of less than 18% over the course of the program.

Hit The Road can also measure the effectiveness of their programs and supply that data to the employers for wellness program planning.

If you'd like more details about Hit The Road's Beginner Running program for corporations please contact info@hittheroadrunning.

For more details on the benefits of corporate running teams, please read the Corporate Run Programs White Paper published by Tony Denford.

EVENTS - Toronto Resolution Run Date Change

2007-11-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Resolution Run has been changed from December 31st to December 30th. For those of you who couldn't make the 31st this is a great chance to sign up but do it soon before the free jackets run out!

If you already signed up and cannot make the 30th, the Running Room is offering a full refund by contacting lbritton@runningroom.com.

Click here for all the run details.

TIPS - Warming Up

2007-11-08T15:27:00.000-05:00

When you start to exercise your body starts to have physiological changes. You breath faster and more deeply, your heart rate increases and you start to shunt your blood supply from your abdomen to the muscles for a better delivery of oxygen.

These changes do not happen instantaneously, it takes a few minutes for your arterial and venal systems to dilate or contract to move the blood around. This period is typically what is referred to as the warm up. The length of time of your warm up should depend on factors such as your age and your current level of fitness. The older or more out of shape you are, the longer your warm up period should be. For most people 5 to 7 minutes should be sufficient.

Dynamic warm ups are the easiest way to get ready for exercise so start with movements similar to the sport you plan to do and slowly increase the range of motion and the explosive power until you're up to full speed. If you find you are fading towards the end of your workout, it is probably because you didn't warm up fully and this resulted in an increase in lactic acid in the muscles which causes fatigue.

All of this explains why the beginning of your run seems hard (you're still warming up) the middle part seems easier (you have a good delivery of oxygen to the muscles) and the end seems to get harder again as you increase the running time (fatigue).

CLINICS - Workplace fitness Walking Program

2007-10-31T11:20:00.001-04:00

Help establish a fitness walking group at your workplace.

Walking for Fitness is one of the most popular Corporate Wellness programs due primarily to it's ease of implementation. Walking groups can cater to a large number of employees and has the added benefit of needing little space and having a low overhead over other programs.

Employees enjoy the flexibility of being able to do these programs during their lunch or scheduled breaks without becoming too sweaty to return to work. It takes very little equipment or investment from the employee but still has significant benefits to their health.

Apart from the obvious health benefits there are other benefits to both employer and employee including socialization, improved communication, team building, employee motivation, and employee retention. Employees also have reduced stress levels and more energy.

Hit The Road's Fitness Walking programs are scalable to fit your organizations needs from supporting program set-up, to ongoing fitness education for participants, to fully managed and supervised programs delivered by certified personal trainer specialists.

For more information about how your organization can realize the benefits of a workplace Walking for Fitness program, please contact tony@hittheroadrunning.com or visit corporatewellness.hittheroadrunning.com.

TIPS - Be prepared to Fall Back

2007-10-31T10:56:00.000-04:00

The clocks are about to change for the annual Fall Back to winter time so it's important this week to consider what it might be like for your runs after the change.

For those of you currently running just before the sun comes up, you'll have the advantage of light (at least for a couple of weeks) but more importantly, those of you who run in the evening will find that your usual running time is suddenly much darker.

If you don't already have them, now is the time to buy some reflective clothing and think about lighting yourself up. Most good running stores carry both red and white lights for runners to attach to themselves. A blinking red light to attach to the back of your hat is a great idea. It will get you noticed by motorists especially as you cross side roads.

If you live in an area where you have to run in the road always run facing the oncoming traffic. If you see a driver not moving over to pass you, you have the option to jump into the ditch on the side of the road which is much better than them hitting you from behind and leaving your body in that same ditch!

Most importantly, just use common sense and be safe out there as you pound the pavement.

UPDATE - A Run For Liane fundraising

2007-10-26T10:29:00.000-04:00

As of October the 19th, A Run For Liane in 2007 had raised a total of $36,314.16 for the Childhood Cancer Research Centre at SickKids. Way to go everyone.

Click here for more information about A Run For Liane.

NEWS - Hit The Road lauches corporate wellness sub-site

2007-10-17T15:18:00.000-04:00

With the growing interest in our Corporate Wellness programs, Hit The Road Running officially launches our corporate wellness sub-site at http://corporatewellness.hittheroadrunning.com/

Keep an eye on the site as we update it with details of our current corporate programs as well as new offerings. We will also be posting news and articles about the corporate wellness market.