Welcome to the SpeakOUT Running Team Blog!

Purpose:

Organize a group of SpeakOUT speakers, volunteers and supporters to train and run the 2010 Bay State Marathon in Lowell, MA as a fundraising event. There will be 3 TEAMS of participants: Runners, Athletic Supporters and Those Supporting the Jewels. (Note: Team names may change to protect the dignity and humor of the participants)

 

RUNNERS

Training for a full marathon is not a challenge to be taken lightly. Any participant who feels the need to consult with a physician should certainly do so before starting the training plan in April. Common concerns include age, weight, knees, ankles, joints in general, smoking, drinking and the daunting task of running 26.2 miles! Every participant should be able to walk 30 minutes at a brisk pace with ease at the beginning.

 

We can have monthly meetings to generate support and enthusiasm before we kick off the official training program at the end of April. We will follow a 26 week training program to allow for the gradual buildup of endurance, strength and ability. We are aiming to secure the services of a team of three professional trainers to donate a total of 15 hours of group training time. This training will provide the team with a professionally guided training session every other week during the course of training. The training plan lays out daily and weekly mileage. We will train 4 days / week, generally Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. We will lay out run locations and times as a group, hopefully running as a team once during the week and on the longer Saturday runs. While team members do not have to train as a team every session, the mileage and time commitment is vital in order to avoid strain and injury.

 

The primary goal of the training season, and the marathon goal for the team as a whole is to FINISH WITHOUT INJURY. Individual participants may set their own goals, but we want all team members to have a satisfying and memorable experience and be able to walk the next day!

 

ATHLETIC SUPPORTERS

Not every participant may want to undertake the insanity of running a marathon. Many have expressed an interest in forming a team in order to support, taunt, push, nag, assist, and otherwise help their friends and family. A group of energetic supporters will be an integral part of the overall success of the team. Supporters can perform many roles:

• Providing athletic and training support by riding along with us, carrying water, fuel, towels, Cosmopolitans and cell phones
  
• Organizational support – notifying team members of upcoming long runs, locations, races
  

• Moral support – having another person with you, running, riding, walking or holding up signs is an incredible boost during training as well as during the marathon.
  

  
   

THOSE SUPPORTING THE JEWELS

We are all here to support SpeakOUT Boston. Our organization has undergone many fluctuations in funding and staffing over the years and the current socio-economic environment does not lend itself to a secure future for us. We want to be able to leverage as many possibilities for fundraising as well as marketing, and this crazy running scheme can address several needs. The STJ Team will be tasked with setting a fundraising goal together with the Board of Directors, laying out a plan to reach that goal and putting the plan into action. We envision two basic fundraising goals, the Individual Goal and the Organizational Goal.

Individual Goal

Every member of the SpeakOUT Running Team should be expected to raise a certain amount of money. This should extend to members planning on completing the training and marathon, as well as those who just plan to train with the team. The SpeakOUT Fundraising Committee will set the goal, but we suggest a modest individual minimum of $262 – that's only $10 per mile run. Team members will be expending a great amount of time, energy and a bit of personal money (race fee(s), shoes, equipment, etc) and we do not want to discourage participants by setting an overly high goal.

 

Organizational Goal

There is a massive opportunity for organizational and corporate fundraising and sponsorship with this endeavor. Experienced fundraisers and grant writers have suggested that there is money out there in the corporate world, we just need to follow the path to get it. To date we have already received verbal commitments for sponsorship from two organizations. There is no reason we can't expect to raise $50,000 or more with a well planned and well executed plan – an amount that will cover our operating budget for many months.