Team Open Hand FAQs

-Do you have any pace groups?

No. BUT, 'organic' pace groups often form during the course of the season. Something to keep in mind is that your pace will naturally increase over the course of the season. So, you may start out running 10:00/mile and towards the latter stages of training, a more comfortable pace for you might be 9:30/mile.

-What are we doing for the first workout on Sunday, 5/26 @ 9:30AM?

We are doing an EASY 2 MILE RUN (unless you are a 'Race' level runner). You can walk at certain points if you need to, but ideally we'd LOVE for you to cover the entire distance.

-YIKES! 2 Miles sounds like a LOT of running!

We don't expect you to set any landspeed records. Run the 2 miles as slow as you need to. You can take walk breaks if you like. Everyone from our previous program has completed two miles with no problems!

-Where do we meet for runs?

Here's a detailed breakdown of when/where we meet:

-Wednesday nights @ 6:30PM launching from the baseball fields in Golden Gate Park behind Lincoln/7th.

If you walk on 7th past Lincoln and into Golden Gate Park, you will see a small set of stairs. Walk down these stairs into the grassy area behind the baseball field and you are there. Here is a link for your reference-

Wednesday night run rendezvous point in GGP

-Wednesday nights @ 6:30PM launching from the Marina Green monkey bars through 6/24

We're supporting '2' locations for our Wednesday night run. Through 6/24, we will support a Wednesday night run launching from the Marina Green Monkey Bars. Here is a link for your reference-

Wednesday night run rendezvous point at Marina Green Monkey Bars

After 6/24, we will move to Presidio Sports Basement (610 Old Mason Street) as the Marina Green Monkey Bars will become unavailable due to the America's Cup.

Wednesday night run rendezvous point at Presidio Sports Basement (610 Old Mason Street)

Sunday long runs take place in various locations in San Francisco @ 9:30AM.

Long runs will take place in Golden Gate Park, at Lake Merced, at the Warming Hut, at the Beach Chalet, and other locations during the course of the season.

ALL LONG RUN LOCATIONS ARE COMMUNICATED VIA THE TWICE WEEKLY TEAM EMAIL NEWSLETTER!

-Do I need to sign up for the half marathon?

It 'depends'. Some people simply want to 'train' and have no real interest in the half marathon we're training for.

But, I imagine most of you want to run 13.1 miles and finish in the ballpark! If you have any interest in doing this, you need to sign up for the Giant Race half marathon.

BUT, if you elected to fundraise $1,000 for Project Open Hand, you will receive a FREE entry into the race, so you don't need to worry about signing up.

The Giant Race Half Marathon (8/4) Registration

-What should I do between now and program launch?

You could head into Sports Basement Presidio and get fitted for a new pair of shoes, get a digital watch, a few pairs of good running socks, reflective gear (for our MANY runs taking place at night), a headlight (again, for night running), and/or some running shorts/shirts! Make sure to show up ready to run on Sunday, 5/26!

-What if it's raining!? Will we still run?

YES. We may encounter inclement weather on race day and I can pretty much promise you the race will NOT be canceled! So, it's actually a good thing to train during inclement weather as you will be prepared should you encounter it on race day and your friends will think you are REALLY tough! :)

Obviously, if there are 'monsoon' like conditions where this a torrential downpour and 50MPH winds, we will likely err on the side of caution and cancel a run. But, this almost never happens.

-Additional Questions/Concerns?

EMAIL COACH MATT-MARATHONMATT@MARATHONMATT.COM!