Buffalo Runners

12/02/2022

Greetings to you from your favorite running program, Sgt. Tony's “Buffalo Runners.”
It’s the night before the St. Jude Marathon Weekend and some of you guys are running the 5K, others the 10K, some the half marathon (13.1 miles) and a few of are running the full marathon (26.2 miles). Awesome!
There are more than 1,000 of you out there who’ve been Buffalo Runners and so you know all the things I’m going to tell you. (Some of you were in the program before we became Buffalos!) This is your pre-race checklist and pep talk.
Checklist
--Lay out all your gear tonight. Charge all of your electronics. Prepare a checklist of everything you need to walk out of your house in the morning. Checklists will keep you from showing up downtown without the things you need!

--Start laying out your gear beginning with your shoes and socks and work your way up to your head.

--DO NOT WEAR OR EAT ANYTHING NEW TOMORROW!

--Pack a throwaway long sleeve shirt, gloves, and a garbage bag. (The garbage bag can become a poncho if it starts to rain.)

--As much as possible, do everything the same tomorrow that you've been doing in training. Tomorrow should have NO surprises. Tonight's meal and hydration should be exactly what you've done during training, presuming that you successfully dialed in your gear, nutrition, and strategies during training.
Pep Talk
--Do NOT go out too fast! Read that over about 10 times! The temptation is really high to bust out at the start like an Olympic sprinter because the START line excitement is high. Don't let that high energy fool you! Don’t do it!

--Run YOUR race! Run at YOUR pace! You're NOT going to win it so don't run someone else's strategy.

-- Pay attention to your body and listen if it starts to tell you something is wrong. There is no shame in walking as much as you need to. In fact, walk before you need to.

--No one else cares about your finish time. Read that again! If they do, it's only so they can brag and tell you they ran faster than you. "How did it go?" on the other hand, is a perfectly acceptable question. (No one is interested in your hero stories, but they will LOVE your "crash and burn" stories.)

--Everyone who loves you tonight will love you tomorrow after the race no matter how well or how terrible you do. (Did I mention that no one cares about your finish time? 😉)

--Remember why you're running ... it's the kids of St. Jude. As Memphians, we are blessed every day by having the crown jewel of our community here to support every day. Memphis loves St. Jude!

--Good luck, every one! The course has changed from back in the day when I had a cheering station and I haven't found a new one. So, tomorrow, I'll be moving all around the course on bike trying to see as many of you as I can and to support Ashley and Michelle Crockett who are both running the FULL MARATHON! Michelle's FIRST!

05/07/2020

Melvin has been busy! Welcome, little one!

Shelby Farms Park said the two babies and their mothers were healthy and thriving. The births were announced Wednesday morning.

12/01/2019

Done. All done!!!

Great year of training Buffalo Runners!

10/18/2019

We are running from Christ Methodist tomorrow - 1.5 hrs - 7:00 am

10/11/2019

Christ Methodist at 6:30 am tomorrow, 10/12, going 2 hours

09/27/2019

Tomorrow, 9/28, 6:30 am
Shelby Farms Visitor Center
NOTE EARLIER START TIME

09/19/2019

Sat, 7 am - We will meet at University of Memphis in the lot near "Mt. Fuji" on Zach Curlin

09/14/2019

Week 2 in the books. 1 hr 20 min adventure that included two Tap stops and two successful crossings of Walnut Grove with zero casualties.

09/12/2019

Runners, we will meet at Christ Methodist in the parking lot closest to Grove Park at 7:00 am on Saturday, 9/14, and will run the "Boot Camp" neighboorhood. We will explore the north side of Walnut Grove with a visit to the Tap on Waring at the Greenline where there will be some Gatorade, Gu and maybe other "stuff" for anyone who needs it.

Sign up here:

09/04/2019

Hello Buffalo Runners and those who aspire to be!

The Buffaloes will run this fall!!! Melissa Thompson and Andrew Forsdick (and some guest leaders) will be organizing the runs. The training will follow the same training schedule and pacing as prior years.

Training will start 7 am at Shelby Farms on Saturday, September 7. The current plan is to rotate locations which will be posted 1-2 weeks in advance of each run date. Please sign up using the SignUpGenius link below so they know who to look for each week. The location will be updated there each week as well as here.

For this year, there is special pricing of $25 for active Boot Campers and $40 for non Boot Campers. Venmo or send checks to Tony.

1st week starts at 70 minutes, adding 10 min each week up to 2 hours. Running time will then alternate between 90 min and a continued 10 min increase from 2 weeks before with a max run of 2 hr 30 min.

This will utilize 5 min running at 11:30 pace and then 1 min walk.

If you can cover 3 miles in 36 minutes, you should be able to hang with the Buffaloes.

If you are joining the run, click on the button to sign up so we know who is coming. Check back on Fridays to be sure the location has not changed. You can look weather related changes on the Buffalo Runners page. We are also gathering cell phone numbers so we can text runners with any ch...

08/21/2019

Hello Buffalo Runners and those who aspire to be!

The Buffaloes will run this fall!!! Melissa Thompson and Andrew Forsdick (and some guest leaders) will be organizing the runs. The training will follow the same training schedule and pacing as prior years.

Training will start 7 am at Shelby Farms on Saturday, September 7. The current plan is to rotate locations which will be posted 1-2 weeks in advance of each run date. Please sign up using the SignUpGenius link below so they know who to look for each week. The location will be updated there each week as well as here.

For this year, there is special pricing of $25 for active Boot Campers and $40 for non Boot Campers. Venmo or send checks to Tony.

1st week starts at 70 minutes, adding 10 min each week up to 2 hours. Running time will then alternate between 90 min and a continued 10 min increase from 2 weeks before with a max run of 2 hr 30 min.

This will utilize 5 min running at 11:30 pace and then 1 min walk.

If you can cover 3 miles in 36 minutes, you should be able to hang with the Buffaloes.

If you are joining the run, click on the button to sign up so we know who is coming. Check back on Fridays to be sure the location has not changed. You can look weather related changes on the Buffalo Runners page. We are also gathering cell phone numbers so we can text runners with any ch...

08/05/2019

Hello, Buffalo Runners!

Sadly, I must announce that this year, for the first time in over 15 years, I won't be conducting half marathon training this fall for the St. Jude Half. My recent knee surgery just won't allow for it.

I will be more than happy to consult with current boot campers on their training plans.

Good luck everyone!