Running Around 7-10-06

Well, we've had some rest time and some time to do some pure base mileage, but now we'll slowly start to re-introduce a little speed. I'll call this the "base plus" phase because the main goal is to still work on building mileage and getting stronger. We'll do some runs on the greenway and maybe the road over the next few weeks. Hopefully that will keep us both mentally and physically fresher than running on the track.

We've traditionally ended our fall season at Autumnfest, and we'll do the same this year. We are 20 weeks away from Thanksgiving.

This week we're going to do a progression run. The concept is simple. The pace will progress (get faster) during the run. This week we'll progress from easy pace to marathon pace (MP). Even if you're not a marathoner, you can still run MP. It's a little slower than T pace, so you should be able to maintain it for a significant distance. So .... let's do a 1 hour progression run. The first 30 minutes should be at your easy/long run pace. The second 30 minutes should be at MP. There are blue mileage markers painted on the greenway that you can use as a guide. Don't worry about hitting an exact pace. The goal this week is to just reintroduce your body to some faster running. If you fell like you need it, run a couple of cool down laps around the track. Let's also add some striders at the end of the workout.

I've mapped the route here ... http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=287194 ... start where we normally finish the warmup and head down to Tyson Park via Volunteer and Cumberland. If you get to the Bi-Lo at the end of the greenway, you can connect to the new section on Sutherland to get to 4 miles.

The normal pace calculator doesn't show MP, so try this one instead ... http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/rununiv/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm ... enter a recent race time and use the pace it shows in the marathon column. You can probably get close by running 30-40 seconds per mile slower than T pace.

Now for the workouts ... Week #1 in the training cycle and 20 weeks until Autumnfest:

1. 1-hour Progression Run: 30 minutes easy + 30 minutes MP

2. Striders after the workout: 4-8 x 100m

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Fall marathoners ... 15 weeks until race day (for Chicago; others adjust accordingly)

Move to two workouts per week. I've prioritized the hard days (long runs and workouts). If you can get all three, that is ideal. If not, drop the lowest priority. You can always find time to do some striders, so don't neglect those.

1. Long Run
2. 4-8 x 1600@T pace w/ 1 minute rests
3. 8-10 x 400 @R with equal distance jog