Running Around 10-1-07

Welcome to the best time of the year for running in East TN ....

This week, we'll do one of our bread & butter workouts for phase three ... 1200m repeats. This workout gets you the optimal duration for I-pace running (4-5 minutes). To get the desired effects from this workout, you must keep the rest time less than or equal to the work time. If you jog for 400m and you still have some time left, get a drink or stretch. If you can't cover 400m in the allotted time, cut it to 3oom or 200m.

Keep in mind that this is the most stressful phase of training. It builds on what we've done so far, and it prepares us for running strong at the end of our training cycle.

Now for the workouts ... 7 weeks until Autumnfest 8k:

1. 3-6 x 1200m @I pace with equal TIME jog for rest. The rest will probably work out to be about 400m.
Volume: The I-paced running should be about 7-8% of your weekly mileage
Adjustments: If you cannot run 1200m at your pace in less than 5 minutes, run 1000m repeats instead.

2. 3-6 x 1600m @T pace with 60 seconds rest. Volume should be around 10% of your weekly mileage.

3. Striders. 4-6x100m twice this week.

Get your paces here: http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html -or- http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php

Running Around 9-23-07

One thing I forgot to mention last week. When we do I-pace workouts, it's important to keep the rest interval less than or equal to work time.

We'll increase the length of our T intervals this week and make the I workout the secondary, optional workout. If you're feeling frisky, go ahead and add 2x200m @R pace at the end.

Now for the workouts ... 8 weeks until Autumnfest 8k:

1. 2-5 x 2000m @T pace with 75 seconds rest. Volume of the T running should be 10% of your weekly mileage. Adjust the last one if you need to. Here are some guidelines:
<= 30 miles per week: 2000, 2000, 800
35 mpw = 2000, 2000,1600
40 mpw = 3x2000m
45 mpw = 3x2000m, 1200m
50 mpw = 4x2000m

2. 2-5 x 1200m @I pace with 400m jog recovery. Keep the rest time less than or equal to work time. The volume of the I running should be around 7-8% of your weekly mileage.

3. Striders. 4-6x100m twice this week.

Get your paces here: http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html -or- http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php

Running Around 9-17-07

Hope everyone had a great race at Wears Valley. The weather was perfect for fast times and a nice relief from the 90-100 degree days we've had during the summer.

With 9 weeks until Autumnfest, we'll shift our focus a little and do some workouts to improve VO2 max - a measure of your body's ability to get oxygen to the muscles for maximum power output. These types of workouts typically range from 800-1600m and have a rest interval that is equal in time to the work part of the interval.

If you're tired and/or sore from the race on Sunday, you can substitute the #2 workout or do a road run on the greenways. Striders are a good way to work out some of the kinks and get back on track following a hard race.

Now for the workouts ... 9 weeks until Autumnfest 8k:

1. 4-10x800@I pace with 400m jog recovery. Volume of the I running should be 7-8% of your weekly mileage.

2. 2-6 x 2000 @T pace with 90 seconds recovery + 2x200m @R with equal distance jog recovery. The volume of the T running should be around 10% of your weekly mileage.

3. Striders. 4-6x100m twice this week.

Get your paces here: http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html -or- http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php

Running Around 9-10-07

First things first ... I'm happy to announce the arrival of Miles Nelson Gemeinhart! He was born on Thursday 9/6, weighed in at 7lbs, 14 oz, and 20" long. So you might not see me at the track as frequently over the next few weeks.

This week we'll do a T workout to get in rhythm for the Wears Valley 15k this coming weekend. We'll throw in a few 200s to keep the turnover sharp. No need to cut the volume; you'll have plenty of time to recover and be ready to race on Sunday.

Now for the workouts ... 10 weeks until Autumnfest 8k:

1. 2-6 x 1600 @T pace with 60 seconds recovery + 2x200m @R with equal distance jog recovery. The volume of the T running should be around 10% of your weekly mileage.

2. Striders. 4-6x100m twice this week.

Get your paces here: http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html -or- http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php

Running Around 9-3-07

Back to hills this week. Normally, I like to have 2 weeks between hill sessions. With Wears Valley coming up at the end of next week, I'd prefer not to run hills leading up to a race, so I moved them up a week. If you must, you can substitute 400s on the track. I really, really recommend the hill workout, though. Don't avoid the hills because they're hard.

I'll be doing 400s since I actually did hills 2 weeks in a row.

Second, optional, workout for the week is bread & butter T-pace work.

Something I haven't mentioned in a while is recovery weeks. Just like we alternate hard & easy days in training, it's good to have a recovery week occasionally. If you haven't taken one in the last 4-6 weeks, now might be a good time. It might give you a little fresher legs going into Wears Valley. Recovery weeks can be reduction in mileage and/or intensity. Maybe cut your mileage back 10-20%, cut your long run by a few miles, or only run one workout instead of two. If you're only running one workout, keep it on your schedule and cut somewhere else.


Now for the workouts ... 11 weeks until Autumnfest 8k:

1a. 4-10 x Hills @R intensity. The hard running should be around 5% of your weekly mileage.
1b. 4-10 x 400m @R pace with equal distance jog recovery. The hard running should be around 5% of your weekly mileage.

2. 2-6 x 1600 @T pace with 60 seconds recovery + 2x200m @R with equal distance jog recovery. The volume of the T running should be around 10% of your weekly mileage.

3. Striders. 4-6x100m twice this week.

Get your paces here: http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html -or- http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php