Running Around 8-22-08

This is for the workouts on Tuesday 8/26. I'm getting this out a little early since I'll be at the beach next week.

We'll continue our work on building strength and running economy with a hill workout. These should be run at the same intensity as last week's track workout. Obviously, the pace will not be the same since you are running uphill. Keep it hard, fast, in control, but good form is the most important thing.

From UT/Tom Black, we run out to the iron gate where Cherokee Blvd meets Kingston Pike. There are 2-mile and 3-mile warmup routes. This is the 2-mile warmup http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=28366 ... the 3-mile warmup ducks back under the Ag bridge and runs along the 3rd creek greeenway instead of Kingston Pk. If you want a shorter warmup (less than2 miles), you can park at the church on Kingston Pk and warmup on Cherokee Blvd or the greenway. There is also a drinking fountain in the church parking lot. Regulars please help the newbies so that no one gets lost.The actual hill route is: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=9492.

From Farragut, the hill repeats are located here: http://www.runningahead.com/maps/75134b6183fb4c149c2c293087710165 ... Bobby will have to advise you on warmup routes to the actual hill.


Training week 3 of 16 until Autumfest 8k. Now for the workout summary:


1. 4-12 x Hill repeats @R-intensity. Jog down the hill for recovery. Total distance for the uphill running should be about 5% of your weekly mileage.

2. 3-6 x 1600m @T pace w/60 sec rest. Volume should be around 10% of weekly mileage.

3. Striders TWO times this week. 4-6 x 100m


Use a recent race to get your training paces here:
http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html
-or-
http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php

Running Around 8-17-08

Get ready to turn left. We're hitting the track this week. After spending the summer working on base mileage (phase 1), our current focus is building strength and running economy (phase 2). This week, we'll do some 200's and 400's at R-pace. These will help with form and running economy. Keep in mind that while R-pace is fast, it's not fast at the expense of form. You should feel in control. Think about good form and fast turnover during the workout. Recovery is an easy jog of the same distance you just ran.

Hills are an important part of this phase, so we'll probably be doing those next week. I like to get a track session in before this hills so we can dial in the intensity. Hills should be run at the same intensity as this workout, so keep that in mind for next week.

This is also the time when I start to add a second workout for those who are motivated. I typically do the second workout on Thursday or Friday. If you're new to the track workouts, stick with one a week for now. If you want to try two workouts, start with every other week and ease into twice a week. Workout 1 will be the first priority, Workout 2 is the second priority.

Training week 2 of 16 until Autumfest 8k. Now for the workout summary:


1. Sets of 200m, 200m, 400m @R-pace. Rest should be equal distance, so one set is 200m hard, 200m jog, 200m hard, 200m jog, 400m hard, 400m jog. Repeat that set as needed to reach 5% of weekly mileage for the hard running:
20 mpw = 2 sets
25 mpw = 2 sets + 2x200m w/ 200m jog
30 mpw = 3 sets
35 mpw = 3 sets + 2x200m w/ 200m jog
40 mpw = 4 sets
45 mpw = 4 sets + 2x200m w/ 200m jog
50 mpw = 5 sets

2. Progression run 6-10 miles. First half easy, second half at approximately marathon pace. For those who need a track fix, feel free to run the workout on the track instead of the roads or greenway.

3. Striders TWO times this week. 4-6 x 100m


Use a recent race to get your training paces here:
http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html
-or-
http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php

Running Around 8-11-08

Summer based training is officially over. This week we start the formal training cycle for fall racing. As is traditional for the Tuesday group, we will plan the schedule to peak for the Autumnfest 8k on Thanksgiving day. However, the schedule should have you running well throughout the month of November. The workouts will be geared toward road racing 5-15k. They will also work well for marathon training if you use the high end of the recommended distance for a particular workout and incorporate the appropriate long runs into your training. If you have a specific training goal that's different, I'm happy to talk to you about your training plan.

The recommended workout this week is a progression run on the roads and/or greenway. The concept of a progression run is simple: run harder in the second half of the run. Run easy for the first half of your run, then pick up the pace to approximately marathon pace (MP) for the second half. Use the links below to find your approximate marathon pace - even if you are not training for one. MP should be around 30 sec/mile faster that your regular training pace.

The goal is to gently re-introduce some speed work to help ease the transition from base work. MP is just an estimate. As long as you're running faster in the second half, you're doing it right. I'd like to see everyone cover at least 3 miles at an elevated pace, so I've set the minimum total distance to 6 miles. If you can do an hour, that is the ideal duration with 30 easy/30 hard. Longer is OK too.

Finally, Farragut H.S. track becomes the second location for official Tuesday night fun. Bobby Holcombe will be the site facilitator and can answer questions about workouts, routes, etc. Farragut is located here: http://tinyurl.com/5uvj2f. The 3-mile warmup route is: http://tinyurl.com/6589rf. I'm not sure of a good road course for 6-10 miles from Farragut, so hopefully Bobby can recommend one.




Training week 1 of 16 until Autumfest 8k. Now for the workout summary:

1. Progression run 6-10 miles. First half easy, second half at approximately marathon pace. For those who need a track fix, feel free to run the workout on the track instead of the roads or greenway.

2. Striders TWO times this week. 4-6 x 100m


Use a recent race to get your training paces here:
http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html
-or-
http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php

Running Around 8-4-08

Sorry for the late email this week. I've been out of town. I'll keep it short and sweet. Base training is winding down, but we'll continue pure base for this week since the temps will be so high. That means a road/greenways run. Next week we'll start to gradually re-introduce speed into our workouts with a progression run.

Be sure to hydrate throughout the day and also eat properly.

If you want to do some track work during this time, follow the summer workout series posted at the link in item 1b, below.

Now for the workout summary:

1a. Road run 5-10 miles.
-or-
1b. See the summer track series of workouts at: http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/2008/06/summer-track-workout-progression.html

2. Striders TWO times this week. 4-6 x 100m


Use a recent race to get your training paces here:
http://www.panix.com/%7Eelflord/vdot.html
-or-
http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/rp.php