Running Around 10-27-08

We're getting to the point in the season where you should be feeling pretty good about your fitness. There is about 1 month to go until the Autumnfest 8k which marks the end of our fall training cycle. From now until then, the workouts will be a mix of paces to sharpen for racing anytime throughout the month of November. There are lots of great races to choose from: Millhouse 15k, Buddy's 5k, Cross Knox 15k, etc.

This week we'll do some temp and economy work to tune up for Millhouse on Sunday. Don't worry about doing a hard workout on Tuesday. You'll have plenty of time to recover and be ready for Sunday. In fact, I'd recommend doing some striders following your runs later in the week.

Training week 12 of 16 until Autumfest 8k. Now for the workout summary:

1. 3-6 x1600m @T pace w/60 seconds rest + 2-6 x 200m @R pace w/200m jog.

50 mpw: 4x1600m @T + 4x200m @R
45 mpw: 4x1600m @T + 2x200m @R
40 mpw: 3x1600m @T + 4x200m @R
35 mpw: 3x1600m @T + 2x200m @R
30 mpw: 2x1600m @T + 4x200m @R
25 mpw or less: 2x1600m @T + 2x200m @R

2. 3-10 x 1000m @I pace w/200m jog recovery. Volume should be around 8% of weekly mileage.

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

Running Around 10-20-08

We're jumping back to 1200s this week. I'm sure there will be some groans upon reading that. I realize this is a tough workout. Doing easy workouts doesn't provide the dividends we're looking for; we need to train to improve our weaknesses.

Remember that the ideal duration is 4-5 minutes of hard running for each repeat. So, if your pace doesn't allow you to complete 1200m in 5 minutes or less, then do 1000m repeats instead. This week, we're also cutting back on the rest. Rest should be 400m jog in 30 less than your work time. For example, if you run 4:30 for 1200m, then keep the rest to 4:00 or less.

For those who do a 2nd workout each week, I'm giving you two options. I've added a hilly road run. For this, you should pick a distance that is a medium length. Since it is a workout, it should be long enough to make the effort a little bit difficult. I usually do 8 miles. Pick a route with plenty of hills of different lengths and grades. Start just like a regular run, but when you come to a hill, run it hard and fast like you're doing a hill workout. Then back off the pace and run easy until you get to the next hill. This is great road race training because the hills are all different and they are not at regular intervals. You're forced to run hard when you may not be fully recovered from the last one or after you've settled back in to a comfortable pace.

Training week 10 of 16 until Autumfest 8k. Now for the workout summary:

1. 2-6 x 1200m @I pace w/400m jog rest where rest time is 30 less than work time. Total distance of the hard running should be 7-8% of your weekly mileage.

50 mpw: 5x1200m -or- 6x1000m
45 mpw: 4x1200m + 1x800m -or- 5x1000m + 1x800m
40 mpw: 4x1200m -or- 5x1000m
35 mpw: 3x1200m + 1 x800m -or- 4x1000m
30 mpw: 3x1200m -or- 3x1000m + 1x800m
25 mpw 2x1200m + 1x800m -or- 3x1000m
20 mpw or less: 2x1200m -or- 2x1000m

2a. Hilly road run 6-8 miles with at least 6 hills.
2b. 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 10-13-08

We're going to switch up the pace a little this week. We'll return to working on T pace followed by some 200s. Start with a continuous run of 2o-22 minutes @T pace. This may sound intimidating, but remember that is the pace you can run for an hour-long race. This workout will be 1/3 of your maximum distance at this intensity. Proper pace is the key here because if you start too fast, you're probably going to be hurting in the last 5 minutes. Find your T pace, and stick to it.

After the T-pace run, take as much as 3 minute before starting some 200m repeats. You can jog a lap or just get some water and stretch.

Everyone should do at least 2x200m. I'd like the total distance of the workout on the track (including recovery jogs) to be about 10% of your weekly mileage, so add more 200s if necessary to meet that goal.


Training week 9 of 16 until Autumfest 8k. Now for the workout summary:

1. Continuous run 20-22 minutes @T pace + 2-6 x 200m @R pace w/200m jog.

2. 3-10 x 1000m @I pace w/200m jog recovery. Volume should be around 8% 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 10-5-08

We'll do the same workout we did last week. Try to improve on being more consistent and consider taking less rest (time).

For these I-pace workouts, the ideal duration is 4-5 minutes of hard running for each repeat. So, if your pace doesn't allow you to complete 1200m in 5 minutes or less, then do 1000m repeats instead. Like last week, it's critical to keep the rest less than or equal to the duration of the repeat. We'll do 400m jog for rest.

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

1. 2-6 x 1200m @I pace w/400m jog rest where rest time is less than or equal to work time. Total distance of the hard running should be 7-8% of your weekly mileage.

50 mpw: 5x1200m -or- 6x1000m
45 mpw: 4x1200m + 1x800m -or- 5x1000m + 1x800m
40 mpw: 4x1200m -or- 5x1000m
35 mpw: 3x1200m + 1 x800m -or- 4x1000m
30 mpw: 3x1200m -or- 3x1000m + 1x800m
25 mpw 2x1200m + 1x800m -or- 3x1000m
20 mpw or less: 2x1200m -or- 2x1000m

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