Running Around 2-28-11

This will be our last week of tempo work for a while. I'm sure everyone is getting tired of it. We'll have 2 options: mile repeats or a continuous tempo run @T pace on the track. For the tempo run, your time should be around 20-22 minutes. If you need to go as long as 24 minutes to get an even number of miles or something, that's OK. Remember to keep it under control at the beginning or else you'll pay for it in the final 5 minutes.

If you're thinking that 20 minutes seems like a long time to hold that pace, keep in mind that it is the pace you can run for an hour-long race. So this is just 1/3 of your maximum distance at that pace!


Week 7 of Spring 2011 training. Now for the workout summary.
 
1a.  3-6 x 1600m @T pace with 60 seconds rest. Volume should be 10% of your weekly mileage.



- or -

1b. Continuous run 20-24 minutes @T pace.

2. Striders at least once this week 4-6x 100m.

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

Running Around 2-21-11

Let's do hills again this week. You can never be too rich, have too many fiends, or run too many hills! If you, maybe try to add one to the total you did last time. Also split times should be a little better since there will be more daylight (i.e. better footing).

For all of the details about location and warmup routes, see http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/2010/01/hill-workout-details.html

Anyone who would rather run on the track can repeat last week's workout. 

Week 6 of Spring 2011 training. Now for the workout summary.
 
1.  4-10 x hill repeats. Recommendations based on weekly mileage ...
50 mpw: 8 x hills
45 mpw: 7-8 x hills
40 mpw: 6-7 x hills
35 mpw: 5-6 x hills
30 mpw: 5 hills
0- 25 mpw: 4 hills

2. Striders at least once this week 4-6x 100m.

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

Running Around 2-14-11

Happy Valentine's Day! Tempo work on the track again this week. However, I'm going to give you the option of doing miles or super-sizing the workout with 2000m repeats (5 laps) instead.  If you choose the 2000m option, you get 75 seconds rest instead of 60.

The goal of this workout is to spend a total of around 30 minutes or 10% of weekly mileage at tempo pace. For some that might mean mixing 1600s and 2000s, so I've listed suggestions below. If you are mixing distances, do the shorter distance first. The rest is determined by the distance you just completed. So if you just ran 1600m, take 60s regardless of what's coming next. If you just ran 2000m, take 75s

Week 5 of Spring 2011 training. Now for the workout summary.
 
1a.  3-6 x 1600m @T pace with 60 seconds rest. Volume should be 10% of your weekly mileage.
OR
1b.  3-6 x2000m @T pace with 75 seconds rest.
Adjustments for weekly mileage:
50+ mpw: 4x2000m
45+ mpw: 2x1600m + 2x2000m
40+ mpw: 3x2000m
35+ mpw: 1x1600 + 2x2000m
30+ mpw: 2x1600 + 1x2000m
25+ mpw: 2x2000m

2. Striders at least once this week 4-6x 100m.

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

Running Around 2-6-10

This week we'll work on speed & running economy. The goal of this workout is to run fast but efficiently. Efficiency and economy are the number one goal, so I'd rather have you back off on the speed a little to run smoothly instead of powering through trying to hit a particular time. Also, there is no strict requirement on recovery time. Give yourself enough recovery so you don't compromise the next repeat. Working on economy early in the season provides a good foundation for the harder workouts that will come later.

We'll do sets of 200m and 400m repeats. See details below.

Week 4 of Spring 2011 training. Now for the workout summary.

1. Sets of (200m, 200m, 400m @R pace) w/equal distance rest in between. Volume should be 5% of your weekly mileage. So a complete set is 200m hard, 200m jog recovery, 200m hard, 200m jog, 400m hard, 40m jog. Do partial sets if you're in between.

Adjustments for weekly mileage:
50+ mpw: 5 sets
45+ mpw: 4 sets + 2x200m
40+ mpw: 4 sets
35+ mpw: 3 sets + 2x200m
30+ mpw: 3 sets
25+ mpw: 2 set + 2x200m
20 mpw: 2 sets

2. Striders at least once this week 4-6x 100m.

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