Running Around 11.28.11

I hope everyone had a good race on Thanksgiving whether it was Autumnfest or somewhere else. With that, we'll mark the end of the Fall training cycle. I recommend taking some time off to let your legs and brain recover from training. Recently, I've found it harder to maintain the focus and motivation over the course of the training cycle. I feel like I need to rest my mind more than my legs, I guess. In any case, do whatever type of recovery works for you: complete rest, cross training, etc.

There are still some races left on the schedule, so if you are not racing this week or next, then pick your favorite workout from the past month and do that one. You can see all of the past workouts at http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/ If you want to coordinate with someone else to run this week, then post a message on the Facebook group page (link at the bottom of this message). I actually took last week off, so I'm starting back with some easy running this week, but I'm only running a few miles, so I will not be at the track.

If you despise road runs and need a track fix, here is the official off-season base training plan. I know it says summer on the title, but it's easier to link to it that create another one for winter: http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/2008/06/summer-track-workout-progression.html I still prefer road runs for the base period, but this is the next best thing.

Workout Summary

A. Time off, recovery, cross-training.

B. [Alternate if racing] Choose your favorite workout from the past month. See http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/

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Plug in a recent race result to get your training paces here ...

• http://www.attackpoint.org/trainingpaces.jsp
• http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/racepaces/rp

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  Join the Tuesday Track Workouts at Tom Black Track group on Facebook.

Running Around 11.21.11

Only a few days left until Autumnfest 8k on Thanksgiving. This will mark the end of our Fall training cycle. You guys have been putting in the work and training hard, if you are running in Knoxville or at some other "Turkey Trot" ... get out there an run fast!!

With a Thursday race, I recommend just some easy running on Tuesday. A few striders (5-6 x100m) or 2-3 easy 200s is the most I would do. With that in mind, we will not have a formal workout planned for Tuesday. If you want to coordinate with someone else to run this week, then post a message on the Facebook group page (link at the bottom of this message).

If you are not racing on Thursday, then pick your favorite workout from the past month and do that one. You can see all of the past workouts at http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/

With the end of the training cycle, it's best to take some time off to rest and recuperate. Typically this means some time off from running. Cross training can be done, but it's not a requirement. Anywhere from 7-10 days is an appropriate amount. We use a periodized approach to training, and REST is a very important part of that. You can't be running at your best all the time, so we pick a few times during the year to be in peak shape and build a training schedule around those. After some down time, we start back up with base training. So over the next month or so we'll continue meeting at the track for easy road/greenway runs. I'll also have an off-season track plan for those who want to do something other than easy running.

However, I realize not everyone is on the same schedule. If you're still racing, pick any of the workouts from the past month to keep in going for a few weeks. Again, I'll recommend the Facebook group for correspondence with your fellow runners to see who is doing what & when.

Workout Summary

A. 5-6 easy striders (100m) or 2-3 easy 200m runs with 200m jog recovery.

B. [Alternate if not racing] Choose your favorite workout from the past month. See http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/

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Plug in a recent race result to get your training paces here ...

• http://www.attackpoint.org/trainingpaces.jsp
• http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/racepaces/rp

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  Join the Tuesday Track Workouts at Tom Black Track group on Facebook.

Running Around 11.13.11

We're getting down to the end of the Fall training season now. Everyone should be in great shape from all of the hard work we've put in since way back in May! If you're racing in the next few weeks, now is the time to turn it loose and run fast!!

We only have 10 more training days between now and Thanskgiving, so this is always a tricky workout to plan. Let's do another mix of 800s and 400s, but we'll reduce the rest to sharpen up a little bit. All the rest intervals will be 200m jog. If feel like this workout is too much volume this late in the season, feel free to cut it down by dropping some of the reps.

Workout A is for Tuesday, but I'm also going to include workout B that you should run on Saturday. That will work well for the timing of a Thursday race. You can do it on Friday or Sunday if that works better for your schedule, though.

Workout Summary

A. 2-4x 800m @I pace with 200m jog + 3-8x 800m @R with 200m jog. Recommendations based on weekly mileage:

50 mpw: 4x 800m @I + 6x 400m @R  (200m jog recovery for all)
45 mpw: 4x 800m @I + 5x 400m @R  (200m jog recovery for all)
40 mpw: 4x 800m @I + 4x 400m @R  (200m jog recovery for all)
35 mpw: 3x 800m @I + 4x 400m @R  (200m jog recovery for all)
30 mpw: 2x 800m @I + 5x 400m @R  (200m jog recovery for all)
25 mpw: 2x 800m @I + 3x 400m @R  (200m jog recovery for all)

B. [Recommended Sat workout] 1-3 x 1200m @T pace w/60 seconds rest + 1-2 x 400@R pace with 400m jog + 1-4 x 200@R pace with 200m jog. There are no set recommendations for mileage. Just go by what you feel is a light workout. It should feel much easier than our typical workouts since it is just a few days before our last race of the season.

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Plug in a recent race result to get your training paces here ...

• http://www.attackpoint.org/trainingpaces.jsp
• http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/racepaces/rp

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  Join the Tuesday Track Workouts group on Facebook.

Running Around 11.6.11

The goal for this week is efficiency and economy. Keep good form and run fast with efficiency. Let's do sets of 800m @I pace, 2x 400m @R pace. Since it's getting late in the season, we'll have plenty of rest with 400m jog following all repeats. So a full set is 800m @I + 400m jog + 400m @R + 400m jog + 400m @R + 400m jog.

Reminder in case you missed it last week. I've created a Facebook group for Tuesday track workouts at Tom Black. We had/have an old group page, but Facebook says it's going to be archived, so I thought I would start fresh: https://www.facebook.com/groups/238523492872356/  ... The goal is to have a medium where everyone can communicate with each other. You might want to post to see if anyone is running your pace or if someone in particular is planning to be there. You could let other people know about a weekend long run. I might use it to remind you of when there are on-campus events like basketball that will cause parking challenges, etc. Use it however you think is helpful to you or the group.

Workout Summary

A. Sets of (800m @I, 400m@R, 400m @R pace) with 400m jog recoveries. Recommendations based on weekly mileage:

50 mpw: 2 sets + 800m @I + 400m @R  (400m jog recovery for all)
45 mpw: 2 sets + 800m @I  (400m jog recovery for all)
40 mpw: 2 sets + 400m @R  (400m jog recovery for all)
35 mpw: 2 sets   (400m jog recovery for all)
30 mpw: 1 set + 800m + 400m @R (400m jog recovery for all)
25 mpw: 1 set + 800m @I  (400m jog recovery for all)
20 mpw: 1 set + 400m @R (400m jog recovery for all)

B. [Optional Thurs/Fri workout] 3-6 x 1600m @T pace with 60 seconds rest. Volume should be 10% of your weekly mileage. That means 1 repeat for each 10 miles of weekly mileage. Minimum of 3 miles for everyone.

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Plug in a recent race result to get your training paces here ...

• http://www.attackpoint.org/trainingpaces.jsp
• http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/racepaces/rp