Running Around 1.30.12

Good to see lots of you guys out there racing at Calhoun's on Saturday! I was considering hills this week, but those of us that ran, got a good hill workout at the race, so I'll put that off for a couple of weeks. Instead, we'll stick with some long tempo repeats. We've done 1600s the past 2 weeks, but we'll move that up to 2000m this week. With the longer distance, you also get a slightly longer recovery in between.

Depending your weekly mileage, we'll mix in some shorter distances to get to the desired 10% of weekly mileage. Note that the shorter repeats should be done first, and they have a different rest interval. The rule of thumb is 15 seconds recovery for each lap of work you do (e.g. 4 laps = 60 sec recovery). So check out the details below, and let me know if you have any questions.

This week's marathon training run (2/4/12) is at Runners Market in Bearden (Western Plaza). It's a great opportunity because there is usually a big group, so you're likely to find someone that is going your pace and/or distance. Plus, there are snacks afterward and water on the course.

Workout Summary

A. 2-4 x 2000m @T pace with 75 seconds rest. Volume should be 10% of your weekly mileage. Recommendations based on weekly mileage:
50 mpw: 4x 2000m @T with 75 seconds rest
45 mpw: 2x 1600m @T w/60 seconds rest + 2x 2000m @T with 75 seconds rest
40 mpw: 3x 2000m @T with 75 seconds rest
35 mpw: 1600m @T w/60 seconds rest + 2x 2000m @T with 75 seconds rest
30 mpw: 800m @T w/30 seconds rest + 2x 2000m @T with 75 seconds rest
25 mpw: 2x 2000m @T with 75 seconds rest


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

---

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

---

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

Running Around 1.22.12

Tough week for weather last Tuesday and Saturday. Hopefully it will be better this week. It looks like at least Tuesday should be dry!

We've got Calhoun's 10-miler is coming this week. If you haven't run it before, it's a challenging course, but it will help you prepare for the Knoxville Marathon course if that is on your radar for this Spring. And actually, if you take away the first and last miles, it's not so bad. We're going to stick with T-pace miles again this week. Keep them under control and don't race the workout. The goal of these is not to see how fast you can run. It's to see how steady and even you can run. Work on pacing; work on being consistent.

Workout Summary

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

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

---

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

---

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

Running Around 1.15.12

We've had 6 weeks of base, but now it's time to get things started on our Spring training cycle. Back to the track this week! We'll start with our bread & butter T-pace mile workout.

Calhoun's 10-miler is coming up in 2 weeks, so this will give us chance to get a couple of workouts in before then. If you're in between on number of miles, go with a more conservative approach on this first workout of the year.

Hopefully, you've had a chance to get out with the marathon training runs. They take place every Saturday morning at 8am. Location is different each week. 1/21 will be at New Balance Knoxville. They are located next to Barnes & Noble and a few doors down from Eddie's Heath Shoppe. You do not need to be a KTC member to participate. With a big crowd, it's easy to find someone going your pace and/or distance

Workout Summary

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

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

---

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

---

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

Running Around 1.9.12

We've had about  5 weeks of pure base work so far. This week we're going to up the intensity just a little bit by doing a progression run on the roads or greenway. We will be back on the track next week.

The goal is to run 20-30 minutes at elevated pace during the second half of the run. I'm saying elevated pace because there are no strict guidelines. One good rule of thumb is about 30 seconds per mile faster than your easy training pace. If you're training for a marathon, then marathon goal pace is good too. For example, if you're running for an hour, start easy for 30 minutes, pick up the pace for 20-25 minutes and then finish the last 5-10 minute easy.

If you despise road runs and need a track fix, here is the official off-season base training plan:
http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/2008/06/summer-track-workout-progression.html

Finally, if you're not taking advantage of the marathon training runs, you're missing a great opportunity. They take place every Saturday morning at 8am. Location is different each week. 1/14 will be at Lululemon Knoxville - 129 South Gay Street. You do not need to be a KTC member to participate. With a big crowd, it's easy to find someone going your pace and/or distance

Workout Summary

A. 60-minute progression run on the roads or Greenway. Wear something reflective if you have it! 30 minutes easy followed by 20-25 minutes hard.

B. [Alternate] Off-season track progression.

---

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

---

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

Running Around 1.1.12

Happy New Year!!

In the immortal words of Bono, "Nothing changes on New Years Day", so we'll do more base training this week. That means a road or greenway run of about an hour. This will be our last week of pure base. Next week we'll switch to either a progression run or hills.

During this time of year, the weather and lack of daylight can make it tough to stay motivated. Plus, we're still a long way from the heart of racing season. One thing to combat the malaise is thinking about your training goals for the upcoming season. What races do you want to peak for? Do you want to set a PR at a particular distance? Maybe reach some weekly mileage goals or yearly mileage goals? Is there a rival you want to beat?

If you despise road runs and need a track fix, here is the official off-season base training plan:
http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/2008/06/summer-track-workout-progression.html

Workout Summary

A. Easy running on the roads or Greenway. Wear something reflective if you have it!

B. [Alternate] Off-season track progression.

---

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

---

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