Running Around 1•13•13

Week 8 • Winter 2013

Hopefully you all have been using this base period of training to get rested, healthy, re-focus on core cross training and have started building a solid training base for the upcoming Spring racing season. But 7 weeks is sufficient, so we will now be trading in the greenways for the track and start back with formal workouts.

We'll start with our bread & butter workout of T-pace mile repeats with 60 seconds rest. To find your T-pace, go to the links at the bottom of this message. Click on the first one, and enter a recent race result. It will return a list of training paces for your fitness level. It's important to note that you should use a recent result and not a goal for an upcoming race.

One aspect of training that I want to focus on this cycle is that of progressing our workouts. Instead of doing the same workout at the same pace, etc. we will work on increasing the training effect as we progress though the season. That's a nice way of saying that a particular series of workouts will get more challenging each week. That's OK though because the increased effort should yield in better fitness. This doesn't necessarily mean increasing the pace. There are lots of other variables that can be manipulated: total workout volume, pace, repeat distance, and rest between repeats. Anyway, we've kind of done this in the past to some extent, but I plan to be a little more rigorous about it this time.

You'll notice a T-pace workout progression over the next few weeks. This should work well for those who are training for the upcoming Knoxville Marathon and series of long-distance races that lead up to it.

Since we'll be back at the track, I'll remind you that we meet at the press box, but if it's chilly and/or raining, we usually gather in the lobby of the HPER building. The HPER is directly behind the press box. Go to the lobby on the left (West) side under the breezeway.

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. 1/19 will be at Runners Market in Bearden. 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.