Running Around 11•25•14

Week 26 • Fall Training 2014

Only 2 training days until Thanksgiving Day. For those in Knoxville, that means Autumnfest 8k. Now it's time to use all of that speed and fitness that we've been working on throughout this training cycle! At this point, all of the hay is in the barn; nothing you can do from now until Thursday is really going to make a big difference in your result.

If you want to do something today, I'll suggest a a few easy miles and optionally a very easy 4x 200m @I pace with a 200m jog. Just stride them out and get a really nice quick turnover going. Higher mileage runners can do as many as 6, but err on the side of being more conservative if there is a question.

If you are racing Saturday instead of Thursday, then just pick your favorite workout from the past 4 weeks. See 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.

I realize not everyone is on the same schedule. If you're still racing, pick any of the workouts from Oct/Nov at http://trackworkouts.blogspot.com/. Since everyone gets kind of busy this time of year, this is a good time to use the Facebook group for correspondence with your fellow runners to see who is doing what & when.