Running Around 12•1•14

Week 1 • Winter Training 2014-15

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and ran well - whether it was Autumnfest or somewhere else. With that, we'll mark the end of the Summer/Fall training cycle. I recommend taking some time off to let your legs and brain recover from training. Sometimes you need to rest your mind as much your legs, especially if you've really been pushing yourself. It's hard to maintain motivation and focus for an extended period. In any case, do whatever type of rest/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.

For the remainder of the month, the standard workout will be easy runs on the road or greeways with a goal of building your mileage base for Spring racing. Workouts will being in earnest in January.

Don't forget there are also Saturday training group runs for the Knoxville Marathon. Check the website for more details.

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.