Wednesday Track Workouts

Welcome to the DCRRC Wednesday Night Track Workouts. In conjunction with our year-round distance-specific training programs, and our regular Saturday Long Runs, these workouts aim to give runners of all abilities the fitness to reach their goals. For the novice or casual runner, these workouts will challenge you to a higher level of running fitness. For the competitive runner, track workouts are an essential means to reaching personal bests and to succeed at whatever level you are competing.

Where & When

Unless otherwise noted, workouts are held on the track at Washington-Liberty (formerly Washington-Lee) High School in Arlington. We meet near the concession stand (northwest corner) at 7:10pm and start the workout at 7:15pm. Warmups, drills, etc. are on your own.

Philosophy

Our workouts focus on two of the three forms of speed work used by distance runners from the 5K to the Marathon: Stamina Training (10K race pace or slower) and Interval Training (around 5K race pace). We also do a limited amount of Speed Training (faster than 5K race pace) especially during the summer.

Do not worry if this is new to you, and especially if you feel that track workouts are for "fast" runners. Our posted workouts are suggested "maximums," and can be individually tailored to your current level of fitness and specific running goals. Our coach, Ed Grant, has been leading these workouts for 20 years, and is happy to customize a workout plan to meet your needs.

Paces

To get a sense of how fast you should run during these workouts, we encourage you use the McMillan Running Calculator. You can plug in a recent race time and a goal race time, and the Calculator will churn out Training Paces (click on that term) for everything from long runs to speed paces. We recommend applying Mark Hadley's temperature + dew point adjustments in warm and humid weather. Temperature and dew point forecasts are available from the National Weather Service.

TRACK IS OPEN!

Written by Edward Grant

Wednesday, 06 October 2021 18:21

KERSTIN REPORTS THAT W-L TRACK IS OPEN AND READY TO GO! SEE YOU THERE. COACH ED

 

Wednesday Night Track Schedule for 2021

Written by Edward Grant

Tuesday, 27 July 2021 19:19

Members and Guests:

Going slightly out on a limb, and assuming no more general closures of the track, it seems safe now to post a schedule of Wednesday Night Track workouts through the end of 2021. We have a small but enthusiasitc turnout for our two workouts in late June and early July, and now that we have no Wednesday races, we can forge ahead with a weekly schedule of workouts.

I'm aware that people are in varying stages of workout fitness, but please don't let that stop you from joining us. Every posted workout will be adjustable, and for a number of weeks, the schedule will offer the option of simple 400M repeats/200M recovery. In fact, we'll stick to that workout until mid-August, in deference to the weather conditions and to get people adjusted to running again on the track.

The schedule of W-L athletic events is light -- the only Wednesdays that have games scheduled now are September 1 and November 3. We will keep an eye on the schedule in case there are changes.

Finally, watch this space for further developments to improve the overall experience of our workouts.

So, without further ado, please join us, and we'll see you at the track!

Coach Ed

July 28: 6-10 x 400M, 200M recovery. Pace: Your judgment, anything from 5K to Marathon.

August 4:6-12 x 400M, 200M recovery. Pace: Same as above.

August 11: 4-6 x 800M, 400M recovery. Aim for 10K pace; those "in shape" can do 5K.

August 18:4-6 x 800M, 400M recovery. Pace same as 8/11.

August 25:4-5 x 1000M, slow 400M recovery. 5K or 10K pace.

Sept. 1: TRACK CLOSED. COACH ED ABSENT. TAKE A WEEK OFF.

Sept. 8: 3-4 x Mile. 400M recovery. 10K to Marathon pace, depending on fitness. (Coach Ed absent).

Sept. 15:10-12 x 400M, 100M recovery. (More repeats at your discretion). 10K pace.

NOTE: ALL are encouraged to run the WDF/RATW 5Ks on Sat. 9/18, to check level of fitness. See you then!

Sept. 22:2 x 15:00 tempo run, 2:00 recovery (get back to start line!). Finish with 2 x 400M/200M recovery.

Sept. 29:5 x 1000M, slow 400M recovery. 5K pace.

Oct. 6: 4 x Mile, 400M recovery, 10K pace.

Oct. 13:10-16 x 400M, 100M recovery, 10K pace.

Oct. 20:2 x 20:00 tempo run. 2:30 recovery. Finish with 2 x 400M/200M recovery.

Oct. 27: 4-5 x 1 Mile, 400M recovery, 10K pace.

Nov. 3: Track unavailable. We will do 1000M repeats, at 5K/10K pace, on sidewalks/roads around the stadium.

Nov. 10:12-20 x 400M, 10K pace, 100M recovery.

Nov. 17:6 - 8 x 800M, 5K pace, 400M recovery.

Nov. 24: THANKSGIVING. NO WORKOUT.

Dec. 1:Mile Repeats. See October 27.

DEC 3: WNT HAPPY HOUR, FOUR COURTS. DETAILS TBD.

Dec. 8:12-14 x 400M, 100M recovery, 10K pace. 

Dec. 15: CHRISTMAS/HANNUKAH RELAYS. DETAILS TBD.

Dec. 22:3 x 1 Mile. 400M recovery. Pace at your discretion.

Dec 29: NO WORKOUT.

 

 

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Directions to Track

Track workouts are held on the track at Washington-Liberty (formerly Washington-Lee) High School.

From Washington DC: take I-66 east to the Glebe Road exit, turn right on Glebe, right on 15th Street for about 0.4 miles, to Stafford Street, turn right and cross over I-66 and the school is on your left.
From Vienna and points west in Virginia: take I-66 east to the Fairfax Drive exit, follow Fairfax Drive for about 0.8 mile to Stafford Street, turn left for about 0.3 miles and the school is on your right.
From Alexandria: take Glebe Road going north until turning right on 15th Street, and proceed as from DC.
Metro: Washington-Liberty is a short walk from both the Virginia Square and Ballston Metro stations (Orange/Silver lines).

 DCRRlogotypeRRCA member

The DC Road Runners Club is a member of the Road Runners Club of America and is also affiliated with USA Track & Field. We provide a year-round schedule of running events that offer everyone a chance to participate regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability.