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Distance Ladders – 1200m/400m/800m/1600m

Fellow Endorphin Junkies -

The weather Thursday will be terrific for August, cool with Temps in the mid 50s and with lower humidity at 80%, with wind at 5 MPH, and no chance of rain. We will remember this run fondly when it gets hotter! The Coach is heading to Austin Tonight, so Coach Andrew Golden will step in to do a better job than I could ever do leading the workout!

In spite of the great weather, you should still remember to bring fluids because you need them whenever you run – tomorrow at least after every other interval! Accordingly, the Thursday Morning DCRRC Track Practice in Arlington hopefully will begin at the Greenbriar Park around the corner from Yorktown High School at 6:00 AM sharp, with announcements before 6 - so please get there early to warm up – say by 5:40 AM. Workout as follows:

August 28, 2025 – Distance Ladders – 1200m/400m/800m/1600m, all followed by 400m easy jogs – 400/800 in 5k Pace, 1200/1600 in 10k Pace Two Sets for Most, One for Newer Track Runners

This is a great workout to build Speed AND Stamina, but you still do NOT want to go out fast, as the benefit to this sort of workout is increasing your speed, cadence and pushing past your lactate threshold, particularly on the 400 & 800 in the middle of the workout. At these medium to long distances intervels, correct speed form is the key. 8 to 12 degrees lean, lifting knees higher, core still, no crossover with your arms, and do not clench your fists. Make sure you are up on your toes, and increase speed by increasing cadence, which counter-intuitively may involve shortening your stride.

And now the Coach Big Guy Report!

Several TMBC got a run in before dinner at the Club's Annual Picnic, Gary Morgans led for us with a 24:57 good for first in his age group, followed by the Admiral, Paul Ryan with a 26:50 for second in the same age group, followed by Coach Eunja who ran a 29:38, good for second in her age group. Big Congrats to the awesome TMBC Krewe!

Our next race is the Bastille Day 5K on Sunday, August 31st at Belle Haven Park. Come run with us!  Details and siign up for the race or to volunteer for Nate on the Club website: 

www.dcrrc.org

Happy running!

Coach Big Guy will still be in ATX so Coach Andrew Golden will be at the workout at Yorktown tomorrow!

3 to 5 x 1600m in 10k 400m Jogs + 2x 400m in 5k, 200m jog

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

The weather tomorrow will be changeable, with Temps at 71 degrees but higher humidity at 90%, with little wind at 8 MPH, and some chance of rain. You should still remember to bring fluids because you need them whenever you run – tomorrow after every interval (except the 400s)! Accordingly, the Thursday Morning DCRRC Track Practice in Arlington will begin at the Greenbriar Park around the corner from Yorktown High School at 6:00 AM sharp, with announcements before 6 - so please get there early to warm up – say by 5:40 AM. Workout as follows:

August 21, 2025 – TMBC: 3 to 5 x 1600m in 10k Pace, with 400m jogs between, then 2 x 400m in 5k pace with 200m jog in between

Stallions: 5:45 to 6:30 Pace, 15 to 30 seconds faster on the 5k Pace 400s, 4 to 5 x 1600m

Wolf Pack: 6:30 to 7:15 Pace, 15 to 30 seconds faster on the 5k Pace 400s, 4 to 5 x 1600m

Gazelles: 7:15 to 8:00 Pace, 15 to 30 seconds faster on the 5k Pace 400s, 3 to 5 x 1600m

Coyotes/MTP Trainees: 8:00 to 10:00 Pace, 15 to 30 seconds faster on the 5k Pace 400s, 3 to 4 x 1600m

When your track intervals lengthen to a mile, it is sometimes difficult to remember that you really want to change your form, style, cadence, etc. from your standard runs, but you really should. It makes a big difference if you switch your form to speed work – focus on lifting your knees, getting up on your toes, and using your arms in sync to lift the opposite leg. Don't fall into the trap of lengthening your stride – cadence should increase measurably on the track as opposed to the road and trail. Keep your core still and relaxed, and do not cross your arms over your body mid-point – this will swing your core (thus not still) and throw your stride off. On these longer intervals, mentally break them down – for example, on Lap 1 focus on form – "Am I up on my toes and lifting knees?" Lap 2 – "Am I relaxed – am I pushing while not getting to tense?" Lap 3 – "How is my breathing – through my nose and mouth - deeply?" Lap 4 – "Let's Finish strong" – but remember we are doing the traditional 2 x 400m in 5k Pace to complete the workout, so let's try to leave a little in the tank for those.

... and the Coach Big Guy Club Report –

Lots of results to report this past week - the TMBC Krewe did a great job at the Bluemont 5k!:

Chris W 4th AG 20:59

Elise M 2nd AG 21:10

Gary M 2nd AG 25:04

Yuko T 2nd AG 25:48

Paul R 3rd AG 26:27

Eunja R 6th AG 28:51

Anne C 2nd AG 29:26

Dara S 1st AG 30:11

Lisa T 33:21

Yves N 36:56

The next Club race and event will be the 3-Mile Cross Country Race and Club Picnic on Saturday, August 23 at Nottoway Park. We'll have a kiddie race, then the adult race, and then, it's time to eat, drink and be merry! Be sure to sign up so our race directors, Miguel Cuya and Ruby Len, knows how much to order from District Taco and the ice cream truck. Also, please volunteer to help if you can; we need lots of folks to set up, tear down and clean up after the picnic. Details and sign ups are on the Club website at www.dcroadrunners.org

Happy Running!

Coach Big Guy will be in Austin, but Assistant Coach Andrew Golden will see you at 6 AM after warmup tomorrow!