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June 11, 2020 – NO TMBC – BUT BACK ON THE TRACK ON YOUR OWN: 10 x 400m in 10k Pace, with 100m jog

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

For those in good health, tomorrow will be a hot June day - between the low seventies and lower 90s, with some wind and a chance of rain early, and then serious chance of rain all afternoon – so a morning workout is probably called for. Head Coach Ed had a great email this week, so I am going to quote it in full:

"After a too-long hiatus, Arlington County has recently (June 5) reopened the tracks at W-L, Yorktown, and Wakefield for public use. However, the guidance accompanying this announcement stated that no "organized" activities are currently permitted.
Given recent events in the area, it would seem that group running should not be deemed an excessive risk. However, we are all well aware of the inconsistencies attendant on phased reopening, which have been complicated by intervening events. Therefore, at this time, we will not resume organized Wednesday night [or Thursday morning either] track workouts, but hope to be able to do so in the very near future.
In the meantime, I encourage you to get "back on the track" either individually or in small groups that you form yourselves. I trust that most of you have kept in reasonable shape -- as one of our group told me, we will come back with a stronger "base" than ever before. Here are a couple of suggested workouts that will give you an idea of your track fitness at this point, and help you build back your track confidence.
WORKOUT 1: 10 X 400M, 100m jog recovery, 10K pace.

...

Most of all, I regret not seeing all of you the last three months. It has been a hole in my week. If you would like to join one of your workouts, just reach out and let me know, and if I can be there, I will. Also, please get in touch if you have any questions or would like some coaching advice. ed@dcroadrunners.org
Hope we are all together again, very soon.
Coach Ed"

Coach Rich and I would echo Ed's advice and sentiments. A couple of us will be at Yorktown tomorrow morning at 7 AM, but others might want to plan to be there either before or after – for now, let's keep the groups small, familiar, staggered in start times, and disorganized! ;-)

June 11, 2020 – NO TMBC – BUT BACK ON THE TRACK ON YOUR OWN: 10 x 400m in 10k Pace, with 100m jog

As Ed says: "The stress here is on 10K pace. The first couple of 400s should feel downright easy. Keep close tabs on your time for each 400 and for each recovery 100. If you find yourself slowing down appreciably, stop the workout, and try again in a few days, adjusting your pace so that you can finish the 10 repeats. Those with a higher level of fitness can aim for a greater number of repeats, at your discretion." I would think that if you have not been on a track in three months, that for the first workout, these ten 400s in 10k pace are enough, with maybe two more for the Stallions – we will have time later when we are closer to actual races for more intensive workouts! In the alternative, if you can't get to a track or want to join in the fun, skip the 400s and do the Club 5k fun run – see details in Rich's news below.

And now the Coach Rich News!

Greetings fellow Thursday morning faithful. Two items for you this week. First and most immediate, the #dcrrc5kchallenge starts tomorrow and runs through next Wednesday. This is setup to be a fun event so go to the website or the club Facebook page and check it out. I am calling participation mandatory! ;-)

The club is supporting the QuaranTeens Run DC Virtual 5K that runs from July 18-26. It is also setup as a fun event but the goal is to provide support for the TRDC. The race is free but they are taking donations to support their mentoring programs in support of underserved youth in the District. Please participate in the event but also consider giving anything you can, even if it is just $1. For more info on Teens Run DC follow this link: https://www.teensrundc.org/

Happy running!

Coach Big Guy and Coach Rich will be out doing some the workout or maybe the 5k virtual race somewhere tomorrow

No TMBC 6 to 8 x 800m, 400m jog, or equivalent

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

For those in good health, tomorrow will be a hot June day - between the low seventies and lower 90s, with some wind but little chance of rain till later, – so I'm going to run in the AM when it is cooler. Remember that since none of us is yet truly acclimated to this kind of heat and humidity yet if we have been running locally, that you need to back off approximately 10% on times for this workout to adjust for the climate. The Arlington tracks are still closed, but the Fairfax tracks are open and Keith, Jill and Coach BG will be running on them at 7 AM, but this workout can be done on the Custis/WO&D/Bluemont or other trails, but this one can be done almost anywhere. As noted on the Club Webpage, we are working out details of a return to limited group activities - see there for details.

June 4, 2020 – NO TMBC – ON YOUR OWN: On tracks, 6 to 8 x 800m in 10k Pace, with 400m jog, or on trails/roads 6 x 4:00 in 10k Pace, w/2:00 minute slow jogs in between.

If you are on the track, try 6 to 8 x 800m (two laps), with a 400m jog in between. If you are on trails or roads, a 4:00 speed interval is supposed to substitute for the 800, and the 2:00 jog for the 400m jog, but only Keith, Jill and I run that slowly for 800m at 10k pace, so for some of you this will be almost 3/4ths of a mile (closer to 1100 meters or more), so it is challenging – as in you are essentially running a 5k race. Since we want to make this different than your regular workouts, be sure to focus on your form, getting up on your toes, lifting your knees an extra couple of inches, and avoiding the dreaded arm cross-over that rocks your core.

And now the Coach Rich News!

Happy Global Running Day to all! Only news this week is the announcement of our June virtual 5K challenge for Thursday June 11 through Wednesday June 17. Note the Thursday start! It is completely free to all club members and all our running friends. Get your entire family involved. It has been organized as a fun event so read the instructions carefully and get out there and show your spirit. All the details on our FB Event page or as always on http://dcroadrunners.org.

Happy running!

Coach Big Guy and Coach Rich will be out doing some interval running somewhere tomorrow