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NO TMBC – Sprint Medley Ladders

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

Tomorrow will again be very nice, with Temps from the low 50s to low 70s, with little humidity or wind – perhaps just a touch warm for those of us who have yet to acclimate to this crazy thing called "Spring." As I often observe, "we wait all winter for days such as this, so enjoy it while you can!" Again, track access is uncertain, although some hardy souls seem to be able to get into W&L no matter what – Yorktown is open and is an easier, non-climbing destination, and McLean and Falls Church High Schools are reportedly open, although I have not checked them (Mark B has checked McLean though!).

April 8, 2021 – NO OFFICIAL TMBC – BUT ON THE TRACK ON YOUR OWN: Sprint Medley Ladders – 200m/400m/600m/800m/1200m all in 10k Pace, then down at 5k Pace 800m/600m/400m/200m, all with 400m easy jogs except 200m easy jogs after the first 200m and between the last 400 and the final 200m

There are a lot of intervals to run (nine), and a lot of jogs in between, so if you want to shorten the workout, just skip the 1200m. You 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 on the back end of the workout. At these short to medium distances, correct sprint for is the key. 8 to 12 degree 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 Rich Club Report!

Greetings Thursday morning track fans who I hope are also baseball fans as the season is off and running ... HeHeHe

I hope you all are again enjoying some amazing running weather (except for the allergies of course). Speaking of great weather, 2 separate races happened on Saturday morning with the temps right at 32' and absolutely no wind and lots of sunshine. Kind of good for running fast if you like cold weather.

Andrew Simpson loves it cold for racing and he threw down a BQ plus 10 minutes at the Salisbury (MD) Marathon. His time was 3:12:37. Here is what he had to say, "real life racing is really fun!!!". Yes indeed, racing is starting to return. The race had good precautions in place and a great plan for drinks and cliff bars along the way. Huge congrats Andrew!

Paul Ryan does not like it that cold for racing, but he pulled on some warm gear and went and got his fastest 5K of the year with a 22:31 at the PVTC Easter Classic 5K. This race was held on the Bluemont course and Paul had good competition to push and pull him along. He ran each mile faster than the one before. He was of course 1st 70-79. Paul will be running some AAU track 3K and mile races later this spring and also hopes to quickly get back under 22 for 5K. Well done and congrats Paul.

Happy running!

Coach Big Guy will be out doing the workout at YHS tomorrow, but Coach Rich is taking it slow on the comeback trail!

NO TMBC, but 4 to 5 x 1000m in 5k, 400m jogs

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

The weather tomorrow will be better as rain ends today with temps from the high 50s to low 70s, cloudy and little wind – great running conditions. While W&L track access has been very limited, Yorktown HS has been available from at least 6 AM to 6:30 PM Thursdays, but practically after that (the gate is almost always open, but you technically need to be off the track during Covid after 6:30 PM but lots of Arlington residents ignore that deadline – your mileage may vary). According to my intel, McLean HS track is probably open from 6 AM to 6 PM – check the Southwest gate and park on Westmoreland, NOT in the school lots. Langley, as with W&L is usually either locked or you will get the hook from the custodian. I am still checking on Falls Church HS and other tracks – let me know if you have any intel. We continue with no "FORMAL" DCRRC Track Practice in Arlington, but we are looking into opening up soon to the vaccinated and socially distanced soon, but until then, self-appointed small groups can do our scheduled workouts on their own.

March 25, 2021 – 4 to 5 x 1000m at 5K ("Interval") Pace, w/400m easy jogs in between

Water breaks are important ALL year round, even when it will be nice, so remember to hydrate before, during and after your runs – after each interval if possible, but at least every other interval!

NOTE: I expect to see your heart rates in the mid to high 80% of Maximum range, but if your rates are higher, you need to slow down!

Stallions: 5:15 to 6:15 Pace, 5 x 1000m Intervals

Wolf Pack: 6:15 to 7:00 Pace, 5 x 1000m Intervals

Gazelles: 6:45 to 7:30 Pace, 4 to 5 x 1000m Intervals

Coyotes/MTP Trainees: 7:30 to 9:30 Pace, 4 x 1000m Intervals

This week's workout is a strong speed workout, but given the distance, also an endurance workout. Focus on form, eyes front, knees higher, arms at side lifting the knees, hands relaxed, on toes. This is about a 5k race for most of you, so take it easy on the recovery jog/walk/water legs of 400m, and if you are feeling frisky, put it into the last 1000m interval, perhaps in 3k pace.

In Coach Rich Club News –

Greetings Thursday faithful. Big shout out this week to Nate Rathjen. You may recall that Nate ran the last race held for a while at the beginning of the pandemic last March. He got a PR at that Chambersburg HM. This year he went back and again got a real nice PR. Nate ran a real strong 1:25:54 for a 1:12 PR and he also grabbed an unofficial 10M PR of 1:04:47 along the way. Great running Nate and huge congrats!

Happy Running!

Coach Big Guy ran track this morning, and Coach Rich is coming back strong so will be running this or a variation tomorrow