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No TMBC, but 6 to 10 x 500m in 5k w/300m jogs

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

Tomorrow is a return to the Swampy weather we have had off and on for a couple of weeks, interspersed with some REALLY lovely weather as on Saturday and Sunday. It will be very warm and very humid rainy day - between 73 degrees and mid-80s, with a chance of thunderstorms virtually all day. The Temp + Dewpoint starts at 144 (difficult), but only ruins up to 148 – so take your chance with the rain (and remember the Yorktown track is sloppier than W&L, which has good drainage). A few of us will be running at 7 AM at Yorktown, so feel free to join in although this will – of course out of necessity – NOT an organized workout.

There is a big range of intervals – 6 is probably enough for most, but 8 or 10 if you are really pushing for a virtual speed race in two or three weeks. For those who just ran or are going to run a virtual Boston soon, just skip this entire workout!

September 10, 2020 - 6 to 10 x 500m in 5k pace - with 300m jog recovery in between

• Stallions: 5:45 to 6:15 Pace, 8 to 10 Intervals
• Wolf Pack: 6:15 to 6:45 Pace, 7 – 9 Intervals
• Gazelles: 6:45 to 7:30 Pace, 6 – 9 Intervals
• Coyotes/MTP Trainees: 7:30 to 10:00 Pace, 6 - 8 Intervals

This is another speed workout guaranteed to build both strength and stamina for your fall races. These are tougher than they look, so try to finish strong - push that last 100, and make sure you focus on form so you run efficiently, effectively, and injury-free. I would ease into these by running the first couple in 8k or 10k pace, but also feel free to crush the last couple in 3k pace if you are still feeling frisky.

In club news from Coach Rich ...

Greetings fellow Thursday faithful. This week features the Virtual Boston Marathon. We have a few folks participating. So far Christie and Rodrigo turned in really great efforts and Rodrigo ran his fastest time ever. Both of them spent a bunch of time on the injured reserve list this year so their results are very impressive. Congrats to them and good luck to the others running this coming weekend.

2:52:28 - Rodrigo Vellon
3:10:51 - Christie Wetzel

Happy running!

Coach Big Guy will be running the workout at YHS in the AM, but Coach Rich will be doing it Saturday!

No TMBC - 2 x 15:00 in Tempo Pace 3:00 rest

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

Tomorrow will be a blast from the past couple of months, with Temps from the 70s to 90s, with mid 70s in the morning, and lots of humidity (100% at 7:00 AM), so get out early! Again, tracks are open, but no "organized" activities may take place. A few of us will be at Yorktown at 7, and last week we had some TMBC members before and after the 7 AM workout, so I expect we might see some of you tomorrow at Yorktown, while others will head to W&L or even Falls Church HS for track work. Even though we are not together physically, we are all remain together in our hearts!

September 3, 2020 – NO OFFICIAL TMBC – BUT ON THE TRACK ON YOUR OWN: 2 x 15:00 runs in Tempo Pace (or faster), with walk back to start, water and 3:00 recovery

I always have trouble describing Tempo Pace, although you can go to the Macmillan Running Calculator, add some data, and calculate what your pace should be, but here it is from the Macmillan Horse's mouth:

"Tempo Run
The Tempo Run is a medium effort run that improves your lactate threshold – the point where lactic acid begins to build up. Tempo Runs usually last 10-40 minutes and breathing is fast but under control. Training partners can usually speak in short sentences during a Tempo Run. Running too fast is a common error so remember to keep a Tempo Run at a medium effort and never lose your breath.

Tempo Intervals

Tempo Intervals are simply broken up Tempo Runs. They usually last 5-20 minutes and include short recovery intervals between. Effort may start at medium on the first few repeats and build to medium-hard by the last few repeats."

For Keith and I, we've been running our 10k pace around eight and 5k in the low sevens, and I've calculated our Tempo at a bit over 9 minute pace – so if you add a minute to your 10k pace you won't be too far off!

And now Voices from the Crew!

Since Coach Rich did not have a Club News report this week, I thought I'd call on one of our Stallions to tell us the story of how he and the speedy Kristie Wetzel met and got started – Dating AND Running – here is Rodrigo's version:

Coach asked how Christie and I met...

People might think Christie and I were always a fit couple who were already runners when we first met. It was quite the opposite - we actually met at a party when we were studying in Malaga, Spain, at a time when we had pretty typical college student habits that didn't prioritize exercise. For 5 years, we were long-distance, traveling to visit each other every few months (and Christie spent a year and a half in Spain for grad school).

It was when I finally moved to the USA that we started running on a treadmill, mostly to lose weight, but also with the motivation of the Rock n Roll DC Half a few months away. Over time, we realized that real runners also run out on the street and/or on the track! I didn't like running, but we started racing and our competitiveness made us faster. Still, Christie was always faster than me and kicked my butt every race!
Now we feel lucky to have met such nice people to run with and be part of this great group!

Thank you!

Coach Big Guy will be out doing the workout at YHS tomorrow, but Coach Rich will probably march to a different drummer! ;-)