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6 to 8 Yasso 800s, 400m jogs

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

Tomorrow will be warm and swampy, with Temps in the low-70s and high (85%) humidity, wind gusts up to 20 MPH, and a good chance of rain or showers, so dress accordingly. Greenbriar track at Yorktown is right around the corner from the school, and we will be warming up at 5:40 so that we can start the intervals right after 6 AM!

With the return of humidity this week, you know how important that you bring plenty of fluids and hydrate – at a minimum every other interval at the finish before your rest interval, but every interval would be ok.

September 23, 2021 – Yasso 800s – 6 to 8 Yasso 800s - at a pace where your expected marathon time in hours and minutes is your 800 pace in minutes and seconds, with 400m easy jogs between each 800 in the exact same time as your 800, not faster or slower

To reiterate how to calculate your 800 time take the hours and minutes of your expected (hoped for) marathon time – in my case three hours and 50 minutes (Dream on!) and convert that to an 800 time of three minutes and 50 seconds, followed by a slow 400m jog in three minutes fifty seconds. It is VERY easy to jog that 400m too fast – but don't do it! Much more critical to run ALL of the 800s at the same pace/time, even as you tire, and fully recover if possible, on that exact same time on the slow 400. Yasso 800s are a favorite of Coach Ed and Coach Big Guy, developed by the legendary Coach Bart Yasso – and one of the best workouts you can do for the marathon!

Here is the Coach Rich Club Report:

Hi Everyone and happy Fall! Let the cooler temps come on in!!!

At the DC Half Marathon on Sunday, Brian Young continued his prep for the Richmond Marathon with a solid train-through time of 1:29:31. Nice job Brian!

The last Bunion Derby races were on Saturday. Congrats to all in the races and to all who participated in the Bunion Derby. The Derby Results can be found on the club website and Facebook page. Here is how the crew made out

WDF 5K
23:36 - Liz Ozeki, 2nd 30-39
27:46 - Eunja Rau, 1st 50-59
27:56 - Anne Coia, 2nd 50-59
30:56 - Clara Lau, 3rd 40-49

RATW 5K
19:54-David Meeks, 2nd 50-59

We will be holding a Thursday Morning Invitational Mile at 6:45am after our regular workout on October 7. If you would like to participate in the race, send an email to me: rich@dcroadrunners.org. Please include your full name and age. You must send this information no later than Sunday October 3 so we can make sure and have enough timers for the event.

We need a timer for every runner in the race. A couple of you have already offered. If you can help with this you just need to be there with your cell phone or timer on your watch. If you can help, please send me an email if you can help with this. Thank you very much.

This Sunday is the DCRRC National Capital 20M / Janet Braunstein Memorial 5M on Sunday September 26. You can sign up to run and / or volunteer at: dcroadrunners.org

GRC is offering a special discount weekend for all DCRRC members (not just trainees). During the weekend of October 2nd-3rd, GRC will offer a full 20% off discount to all members on full-price merchandise, excluding electronics (no Garmin etc.). Check your email from the club in the coming week. You will be getting a code to use at the store. Please make sure your membership is up-to-date as only registered members will receive this email.

See you all tomorrow morning. Happy running!

Coach Big Guy and Coach Rich will be at Yorktown tomorrow!

3 to 6 x 1600m in 10k, 400m jogs

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

Tomorrow's weather may be challenging, with temps in the low-70s and lower than very high humidity at 92%. In addition, we could have showers including thunder showers (in which case we will suspend during lightning). I've gotten some emails about the Distance Medley ladders, and after consult with Coach Rich, it seems that for fall marathons a better workout tomorrow would be to run some 1600s. Plan accordingly and bring some fluids because we will be sweating!

September 16, 2021 – TMBC: 3 to 6 x 1600m in 10k Pace, with 400m jogs between

Stallions: 5:45 to 6:30 Pace, 4 to 6 x 1600m

Wolf Pack: 6:30 to 7:15 Pace, 4 to 5 x 1600m

Gazelles: 7:15 to 8:00 Pace, 4 to 5 x 1600m

Coyotes/MTP Trainees: 8:00 to 10:00 Pace, 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 more intervals than we usually do, so pace yourselves.

... and the Coach Rich Report –

Hi Everyone. Well large races returned this weekend with Cherry Blossom and there is one almost every weekend for some time to come. Reminder to shoot me an email with what races you are running so I can track everyone's results, rich@dcroadrunners.org. Especially interested in who might be running the DC Half this weekend then the Parks HM the next weekend.

Some great running at the Cherry Blossom 10M by the crew ...
55:45 - Marty McCormick, just missed the podium with 4th 40-44
1:07:18 - Carrie Dunn, PR, 1st 45-49
1:03:58 - Nate Rathjen, PR
1:07:26 - Steve Peterson, 2nd 55-59
1:14:29 - Alex Cooke
1:15:03 - Kate Scott
1:15:17 - Mark Bourgeois
1:15:35 - Liz Ozeki
1:16:08 - Kenneth Riley
1:18:38 - Yared Addisu
1:27:26 - Emily Riley
1:36:33 - Keith Campbell
1:44:41 - Dara Schumann
1:54:17 - Jill Brasky

Congrats to Anne Coia on running the 9/11 5K yet again and this year in 28:46.

This Saturday are the final Bunion Derby races, the Women's Distance Festival and the Run After the Women 5K's. After this race, the next club race is the National Capital 20M / Janet Braunstein Memorial 5M on Sunday September 26. You can sign up to run and / or volunteer at both on the club website: dcroadrunners.org

GRC is offering a special discount weekend for all DCRRC members (not just trainees). During the weekend of October 2nd-3rd, GRC will offer a full 20% off discount to all members on full-price merchandise, excluding electronics (no Garmin etc.). Check your email from the club in the coming week. You will be getting a code to use at the store. Please make sure your membership is up-to-date as only registered members will receive this email.

See you all tomorrow morning. Happy Running!

Coach Big Guy and Coach Rich will hopefully see you at 6 AM after warmup tomorrow!