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NO TMBC, but 4 to 5 x 1000m in 10k, 400m jogs, Finish w/2 x 400m in 5k

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

The weather tomorrow morning will be as nice as you could wish for this time of year, low 50s to low 70s, lower humidity and little chance of rain.

We continue with NO FORMAL Thursday Morning DCRRC Track Practice in Arlington, although some will run at the Yorktown High School track tomorrow at 7:00, while others will be at W&L and Falls Church HS at various times, due to the on-going Coronavirus restrictions. We hope to be back soon, but until then, self-appointed small groups can do our scheduled workouts on their own.

October 1, 2020 – 4 to 5 x 1000m at 10K ("Cruise interval") Pace, w/400m easy jogs in between, Finish with 2 x 400m in 5k Pace

Water breaks are important ALL year round, even when it will be nice like tomorrow, so remember to hydrate before, during and after your runs - tomorrow each time we finish at our usual start place!

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: 5:30 to 6:30 Pace, 5 x 1000m Intervals + 2 x 400m

Wolf Pack: 6:15 to 7:15 Pace, 5 x 1000m Intervals + 2 x 400m

Gazelles: 6:45 to 7:45 Pace, 4 to 5 x 1000m Intervals + 2 x 400m

Coyotes/MTP Trainees: 7:45 to 10:00 Pace, 4 x 1000m Intervals + 2 x 400m

If you are just getting back to track work, aim for the slower end of the ranges and lesser numbers of 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 your finishing 400s!

In Coach Rich Club –

Greetings fellow TMBCers. Racing resumed for a few of the crew this past week. Huge congrats to Liz Ozeki as she was the 1st OAF at the Pemberton 24 hour run. This is billed as a festival of 5Ks. Runners could run a 5k every hour on the hour for 24 hours but they could do as many or as few as you want. The scoring was based on points. 1 pt for each completed 5k. 2 pts for 5Ks completed during the night (I think 1am-4 or 5am). Then points for place. 4 points for 1st, 3 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd, and 1 for 4th. Then an additional 10 if you run all 24 laps. Needless to say, Liz ran every lap and was 1st on 19 of the 24 with times ranging from 24 to 29 minutes for each 5K. She won by 33 points. So amazing and congrats again to Liz!

At the Steelman Olympic Distance Triathlon, Christie Wetzel and Rodrigo Vellon each brought home AG awards in their respective 30-35 AG. Christie was 1st with a total time of 3:02:50 including the final 10K run in 39:22. Rodrigo was 3rd with a total time of 2:26:33 including a final 10K of 39:09. Rodrigo reported a very hilly bike course along the way as well. Great efforts by both and congratulations!

Reminder to set your DVRs or watch the London Marathon on Sunday. It starts at 2AM our time. I hope you all get out there and enjoy the cooler temps that are now upon us. Happy running!

Coach Big Guy will be at Yorktown tomorrow, and Coach Rich will do his workout too!

NO TMBC – 12 to 16 x 400m in 10k Pace, with 100m jogs

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

Tomorrow's weather will be pretty lovely, with temps in the high 50s to mid-70s, with some wind and almost no chance of rain! There will still be pretty high humidity in the AM, but with the lower temps it should not be too burdensome. Enjoy this while you can, but still make sure to Hydrate!

Several of us will be at Yorktown tomorrow morning at 7 AM, but others might want to plan to be there either before or after – or at W&L or Falls Church HS - for now, let's keep the groups small, familiar, staggered in start times, and disorganized! ;-) BTW – I am going to be asking Arlington County and then the Board about maybe starting up in small, socially-distanced pace groups for track practice (maybe staggered start times) since everyone else seems to be doing it – I will let you all know.

September 24, 2020 – NO TMBC – ON THE TRACK ON YOUR OWN: 12 to 16 x 400m in 10k Pace, with 100m jogs

Stallions: 5:45 to 6:30 Pace

Wolf Pack: 6:30 to 7:15 Pace

Gazelles: 7:15 to 8:00 Pace

Coyotes/MTP Trainees: 8:00 to 10:00 Pace

As Ed always says, the focus here is on 10K pace – actual 10k pace, not what you WISH your 10k pace was or should be. 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, either stop the workout, or at least adjust your pace so that you can finish at least 12 repeats. I plan on at least 12, and maybe as many as 14, while only the Stallions or someone doing serious training for a planned virtual race should go 16. You should also focus on your form – get up on your toes and Lift your knees!

And now Voices from the Crew (sort of)

Coach Rich had no news this week, but I failed to get a Crew Member to add a voice, so I thought that since people are training without a lot of specific goals due to the Covid shutdown that I would include an interesting Active.com article about building training plans and avoiding "junk" miles:

How Runners Can Avoid Junk Miles and Get Faster
by Marc Lindsay
January 15, 2019

It might seem like common sense — the more you run, the faster you'll get. But there are times when more training miles doesn't necessarily translate into a new personal record. Hitting a plateau in your fitness level eventually happens, and when it does you'll need to evaluate the quality of your training, not just how often you run.
To fine tune your training plan and run smarter instead of harder, you'll want to cut unnecessary mileage out of your training to get faster in the process.

WHAT ARE JUNK MILES?

In short, junk miles can be any miles you run during the week that aren't providing your body with a physiological benefit. In other words, it's not only the quantity of your mileage, but also the quality. While proponents of high-mileage training programs that emphasize total weekly mileage as a means to get faster might argue against this notion, creating variety in your training pace and having a plan for each workout are important factors to consider when training for a specific race or goal time for a set distance.
Where most junk miles come into play is when runners deviate from a predetermined plan. An easy, 3-mile recovery run after a hard day of intervals that speeds up into a 6-mile tempo run halfway through does little else for your body than sabotage your goals.
All athletes need time to recover and adapt to change physiologically. In this scenario, instead of letting your body rest, you've gone moderately hard and may not be able to put your full effort into the following day's hard workout. In addition, you're also setting yourself up for injury by upping mileage when your body may not be ready for the added effort.
To get faster, your hard runs should be hard and your recovery runs should be easy. If you're unable to give full effort during your interval training and conversely intensify your recovery runs, you're only holding yourself back from improving.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR MILEAGE COUNT

There are two things you can do to cut mileage that isn't benefiting you: Follow a training plan or make a training calendar and be as disciplined as you can in following this plan. Making a training plan months in advance allows you to plan your runs with a particular goal in mind, whether it's interval runs to get faster for a pace goal, long runs to build up to a certain distance or recovery runs to give your muscles time to adapt to the previous day's efforts.
If you can stay disciplined, running purposefully pays dividends. Here are a few general principles you can follow to help you avoid adding unnecessary miles and develop a balanced training plan that focuses on quality:
• 75% of your runs should be at a conversational pace. These are your long runs and your recovery runs.
• The other 25% should consist of interval training (once or twice per week), hill work and drills.
• Every 2–3 weeks, include a tempo run. This measures your progress and helps determine necessary adjustments to your training plan.
• Schedule off days. One or two days per week, rest or do another activity that doesn't involve running, such as cycling, swimming or weight training.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU NEED TO RUN

Sometimes you just need to run even when it's an off day. Sometimes running can help you clear your mind, destress after a long day or simply spend time with friends and family. When you find yourself in these situations, follow a few simple rules:
• Run easy. Slow is the key. Don't worry about your pace or time.
• Keep it short. These every-once-in-a-while runs shouldn't be longer than four miles.
Modify. Tell your coach you've added a run to your weekly routine. If needed, tweak your training to accommodate the extra miles.

Coach Big Guy will be out doing the workout tomorrow and so will Coach Rich!