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!
