Wednesday Track Workouts

Welcome to the DCRRC Wednesday Night Track Workouts. In conjunction with our year-round distance-specific training programs, and our regular Saturday Long Runs, these workouts aim to give runners of all abilities the fitness to reach their goals. For the novice or casual runner, these workouts will challenge you to a higher level of running fitness. For the competitive runner, track workouts are an essential means to reaching personal bests and to succeed at whatever level you are competing.

Where & When

Unless otherwise noted, workouts are held on the track at Washington-Liberty (formerly Washington-Lee) High School in Arlington. We meet near the concession stand (northwest corner) at 6:45pm and start the workout at 7:00pm. Warmups, drills, etc. are on your own.

Philosophy

Our workouts focus on two of the three forms of speed work used by distance runners from the 5K to the Marathon: Stamina Training (10K race pace or slower) and Interval Training (around 5K race pace). We also do a limited amount of Speed Training (faster than 5K race pace) especially during the summer.

Do not worry if this is new to you, and especially if you feel that track workouts are for "fast" runners. Our posted workouts are suggested "maximums," and can be individually tailored to your current level of fitness and specific running goals. Our coach, Ed Grant, has been leading these workouts for 20 years, and is happy to customize a workout plan to meet your needs.

Paces

To get a sense of how fast you should run during these workouts, we encourage you use the McMillan Running Calculator. You can plug in a recent race time and a goal race time, and the Calculator will churn out Training Paces (click on that term) for everything from long runs to speed paces. We recommend applying Mark Hadley's temperature + dew point adjustments in warm and humid weather. Temperature and dew point forecasts are available from the National Weather Service.

Track Workouts January and February

Written by Edward Grant

Tuesday, 06 January 2026 23:37

Members and Guests:  

Back from the holidays, time to get ready for Spring racing season!  Here's the lineup for the next few weeks.  A reminder that once we hit March, we will likely be relegated to workouts on Custis Trail and other nearby venues.  Those workouts will be posted when we know the Spring sports schedule for W-L High School. 

January 7: 12-14 x 400M @ 10K pace. 100M jog recovery. So keep the pace controlled at 8K-10K race pace.

January 14: 4-5 x 1000M @ 5K pace. 400M jog recovery. Keep pace strong, slow jog on recovery.

January 21: 3-4 x Mile @ 8K pace. 400M jog recovery.

January 28: 10-12 x 500M @ 5K pace. 300M jog recovery.

February 4: 2 x 15:00 Tempo Run; 3:00 recovery. Finish with 2 x 400M @ 5K pace, 200M jog in between.

February 11: 6-8 x 800M @ 5K pace. 400 jog recovery.

February 18: 12-16 x 400M @ 10K pace. 100M jog recovery.

February 25: TBD.

 

Wednesday Night Track Workouts May-December 2025

Written by Edward Grant

Monday, 05 May 2025 13:16

Members & Guests:

What follows is a schedule of workouts for the remainder of 2025.

MAY 7, 14, 21, 28. Workouts in May are subject to whether we "may" use the Washington-Liberty Track. For May 7, we will definitely NOT have access. For the rest of the month, it will depend on how far the W-L teams advance in the various post-season tournaments. I will presume for purposes of a workout calendar that we will have the track on Wednesdays 14, 21, & 28, but I'll also keep tabs on the W-L schedule to be sure. Any changes will be posted here and to the WhatsApp group.

May 7: Mile Repeats on Custis Trail. As we have done in past, start at Mile 1.5, run EAST to Mile 2.0, turn around, finish at Mile 1.5. Recover about 3 minutes. Aim for 3-5 repeats. 10K pace. We will gather at W-L stadium and leave for the Custis Trail around 7:05, commencing the workout at around 7:10. Feel free to meet us at the start point if you do your warm ups on Custis Trail. Coach's car will be available to store gear, etc.

May 14: 400M repeats, 10K pace, 100M recovery. 12-18 repeats.

May 21: Scheduled DCRRC Race (1-Hour Track Run, Sts. Stephen & Agnes School, Alexandria). In keeping with past practice when a DCRRC race is scheduled, we will not have a workout tonight. ALL are encouraged to come to this fun event; you can run a steady pace for 1 hour, or work in alternating paces (such as 800M or 1600M repeats).

IF track is available on Tuesday May 20, we will have a workout opportunity at W-L. 800M repeats at 5K pace.

May 28: Ladder workout. 2x400M; 2x800M, 1x1200M, 1 (or 2)x800M, 2x400M. 5K race pace. Recover 200M after each 400M; recover 400M after 800s and 1200.

June 4:10-12 x 500M, 5K pace. 300M jog recovery (Coach Ed will be absent).

June 11:3 x 2000M, 10K pace. 400M jog recovery. Finish with 2 x 400M, 5K pace, 200M recovery.

June 18: 2x1200M @ 10K pace. 400M recovery. 2x600M @ 5K pace. 200M recovery after 1st, 400M after 2nd. 4 x 400M @ 3K pace, 200M recovery.

June 25: 3-4 x 800M @ 10K pace, 200M jog recovery. Then 3-4 x 800M @ 5K pace, 400M jog recovery. (Coach absent).

July 2: 10-14 x 500M, 5K pace. 300M recovery. (Coach absent).

July 9:Workout on the "turf." Details TBA, will include warm up laps at increasing speed around perimeter of infield, followed by 100-110M stride sprints, short recovery, in sets.

NOTE: Coach absent July 16, 23, 30, August 6.

[MONDAY JULY 14: BASTILLE DAY 4-MILER. IF NOT RUNNING, PLEASE VOLUNTEER!]

July 16: 10-16 x 400M. 5K pace or faster. 200M recovery. OK to break into sets of 4 or 6, especially if heat is extreme.

July 23: 2 x 800M @ 10K-10M pace. 400M jog recovery. Then, 8-10 x 300M @ 5K pace (or faster). WALK (yes, walk!) 100M recovery. OK to break 300Ms into two sets with a water/rest break. Speed is the key.

July 30: 12-20 x 400M, 10K pace, 400M recovery. Do in sets if temperature/humidity is extreme.

August 6:4-6 x 1000M, 5K pace. Slow 400M jog recovery.

August 13: NO WORKOUT. DCRRC BLUEMONT 5K. RACE OR VOLUNTEER.

August 20:3-5 x 1-Mile repeats. 10K pace, 400M jog recovery. Finish with 2 x 400M @ 5K pace, 200M recovery.

August 27: Ladder: 800M (10K pace) - 1200M (10K pace) - 1600M (10K pace) - 1200M (5K pace) - 800M (5K pace) - 400M (5K pace). 400M recovery after all.

September 3: 2 x 20:00 Tempo Runs. 10M-13.1M race pace. 3:00 recovery. Finish with 2 x 400M, 5K pace, 200M recovery. OK to limit 2nd repeat to 10 or 15 minutes.

September 10: 10-16 x 500M @ 5K pace (or faster), 300M recovery.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 16: TRACK IS UNAVAILABLE ON 9/17, SO WORKOUT MOVED TO THE PREVIOUS EVENING:  6-10 x 800M, 5K pace, 400M recovery.

September 24: 3-6 x 1-Mile, 10K pace, 400M recovery. Finish with 2 x 400M repeats, 5K pace.

October 1: Ladder: 1200M-400M-1200M-1600M. All @ 5K pace, 400M recovery after each. 3-4 minute recovery. Then, 200M-200M (200M jog recovery)-400M (200M jog recovery)-800M. All at 5K or faster pace. OK to limit first set to 10K pace.

October 8: 12-20 x 400M, 10K pace, 100M recovery (MCM runners should aim for 20).

October 15: 4-6 x 1000M, 5K pace, 400M jog recovery.

October 22: 3-5 x 2000M, 10K pace, 400M jog recovery.

TUESDAY October 28: Ladder: 800M (5K)-1200M (10K)-800M(5K) -1600M (10K) -800M (5K or faster). 400M recovery after each.

November 5: 2 x 20:00 Tempo Run. 3:00 recovery.

November 12: 800M repeats. Those recovering from a marathon, do at 10K-10M pace, max 6 repeats. Those preparing for Philadelphia or December marathon, do at 5K pace, up to 8-10 repeats. 400M recovery jog for all.

November 19: 3 x 1600M repeats. 10K pace. 400M recovery.

November 26: NO WORKOUT. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! IF IN TOWN, PLEASE VOLUNTEER FOR DCRRC/ALEXANDRIA TURKEY TROT.

December 3:6-8 x 800M, 10K pace, 200M recovery.

December 10: 4-5 x 1000M, 10K pace. 400M recovery.

December 17: Christmas Relays! 2-person teams, each running 10x 400M, alternating. Details TBD.

December 24 and 31: NO WORKOUTS! Recommend taking a two-week break from the track (any key January races, let me know, we'll set up a workout). Use hill repeats instead, either independent or as part of long runs.

 

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Directions to Track

Track workouts are held on the track at Washington-Liberty (formerly Washington-Lee) High School.

From Washington DC: take I-66 east to the Glebe Road exit, turn right on Glebe, right on 15th Street for about 0.4 miles, to Stafford Street, turn right and cross over I-66 and the school is on your left.
From Vienna and points west in Virginia: take I-66 east to the Fairfax Drive exit, follow Fairfax Drive for about 0.8 mile to Stafford Street, turn left for about 0.3 miles and the school is on your right.
From Alexandria: take Glebe Road going north until turning right on 15th Street, and proceed as from DC.
Metro: Washington-Liberty is a short walk from both the Virginia Square and Ballston Metro stations (Orange/Silver lines).

 DCRRlogotypeRRCA member

The DC Road Runners Club is a member of the Road Runners Club of America and is also affiliated with USA Track & Field. We provide a year-round schedule of running events that offer everyone a chance to participate regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability.