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 7:10pm and start the workout at 7:15pm. 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: Summer 2012

Written by Edward Grant

Tuesday, 29 May 2012 21:52

All:  

The high school sports season is past, and it's time to turn, without undue interruption, to our regular series of track workouts. 

In deference to Washington's weather, the focus on summer workouts is on shorter, higher-volume interval work.  If we catch a good night, workouts like 1600M repeats can be worked in.  But those doing fall marathons should be confident that these workouts will lay the foundation (in conjunction with weekend long runs) for the longer, "finishing" interval work in the fall.  

As the marathon training groups join us, workouts may be modified, especially for those with little or no experience in track work. 

Coach Ed will be absent the entire month of August, and for scattered workouts during June and July. 

Without further ado, our agenda for May 30 through early September. 

May 30:   8 - 10 x 500M @ 5K pace.  300M jog interval.  

June 6:  6 - 8 x 600M @5K pace.  400M jog interval. 

June 13:  No Workout:  DCRRC Women's Distance Festival and "RATW" 5Ks.  For those needing to do a workout, try:

4 x 5:00 @5K pace.  5:00 rest interval. 

June 20:  300M (100M rest) - 500M (300M rest) - 1000M (600M slow jog).  Repeat set 1 - 2 times.  5K pace on repeats. 

June 27:  12 -16 x 400M @ 10K pace.  100M jog rest. 

July 4:  No scheduled workout. DCRRC 4-Mile Age-Handicapped Race, or other race of your choice. 

July 11:   (Weather permitting)  4 - 5 x 1000M @ 5K pace.   SLOW 400M jog recovery. 

July 18:  Ladder:  800M (10K pace, 400M recovery); 400M (5K pace, 200M recovery); 200M (>5K pace, 30-second recovery); 1000M (10K pace).  Rest 3-4 minutes.  Repeat set.  

July 25:  No Workout.  DCRRC 1-Mile and 3K Championship Races.  Those needing to do a workout: 10 x 400M, 5K pace, 200M interval. 

August 1:  14 - 18 x 400M @ 10K pace.  100M jog rest. 

August 8:  8 x 800M @ 5K pace. 400M jog rest. 

August 15:  4 -5 x 1600M @ 10K pace.  400M jog rest. 

August 22:  10 - 12 x 500M @ 5K pace.  300M jog rest. 

August 29: 16 - 20 x 400M @ 10K pace. 100M jog rest. 

September 5: 4 x 5:00 @ 5K pace.  5:00 rest.   

 

 

 

 

Further Update on May 2012 Workouts

Written by Edward Grant

Wednesday, 09 May 2012 12:35

As posted on Home page and sent by email, the track workout for tonight, May 9, 2012, will be back at Washington-Lee HS.  School schedule shows no activity in the stadium.

May 9:  8 x 600M @5K pace.  400M recovery.  Coach Ed will not be in attendance.

May 16: (Yorktown/Greenbriar):  5 x 1000M @ 5K pace.  Slow 400M recovery.

May 23: (Site TBD):  4 x 1600M repeats.  8K-10K pace.  400M recovery.

May 30: (Washington-Lee):  4 x 5:00 @ 5K pace. 5:00 recovery.  

 

 

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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.