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Wednesday Track - 3 x 1600m in 10k, 400m jogs, then 2 x 400m 5k with 200m jog

Wednesday Night Hawks

Tonight will be warm, with temps in the mid 70s, and fairly windy with lower humidity, so plan accordingly. The only open Arlington Track is at Yorktown, but I understand that McLean and Falls Church HS tracks are usually open except for games or track meets – and even Yorktown is closed for that. We are trying to clarify the W&L track availablity situation for a full restart of Wednesday night as we did for Thursday Morning track.

June 2, 2021 3 x 1600m in 10k Pace, with 400m jogs between, then 2 x 400m in 5k with 200m jog

Fastest: 5:45 to 6:30 Pace, 15 to 30 seconds faster on the 5k Pace

Fast: 6:30 to 7:15 Pace, 15 to 30 seconds faster on the 5k Pace

Intermediate: 7:15 to 8:00 Pace, 15 to 30 seconds faster on the 5k Pace

Coaches/MTP Trainees: 8:00 to 10:00 Pace, 15 to 30 seconds faster on the 5k Pace

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, 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 – Finish strong, – but remember we are doing the traditional 2 x 400m in 5k Pace to finish, so let's try to leave a little in the tank for those.

Coach Big Guy

Track: 8 to 10 x 500m in 5k Pace, 300m jogs

Wednesday Night Hawks

Tonight will be hot, with temps from low 90s to upper 80s, a good deal of humidity, and a significant chance of thunderstorms. Frankly, you might want to think about running in the morning with the Thursday Morning Breakfast Crew, warmups at 5:40 and workout at 6 AM. W&L is still closed, but Yorktown and the Fairfax County tracks should be open.  If you run, make sure you have plenty of water and drink during the workout. We will try to restart Wednesday night organized workouts on the terms outlined in last week's email once Arlington reopens W&L track for more than an hour a day.

May 26, 2021 - 6 to 8 x 500m in 5k pace - with 300m jog recovery in between

• Fastest: 5:45 to 6:15 Pace, 10 Intervals
• Faster: 6:15 to 6:45 Pace, 9 – 10 Intervals
• Intermediate: 6:45 to 7:30 Pace, 8 – 9 Intervals
• Yeoman/MTP Trainees: 7:30 to 10:00 Pace, 8 Intervals

This is another speed workout guaranteed to build both strength and stamina for your summer races – and let's hope we get some! These are tougher than they look, so try to finish strong - push that last 100, and make sure you focus on form, so you run efficiently, effectively, and injury-free. I would ease into these by running the first couple in 8k or 10k pace, but also feel free to crush the last couple in 3k pace if you are still feeling frisky.

Happy Running!

Coach Big Guy