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4 to 6 x 1000m in 5k, 400m jogs

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

The weather tomorrow morning will be chilly, with temps in the low 30s, humidity qt 86%, and only a bit of wind at 5 MPH. Despite the relatively nice weather, you should still bring plenty of fluids. We will meet at Yorktown HS track, around the corner from the school on Greenbriar street (the track is technically in Greenbriar Park) – warm up at about 5:40 am, before the 6 AM start time for instructions. Water breaks are important ALL year round, even when it is cold like tomorrow, so remember to hydrate before, during and after your runs – after each interval, if possible, but at least every other interval!

Good luck at the Club Challenge 10 Miler – I know the TMBC crew will be leading the charge, and I am so sorry business will keep me in Austin so I miss it – I will be with you in spirit! If you are running fast Sunday, don't kill yourself tomorrow – no more than 5 intervals, and take it easy on the first two, using the last ones to sharpen you for Sunday's race.

February 22, 2023 – 4 to 6 x 1000m at 5K ("Interval") Pace, w/400m SLOW easy jogs in between out in Lane 6 to allow recovery.

NOTE: I expect to see your heart rates in the mid 80% of Maximum range, but if your rates are higher, you need to slow down!

Stallions: 5:15 to 6:30 Pace, 6 intervals

Wolf Pack: 6:30 to 7:30 Pace, 5 to 6 intervals

Gazelles: 7:15 to 8:15 Pace, 5 intervals

Coyotes/MTP Trainees: 8:15 to 10:30 Pace, 4 to 5 intervals

This week's workout is a good speed workout, but given the distance, also an endurance workout. For most of this is a 5k race, so take advantage of the rest intervals in the outside lanes. As with some of our previous workouts, the trick tomorrow is to start at 10k pace on the first interval and to get faster each lap or interval until you are running 5k pace. Focus on form, eyes front, knees higher, arms at side lifting the knees, hands relaxed, on toes. Again - this is a 5k distance race or more for us (albeit with approximately 3 to 5 x 400m jogs added!), so take it easy on the recovery jog/walk/water legs of 400m.

In Coach Rich Club News –

Hi Everyone. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning. Only one result to report on this week ...

The Big Guy returned to the track at TJ for a PVTC winter indoor meet. He ran the mile in 7:15 which was good for 1st M60-69. If you have ever run at TJ you know that effort was good for 5-10 seconds faster on a real track surface. Way to go Big Guy.

Good luck to all racing at the Club Challenge on Sunday. Reminder that miles 6 and 8 are killers so save a little fuel in the tank.

The next club race is the Fort Hunt 10K on March 17. To volunteer or register to run go to www.dcroadrunners.org.

Happy running!

Rich

Coach Big Guy will be in Austin, but Coach Rich will ably take my place at Yorktown tomorrow morning!

10 x 500m in 5k, 300m jogs

Fellow Endorphin Junkies

We will be at the Yorktown track tomorrow, in Greenbriar Park around the corner from the school entrance, someet us for warm up around 5:40 AM for a 6 AM sharp start. Tomorrow's weather will be cold but clear, with temps in the Upper 20s, lower humidity at 75%, with much less wind than today, so good winter weather. Despite the nice conditions, you should still bring water for hydration after at least every other interval after you finish the 300m jog rest interval.

I wanted to add a note – I had a great 5k race on Saturday, qualifying me as an All-American – I was a High School and College All-American, and ran a qualifying mile time in my 40s, but this was my first Road Race All-American finish – by 23 seconds, and I won a Cherry Pie as the fastest 65-69 guy! ;-) Seriously, this result belongs not to me, but to all of you. I would never have gotten here without the support and assistance of the TMBCrew and my fellow DC Roadrunners – Jill, Eunja, Admiral Paul, Tatyana, Rodrigo, and especially Anne Coia, amongst many others, who have run with me, trained me, raced me, urged me on, and picked me up and pushed me across the finish line more times than I can count. Without your support, your Coach – and all your fellow runners – could not do what we do. On that note, I want to urge you all to gather as a team for the Club Challenge 10 miler next Sunday – registration closes tomorrow, and the Club not only pays your entry fee, but they also give you a party bus to get to the race and back – please sign up! Details on the Club website and in President Ben's email yesterday. In the meantime, tomorrow's workout is a great tune up for the Club Challenge!

February 15, 2024 - 10 x 500m in 5k pace, with 300m jog recovery in between

· Stallions: 5:30 to 6:30 Pace

· Wolf Pack: 6:30 to 7:00 Pace

· Gazelles: 7:00 to 7:45 Pace

· Coyotes/MTP Trainees: 7:45 to 9:30 Pace

This is another speed workout guaranteed to build both strength and stamina for your winter/spring races! Tomorrow, I believe you should start at 10k pace on the first couple of intervals, increasing pace each interval quickly until you are running 5k pace. 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. Biggest area of improvement needed for most is to lift your knees higher, while dropping your arm swings to your waist. Be careful about crossing your arms across your chest, as this rotates your core and slows you down. Running every interval just a little faster will help you learn to control your pace, which is very important in shorter races from 5k to the half marathon – and essential tool in your repertoire.

In Club news from Coach Rich ...

Hi Everyone. A few races to report on this week as Spring marathon training is getting into full gear.

Big Guy ran the By George 5K down at Hains Point in a time of 25:08. This was good for 1st M65-69 and a return to All-American age group status in the M65-69 AG category. Way to go Coach!!!

At the Mesa Marathon in Phoenix some beautiful racing and pacing (by Tatyana). Congrats to Walter and Dexter on chasing those BQs and getting them.

3:10:09 - Walter Barrett, BQ by 9+min

3:12:41 - Dexter Steis, BQ by 12+min

3:12:08 - Tatyana Steis, 3rd 45-49

Paul Ryan is back from his cruise around South America and ran his first 5K of the year. A fine time of 25:04 at the Fletcher's Parkrun 5K.

Langley 8K

33:08 - Brian Young, 2nd 45-49

33:57 - Elise Mullenniex, 1st 30-34

34:41 - Hope Seck, 1st 35-39

44:40 - Anne Coia, 1st 55-59

45:10 - Eunja Rau, 3rd 50-54

46:06 - David Meeks

50:05 - Lisa Towell, 3rd 55-59

The next club race is the Club Challenge 10M on February 25th – the Club pays your entrance fee and provides a bus – sign ups close Thursday (tomorrow)\. Additionally, award nominations for the 2023 year are now open for submission. And lastly the Club's annual banquet is set for March 10 and registration to attend is now open. Details for all of these is on the DCRRC Homepage at dcroadrunners.org.

Happy Running!

Coach Big Guy will be at Yorktown in the AM!