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 -- December 2011

Following are the track workouts for December 2011: 

December 7:   20-Minute Tempo Run.  (Weather will be inclement, so this will keep you moving).  Optional:  After a brief rest, finish with 2 x 400M at 5K pace, with a slow 200M jog recovery. 

MTP participants are encouraged to break the Tempo Run into 2 x10-minute segments, with a 2:00 recovery. 

Coach Ed will not be at the workout.  

 

December 14:  "DMR Interval Sets":  Based on the classic distance medley relay, the interval sets are as follows:  1200M, 400M, 800M, 1600M (4000M total).  All distances are run at "cruise interval" or 10K pace. Recover with 400M jog after each interval.  Two sets are recommended, with a slow 400M jog after the first set.  

MTP Participants:  "SMR Interval Sets":  Based on the sprint medley relay.  Interval sets are 400M, 200M, 200M, 800M (1600M total).  Recoveries here are shorter -- a 200M jog.  Take a 400M jog after completing the first set, and aim for 2 or 3 sets.  

 

December 21:  Annual Christmas/Hannukah Relays:  Teams of two, sorted by time, each running 10 laps alternately.  

 

Track Workout Canceled for November 2nd

As announced at last week's workout, there will be no track workout on November 2nd, due to a tournament taking place at the Washington Lee stadium.  

We will resume workouts on Wednesday November 9. 

Coach Ed 

 

 

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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).

Upcoming Events

Alexandria Turkey Trot
Thu, Nov 28th, 2024, @9:00am
DCRR Gar Williams Half Marathon
Sun, Dec 1st, 2024, @9:00am
DCRRC Bread Run 10K & Gingerbread 2-Miler
Sun, Dec 8th, 2024, @10:00am
Book Club
Sun, Dec 8th, 2024, @4:00pm
DCRRC New Year's Resolutions 5K
Wed, Jan 1st, 2025, @12:00pm
DCRRC Al Lewis 10-Miler and 5-Miler
Sun, Jan 5th, 2025, @8:00am
 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.