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December 2009 Workouts

Welcome to Winter Running!

This winter, our Wednesday Night program is expanding, due to the influx of participants in the Reebok Official Training Program for the SunTrust National Marathon and Half-Marathon. In most weeks, the workouts for the training group and the regular Wednesday night group will be the same. I will make adjustments as the season progresses, and obviously if the weather dictates. If it is so cold that a simple 20-minute tempo run and then a dash to the car is all we can handle, that it what we will do.

Workouts for the training program will start at 7:00. Those in the full or half-marathon training programs should be warmed up, stretched, and ready to go at 7:00.

Workouts for the "regular" Wednesday night group will start at 7:15. This should reduce congestion on the track between the two groups. But, if congestion problems remain, we will move back the training group start time to 6:45.

Please remember the Lane One Rule at all times -- run your "fast" repeats in Lane One, hugging as close to the inside line as possible. Do not run side-by-side. Leave Lane Two clear for passing at all times. Jog your recoveries in the outer lanes, or inside the track on rhe grass/turf.

The following workouts are designed for both the marathon and half-marathon. Most of the work during December and January will be done at three paces: Tempo Run Pace (TRP), Tempo Interval Pace (TIP), and Cruise Interval Pace (CIP). (These terms can be found on the McMillan Running Calculator©, accessible from this page.)

For Wednesday night regulars, TRP and TIP are 10-Mile race pace -- but as you can see from the McMillan calculator, TIP (used on shorter tempo intervals) is a bit faster than TRP (used on steady interval runs of 15 minutes or more).Cruise Interval pace approximates your pace for a 10K. For the regular Wednesday night group, weather permitting, we will throw in a couple of Interval or 5K pace workouts -- in February and March.

Many ask whether they should base their speed on their past times, or the times they are shooting for. As long as your goal pace is realistic, it’s fine to train at that pace. But be careful about over-doing things, and it is a good idea to start at the slower end of the pace ranges found in the McMillan Calculator©.

Some hints, particularly for those in the training programs: Workouts can be customized, but preferably, such “customization” should take place by varying paces. This should be done in consultation with one of the coaches. For examples, some might wish to do some faster speed (“Interval Pace”) work later in the program. This can be accommodated.

The schedule here is not set in stone, either for individuals, or for the group. Individual coaching means just that. These will be the basic workouts for the group; we will adjust as the needs of the group and weather conditions warrant. In addition, you should consult with your coaches regarding questions on the number of repeats or intensity that you should be dong.

Finally, for those who cannot make the workouts: These workouts can be done on a treadmill, or on a measured trail (preferably flat). If that is not available to you, a good all-purpose workout is Hill Repeats. Try a half-dozen repeats up a moderately steep hill of 150M to 200M in length. Run the hills up comfortably hard – not all-out. Jog down the hill for your recovery.

Everyone should begin the workouts with a warm-up jog of at least 1 mile, preferably 2 miles. Warm down should be at least 1 mile of jogging, plus some stretching.

Now, the workouts:

Remember:
Tempo Run Race = TRP = 10-Mile to Half-Marathon race pace.
Tempo Interval Pace = TIP = 10-Mile race pace or slighty faster.
Cruise Interval Pace = CIP = 10K race pace.

See you at the track!

Coach Ed

August-November Track Schedule

Workouts for August through November 2009 are set forth in the Table below.

A few words of background and advice.  The workouts are geared to training for racing distances from 10K through the Marathon.  Those whose primary races fall on the shorter end of this spectrum (5K to 10K) may want to adjust the workouts slightly to run fewer (or shorter) intervals at a faster pace.  Those training for the marathon should find sufficient volume and intensity in these workouts for their requirements. 

I have highlighted in bold several "key" workouts that anyone in serious race-training for the fall should try to complete -- even if you cannot join us on that particular night at the track. 

Due to high school games being scheduled for the Stadium, two of our workouts (Sept. 16 and Oct. 7) are "off track" on the Custis Trail.  On those evenings, I will send groups out to the trail starting at 7:00 -- so please arrive before 7:00 if you can.   

These workouts are subject to change due to weather or other conditions.  Also, I may make revisions from time to time, so please check this page regularly. 

A Word About Repetitions and Level of Effort

Most workouts will include a range of repetitions.  All other things being equal, slower runners should generally do reps at the lower range; faster runners at the higher range.  The key to "all other things being equal" is that both sets of runners are training at the same relative level of effort, for example, both are running at their respective 10K pace.  As explained at a recent workout, it is the time you spend running at the presribed pace, not the distsnce covered, that establishes the difficulty of the workout. 

An easy way to understand this:  if two runners are both running at 92 percent of maximum heart rate, and the workout is 800M repeats, the runner who completes the 800s in 3:30 is sustaining that max HR for a full minute longer than the runner who does them in 2:30.  Hence, longer recovery, hence, fewer repeats. 

The workout time does not have to precisely match for all athletes at the workout -- but it should be within a reasonable range.  I will have more to say on this as we do particular workouts. 

All the more reason, of course, to use the McMillan Running Calculator to set as precise a pace as possible for your individual workouts.

Marathon Training Program

Participants in the "MTP" should follow these prescribed workouts, subject to advice from your small group coach.  

Army 10-Miler Training Program

Non-novice participants in the Army 10-Miler should be able to do these workouts, at least a portion of them.  Novice runners in the ATM program should consult with their small group coaches (or with Coach Ed) before each workout to determine their workout. 

Pace Codes

Based on McMillan Running Calculator Tables

I = "Interval"  (Approx. 5K pace)

C/I = "Cruise Interval" (Approx. 10K pace)

T/I = "Tempo Interval" (Approx 15K -10M pace)

T/R = "Tempo Run" (10M to 20K/21K pace)