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Greetings, everyone!
I’m delighted to hear that so many of you not only read my pace adjustment message but also actually practiced it this week. Thanks for listening to and trusting me. And speaking of, more heat and humidity all this coming week, so stay on top of your hydration and electrolytes throughout the day. Maybe add a dash of salt to your sports drink too, so as to avoid any muscle fatigue and cramping. And don’t forget to get something into your system within 20 minutes of finishing your Wednesday and Saturday workouts. Any of the following will help speed recovery: chocolate milk, sports drink, a banana and a clif bar. *I was really impressed with how fast so many of you raced at last week’s DawnBreaker 4K! I took the liberty of calculating your 5K times based on your 4K performances and here’s how you fared. Very impressive, especially considering the humidity! Of particular note was the close age division race between Bob Johnson and Jim Hall, with Bob kicking it in for a scant 1 second blue ribbon grabber! And Sara Neilon’s speedy extrapolated sub 20 minute 5K. Plus, how about 70 year old Linda’s 29:24 5K and 73 year old Jeffrey’s 30 minute 5K time?! Wow! 5K times (based on your 4K times) -Sean (46 years old) 18:44 -William (36) 19:11 -Jay (28) 19:45 -Sara N. (43) 19:49 -Binyong (47) 20:04 -Adele (33) 20:07 -Steve (37) 20:09 -Aaron (24) 20:13 -Matt G. (41) 20:30 -Kristen (40) 21:33 -Will M. (41) 21:42 -Mike W. (21:44) -Charlie (17) 21:54 -Allie (38) 21:58 -Kate (33) 22:02 -Bob J. (63) 22:35 -Jim H. (61) 22:36 -Ben (45) 23:50 -Lee (62) 24:02 -Katie P. (24) 24:09 -Cynthia (63) 24:19 (5K based on 2 mile time) -Molly W. (30) 24:33 -Julia (49) 24:37 -Peggy (65) 24:42 -Molly (30) 25:07 -Peter T. (61) 25:27 -Bill P. (65) 26:04 -Mark F. (47) 26:41 -Heather (43) 29:09 -Linda (70) 29:24 -Jeffrey (73) 30:11 *It makes me so happy to know that we have so many of our former Cville crew, who now live far away, still following along with our weekly workouts (and some of them actually training together too). Folks like Natalie, Mark H., Steve K., Kim, Christy, Jason B., Jenny, Jason V., and Vicky to name just a few. *Recommendations for the week:
*Big thanks to Leah and Rick K. for all their hard volunteer work at the CTC Summer Track meets and to Dr. Bob for all his medical expertise. The meets have been fantastic, with hundreds of folks in attendance! And we still have one last one to host this Tuesday evening. *In closing I’d like to send out a huge THANKS to all the nurses, docs, health care workers and school teachers in our group, who went well beyond the call throughout the pandemic. These selfless folks are to be congratulated for all the many ways they kept us going safely. I have my fingers crossed that they don’t have to face the same challenges again. I hope to see many of you on Wednesday. Be safe, everyone! Coach WEEK of JULY 26 Daily Core Work: situps, pushups, planks, hand weights, balancing exercises, etc. 10 minutes a day goes a long way! *Speedsters 5K-10K racers = 20-25 total miles (or more) *Speedsters half marathoners = 25-30 total miles (or more) *BB October = Recovery week: drop your normal weekly mileage by at least 30% (~30-35 miles) *BB November = Recovery week: drop your normal weekly mileage by at least 30% (~30 miles) MONDAY July 26 *Speedsters = 5-6 miles total with 2 of those miles at 10K-10 mile pace (~100-103% of 10 mile pace). Run the tempo pace portion on very flat terrain. *BB October = 6 miles total with 3 of those miles at 10 mile pace or slightly faster (106% of MP). Run the tempo section on very flat terrain. *BB November = 5 miles total with 1 of those miles at 10 mile pace or slightly faster (106% of MP). Run that tempo mile on very flat terrain. TUESDAY July 27 Last CTC Summer Track meet (and final chance for RaceFest folks to earn 5 last points by racing/running the 2 miler) PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM TO CLAIM YOUR POINTS! https://forms.gle/hRarzqJV2MV91ZRY8 WEDNESDAY July 28 ***Come join us at the Albemarle High track at 5:30am for the following workouts. **AHR Option: There is also always a group of folks not in training for anything specific and just enjoy running some relaxed AHR miles. **I’m also offering a 2 mile time trial if anyone wants to see where “you’re at”. AC’s: All three groups will be running “Albemarle Circuits” (AC’s) this week. These 1200 meter (approximately) long loops are as follows: -1 lap on the track at 104-106% of MP or 98-100% of 10 mile pace -then run out the side gate (if it’s open) and straight into a half mile loop of 20-20 fartlek, where you pickup the pace for 20 seconds and then slow it down for the next 20 seconds -then back on to the track for the start of the next circuit Goal: to run each circuit faster than the previous one. I’ll have the off track course well marked for you on Wednesday morning. *Speedsters = Albemarle Circuits x 4 (5 circuits for half marathoners) *BB October = Albemarle Circuits x 5 *BB November = Albemarle Circuits x 3 SATURDAY July 31 Pace Saturday! *Speedsters 5K-10K = 7-8 miles total as follows -2 miles at AHR -4 mile progression run in Bellair (or some other hilly location). Run the first 2 mile loop at 96-99% of 10 mile pace and then go straight into the next 2 mile loop but run it faster! -1-2 miles at AHR **I’ll try to remember to mark the 2 mile course at Belliar (the loop is actually 2.25 miles around but I only want you to go 4 miles total). You may park in the medical office lot across from Bellair (next to Bellair Exxon), if you don’t want to run all the way to and from the UVa track. *Speedsters half marathoners = similar to above but as follows: 9-10 miles total -2 miles at AHR -6 mile progression run on a hilly course like Bellair. run the first 2 miles at MP (~30 second/mile slower than HMP) Second 2 miles at HMP third 2 miles faster! -1 to 2 miles at AHR (see above information about course markings and parking) *BB October = 15 miles as follows (flatter to rolling course): -2 miles at the same pace you plan to run the first 2 on race day -8 miles at MP -3 miles at HMP -1 mile faster! -1 mile at AHR *BB November = 11 miles as follows (terrain similar to your race course): -2 miles at the pace you plan to run for the first 2 on race day -8 miles at MP -1 mile at AHR SUNDAY Come join us for 4-5 relaxed and social miles at 6:45am at Greenberry’s in Barracks
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Hi, everyone,
IMPORTANT MESSAGE...I know that many of you usually skim over my opening message and skip right to the weekly workouts but I’m asking you this week, to PLEASE take few moments to read the following: Looks like the tough heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing in the early mornings over the past month are finally catching up to us, as many of you have told me that you faced tough pacing and rough runs this past week. So much of this has to do with “locked-in pacing” and not paying close enough attention to “perceived effort”. I know your grump of an old coach is always harping to you about “slowing down your pace when conditions are tough”, so I apologize for reiterating it again but maybe this time in more plain and simple terms: The tougher the conditions the SLOWER you must run! So, when it’s hot or humid or hilly or you’re extra tired from a lack of good sleep, you must slow down the pace so it “feels” just as good as when the conditions are perfect! This is called “perceived effort”, which essentially means that if you’re supposed to run 8 minute place for a workout and it feels really hard because of tough conditions, then you slow it down to whatever pace it takes to “feel” the same “effort” as you feel normally at 8 minute pace, when the conditions are better. Confused? So, using that same 8 minute pace person last Saturday, when conditions were lousy, they would have been “feeling” good if they slowed it down, from the START of the run, to say 8:30 pace or slower! So, the kicker is that if that person ran with the same “effort” and “feel” of 8 minute pace but was running 8:30 pace, they actually get the exact SAME quality workout, the same boost to their training and the same A+ grade from their coach as if they were running 8 minute pace or faster! So, on these tough days, ask yourself the simple questions: “Do I really feel the same as I usually do at my targeted pace?” and “Is my effort the same as usual at this pace?”. If the answer is “No”, then SLOW it down! And use your breathing and your heart rate as guides to. The problem is if you try to run at the same pace when conditions are tough you’re going to feel lousy and risk injuring yourself or burning yourself out before race day. So, when conditions are tough, SLOW it down to a pace that feels just like your goal. And know that when conditions get more favorable (cooler mornings and less humidity) you will be running with so much less effort at a much faster pace (quite often faster than your targeted pace)! I like for my athletes to use a number scale of 1-10 when recording their training logs. A number 1 means feeling “Lousy” and a 10 means feeling “Fantastic”. Here’s where the riddle comes in...I expect you to write an 8-10 for every single run, no matter how bad the conditions are or how hilly the course is. How do you “feel” like an 8-10 even when the conditions stink? Simple: by SLOWING down your PACE! The problem with this old coach who has been at it for the past 40+ years, is that I’ve seen too many cases of burnout and injury and so I’m always thinking of your health and enjoyment LONG TERM. I want you to be healthy and loving your running for as long as possible and I’ve learned that there is no better way to accomplish that than by following the basic principles of “perceived effort”. Thanks for listening...I really do have your backs! ~ On a totally different and very happy note, we shout out a great big Congrats to Heidi and Andrew Zapanta on the arrival of their beautiful baby girl Julia this week! We’re so happy for you! And Happy Birthdays this week to Jerri (Monday), Jane J. (Tuesday), Mike S. (Wednesday) and Tammy M. (Thursday)! I hope to see many of you on Wednesday morning...even if you’re not “working out” or training for anything in particular right now. The more the merrier! Cheers, Coach Mark 434-962-1694 (text) WEEK of JULY 19 *Speedsters 5K-10K = ~20-25 miles or more *Speedsters Half Marathon 27-32 miles or more MONDAY July 19 *Speedsters = 4-6 AHR miles with 6 x 12 second hill form surges up a moderate hill towards the latter portion of your total run. Take a slow 48 second recovery in between each. WEDNESDAY July 21 ***Come join us at the Albemarle High Track at 5:30 am for the following workout or for some relaxed AHR social miles (even if you’re not in training for a specific event): ****We will be running the second leg of our “Summer Dawnbreaker Race series” today. Due to the heat and humidity I’ve downgraded the distance to a 4K. This 4000 meter course will be pretty fast, with a good mix of on/off track surface racing. And the 4K distance actually now gives us a nice symmetry for our triple crown series: 3200 in June, 4K in July and finishing with a 5K in August. Right now (subject to change) I’m planning on the following course: -1200 (3 laps) on the track -1600 off the track (out 800 and back 800) -1200 back on the track ***Want to run a shorter 3200 (2 mile) race? Then feel free to do so. I’ll explain the 2 mile course on Wednesday. SATURDAY July 24 *Speedsters 5K-10K = AHR long run on a hillier course Add 1 mile to your previous longest run and try to run the last mile at 10 mile pace *Speedsters Half = AHR long run on a hillier course Add 1-2 miles to your previous longest run and try to run last 2 miles of the total run at MP-HMP SUNDAY 4-5 mile group recovery run at AHR at 6:45am at Greenberry’s at Barracks Hi, everyone,
I’m jamming today, so I’ll keep this very brief. Congrats to all of our folks who had solid races over the challenging Burn and Turn 5 Miler on the hills of the Boars Head trails yesterday. Folks like Sean, Joe A. and Scott S. looked really good over this extremely challenging course. It was also a day to remember the spirited life of fellow racer Adam Kannapell, who died during this race last year. Race organizer John Anderson read a wonderful message from Adam’s father Joe at the start of the race, which served as a reminder of just how appreciative we all continue to be of the special friendships this sport brings to us, as we take in all of the joys of running while training and racing together. There is a wonderful tribute to Adam in this month’s issue of Trail Runner. -Happy Birthday to Sarah W. (today), Anne C. (Thursday) and Mark H. (Saturday)! -And speaking of Happy Birthdays, here’s wishing Anne Chapin’s husband Curt a very happy 90th birthday this week! Curt continues to amaze and inspire us with each new adventure he tackles along his incredible life journey. -The UVa track is now being resurfaced, so we’re probably looking at late summer to early fall for the grand re-opening. Stay tuned... ***Sneak Preview...Coming next Wednesday (7/21): Daybreaker Race Series #2, featuring a fast 5K race course. Hope you ALL will be able to join us! I hope to see you on Wednesday. Cheers, Coach Mark 434-962-1694 (text) with any questions or new injury issues WEEK of JULY 12 *Speedsters 5K-10K = recovery week...drop your normal weekly mileage by at least 30%. Either run less mileage on each of your normal running days or run less total days. *Speedsters aiming for a fall Half Marathon = recovery week...drop your normal weekly mileage by at least 30%. Either run less mileage on each of your normal days or run less total days. MONDAY July 12 *Speedsters = 4-5 miles total with the middle 1 mile at 10 mile pace or faster (on a very flat surface) TUESDAY July 13 **CTC Track Meet #2- Those wishing to compete in the mile or 2 mile should then skip the workout on Wednesday morning and simply join some of the group for some social AHR miles. YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE: runsignup.com/track WEDNESDAY July 14 ***Come join your coach and a bunch of other early morning risers at the AHS Track at 5:30am. Please bring a water bottle. Just running? Then join some of the folks for casual AHR social miles. Out of town? Then try to find a loop about 1000 meters in length with a slight flat to downhill terrain in the first section and an uphill terrain for the last portion. *Speedsters = Back over to Charlotte Humphris Park for another workout as follows: -run the downhill portion of the 1K loop at an up-tempo pace in the 10K-10 mile range -then, at the bottom of the hill (at the cone), lightly surge (not sprint!) for 60 seconds. Obviously, the pace you run for the 60 second surge will be much slower than you ran for the 15 second surges a few weeks ago. Pace yourself by not blowing out the first section of the 60 second hill. Run 4 loops total , making each loop faster than the previous. SATURDAY July 17 Everyone has some sort of pace workout this Saturday. I’d like to see you run this on FLATTER terrain. I’d suggest Riverview, Sugar Hollow, Free Union (Wesley Chapel/Chapel Spring Roads) or some place flatter like that. *Speedsters = -15 minutes at 100-101% of 10 mile pace -2 minute slow recovery -5 minutes at 112% or faster -1 minute slow recovery -10 minutes at 103-104% or faster! ***Half marathoners: run 18 minutes (instead of 15) at the start (and 12 minutes (instead of 10) at the end. SUNDAY Come join us for 4-5 relaxed social miles at 6:45am at Greenberry’s in Barracks Happy Holiday to you, my athletes!
Hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend. Looks like we had some excellent performances at the Independence Day 5K yesterday, like Joe A., Erika, Karen DJ, Jake, Fran and Leah. And speaking of great race outings, John Cherry nailed a perfect score in his Army 3 mile test, as he ran a sweet 18:36, which ranks him tops in his age group (45-49)! Congrats, John! ***Attention Fall Half Marathoners: Here are four close-by, fast course choices your coach highly recommends (for those of you who haven’t decided yet): 1. Rivanna Greenbelt Half - Sunday October 3 2. Chessie Trail Half- Lexington- Saturday October 30 3. Richmond Half-Saturday November 13 4. Rivanna Greenbelt Half - Sunday December 5 ***New? Needing some advice as to where to fit in? Feeling lost? Not sure of what pace to aim for your upcoming race season? Then please text me or stop by the shop anytime from 9-2:30(please text ahead of time to make sure I’m in), as I really enjoy the face to face, in person chats with my athletes. Pace advice: If you’re looking to see where you’re at, pace wise, I’m hosting another 2 mile time trial this coming Wednesday morning. Be warmed up and ready to go by 6:00am. Happy Birthdays to Kristen H. (Monday), Zen M. (Thursday) and Sarah W. (Sunday)! And a big welcome back to Katie Walker and Sarah Wymer! Happy running! Coach Mark 434-962-1694 (text) WEEK of JULY 5 ***Remember: most (80-90%) of your weekly miles should be run at your AHR (Aerobic Heart Rate), which is as slow and effortless as it takes to feel like you’re hardly breathing! -Half Marathoners AHR = ~90 seconds- 2 minutes slower than HMP -5K-10K AHR = ~2-3 minutes slower than race pace! **Please keep on top of your daily core work. Give me a shout if you need some tips as to what you should be doing to help strengthen your upper body so as to be more efficient and less prone to injury. *Speedsters-those training to race distances from 5K-10K this summer and fall = ~20-25 miles total *Speedsters-those training to race the half marathon this fall = ~25-30 miles total MONDAY July 5 *Speedsters 5K-10K = 4-5 miles total at AHR with 6 x 12 second hill form surges, focusing on using your upper body core to lift your knees. Up a moderate hill and No sprinting! Take a slow 48 second recovery in between each. *Speedsters Half = 5-6 miles at AHR with the same hills as above but 8 of them. TUESDAY July 6 CTC All-Comers Track Meet #1 If you decide to race the Murphy Mile or the 2 miler, then please skip the Spartan on Wednesday. (BTW: it’s free but you must register ahead of time) runsignup.com/track runsignup.com/murphymile WEDNESDAY July 7 ***I’ll be at the AHS track to greet you at 5:30am. Not able to make it to join the larger group? Then try to find a track close by to where you’re at. **Looking to see where you’re at pace wise? I’ll also be timing a group of folks for a 2 miler on the track. *Speedsters = “Spartan” as follows (all continuous...no break in between the on and off): -2000 (5 laps) on the track at 98-100% of 10 mile pace -half mile off at 93-94% of 10 mile pace -1200 on the track at 103-104% -half mile off at 93-94% or faster -800 on at 107-108% or faster -half mile off at 94-95% or faster -400 on at a fast but relaxed pace! SATURDAY July 10 *Speedsters 5K-10K = 8-10 miles at AHR with the middle 2 miles at 93-98% of 10 miler pace (no faster!) *Speedsters Half Marathoners = 11-13 miles at AHR with the middle 2 miles at MP-HMP (no faster!) SUNDAY Come join us for 4-5 relaxed recovery miles at 6:45am at Greenberry’s in the Barracks Shopping Center |
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