Greetings, everyone!
I hope it’s been a relaxing week for you... we’ve really enjoyed our three day vacation. There were many bright moments for us and one of the highlights was a 4.5 mile brisk dawn walk with Cynthia and Anne C. through the newly restored historic Blue Ridge Tunnel. Simply amazing! I’d highly recommend it (run or walk) but go early in the day, when there are no crowds, and watch your footing at the start of the east end (Afton) of the tunnel (icy). ***IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of the rains predicted for Thursday and Friday, there’s a very good chance that we will be moving the NYD5K to Sunday (we don’t want to tear up Foxfield parking cars), so I’ve adjusted the week for all of you participating in the RaceFest series. We will make the final decision Thursday morning but my guess is that it will be moved to Sunday. BTW: there are a few spots open for those still looking to join us at beautiful Foxfield! **And I still could use a few more race day volunteers... please text me if you can lend a hand (most likely Sunday morning). Happy Birthdays this week to Lisa D., Joan B. and Leisa G. (all celebrate on Monday), Noelle (Friday) and Ashley S. (Saturday)! I’ll be sending you my annual, start of the year, long message sometime in the coming week. Stay tuned. Wishing all of you, this holiday week, a very happy end to what has been a uniquely challenging year. As your coach, I’m so proud of your positive attitudes throughout 2020. I’m also very grateful for the wonderful help and support I continue to receive from Leah and Harry each week. They make life so much easier! I hope to see many of you at Foxfield, either on Friday or Sunday. Happy Running! Coach Mark 434-962-1694 (text) WEEK of DECEMBER 28 *Speedsters RaceFest (RF) = 20-24 miles (80% AHR/20% faster) *Speedsters Half Marathon (HM) = 29-35 miles (90% AHR/10% faster) MONDAY December 28 *Speedsters RF= 5-6 AHR miles total with a fartlek of 60 seconds (~110% of 10 mile pace) followed by 30 seconds slow x 10 on a flatter course (track would be fine too). Ease into the first one. *Speedsters HM = 5-6 AHR miles with 6 x 12 second flat surface form surges with a 48 second recovery in between each. WEDNESDAY December 30 *Speedsters RF = 5-6 miles with 6 x 12 second flat surface form surges with a slow 48 second recovery in between each *Speedsters HM = Hill surge fartlek loops as follows: Try to find a hilly loop that is close to 1 mile in length (the upper or lower loops of Bellair are perfect) and surge the uphills hard, focusing on using your core/upper body to power and lift your legs, and use the descents as a means to actively recover. Run 3 loops total and try to run each loop faster than the previous, starting with MP-HMP for the first loop. No breaks in between. FRIDAY 1/1 Happy New Year!! The NYD5K is tentatively set for today but will most likely be moved to Sunday, due to potential rain soaked fields. We will make a final decision on Thursday morning. SATURDAY January 2 *Speedsters RF= 1-2 mile taper run *Speedsters HM = 10-13 miles at AHR on a rolling course. Hydrate! SUNDAY January 3 *Speedsters RF = NYD5K (if postponed from 1/1) at Foxfield.
0 Comments
Hi, Everyone,
Leah and I have decided to add a half marathon to the Rivanna Full marathon in mid-March, so I’ll be writing mileage and workouts to my weekly training message for those interested in racing a half with chip timing on a certified course. And, just like the marathon, this is an exclusive for you, my athletes, so as to keep the numbers safe and manageable. A few other things… -There still time to enter the NYD5K at Foxfield in reserved time slots -The second event in our RaceFest Series, The Sugar Hollow Frostbite Four Miler (to benefit our friends at the Whitehall Community Center), is tentatively scheduled for February 6. Stay tuned for details. -Congrats to our Josh T., who finished 5th overall at the Hellgate 50 Miler last weekend! *NEW to the group? Confused? Don’t understand some of my terms? Then please get in touch with me ASAP. I’m happy to help! Happy Birthdays this week to Kenny B. (Tuesday), Bill P. (welcome to the Medicare Club) and Anders (Friday) and to Scott D. and Samantha D. (Saturday)! In closing, I’d like to wish all of you and your families a wonderful holiday week. We’re actually doing something we’ve never done before, by closing the shop from Friday through Sunday this week, as this will give us a stretch of three days to relax with some of our family. I’m really looking forward to it and I hope you get to do the same. If I don’t get to see you before then, please know that I continue to count myself fortunate to have each of you in my life and, even though we don’t get to meet like we did pre-COVID, you’re still always in my heart. Hugs and high fives, Coach Mark 434-962-1694 (text) WEEK of DECEMBER 21 **AHR: ~90 seconds-2 minutes slower than 10 mile pace ~90 seconds-2 minutes slower than HMP ~60-90 seconds slower than MP *Speedsters RaceFest (RF) = 25-32 miles (90% AHR/10% faster) *Speedsters Half Marathon (HM) = 27-34 miles (90% at AHR/10% faster) MONDAY December 21 *Speedsters RF = 4-6 miles at AHR with 6 x 12 second flat surface form surges with a slow 48 second recovery in between each. No sprinting (~107-110%) and make sure the first surge is a warmup. *Speedsters HM = 5-7 miles at AHR with 6 x 12 second hill form surges with a slow 48 second recovery in between each. No sprinting (107-110%) and make sure the first surge is a warmup. WEDNESDAY December 23 *Speedsters RF = Cameron Crazies x 4-5. If you can’t make it to Cameron, then find a very hilly loop that’s approximately a half mile in distance and surge the uphills and then recover on the downhills and flats. Try to make each loop slightly faster than the previous one...no recovery in between each loop. *Speedsters HM = 7-8 miles total as follows: 4-5 miles at AHR -1 mile at MP (~30 second slower than your HMP) -1 mile at HMP -1 mile at AHR Please note that I’d like for you to run the 2 mile pace portion on a flatter surface SATURDAY December 26 *Speedsters RF = 8-11 miles at AHR *Speedsters HM = 10-12 miles at AHR...rolling course Hi, Everyone,
This weather has been spectacular but that’s about to end with a cold rain tomorrow and snow on Wednesday. And, due to that predicted snow, I’ve adjusted the week accordingly (see details below). I’m keeping this very brief, as I’m sending you a video message this week (thanks, Leah). https://youtu.be/LZ3a-PmI_xg New and have questions about the workouts, mileage, pacing, etc.? Then please give me a shout ASAP. Happy to help! Coach Mark 434-962-1694 (text) Sitting Tips Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBSfveEH19g WEEK of DECEMBER 14 *Speedsters/RaceFest = 24-30 miles or more MONDAY December 14 ***Please note that I’ve moved your Wednesday run to Tuesday due to the predicted snow. So, run your normal Tuesday mileage to today (if you normally don’t run on Tuesday, then take today off). *Speedsters = normal Tuesday mileage TUESDAY December 15 (not Wednesday due to snow) *Speedsters = 6-8 miles total with 8 x 400 on the track with a rolling/active (so, not too slow) 100 recovery in between each. Run in two sets of 4. Start at 104-105% of 10 mile pace for the first set and then try to pick it up for the second set. Use Adrian’s Pace Calculator Chart. THURSDAY December 17...this is what I would have had you normally doing on a Monday *Speedsters = 4-6 miles at AHR with 5 x 12 second flat surface surges focusing on upper body form. Nose over toes! SATURDAY December 19 *Speedsters = 3K (200 meters shy of 2 miles) Bellair Loops x 2. Run the first hilly loop at 100-102% of 10 mile pace. Then try to run the next loop faster. Make sure you don’t exert yourself too much on the uphills, especially in the first loop. Maybe more in the 93-95% for the ascents and then you can pick it up on the descents. Take a slow 5 minute recovery in between each. I’ll mark the course for you on Saturday morning and have it ready to go by 7:00. SUNDAY December 20 *Optional: Annual Winter Solstice RTF run, for those interested in running some slower miles on the trails. 7:45am outside Greenberry’s. Heads up: if we get snow on Wednesday, the footing may still be VERY slippery. |
SPEEDSTERS
|