Wow! Was your coach ever impressed with how well all of you did, on Wednesday, with our tough hilly Bellair workout and in such frigid conditions. You all looked so good out there and all of you had such positive attitudes. I really appreciate that I didn’t hear one single person complain or state the obvious (how cold it was). Love it! The no-drama Wednesday morning theme lives on! Plus, everyone followed directions beautifully (headlamps, single file on Old Ivy Road, etc.). this all makes me smile. Let’s keep this going!

See you Wednesday for your #1 voted favorite workout!

Coach Mark
434-293-3367
434-962-1694 (text anytime)


WEEK of JANUARY 27
*Speedsters = 25-35 total miles (~90% AHR/~10% faster)

MONDAY January 27
***No surges if you’re prone to Achilles, calf and hamstring issues!

IMPORTANT: Use your core to engage your knees on the hill surges. The less you use your legs to lift your knees, and the more you use your upper body, the more efficient you’ll be and 

Wow! Was your coach ever impressed with how well all of you did, on Wednesday, with our tough hilly Bellair workout and in such frigid conditions. You all looked so good out there and all of you had such positive attitudes. I really appreciate that I didn’t hear one single person complain or state the obvious (how cold it was). Love it! The no-drama Wednesday morning theme lives on! Plus, everyone followed directions beautifully (headlamps, single file on Old Ivy Road, etc.). this all makes me smile. Let’s keep this going!

See you Wednesday for your #1 voted favorite workout!

Coach Mark
434-293-3367
434-962-1694 (text anytime)


WEEK of JANUARY 27
*Speedsters = 25-35 total miles (~90% AHR/~10% faster)

MONDAY January 27
***No surges if you’re prone to Achilles, calf and hamstring issues!

IMPORTANT: Use your core to engage your knees on the hill surges. The less you use your legs to lift your knees, and the more you use your upper body, the more efficient you’ll be and reducing the risk of injury!

*Speedsters = 5-6 miles at 75% of 10 miler pace with 6 x 15 second hill (moderate hill…not too steep) surges with a very slow 45 second recovery jog in between each. Use your torso/core to lift your knees and drive up the hill. No straining!

WEDNESDAY January 29
***Please join me at the UVa track parking lot at 5:30am for the following workouts.
Please use Adrian’s Pace Calculator, by plugging in either your goal 10 Miler or marathon time.

*Speedsters = “Spartan” as follows (I’ll explain in detail again on Wednesday morning):
-1600 on the track at 98-100% of 10 miler pace
-800 off the track (I’ll have the road course marked) at 93%
-1200 on at 102-103% or faster
-800 off at 93%
-800 on at 104-107% or faster
-800 off at 93%
-400 on at a fast but relaxed pace!
***Please note: More experienced Speedsters can run the extra 800 off /200 on

SATURDAY February 1
*Speedsters = 10-13 miles at 75-80% of 10 miler pace. Add 1-2 miles to your most recent long run. Rolling course please.

SUNDAY February 2
**Come join us for 4-5 social miles at 6:45am at Greenberry’s. Newcomers are encouraged to join us for this fun recovery run.Cville Speedsters <cvillespeedsters@gmail.com>6:05 PM (2 minutes ago)


to me







Wow! Was your coach ever impressed with how well all of you did, on Wednesday, with our tough hilly Bellair workout and in such frigid conditions. You all looked so good out there and all of you had such positive attitudes. I really appreciate that I didn’t hear one single person complain or state the obvious (how cold it was). Love it! The no-drama Wednesday morning theme lives on! Plus, everyone followed directions beautifully (headlamps, single file on Old Ivy Road, etc.). this all makes me smile. Let’s keep this going!

See you Wednesday for your #1 voted favorite workout!

Coach Mark
434-293-3367
434-962-1694 (text anytime)


WEEK of JANUARY 27
*Speedsters = 25-35 total miles (~90% AHR/~10% faster)

MONDAY January 27
***No surges if you’re prone to Achilles, calf and hamstring issues!

IMPORTANT: Use your core to engage your knees on the hill surges. The less you use your legs to lift your knees, and the more you use your upper body, the more efficient you’ll be and reducing the risk of injury!

*Speedsters = 5-6 miles at 75% of 10 miler pace with 6 x 15 second hill (moderate hill…not too steep) surges with a very slow 45 second recovery jog in between each. Use your torso/core to lift your knees and drive up the hill. No straining!

WEDNESDAY January 29
***Please join me at the UVa track parking lot at 5:30am for the following workouts.
Please use Adrian’s Pace Calculator, by plugging in either your goal 10 Miler or marathon time.

*Speedsters = “Spartan” as follows (I’ll explain in detail again on Wednesday morning):
-1600 on the track at 98-100% of 10 miler pace
-800 off the track (I’ll have the road course marked) at 93%
-1200 on at 102-103% or faster
-800 off at 93%
-800 on at 104-107% or faster
-800 off at 93%
-400 on at a fast but relaxed pace!
***Please note: More experienced Speedsters can run the extra 800 off /200 on

SATURDAY February 1
*Speedsters = 10-13 miles at 75-80% of 10 miler pace. Add 1-2 miles to your most recent long run. Rolling course please.

SUNDAY February 2
**Come join us for 4-5 social miles at 6:45am at Greenberry’s. Newcomers are encouraged to join us for this fun recovery run.

​Hi, everyone,

Just a few quickies…  

How great was that to have so many new folks join us last week?! We hope you all come back again this week!
  
-And speaking of, if you are brand NEW, then please consult with me prior to Wednesday morning, so I can help you find the best path for a safe and enjoyable way to engage with the group.

-Need to CHANGE your Saturday run to Friday? Then please get in touch with me before Wednesday, so we can appropriately scale back your mid-week workout, to avoid injury from compressing your two biggest days.

-The most important days of the week are the non-running days, when you should be rolling and stretching. The other very important days are your recovery run days, when you should be deliberately running extra SLOW!

-Happy Birthday to Meg T. and Lauretta (both on Tuesday)!  
And a belated one to our Mark F., who I totally spaced on recognizing at our group run last  Wednesday. Mark is a Wednesday morning stalwart, as he has one of the best attendance records over the past five years. So, Happy Birthday, Mark!

I hope to see another huge crowd on Wednesday!
Coach Mark
434-293-3367 (work phone)
434-962-1694 (text anytime)   


WEEK of JANUARY 20
**Speedsters = ~25-30 miles (~70%AHR/30%faster).
Remember that AHR is ~75% of 10 mile pace

MONDAY January 20
***IMPORTANT: Skip the “surges” if you’re prone to hamstring, Achilles and calf issues.
  
*Speedsters = 5-7 miles at AHR but with the middle 2 miles at and 4 x 12 second flat surface form surges with a slow 48 second recovery in between each.  

WEDNESDAY January 22
***IMPORTANT: please bring a headlamp or flashlight as Bellair has no street lights. It’s also helpful to motorists.  
 
****REMINDER: please refer to Adrian’s “Pace Calculator” for % paces

-Please join me at the UVa track parking lot at 5:30am for the following:
   
*Speedsters = Bellair circuits x 2: We will meet, after a long warmup, down at the four-way intersection on the bottom of Farm Road (left side as you enter Bellair…refer to my map) to do our dynamics and then split up into our pace groups. Run the first flatter section of the loop at 20 seconds fast (~116-118% of MP and 111-113% of 10 mile pace…fast but relaxed) followed by 20 seconds slow. Then surge up the three hills along the rest of the loop, by using your upper body strength to lift your knees. After cresting the top of each hill “actively” recover on the downhill on the other side. This is a continuous workout with no breaks. Try to run the second loop faster than the first (each loop is about 1.3 miles in length).
-Refer to enclose amp for details.  
**Please be very careful along Old Ivy Road and crossing over 250, as you warmup down to Bellair. Run single file and against traffic.  

SATURDAY January 25
****REMINDER: please refer to Adrian’s “Pace Calculator” for % paces.
PACE CALCULATOR 

**Hydrate during these “long workouts”
   
*Speedsters = 8.5 miles total as follows (on a flatter course, as you already ran a hilly course on Wednesday):
-2 miles at AHR
-half mile at 93-96% of 10 Miler pace
-2 miles at 100% of 10 Miler pace
-2 miles faster (~102-103% or faster)
-1 mile back to 100%
-1 mile at AHR

SUNDAY January 26
**Please come join a pile of friendly fellow Speedsters and BB folks for 4-5 recovery miles at 6:45am at Greenberry’s

Greetings to you, my wonderful athletes!
 
I already hit you with my uber-long annual message earlier this week, so I’ll keep this very brief:
 
-Kudos to those of you who got out on Wednesday afternoon, after the ice melted a bit, to get in your workout. Looks like great weather for this Wednesday morning.
 
-NEW? Then please get in touch with me BEFORE Wednesday, so I can safely engage you with speed and the right group of folks.
 
-Happy Birthdays to Becky and Kristen Keller (today), Jessica Z. (Monday), Meg C. (Tuesday) and Leah W. (Friday)!
 
I’m looking forward to seeing many of you this Wednesday!      
Coach Mark
434-293-3367
434-962-1694 (text)
 
 
WEEK of JANUARY 13
*Speedsters = ~20-30 miles (~80%AHR/20% faster)
 
MONDAY January 13
***IMPORTANT: Skip the form surges, if you’re prone to hamstring, calf and Achilles issues!
And remember, these are faster surge pickups, not “all-out” sprints.   
 
*Speedsters = 4-6 miles at 75% of 10 miler pace with 5 x 12 second FLAT surface form surges (~110%) with a 48 second slow jog recovery after each.        
 
WEDNESDAY January 15
***Come join us at 5:30am at the UVa track parking lot. The weather is looking great!
 
*Speedsters = “Cameron Crazies” x 5 as follows:
-after your 2 mile warmup (Since we have so many new folks, I’d like for everyone to run the same route so we end up starting the actual workout together: start 2 laps on the track, up Alderman, down Thomson, up Lewis Mountain to Alderman, down Minor to Cameron), meet me over at Cameron Lane (at the corner of Ivy Road and Cameron, directly across from the 7-11).  
-we will start with dynamic drills (at Cameron), then break into specific pace groups      
-follow my arrows around the half mile loop by running “active” on the downhills and by surging hard on the uphills. Focus on form on the ascents, by using your arms and core to lift your knees, as you drive upwards.
-Try to make each half mile loop faster than the previous. No break in between each half mile loop. Use the long downhill coming off Bollingwood onto Cameron as your “recovery” but keep it active (no slow jogging).  
-Cooldown by slowly running back to the track and doing a few very slow laps on the track.   
 
SATURDAY January 18
*Speedsters = 8-12 miles at 75% of 10 miler pace (add 1-2 miles to your most recent long run). Slow and easy!   
Not racing anything longer than 5K this spring? Then run 6-8 miles at 75% of 10 miler pace.
  
SUNDAY January 19
**Please come join a large group of us for 4-5 social miles at 6:45am at Greenberry’s. All paces are welcome!   

The Boston Bound and Speedsters Experiences
Coach Mark’s Annual Message
 
First, a HISTORY LESSON: “Boston Bound” started thirteen years ago, with four folks looking to keep one another company training through the winter for the Boston Marathon and, quite similarly, the “Speedsters” started fifteen years ago with a small group of six like-minded folks, who were looking to run together to train for the 10 Miler. These two groups, had two similar goals in mind: to have company and to get faster.
 
Over the years the groups have grown in size (Speedsters to over 400 athletes and BB to over 250) but the goals remain the same for your coach, as I continue to strive to safely prepare you, my athletes, to get faster and to do it a safe manner, so as to reduce the risk of injury, and in a fun and encouraging way, so you’re motivated to come out each week. And, from day one, the overriding theme has been camaraderie. Creating a weekly environment, where keeping one another company and supporting each other as we journey, as a group, to our personal racing goals have been at the core of these special groups of folks, since the very beginning.
 
So, it’s so much more than just being on our email list to receive my weekly training program.  Boston Bound Captain Harry Landers so often says, “it’s all about showing up and being with one another”. The friendships that have formed out of us “running together” are strong, deep and committed. I always feel it’s best summed up by Kara Williams, one of my longtime athletes, who says: “It’s more about the journey of training together than the actual races”. I couldn’t agree more!
 
Here, in no particular order, are some of the many ways we continue to accomplish all of these  goals in making both the Boston Bound and Speedsters training experiences so rewarding…
 
*Regular PARTICIPATION is the key to not only keeping the Speedster and Boston Bound experiences alive and kicking but also, to helping you continue your goal of improving your fitness level. Plus, much of the research tells us that consistency reduces the risk of injury! We don’t expect you to be at every Wednesday and Saturday group run…hardly anyone is able to do that…but we really do enjoy it when we have a big crowd. Not only is it more fun socially but the odds of having someone to workout with that matches up with your pace zip code, increases dramatically!          
  
*SATURDAY GROUP RUNS: So, in sticking with the Boston Bound and Speedsters mantra of bringing folks together and keeping one another company, our Captains (Harry and Leah), and I would love to have everyone share their Saturday group run locations and starting times with us every Friday by noon. So, everyone who initiates a Saturday group run, is encouraged to please share, with Captain Harry (Boston Bound) and Captain Leah (Speedsters), the location, starting time and pace of your group for that run. This is especially helpful and welcoming to our many NEW folks, who continue to join us throughout the year and who often don’t yet know folks they can run with, just like most of you “veterans” were like when you first joined us. And it goes both ways, as we really want our new folks to join us for as many Wednesday and Saturday (and even Sunday) group runs. The only way to get to know folks and find training partners is to show up.  
 
*MY FOUR Coaching GOALS: 1. To keep you, my athletes, injury free and healthy! 2. To have you look forward to lacing up your running shoes…in other words, to have you really enjoy your training experience! 3. To have your training fit and partner comfortably and peacefully into your very busy lifestyles. So, your running should never stress your life scales!  4. And, my last goal, is to have you attain your actual race pace goal, which, I would argue, you’ll be a lot more successful in achieving if Goals #1, 2 and 3 are met!         
 
*COMMUNICATION: This is one of the single most important facets of any successful group or organization and it’s no different with the Speedsters. Have a new ache or pain? Feeling extra fatigued? Need to move your Saturday long run to Friday or Sunday? Want to share something personal that is impacting your training? Have a question about a Wednesday workout? Want to go over your race pacing with me? NEW to the group and speed and feeling lost? For these and any other reason you need to talk, please get in touch with me, your coach, ASAP. And NO, you are NOT ever bothering me. In fact, it’s just the opposite, as I get frustrated when I find out (usually through someone else telling me because they’ve heard it from you or seen it on social media) well after the fact. Communicating INUJRY issues quickly, is especially important, so please get in touch with me within 24 hours of first experiencing a new pain (one side of the body is the red warning signal). The best way to get in touch with me is either by the Ragged PHONE during the day (434-293-3367), by TEXT anytime (434-962-1694) or, my favorite, IN PERSON. Sorry no email…I’m, like each of you, close to being overwhelmed by the number of emails I already receive. Thanks for understanding and respecting this communication protocol. And thanks for keeping your coach in the loop!    
 
*PERCEIVED EFFORT and your AHR: Your Aerobic Heart Rate is that pace that feels totally comfortable and is the pace you should be running for MOST (usually 75-90% of your total  mileage) of your weekly miles. This “conversational” pace, where you can always talk very comfortably while running, varies as it’s based on your perceived effort. So, being extra tired, running on a very hilly course and/or on a hot and humid day, are all factors that will most certainly slow down your pace. The key is to try your darndest to have your EFFORT always remain the same. Keep working on slowing it way down. This is probably the single hardest task for most of my athletes, as you’ve been previously taught that the “harder you work the better you’ll be”. Here it’s the opposite: the slower you run for your AHR miles the better off you’ll be! And, I’d love to see you use less of your Garmin for pacing and instead run based on your breathing, your effort and, if you have a tool to gauge it, your heart rate, which should be, for this AHR pace, around 135-140.
In my weekly email workouts, in parentheses next to your weekly mileage, I’ll give percentages of how much of your total mileage should be run at AHR and how much is to be run faster than AHR. And, as I keep reminding you, your AHR should be at least 2 minutes slower than your 10 miler pace.  Just keep thinking of all those 5 minute pace marathoners who run the bulk of their weekly mileage at about 8 minute pace! Hmm…
So, think of it this way: the SLOWER you run your AHR miles the less likely you are to be injured and the FITTER you’ll get!  
 
*Knowing your PACES:
AHR = As stated above, should be at least 90 seconds-2 minutes SLOWER than MP and at least  2 minutes slower/mile than 10 mile pace!  
MP = ~90 seconds faster than AHR
HMP = ~20-30 seconds/mile faster than MP
10 mile pace = ~10 seconds/mile faster than HMP
10K pace = ~15 seconds faster than 10 mile pace
5K pace = ~10-15 seconds/mile faster than 10K pace  
2 mile pace = ~10 seconds/mile faster than 5K pace
 
The Boston Bound individual marathon race paces currently range from about 6:15-9:30 mile  and the Speedsters’ individual race paces for the 5K-10 mile race distances currently range from sub six minutes to about 10:00 minutes/mile, so I ask that you please stick to running, both for recovery days and for workouts and long runs, with folks that are in your “pace zip code”! This even goes for warming up on Wednesdays too.
 
*PERCENTAGE of your RACE PACES: Once again, this training cycle, I’ll be continuing to use my son Adrian’s Pace Percentage Calculator, so as to keep you as honest as possible with your pacing, especially, your ever important AHR (Aerobic Heart Rate) paced long runs. This will keep you feeling rested and ready to go on workout and race days and help you to build a deep aerobic engine base. So, AHR pace on your recovery days (Mondays, Thursday and Sundays) and your long Saturday AHR runs I’ll be giving you a suggested percentage of your race goal effort to hit. AHR is around 80% of your MP or about 75% of your 10 miler goal.  I’ll also be doing this for many of your workouts too. Adrian created the calculator to help his Albemarle cross country and track athletes accurately gauge their paces, especially in helping them slow down enough for the brunt of their weekly mileage and now it’s become the same useful tool for my adult distance athletes. All Exercise Physiologist have agreed for years that most distance runners run too fast for most of their weekly mileage, which leads to pre-race fatigue, burn out, inefficient mechanics and injury. Harry and Leah have included the Pace Calculator in this email.    
 
*DAILY CHECKLIST:
-Sleep = 7-8 hours!
-Hydration = 60-80 ounces
-Foam rolling/stretching = every single day, especially your non- running days, when you get extra tight!
-Journaling = record all kinds of things from mileage and pacing to nutrition, sleep and cross training. BUT the single most important thing to note is how you’re feeling! I like a number scale of 1-10, with 1 feeling the worst and 10 feeling great.  
-Core work: at least 3-4 days/week     
 
*SHOES: As awkward as it is for me to talk to you about the importance of your running shoes, it has to make the list as it literally is one of THE single most important components of your training journey. Most recreational runners, like me, who run around 4-5 miles three-four times/week, get around 400 miles of protection from their shoes. But folks training at the level of BB and the Speedsters, because of the extra pounding of the long runs, should be replacing them more like every 300-350 miles! About 40% of the injuries I see are caused by training too many miles on worn out shoes.    
 
*FORM: One of the core concepts in productive, efficient and injury free long-distance running is your form mechanics. Staying off your heels and hitting the middle of your foot first will not only reduce the risk of injury but also help you to run faster. Use the “Nose Over Toes” (engaging your core to run with a very slight three degree lean from your ankles so as to never see your feet hit the g round in front of you) or “30 for 20” (30 strikes/20 seconds for one foot) rules as your mantra.  Confused? Come see me for a personal tutorial.      
 
*HILL and FLAT SURFACE SURGES: At the end of your Monday run, your Wednesday workout and your Saturday long run workout, I’ll have you doing either hill or flat surface surges. These surges are to be run as pickups at a pace that is faster but relaxed. I’d say around 2 mile pace or slightly faster. So, no sprinting and no straining. The purpose is two-fold: 1. to focus on efficient form by using your upper body and core to lift your knees and feet off the ground, so as to effortlessly float you forward or upwards. 2. To keep your fast twitch fibers engaged, while working on your upper body strength. So, it’s actually a form of weight training.
Always make your first of these surges, your slowest, so as to safely ease into them.  
But a huge Warning: if you’re prone to Achilles, calf or hamstring issues, I’d recommend skipping these, especially the hill surges!
 
*YOUR WEEKLY REGIMEN and SPACING: My favorite 5 day/week regimen:
-Monday (3rd longest run) = recovery AHR miles with pace work or short form surges.
-Wednesday (2nd longest run…usually 7-9 miles) = workout day…your fastest day of the week.
-Thursday (shortest day) = short mileage recovery day…possible pool run day.
-Saturday (longest run of the week) = long AHR run or moderately long workout run
-Sunday (shortest day too) = recovery AHR miles or pool run day
 
Running four days? Then I’d recommend skipping the Sunday run.
And with weekly mileage, don’t ever worry about being beyond my suggested amount.
 
*RECOVERY: Close to half the injures I see are due to either running your AHR miles too quickly or not recovering properly. Recovery occurs throughout each week, as you bridge your two “workout” days with MUCH slower AHR days. And it also occurs every fourth week, when I’ll have you cut back your normal weekly by at least 30%. So, if you’ve been averaging 45 miles/week you’ll want to knock it down to about 30 miles on your recovery week.     
 
*WEDNESDAY PROTOCOL: Wednesday is your fastest day of the week and for many, their most enjoyable day. It’s certainly my favorite morning of the week. But it’s also a high-risk day for injury, so I ask that you strictly follow this warmup regimen, so as to stay healthy. First, make sure you warmup at a slow pace with someone (or a group of folks) from your pace zip code (not with someone much faster unless they slow down). During this warmup, mentally go over your workout pace game plan one more time in your head (a well-prepared athlete has their paces and game plan mapped out before workout day…think “Free Solo”). After warming up for 2-3 AHR miles, make sure to do your DYNAMIC drills (no pushing or pulling) on the track or on a flat section of pavement. This is a must! I’ll be going over these dynamic drills in detail for the first few weeks of the season. Immediately after completing these dynamics, listen to my instructions as I divide everyone into smaller groups based on PACE. Then, ease into the actual workout by making your first “repeat”, whether it’s on the track or a fartlek pickup on the road, the slowest of the day. This is what I call your “bridge”, as it safely takes you from your slow warmup to the faster repeats of the actual speed workout. You’ll often hear me say “throw out” the first repeat, which essentially means run the first one (or first part of the first one, like the first 400 of a mile) slower than your targeted pace, so your fibers have a chance to safely ease into the heart of the workout. One of the main goals of every single workout is to “negative split” or progress throughout the workout. In essence, if done properly, the entire workout is a form of “warming up”. Successfully do this and you’ll not only reduce the risk of injury but you’ll also enjoy the workout that much more! And, after you’ve completed the speed section of the workout and the post workout surges, run 1-2 cooldown miles at AHR, as a natural way of stretching your fibers and reducing the risk of soreness the day after.
 
*INCLEMENT WEATHER PROTOCOL: In the case of dangerous footing or driving conditions, like we just had this Tuesday evening, I will have Harry and Leah send out a message to let you know the status of the Wednesday workout.
 
*WEDNESDAY QUESTIONS: And one more important thing about Wednesdays: if you ever have any questions about the workout (Pacing? Length of the workout if you’re coming back from a layoff? How to run the workout? Who should you run with?) please text or call me BEFORE Wednesday morning, so I have the opportunity to give you the thoughtful answer you deserve. Appropriate questions at the Wednesday workout would be things like: “I woke up feeling kind of sick this morning (or I was up all night with a sick child), so what should I do?” or “My calf/Achilles/hamstring feels tight this morning, so what should I do?”. But anything else, please let me address or answer BEFORE Wednesday.  Thanks!                         
 
*CROSS TRAINING: I’m really big on cross training being a part of your weekly regimen but, to stay injury free and for it to be productive, you must select the right form of cross training and correctly fit it into your personal weekly training schedule. The main goal of your cross training is to enhance your running (not make you more tired)!  For my runners, the biggest push for your cross training should be to build upper body strength (core work) and to work on being flexible, while, at the same time, relieving the stress caused by the pounding of land running. So, again, remember: the purpose of cross training is to find the most efficient way to enhance your primary sport activity, which, in your case, is marathon running. Many forms of “cross training” can make you very tired, so they actually work against your primary activity. Fatigue is the enemy of all athletes because it negatively affects your mechanics, which can lead to injury. I’d strongly encourage you to consult with me about your favorite forms of cross training, so I can help you safely fit it into your weekly running routine.   
 
*POOL RUNNING: One of my favorite forms of cross training is getting into the deep end of the pool for some hydra running. Pool running helps in three key ways: It strengthens your core, it gives your joints a total break as its non-weight bearing and the time in the pool counts towards your weekly mileage! Please come see me for a more detailed tutorial on this wonderful form of cross training.
 
****In closing, I’d like for each of us to take stock of just how lucky we are to have each other to train with and to be able to do so in such a beautiful place. This, above all else, is the best thing about our groups and I count my experience with coaching each of you and my friendships with my Boston Bound and Speedster families to be one of the best things in my life.  
 
And we’re so lucky to have the great volunteer services of Harry and Leah, who continue to help us in so many wonderful ways. Thanks, to them for always being there!
  
I’m truly grateful and I can’t wait to share more adventures with all of you, both as your coach and as your friend.
 
Let’s keep enjoying this journey together!               
Coach Mark
434-293-3367
434-962-1694 (text)

Greetings, Speedsters!

Happy 2020 to you, my wonderful athletes!

I have a very long message coming to you later this week, so I’ll keep this very brief.

-We’re back to our regular 5:30am starting time for Wednesday’s this week

-NEW? Then please get in touch with me BEFORE Wednesday morning, so I can get you safely and comfortably engaged with our speed workout group.

-A huge thanks to our running friends at UVa for continuing to turn on the lights and open their beautiful track every morning at 5:30!

-Happy Birthdays to Dan M. (today!), Brian O. (Monday), Sara B. (Monday), Kristin and Becky K. (Sunday)!

I hope to see a bunch of you this Wednesday!
Coach Mark
434-293-3367
434-962-1694 (text)    

WEEK of JANUARY 6, 2020…First week of our next decade together!

***Please note that your AHR should be about 80% of your MP or 75% of your 10 miler pace. Use Adrian’s Pace Calculator to figure out your specific AHR pace.

*Speedsters = ~20-30 miles total (65% AHR/35% faster)

MONDAY January 6
*Speedsters = 4-6 miles at 75% of 10 miler pace with 5 x 10 second flat surface form surges with a 50 second jog in between each.  Fast but relaxed…no sprinting or straining!

WEDNESDAY January 8
***IMPORTANT: Please note that we’re back to our regular 5:30am starting time.
If you’re NEW to the group, we start warming up at 5:30 and usually go for a 2 mile AHR run, then we go straight into our group “dynamics drills” before starting the actual workout (divided into pace groups). Please call or text me before Wednesday so I can go over specifics with you and make sure I get you with the right pace group.  
 
*Speedsters = Thomson-Lewis Mountain circuits as follows: Run down Thomson at ~100-104% of 10 miler pace (keep it relaxed). Turn left at Emmet Street and recover slowly along the sidewalk leading to Lewis Mountain Road. Turn left on Lewis Mountain and run up it by going 20 seconds a fast but relaxed pace (~110%), focusing on using your core to drive your arms and lift l       

SATURDAY January 11
*Speedsters = 7-8 total miles with the middle three miles as a progression run as follows:
-1 mile at 97-98% of 10 mile pace
-2nd mile at 100-101%
-3rd mile faster!
All of the rest of the miles at 75% of 10 mile pace

SUNDAY January 12
**Please come join your coach, and a pile of other folks much more fun than me, for 4-5 social miles at 6:45am at Greenberry’s!  ​

Well, our 60+ lads had a great time up at Lehigh yesterday, as they ran their first XC race ever! Ian, Bob J., Lee, Harry and Scott raced in their new spikes over a totally muddy course ‘enroute to a very impressive 22nd place (out of 41 teams) in their debut race. I’m personally so proud of these guys for not only accomplishing this without getting hurt and for racing so fast but for the way they bounded as a team. Like so many of the relationships I’ve watched form during my forty year coaching journey, this was fun to watch evolve. In this case it was a bunch of baby boomers of all different abilities come together to train, travel, race and bond. And above all else, they had a blast, which makes me so happy!

***IMPORTANT: This will be our last official Wednesday group run of the year (next two weeks, after this one, are holidays) and because I’m hosting a 5K, we will move back our meeting time to 5:30 so as to give folks ample time to warmup, race and then cooldown. I’m hoping that many of you, even those who ran marathons this fall, will come join us for this fast 5K season ending race.

I hope to see you Wednesday.
Cheers!
Coach Mark
434-293-3367
434-962-1694 (text)


WEEK of DECEMBER 16
*Speedsters = Last week of the season! We will not be meeting on 12/25 or on 1/1 but will start back up again on 1/8, to prep for the spring racing season. Speedsters/BB Season Ending 5K this Wednesday! Please note that we will start warming up at 5:30 (not 5:45) this week so as to give folks time to get home and to work.

MONDAY December 16
*Speedsters = 3-5 AHR miles with 4 x 15 second flat surface surges

WEDNESDAY December 18
***Please note that we will be meeting at 5:30 this week to give us enough time for our special 5K.

*Speedsters and all BB folks = Season Ending 5K. I’ve designed and wheeled a course (see attached map) that I hope will be to your liking. It has many descents along the way but there are two hills worth mentioning: one at about a half mile as you climb up to McCormick from Newcomb and another one at about mile 2.4 as you come off Emmet street up the ramp to McCormick. Because the students will all be gone home for the holiday, the roads will be quieter than normal but I’d still like to have you be cautious along the way as you watch out for motorists. I will have arrows marking the route and I will be driving a lead vehicle.

**The JR crew (Just Running) continues to have great representation each week. 5-7 relaxed AHR miles.

SATURDAY December 21
*Speedsters = longer but very relaxed AHR run at a slow 75% of 10 miler pace.


SUNDAY December 22
*Come join us at 6:45am at Greenberry’s for 4-5 social miles and to celebrate Kenny’s birthday (I got it right this time).