January 10, 2021

This was a week like no other, yet, despite the horrific and unimaginable things we witnessed, in many ways, I feel like we are now an even stronger and closer community than we were before Wednesday. I actually sense that we’re moving forward with strengthened, not weakened, bonds and I find myself, not only taking stock of the freedoms our democracy affords us, but also having an even deeper appreciation for my family and the wonderful people in our community. And I count you, my awesome athletes and friends, among those blessings. Thank you for being such a strong and positive force in my life! Let’s keep moving forward together.

It was so great to see so many of you enjoying the beautiful 5K course out at Foxfield yesterday and many of you had excellent races. I must say that it seems like you all are getting used to racing on grass and your positive attitude, about this new surface, really makes your coach happy! And once again, my rough guess is that you’re adding about 20-30 seconds/mile versus a similar terrained road course.

A huge thanks to our volunteers who helped make it happen like Dr Wilder, Deb, Leah, Audrey, Marti’, Katie P., Rick W., Adele P., John, Scott and Sid W., Tim W. and Craig! And a big round of applause to our friends at Foxfield!

So, the NYD5K was the first of our RaceFest series and many of our folks racked up a pile of points right out of the starting blocks! To remind you, this is how it works: 5 points for crossing the finish line. 3 points for first in your age group, 2 points for second in your age group and 1 pint for 3rd. Then an extra 3 points for first overall, 2 points for 2nd overall and 1 point for 3rd overall. So, here’s a small sampling of point tallies, after the first race, from some of our folks who had very impressive outings:

Andrea W. - 10 points (5 for participation + 3 for 1st in age group + 2 for 2nd overall)
Ashley T- 9
Kathleen B. - 8
Jeffrey P - 8
Bonnie W. - 8
Suzanna T - 8
Jason B. - 8
Bob J. - 8
Linda S. - 8
Chris B. - 8
Michael G. - 8
Becky B - 8
Harry L.- 7
Dan M- 7
Megan M- 7
Emily V - 7
Karen D.J. - 7
Melissa B. - 6
Bill P. - 6
George R. - 6
Jerri E. - 6

Next race in the RaceFest series is the “Frostbite Four Miler” out at Sugar Hollow on February 6. Stay tuned for details…

I’m still working on my annual long message and hopefully will be getting it to you sometime this week. In the meantime, please call on me with any training questions or any new aches or pains.

NEW? Confused? Feeling lost? Don’t understand my workouts? Then please text me or stop by ASAP. I’m really happy to help!

Happy Birthdays to Kristen and Becky K. (Tuesday), Jessica Z. (Wednesday), Meg C. (Thursday), Mark F. (Friday) and Leah W. (next Sunday)!

I hope to see you in the coming days.

Let’s keep this going!

Mark

WEEK of JANUARY 11
*Speedsters RF (those looking to participate in some or all of the RaceFest series, including the 10 Miler) = 26-33 miles total

​*Speedsters HM (those wishing to race the Rivanna Half Marathon and other shorter races along the way) = 30-36 miles total

MONDAY January 11
*Speedsters RF = 4-5 miles at AHR with 6 x 15 second hill surges (not sprints!) focusing on your upper body form. Take a 45 second slow recovery in between each.

*Speedsters HM = 5-6 miles at AHR with 6 x 15 second hill surges (no sprinting!) focusing on upper body form. Take a 45 second slow recovery in between each

WEDNESDAY January 13
**SPARTAN time! I’d suggest the track at CHS, AHS or WAHS. For your half mile “offs”:
-At CHS it’s roughly a half mile to come off the track and go up to and around the first big circle behind the school and back again.
-At WAHS you can come off the track and go up the driveway to the entrance and back again.
-At AHS, come off the track and run around the school until you come out onto Lambs Road, where you turn left. Run down Lambs Road for about 50 meters and turn around and come back.

***IMPORTANT: use my son Adrian’s Pace Calculator to figure out your paces.
https://www.albemarlexc.com/coach-lorenzoni-s-calculator

*Speedsters RF = Spartan as follows:
-1600 on the track at 98-100% of 10 mile pace
-half mile off at 93% of 10 mile pace
-1200 on at 102-104%
-half mile off at 93% or faster
-800 on at 104-107% or faster
-half mile off at 93% or faster
-400 on at a fast but relaxed pace!

*Speedsters HM = Spartan as follows:
-1600 on the track at 98-100% of 10 mile pace (10 mile pace is about 10 second/mile faster than HMP
-half mile off at 93% of 10 mile pace
-1200 on the track at 102-104%
-half mile off at 93%
-800 on at 104-106%
-half mile off at 93% or faster
-400 on at 107-110%
-half mile off at 93% or faster
-200 on at a fast but relaxed pace!

SATURDAY January 16
*Speedsters RF = 10-13 miles at AHR on a rolling to hilly course
*Speedsters HM = 12-14 miles at AHR on a rolling to hilly course