Week of December 28, 2020

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.