Yesterday (Thursday the 9th)we did a challenging workout that we call 3/4 3's. Simply put, the runners do a 1200m run with the pace starting out at what we call "going out" pace and then slowing a bit (about 10"/mi)during each of the next two 400's. Then they went out and ran 2.25 mi at tempo pace and then back for another 1200 at fast, steady pace (close to goal race pace for the season) and then into another 2.25mi at tempo pace and finishing with another 1200, starting at slightly slower than tempo paace and increasing every 400 until the runners are at "going out"pace again.
This workout always challenges freshmen to the max. It is a great race simulation and really provides a mental as well as a physical challenge.
The women ran 800's instead of 1200's and their tempo runs were about 1.25 miles long. The logic of the workout remained the same.
Overall, the workout went well. Our most experienced runners managed to come close to their assigned paces. The same was true for our top female runners. The freshmen really struggled about mid-way through the workout. The ability to finish with a strong 1200 was really tested and it showed us that our freshmen need more work on strength type workouts.
We are going to repeat this workout in 3-4 weeks and I think we'll see a good bit of imporovement in our performances. The weather will be cooler and we'll be more fit and we'll have a couple of 8K races under our belts.
We went easy today - a 35' recoovery run with the last 1200m on one of our grass loops run at race pace. We did a pretty good job on the 1200's today. My hope is that this translates into stronger finishing kicks in our races. We will be in the pool this afternoon - no real workout - just moving around and having some fun.
Tomorrow is another very challenging workout - a 10 mile steady state run for the guys and an 8.6 mi steady state run for the girls. The run will be over what we call "Rough Road" - in deference to a road sign with that printed on it. The road is pretty "rough" out of the 8.6 miles, about 6.5 to 7 or so are uphill to some degree with a very steep hill at the end of the road. We are giving the runners times they may not be able to quite hit on this workout but hope they can run at the end of the season. We always end this run with chocolate milk to replace carbs and provide protein to repair the micro-trauma occurring as a result of the run.
So...Thursday and Saturday are two very challenging sessions that I think will help us a lot at the end of the season. They both take a lot of mental energy - staying focusedf during the run - as well as physical endergy.
Sunday will be a long run - 15 miles for veteran guys, 11 miles for freshman guys, and 10 miles for women.
Monday will be an off day - the 11th day of our training cycle which iw quite often an off day.
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