Well, it's almost here. We were beginning to feel that it might never get here but it is race week. 5 more days until our first race week of the season. We had 2 challenging workouts over the weekend and have only one more "hard" workout before our race at Jacksonville State University on 9-4.
We had a good bit of rain over the weekend and it muddied the dirt road we use for some of our longer workouts. The forecast for the week is mostly sunny after Tuesday or Wednesday so, hopefully, the course at JSU will dry out in time for the race. It is a great course - all grass and quite flat and accurately measured - good for fast times and you can leave knowing your time was legit - unlike some courses we have run. Forecast is for cool temps the morning of the race which is also nice.
We had a team meeting last night and began working on race plans with our freshmen runners. They are really excited and I just know they will all take off too fast at the start of their first collegiate race. We discussed it and I warned them and I know they will still go out too hard. That seems to be a rite of passage for freshman runners.
Our workout last Friday went quite well. We used the distance from our 5' maximum effort run and did repeats in 5:45 with 60" rest. All the runners finished 5 repetitions and some managed to do 6. These were run at close to current 10K pace so it was a strong session for them.
Saturday's training was just an easy 30' run with some 100m strides at the end of the session. We ran those at close to 1500m pace and they all seemed to enjoy the feeling of running fast. We cut the mileage short on this day to help our freshmen recover from the hard day before and to rest them up for the really hard session coming up on Sunday. I know their legs appreciated the reduced mileage.
Sunday's run was probably our toughest of the season so far. The guys ran a total of 10 miles and the women ran 7. The men ran a 1-2-1-2-1-2-1. The first and last miles were scheduled to be run at race pace for 10000m. The 2 mile sections were scheduled to be run at tempo pace. The single miles in between the 2 mile sections were scheduled to be run at a comfortable pace. The women had the same type of workout but only ran 2 tempo sections - 1-2-1-2-1.
It had rained a good bit overnight so the road was muddy and slippery. Also, there was some confusion about the workout and when to run tempo and when to run easy. As a result, not all runners ran the workout the way it was designed. The effort was good but the times were not up to what we had set out as goals for the session. In addition to the sloppy footing and confusion (my fault for not making sure everyone was clear on what to do)I think the freshmen's legs were tired from 3 weeks of training that was harder than they were accustomed to. They have been very good about really putting forth a lot of effort so one "off" day seems ok. I am sure they'll do better the next time we do this same workout.
Today's run was 45' easy with 6 x 100m strides at 1500m pace after the run. We try to finish each easy run with a hard 800m-1200m-1600m at race pace, but the loop where we do this was pretty muddy from the rain so we opted to do the strides instead.
Tomorrow is our last hard workout before the race on Saturday. We are going to do 300meter hill repeats on our grass loop. The men will do 15 repeats and the women will do 12repeats. We take an easy jog back around to the bottom of the hill for our recovery.
Wednesday is an easy recovery day and Thursday is an NCAA mandated off day.
We will have an easy shake out run on Friday morning and then travel to JSU in the afternoon to run over the course.
Saturday is race day and we'll see what happens!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
One down, two to go.
We finished one of our last 3 hard workouts before our first race on 9-4. We have 2 more to go before the first race and everyone is getting more and more excited.
Today's session was covering a set distance in 5:45 with one minute rest and completing 4-6 repetitions of the distance. The distance was determined by a 5' all out run during the previous training cycle. The workout went far better than I expected. Each girl did 5 repeats and on only one of them did a runner fail to exceed her goal distance for the 5:45. The men's team had slightly more mixed results with some runners not reaching their goal distance on the more uphill direction of the road where we did the workout. Still, a vast majority of the repeats did exceed the goal distance. All in all, the workout seemed to raise everyone's confidence and more than a few runners commented that they ran faster/farther than they thought they could. It is always good to push the envelope and extend our self-imposed limits.
When we do this workout the next time, we will use the same goal distance but have only 5:30 to complete it. It will be a serious challenge for our group but will also be another opportunity to push their limits and build their confidence.
Tomorrow is a very easy recovery run with a stretching session after the run. We are changing our start time from our usual 5:30 AM to 8 AM - partly as a reward to the group for such a good effort this morning and also to help them rest up for Sunday's formidable session - alternate ones and twos.
Today's session was covering a set distance in 5:45 with one minute rest and completing 4-6 repetitions of the distance. The distance was determined by a 5' all out run during the previous training cycle. The workout went far better than I expected. Each girl did 5 repeats and on only one of them did a runner fail to exceed her goal distance for the 5:45. The men's team had slightly more mixed results with some runners not reaching their goal distance on the more uphill direction of the road where we did the workout. Still, a vast majority of the repeats did exceed the goal distance. All in all, the workout seemed to raise everyone's confidence and more than a few runners commented that they ran faster/farther than they thought they could. It is always good to push the envelope and extend our self-imposed limits.
When we do this workout the next time, we will use the same goal distance but have only 5:30 to complete it. It will be a serious challenge for our group but will also be another opportunity to push their limits and build their confidence.
Tomorrow is a very easy recovery run with a stretching session after the run. We are changing our start time from our usual 5:30 AM to 8 AM - partly as a reward to the group for such a good effort this morning and also to help them rest up for Sunday's formidable session - alternate ones and twos.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Easy today, harder tomorrow
We had a recovery day today - 40' easy on the local golf course and then a final 800 at race pace at our on-campus trails. The 800s were the quickest of the year so far -we are starting to get a bit of turnover in our legs.
In the afternoon we did a series of plank (pillar) exercises and a series of Swiss Ball exercises for the core. We finished with a max out on pushups and pull-ups - all at the Fitness Center in the Student Union Building.
Tomorrow the runners face a challening workout: last cycle they ran 5' all out and tried to cover as much distance as they could during the 5'. This week each runner will run his/her same distane from the 5' test and attempt to cover it in 5:45. We will attempt 4-6 repeats. The factor that makes this workout difficult is that there is only a minute's rest after each repeat. We will do this run a nearby dirt road which is primarily flat with a small rise about midway down the road.
It will be interesting to see how the runners respond to the challenges of this workout. The weather has been cool the past few mornings and it looks like it will be fairly cool tomorrow as well - so that should help a lot.
I'll post the results tomorrow or as soon as I can get to them.
We are just about a week away from our first race of the season - Saturday, Sept 4 -
at Jacksonville State University - about a 3 hour ride from UWA. Everyone is getting pretty excited about it right now. I can't wait to see how our athletes perform and get some information on how to focus their upcoming training.
In the afternoon we did a series of plank (pillar) exercises and a series of Swiss Ball exercises for the core. We finished with a max out on pushups and pull-ups - all at the Fitness Center in the Student Union Building.
Tomorrow the runners face a challening workout: last cycle they ran 5' all out and tried to cover as much distance as they could during the 5'. This week each runner will run his/her same distane from the 5' test and attempt to cover it in 5:45. We will attempt 4-6 repeats. The factor that makes this workout difficult is that there is only a minute's rest after each repeat. We will do this run a nearby dirt road which is primarily flat with a small rise about midway down the road.
It will be interesting to see how the runners respond to the challenges of this workout. The weather has been cool the past few mornings and it looks like it will be fairly cool tomorrow as well - so that should help a lot.
I'll post the results tomorrow or as soon as I can get to them.
We are just about a week away from our first race of the season - Saturday, Sept 4 -
at Jacksonville State University - about a 3 hour ride from UWA. Everyone is getting pretty excited about it right now. I can't wait to see how our athletes perform and get some information on how to focus their upcoming training.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Training Cycle # 2
This is a couple of days late, but here is the schedule for our current training cycle, # 2.
8-23 Billat # 2.
We ran an all out 6' time trial last cycle. We will run 5 repeats that are 1/2 that distance and try to complete them in 3' taking a 3' jog-recovery.
8-24 Easy Recovery run with last 800m at goal pace for the season.
The men will run 50' and the women will run 45'.
8-25 Tempo Run with the first 1000m at goal pace for the season.
The men will run 6 miles and the women will run 5 miles.
8-25 Easy Recovery Run w/last 800m at goal pace for the season.
The men and women will both run 40'
8-27 Astrand Run # 2.
Last cycle we ran an all out 5' run to cover as much distance as possible. We will try to run that same distance 4-6 times and cover it in 5:45 with a 60" rest between repeats.
8-28 Easy Recovery Run with 8 x 100m strides @ 1500m pace.
Men and women will both run 30'.
8-29 Alternating ones and twos.
The men will run 1-2-1-2-1-2-1 and the women will run 1-2-1-2-1.
The first and last miles are at race pace. The two mile segments are at tempo pace. The miles in between the two mile tempo sections are easy, recovery type miles.
8-30 Easy Recovery Run with last 800m at goal pace.
8-31 300m hill repeats on a campus hill
The men will run one easy repeat, one moderate repeat and 13 hard repeats. Recovery is a jog back down the hill.
The women will run one easy repeat, one moderate repeat and 10 hard repeats. Recovery is a jog back down the hill.
9-1 Easy Recovery Run with last 800m at goal pace for the season.
Men will run 45' and women will run 40'.
9-2 OFF DAY
8-23 Billat # 2.
We ran an all out 6' time trial last cycle. We will run 5 repeats that are 1/2 that distance and try to complete them in 3' taking a 3' jog-recovery.
8-24 Easy Recovery run with last 800m at goal pace for the season.
The men will run 50' and the women will run 45'.
8-25 Tempo Run with the first 1000m at goal pace for the season.
The men will run 6 miles and the women will run 5 miles.
8-25 Easy Recovery Run w/last 800m at goal pace for the season.
The men and women will both run 40'
8-27 Astrand Run # 2.
Last cycle we ran an all out 5' run to cover as much distance as possible. We will try to run that same distance 4-6 times and cover it in 5:45 with a 60" rest between repeats.
8-28 Easy Recovery Run with 8 x 100m strides @ 1500m pace.
Men and women will both run 30'.
8-29 Alternating ones and twos.
The men will run 1-2-1-2-1-2-1 and the women will run 1-2-1-2-1.
The first and last miles are at race pace. The two mile segments are at tempo pace. The miles in between the two mile tempo sections are easy, recovery type miles.
8-30 Easy Recovery Run with last 800m at goal pace.
8-31 300m hill repeats on a campus hill
The men will run one easy repeat, one moderate repeat and 13 hard repeats. Recovery is a jog back down the hill.
The women will run one easy repeat, one moderate repeat and 10 hard repeats. Recovery is a jog back down the hill.
9-1 Easy Recovery Run with last 800m at goal pace for the season.
Men will run 45' and women will run 40'.
9-2 OFF DAY
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
UWA Cross Country Rosters
Here are the rosters for the mens'a and women's squads for the 2010 cross country season.
WOMEN
Carolyn Mancuso Junior Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Polina Babkina Sophomore Sochi, Russia
Kelli Hartley Senior Tuscaloosa, AL
Kirstie Lusignan Freshman Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Jessica Gonzalez Junior Columbus, MS
Amy Benoit Junior Ellisville, MS
Anne Enoch Junior Columbianna, AL
Hannah Sharrow Freshman Hoover, AL
MEN
Austin Enriquez Senior Fayetteville, GA
Jonathan Sellers Senior Lithia Springs, GA
Craig Warlick Senior Daphne, AL
Peter Kazery Sophomore Jackson, MS
Camden Holmes Junior Cullman, AL
Evan Lemons Freshman Guntersville, AL
Billy Lane Freshman Pell City, AL
Adam Pierce Freshman Cullman, AL
Miles Bowman Freshman Daphne, AL
Brandon Nelson Freshman Brewton, AL
Josh Griffin Freshman Houston, MS
Cody Lee Freshman Homewood, AL
David Farist Red-Shirt Buford, GA
WOMEN
Carolyn Mancuso Junior Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Polina Babkina Sophomore Sochi, Russia
Kelli Hartley Senior Tuscaloosa, AL
Kirstie Lusignan Freshman Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Jessica Gonzalez Junior Columbus, MS
Amy Benoit Junior Ellisville, MS
Anne Enoch Junior Columbianna, AL
Hannah Sharrow Freshman Hoover, AL
MEN
Austin Enriquez Senior Fayetteville, GA
Jonathan Sellers Senior Lithia Springs, GA
Craig Warlick Senior Daphne, AL
Peter Kazery Sophomore Jackson, MS
Camden Holmes Junior Cullman, AL
Evan Lemons Freshman Guntersville, AL
Billy Lane Freshman Pell City, AL
Adam Pierce Freshman Cullman, AL
Miles Bowman Freshman Daphne, AL
Brandon Nelson Freshman Brewton, AL
Josh Griffin Freshman Houston, MS
Cody Lee Freshman Homewood, AL
David Farist Red-Shirt Buford, GA
Game on!
The 2010 season officially began on Aug 11 with our first training session of the year. We welcomed 13 male and 8 female runners. We were expecting 9 females but one of our prospective athletes decided not to run.
Here is our first training cycle:
1. Tempo run. We ran the first 800m at close to race pace and the rest of the run at tempo pace. The men ran 5 miles and the women ran 4 miles on this run.
2. Easy recovery type run. The men ran 6-8 miles and the women ran 5-6 miles depending upon their summer training levels. The last 800m were run at close to race pace.
3. Billat workout. This entailed a 6' all-out run in which the runners attempted to cover as much distance as possible. After a 5' recovery period, the runners attempted to cover 1/2 of the 6' distance and do it in 3' with a 3' recovery jog. They did 3 repetitions of the 3' intervals.
4. Easy recovery type run. Men were at 6-8 miles and the women ran 5-6 miles. The last 800 was run close to race pace.
5. Steady state run at a nearby dirt road. The road is quite hilly and is 8.3 mi in length. The men ran the entire distance and the women ran 7.3 miles. This is always one of our more challenging training sessions and we handled it quite well for so early in the year.
6. Easy recovery type run. Men and women both ran 40' with no particular distance requirements. They were all pretty tired from the past 5 days and definitely benefitted from a very easy day. We fnished with 6 strides of 100m on a grass football field.
7. Astrand workout. The athletes ran 5' all out and tried to cover as much distance as they could. After a 5' jog-rest, they ran the same distance as they covered in the 5' test and tried to cover it in 6:00. They had 30" recovery and repeated the runs for a total of 5 times.
8. Easy recovery type run. 40' for both men and women. They ran this run a good bit quicker than the previous 40' recovery run. I think they are starting to get their legs under them.
9. 300m repeats on a campus hill. The men did 1 easy hill run, 2 medium hill runs and 9 very hard repeats. The recovery was a jog back to the bottom of the hill. The women did 1 easy hill run, 1 medium hill run and 8 very hard repeats. This was one of our very best workouts so far. Everyone seemed in good spirits and were encouraging one another the whole time. Good team spirit today for sure.
10. Easy recovery day. 40' for both men and women. We did 6 light sprints afterwards and everyone looked quick and light footed. The runners look confident and eager to do well.
11. Long Run. We stayed on campus and ran on all of our various loops and trails and through town. The men ran 2 hours, or 90' or 75 minutes depending upon their mileage levels. The women all ran 75'.
12. OFF DAY
In the afternoons (Mon through Fri) we did core work, strength work, plyometrics and flexibility work. This did, of course, lead to a certain amount of soreness, but that seemed to have pretty much abated by the end of the training cycle. Lots of swimming probably helped a lot with that.
Overall, the first training cycle went quite well. Times were well advanced over those from other seasons, even with many of our incoming freshmen. Attitudes were quite good. The teams seem to have bonded quite well, with lots of laughing and good natured teasing going on - even though it hasn't been two weeks yet. We did have a few health issues - one sinus infection, one sore throat, one tight calf and one case of plantar fascitis, none of which proved to be very serious.
I left the first training cycle feeling optimistic about both of our squads' chances of having a successful season. If we can maintain the same team spirit and motivation, it could be one of the best seasons we have had in a long time.
Here is our first training cycle:
1. Tempo run. We ran the first 800m at close to race pace and the rest of the run at tempo pace. The men ran 5 miles and the women ran 4 miles on this run.
2. Easy recovery type run. The men ran 6-8 miles and the women ran 5-6 miles depending upon their summer training levels. The last 800m were run at close to race pace.
3. Billat workout. This entailed a 6' all-out run in which the runners attempted to cover as much distance as possible. After a 5' recovery period, the runners attempted to cover 1/2 of the 6' distance and do it in 3' with a 3' recovery jog. They did 3 repetitions of the 3' intervals.
4. Easy recovery type run. Men were at 6-8 miles and the women ran 5-6 miles. The last 800 was run close to race pace.
5. Steady state run at a nearby dirt road. The road is quite hilly and is 8.3 mi in length. The men ran the entire distance and the women ran 7.3 miles. This is always one of our more challenging training sessions and we handled it quite well for so early in the year.
6. Easy recovery type run. Men and women both ran 40' with no particular distance requirements. They were all pretty tired from the past 5 days and definitely benefitted from a very easy day. We fnished with 6 strides of 100m on a grass football field.
7. Astrand workout. The athletes ran 5' all out and tried to cover as much distance as they could. After a 5' jog-rest, they ran the same distance as they covered in the 5' test and tried to cover it in 6:00. They had 30" recovery and repeated the runs for a total of 5 times.
8. Easy recovery type run. 40' for both men and women. They ran this run a good bit quicker than the previous 40' recovery run. I think they are starting to get their legs under them.
9. 300m repeats on a campus hill. The men did 1 easy hill run, 2 medium hill runs and 9 very hard repeats. The recovery was a jog back to the bottom of the hill. The women did 1 easy hill run, 1 medium hill run and 8 very hard repeats. This was one of our very best workouts so far. Everyone seemed in good spirits and were encouraging one another the whole time. Good team spirit today for sure.
10. Easy recovery day. 40' for both men and women. We did 6 light sprints afterwards and everyone looked quick and light footed. The runners look confident and eager to do well.
11. Long Run. We stayed on campus and ran on all of our various loops and trails and through town. The men ran 2 hours, or 90' or 75 minutes depending upon their mileage levels. The women all ran 75'.
12. OFF DAY
In the afternoons (Mon through Fri) we did core work, strength work, plyometrics and flexibility work. This did, of course, lead to a certain amount of soreness, but that seemed to have pretty much abated by the end of the training cycle. Lots of swimming probably helped a lot with that.
Overall, the first training cycle went quite well. Times were well advanced over those from other seasons, even with many of our incoming freshmen. Attitudes were quite good. The teams seem to have bonded quite well, with lots of laughing and good natured teasing going on - even though it hasn't been two weeks yet. We did have a few health issues - one sinus infection, one sore throat, one tight calf and one case of plantar fascitis, none of which proved to be very serious.
I left the first training cycle feeling optimistic about both of our squads' chances of having a successful season. If we can maintain the same team spirit and motivation, it could be one of the best seasons we have had in a long time.
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