Day 3

-
January 3, 2012

With an indoor track meet looming this weekend, it was my job to give the kids a workout to help them succeed. I was glad for an indoor practice (blustery and frigid outside) but knew this one would hurt. (I think it's important that I never ask the kids to do something I am not willing to do.) I arrived at the track early. I sometimes prefer to run the workout and suffer alone. This also frees me up to actually "coach" as the kids tackle the task.

With an emphasis on alternate foot breathing every fifth step, consciously lowering shoulders upon exhale and running in stealth mode (no clunky steps), the workout followed a one mile easy run and ended with another easy mile. Here's how it looked:

- 1 mile warmup- easy
- 6 x 600 m at a perceived effort of 8/10
- Immediate active recovery 200m jog after each 600m followed by the next 600m upon reaching the start line
- 1 mile recovery run

Total miles: 5 miles

Comments

Kelly said…
Thank you - this is very helpful to read an example workout. This is one I need to try out!
January 3, 2012 at 9:39 PM
Rebekah Trittipoe said…
Glad to be of help. I am coaching the kids for races 1000m - 3200m for indoor track so it's a bit different from training for ultras. But, the work on faster running is very helpful for overall fitness for me (and proves how slow I have gotten). :(
January 4, 2012 at 10:29 AM
Rick Gray said…
Glad to see you have the jog rest between each 600. Much better than standing and pacing around or even walking to the next starting point. That will certainly build their stamina (and yours!).
January 4, 2012 at 2:13 PM
Rebekah Trittipoe said…
There's good research to prove that active recovery is much better than just grabbing knees or standing around.
January 4, 2012 at 7:16 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When good results disappoint

-
Image
"If you don't find something you can fix, I will be greatly disappointed," I stated matter-of-factly to my cardiologist. And I was serious. Dead serious. I was laying in my hospital bed waiting to be wheeled into the cath lab to get a clear picture of what was happening--or not happening--inside those skinny little coronary arteries. If he did not find something to stent, like he did five years ago, my symptoms would have no chance of being validated. I will spare you all the details, but my running has really taken a dive over the last few months. The group of women I run with can be chatting it up having a great time, only to unintentionally pull away and leave me eating their dust. I try to keep up but it's like my engine is throttled back by a governor, heart rate zooming upwards to no avail. I simply can't go. I feel my chest tighten and throat close. I have to walk. I hate being the anchor. Lately, I make excuses to why I can not join them on those long Satu
Read more

666 miles of Hell(gate)

-
Image
"Last verse, same as the first." In same ways, yes. My last race was the same as my first: I started. I finished. But in many ways, there's no comparison. It took ten finishes and 666 miles  of the devilish Hellgate 100K race to figure it out. The brainchild of Dr. David Horton, the Hellgate 100k+ (actually 66.6 miles) always begins at one minute after midnight on the second Saturday of December. The race has garnered a near cult-following, many hopeful entrants turned away. Those rewarded a cherished spot must earn Horton's approval as a worthy candidate. It is he who judges an applicant's toughness and ability to cover the rocky, mountainous real estate between the start and finish lines. But even so, the chosen few are never guaranteed a finish. What they are promised is a night and a day of unpredictable weather, trail conditions, and a barrage of self-doubt somewhere along the forest path. I was forty-five when I sold my soul to the trail devils. N
Read more

Failure or transition? Or, maybe both?

-
Image
Here's the abbreviated version. I started the YETI 100 miler, determined to live out the statement by a friend battling cancer: "Don't you want to know what happens if you don't give up?". I never found out what would happen because I gave up--quit--threw in the towel--at mile 64. Let's not sugar-coat it. I failed. Big time. I am not proud of it. Please don't tell me I'm still a winner for having started. Please don't tell me you don't even like to drive that far. Such platitudes are not helpful. Happy at mile 34 The race didn't start off badly. I felt comfortable running the first 13 miles of the slightly downhill old railroad grade of the Virginia Creeper Trail. The chilly air encouraged a consistent pace, crossing over multitudes of old railroad trestles spiffed up for recreation purposes. When the grade became flat, I wisely heeded the advice of friends who had previously done this race. Be sure to take walk breaks. So I did. Progre
Read more