Nate will be at Captain's practice this week. Will you? We are down to three weeks of summer training before practice starts. It's time to get serious.
If you are not attending the Tuesday / Thursday AM practices, you should be doing some sort of quicker running twice a week (in addition to continuing to lengthen your long run each week). The quicker running does not have to be at repetition pace (mile race pace) or interval pace (5K race pace), but there are many ways to add some faster running:
- tempo runs: start with 10-12 minutes (or less for younger runners) and work up to as much as 3 miles at tempo pace, which is 25-30 seconds per mile slower than 5K race pace.
- enter a race: it's not wise to race too often during the summer, but you should not enter the season without knowing your current 5K race pace, either. There are still many fun races to choose from this summer.
- fartlek runs: the options here are innumerable. You can run hard / easy for a set period of time, a set distance, or some other trigger (4 mailboxes or 3 telephone poles). The times and distances can be the same, or they can vary with each iteration. If you are running with others, you can take turn leading for a few minutes of mixing up the pace.
- cruise intervals: these are traditional intervals (can be as short as 400m, or as long as a mile), but you run them slower (i.e. tempo pace), with much less recovery (perhaps 60-90 seconds after a mile, down to 15-30 seconds after a 400).
Those of you that are attending the running camp are getting samples of many of these items.
Many runners on the team are putting the work in now, that will pay big dividends during the season. If you have not started, that's not ideal, but it's not too late. Getting out the door is the hardest part - don't let that be what stops you!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Summer XC Series
I just received an e-mail from my running club (Genesee Valley Harriers), regarding the 15th annual Summer Cross Country Series. It is run on Thursday nights at Cobbs Hill Park (just off 490 at Culver Rd in Rochester). The dates are July 31 and August 7, 14, 21. In my opinion, it would be OK to miss a night of XC Camp, in order to jump in one of these races.
Note that August 14th is High School Nite - Awards are given to the top Top 10 M & F H.S. runners.
The entry form, with additional information is available from the GVH web site.
Note that August 14th is High School Nite - Awards are given to the top Top 10 M & F H.S. runners.
The entry form, with additional information is available from the GVH web site.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Jungle Jog
I wasn't planning on doing the Jungle Jog, so I didn't play it up for y'all, which turned out to be a good thing. The positives were that it was a Rochester Runner of the Year race, ensuring a good turnout; it included a jaunt thru the zoo during the race; and it fit in nicely ahead of Chlesea's grad party. Since grandpa and uncle Tim were running, I decided to head up. Zach and Luke were excited to try their first 5K and 1-mile races, respectively.
The negatives were too plentiful: my calf was too sore to race; there was thunder just before the race and a downpour just after the start; the timing system was messed; there was a stretch through the zoo parking lot, that had no course markings whatsover - everyone made up their own course; and they started the 1 mile fun run 7 minutes too early. There are many races from which to choose, I don't race nearly as ofter as I did in the past - what's the likelihood that I will return?
So, what lessons are there to be learned?
First, I am a wuss who relies on rationalization. If I'm not well enough to race, I am not well enough to run along with Zach and Luke. Conversely, if I was well enough to run with the boys, I should have been well enough to race. In this case, don't "Be Like Mike".
Second, race organizers cannot get away with "phoning it in", even after several years of successful (?) race management. There were too many blown details for it to just be a bad day. Perhaps most runners don't expect better organization, and this race will not suffer in future years, but for me, one bad experience will tend to make me check out another race instead.
Third, we can learn from the failure of the timing system. There is planning and there is execution. Execution errors are going to happen (time pressure, uncontrollable variables, human error, etc.); the planning has to cover the contingencies. They had a fancy electronic system, with wires in the race numbers. And a fancy backup system where a guy manually waved a wand-ish device over the numbers to capture the data. And the results were wrong. Where was the manual backup system - someone just writing down numbers in the order of finish? I love computers. At our US Orienteering Champs meet a couple of months ago, we had a fancy electronic timing system. And we had a backup computer-automated timing system, but we also had a manual pencil and paper system ready, just in case.
Fourth, we can learn from Luke's (well, my) error. They started his race 7 minutes early, with no announcement, but did we have to miss the start? No, we could have wandered by the starting line ahead of time, and perhaps noticed everyone getting ready to go. Instead, we were worried about trying to stay dry, and did so from a spot without a vantage point to the starting line. We lost focus of the race, momentarily, and paid the price.
So, this post is about preparation. It was lacking on the part of the race organizers, it was lacking on the part of the race timers and it was lacking on my part. I cannot control the first two, but I cannot allow the last. Please, be prepared for races this fall. And the way to do that is through practice. So, be prepared for practices this fall.
The negatives were too plentiful: my calf was too sore to race; there was thunder just before the race and a downpour just after the start; the timing system was messed; there was a stretch through the zoo parking lot, that had no course markings whatsover - everyone made up their own course; and they started the 1 mile fun run 7 minutes too early. There are many races from which to choose, I don't race nearly as ofter as I did in the past - what's the likelihood that I will return?
So, what lessons are there to be learned?
First, I am a wuss who relies on rationalization. If I'm not well enough to race, I am not well enough to run along with Zach and Luke. Conversely, if I was well enough to run with the boys, I should have been well enough to race. In this case, don't "Be Like Mike".
Second, race organizers cannot get away with "phoning it in", even after several years of successful (?) race management. There were too many blown details for it to just be a bad day. Perhaps most runners don't expect better organization, and this race will not suffer in future years, but for me, one bad experience will tend to make me check out another race instead.
Third, we can learn from the failure of the timing system. There is planning and there is execution. Execution errors are going to happen (time pressure, uncontrollable variables, human error, etc.); the planning has to cover the contingencies. They had a fancy electronic system, with wires in the race numbers. And a fancy backup system where a guy manually waved a wand-ish device over the numbers to capture the data. And the results were wrong. Where was the manual backup system - someone just writing down numbers in the order of finish? I love computers. At our US Orienteering Champs meet a couple of months ago, we had a fancy electronic timing system. And we had a backup computer-automated timing system, but we also had a manual pencil and paper system ready, just in case.
Fourth, we can learn from Luke's (well, my) error. They started his race 7 minutes early, with no announcement, but did we have to miss the start? No, we could have wandered by the starting line ahead of time, and perhaps noticed everyone getting ready to go. Instead, we were worried about trying to stay dry, and did so from a spot without a vantage point to the starting line. We lost focus of the race, momentarily, and paid the price.
So, this post is about preparation. It was lacking on the part of the race organizers, it was lacking on the part of the race timers and it was lacking on my part. I cannot control the first two, but I cannot allow the last. Please, be prepared for races this fall. And the way to do that is through practice. So, be prepared for practices this fall.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Dirt Cheap
That's the title of a fun trail race series in Rochester this summer. The next version is this Wednesday, July 16th at Mendon Ponds Park - 6:30pm start. Full details are available at their web site. Kenny, Nate and I ran the last race in the series, and enjoyed it (and Kenny was 9th out of 128 overall). If you are a true XC runner, I'm sure you'll enjoy it, too. $10 gets you the race, plus food afterwards - a real bargain these days.
See you there!
See you there!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Less Than 16 weeks
For those of you that don't think Cross Country is a short season, think about this: Sectionals is 16 weeks from yesterday! We don't start official practices for 5 weeks, and many team members will have their last race at the County Meet, making for a 10 week season.
That's why it is imperative that the team comes to Day 1 of practice with a solid base. Many of you are getting out regularly; keep it up! Some of you have been inconsistent; now is the time to get going. Call a friend and make an appointment to get out the door together.
Cross Country camp begins this Tuesday. I hope you are all signed up. It's very difficult to put in a top performance in the fall without a solid summer. XC camp is a great way to get in some good work, with minimal anguish. I hope to see you all there.
That's why it is imperative that the team comes to Day 1 of practice with a solid base. Many of you are getting out regularly; keep it up! Some of you have been inconsistent; now is the time to get going. Call a friend and make an appointment to get out the door together.
Cross Country camp begins this Tuesday. I hope you are all signed up. It's very difficult to put in a top performance in the fall without a solid summer. XC camp is a great way to get in some good work, with minimal anguish. I hope to see you all there.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Nate Sightings
Nate has shown up, both in results and in photos.
He was at a training camp this past week, and it included 5 days of competition in the evenings, after training in the mornings. The results (of the first 4 days, so far) are available here. The site is in Swedish, so it can be tricky to find the results, but look under Tyr-Nyheter (Tyr News?) and there will be links to the various Etapp (day) results. You might have to click Las mer (more?) and another link to get to the Tyrarrangemang page, which has the results.
His photo has shown up on the Junior Sweden trip blog, so we know he is still in one piece (as of a couple of days ago).
So, Nate is training hard. Are you?
He was at a training camp this past week, and it included 5 days of competition in the evenings, after training in the mornings. The results (of the first 4 days, so far) are available here. The site is in Swedish, so it can be tricky to find the results, but look under Tyr-Nyheter (Tyr News?) and there will be links to the various Etapp (day) results. You might have to click Las mer (more?) and another link to get to the Tyrarrangemang page, which has the results.
His photo has shown up on the Junior Sweden trip blog, so we know he is still in one piece (as of a couple of days ago).
So, Nate is training hard. Are you?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Strides
Do them!
Do them often!
I would suggest that strides should be done after your easy runs, at a minimum, 3-4 days a week. Barefoot on a quality soccer/football field is my favorite method. There are dozens of different ways to do strides, so go with your preferences and mix things up. I'll cover some suggestions below. Feel free to comment, to let others gain different perspectives.
100m is a typical distance, but feel free to go slightly longer or shorter, or go by time: 20-25 seconds is a decent range for most of you. 8 to 10 strides is a nice range for most of you to shoot for, but start with 4 to 6 and work up. Some things to think about:
1) Form - shoulders over hips, arms parallel to direction of travel (not crossing the body), legs doing the work and upper body relaxed, along for the ride.
2) Turnover - EVERYONE on the team would benefit from faster turnover during races; use the strides to practice quick turnover: pretend you are running on egg shells (light ground strikes) or hot coals (quickness). You will feel the different leg muscles being stressed as you do this.
3) Speed - these are not sprints; however, you should build your speed during the first third of the stride, have high speed during the middle third, and wind it back down during the final third.
4) Visualize - imagine you're in the middle of a race, or getting ready for the final sprint; imagine the race is Counties or Sectionals or the Olympics! Get positive feelings about the hard effort being very comfortable - you can draw on those feelings later, during a race.
Strides seem unimportant, but they can change your leg strength and quickness, and make you a stronger and more efficient runner.
Do them often!
I would suggest that strides should be done after your easy runs, at a minimum, 3-4 days a week. Barefoot on a quality soccer/football field is my favorite method. There are dozens of different ways to do strides, so go with your preferences and mix things up. I'll cover some suggestions below. Feel free to comment, to let others gain different perspectives.
100m is a typical distance, but feel free to go slightly longer or shorter, or go by time: 20-25 seconds is a decent range for most of you. 8 to 10 strides is a nice range for most of you to shoot for, but start with 4 to 6 and work up. Some things to think about:
1) Form - shoulders over hips, arms parallel to direction of travel (not crossing the body), legs doing the work and upper body relaxed, along for the ride.
2) Turnover - EVERYONE on the team would benefit from faster turnover during races; use the strides to practice quick turnover: pretend you are running on egg shells (light ground strikes) or hot coals (quickness). You will feel the different leg muscles being stressed as you do this.
3) Speed - these are not sprints; however, you should build your speed during the first third of the stride, have high speed during the middle third, and wind it back down during the final third.
4) Visualize - imagine you're in the middle of a race, or getting ready for the final sprint; imagine the race is Counties or Sectionals or the Olympics! Get positive feelings about the hard effort being very comfortable - you can draw on those feelings later, during a race.
Strides seem unimportant, but they can change your leg strength and quickness, and make you a stronger and more efficient runner.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
4th of July
I see that at least three Webster Distance Runners raced on the 4th of July. Here are the age group results of the Firecracker 5 Miler in Perinton. Kenny and Sarah both participated - it looks like Sarah ran with her old man, and Kenny got in a nice workout.
A few hours earlier, Nate competed in his second JWOC spectator race in Sweden, turning in a very fine performance in the H16 category, after having one big error (scroll down to Nate and see leg #4) a day earlier in the open men's (H21) race (he entered open because it was on the same course as the Junior World Middle Distance Champs).
A few hours earlier, Nate competed in his second JWOC spectator race in Sweden, turning in a very fine performance in the H16 category, after having one big error (scroll down to Nate and see leg #4) a day earlier in the open men's (H21) race (he entered open because it was on the same course as the Junior World Middle Distance Champs).
Friday, July 4, 2008
Long Runs
As the weekend approaches, this is a good time to remind everyone that the focus of this segment of our training plan is to get out the door regularly and gradually increase the length of the long run. Here are some thoughts on the long runs.
Distance or Time? Well, in the end it doesn't really matter, but I'd like the varsity contenders to think about distance, and the rookies to think about time. Going by time allows you to worry less about pace, and just focus on increasing the duration of your runs. I think it is also less intimidating to say "I'll just run five minutes longer than last week", than to say "I'll run 10 miles". For the veterans, I think a good goal is to work up to 12-13 miles, however long that may take.
How far? A good rule of thumb is that your long run should be no more than 30% of your weekly mileage, so if you are running a 30 mile week, it is OK to include a 9-miler, max. I think high school runners should be slightly more conservative than that (perhaps 1 mile less than the rule would say). Another very important rule of thumb is to increase the length of the long run by no more than 1 mile per week (and let's make that 5 minutes for rookies).
How fast? SLOW! Your long runs should be done at a pace that is about 1:45 or even 2 minutes per mile slower than your current 5K race pace. This will feel quite slow, especially early in the run, but avoid the urge to run faster. This means that you should run with someone who is at your current 5K speed, not go with Nico and Kenny (et al) for as long as you can.
One last piece of advice: use the long runs to run somewhere you haven't. I like to be able to go even farther away by making it a one way run (e.g. I may run to Zach's soccer game, then catch a ride home). Or, if you're on vacation, a long run allows you to explore more of the vacation area than you would have by walking around, or doing the usual touristy stuff.
Enjoy those long runs!
Distance or Time? Well, in the end it doesn't really matter, but I'd like the varsity contenders to think about distance, and the rookies to think about time. Going by time allows you to worry less about pace, and just focus on increasing the duration of your runs. I think it is also less intimidating to say "I'll just run five minutes longer than last week", than to say "I'll run 10 miles". For the veterans, I think a good goal is to work up to 12-13 miles, however long that may take.
How far? A good rule of thumb is that your long run should be no more than 30% of your weekly mileage, so if you are running a 30 mile week, it is OK to include a 9-miler, max. I think high school runners should be slightly more conservative than that (perhaps 1 mile less than the rule would say). Another very important rule of thumb is to increase the length of the long run by no more than 1 mile per week (and let's make that 5 minutes for rookies).
How fast? SLOW! Your long runs should be done at a pace that is about 1:45 or even 2 minutes per mile slower than your current 5K race pace. This will feel quite slow, especially early in the run, but avoid the urge to run faster. This means that you should run with someone who is at your current 5K speed, not go with Nico and Kenny (et al) for as long as you can.
One last piece of advice: use the long runs to run somewhere you haven't. I like to be able to go even farther away by making it a one way run (e.g. I may run to Zach's soccer game, then catch a ride home). Or, if you're on vacation, a long run allows you to explore more of the vacation area than you would have by walking around, or doing the usual touristy stuff.
Enjoy those long runs!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
OK, I've Had My Break
And it looks like many of you have had yours. Now it's time to get to work. Most of the big boys were at the Tuesday AM workout at Schroeder, but we want EVERYONE there, boy or girl, big or little! Also, I hear the captain's practices are underway. Contact AB, Kenny, Hannah or Alaina for details.
I'm going to have to institute a "no TV until I've posted" rule for myself (of course I'm saying this just before I leave town for the weekend, with unknown internet connectivity, since I did not make the hotel reservations - rule #1: ensure free internet). Speaking of TV - be sure to check out the Olympic Trial coverage that is underway USA Network is showing some during the week and I believe NBC is taking over for the weekend. There were some awesome races on Monday night - the men's 800 is one of the better races I've seen, including a guy diving for the 3rd and final spot on the Olympic team.
Enough reading - go run!
I'm going to have to institute a "no TV until I've posted" rule for myself (of course I'm saying this just before I leave town for the weekend, with unknown internet connectivity, since I did not make the hotel reservations - rule #1: ensure free internet). Speaking of TV - be sure to check out the Olympic Trial coverage that is underway USA Network is showing some during the week and I believe NBC is taking over for the weekend. There were some awesome races on Monday night - the men's 800 is one of the better races I've seen, including a guy diving for the 3rd and final spot on the Olympic team.
Enough reading - go run!
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