Sunday, January 22, 2012

Week of 1/23/12 - 1/29/12

Congratulations to Keith and Peter, who placed 3rd and 5th overall in the 2011 racePacket Grand Prix Series.  The racePacket Grand Prix Series brings together a group of quality races to allow runners to compete at a variety of distances throughout the year.  The series helps to determine how runners compare to age-group peers, in an objective head-to-head contest.   Way to go guys!

Workouts for this week:
  • Monday 1/23/12 - Wide Progression Run on TM or Outside (NO TRACK - it's icy!)
    • Easy Program - Warm Up, 4 Mile Progression Run, Cool Down
    • Hard Program - Warm Up, 6 Mile Progression Run, Cool Down
      • Pacing - First mile should be around 90-120 seconds slower than your 5K pace, gradually picking up each mile.  Final mile will be within 30 seconds or less of your 5K race pace.
      • Accelerate very gradually throughout the entire run at what feels comfortable.  The idea is to pick up speed without really being aware of it and to maintain a constant/smooth stride, no sudden acceleration at arbitrary points.  Don't check your watch frequently (once every mile or two is fine), if doing on a treadmill cover the speed and add 1/10 or more as you progress.
  • Tuesday 1/24/12 - n/a
  • Wednesday 1/25/12 - 6:30pm group track workout at Chantilly HS *CANCELLED*
  • Thursday 1/26/12 - n/a
  • Friday 1/27/12 - n/a
  • Saturday 1/28/12 - 8:00am at W&OD trail Vienna
  • Sunday 1/29/12 - n/a

Happy training, 

Holly

6 comments:

  1. Thanks to everyone for the comments and running advice lately. I ran the 4 mile workout on the treadmill today

    Peter, the last mile was rough but I tried your technique of thinking I've definitely felt this way before and got through it... it worked.

    Holly/Kelly/George, thanks for the stride advice. The whole time I just focused on my feet, trying my best to mid-strike (or as Holy said, slapping my foot like a horse), and I made it through without the leg pain.

    Also, great article in the Feb Runner's World: "My Sweaty Little Secret" (pg 40), describes the feeling I had after running 10 miles, and how my "friends" at work won't go running with me anymore.

    See y'all Saturday

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  2. Justin, that's very good news. No pain definitely makes a run more tolerable.

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  3. Hey Justin... I think that was George talking about the horse. Saturday was the first time I had heard that, and I remember thinking it was pretty funny. Glad that changing the foot strike helped a bit!

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  4. Justin,

    I've been able to transition to a midfoot/forefoot strike over time. I think as you pick up your speed you'll notice that it forces you forward onto your forefoot. The other thing that really helped me was switching to a shoe with less of a heel. I'm running in the Saucony Kinvara and Mirage, adidas Hagio and Nike Lunar racer and have little trouble maintaining midfoot/forefoot strike in these shoes. If I get a shoe with 8mm or more of a heel difference compared to the forefoot I find it harder to maintain midfoot/forefoot striking. The Brooks "pure" shoes, NB "minimus," and Newtons are others that I've seen people wearing . If you can make the transition you'll notice you'll absorb shock better and feel less beat up after a run. You'll also probably notice your speed improve at a faster rate. Also, run on a slight incline on the treadmill and you should notice that you strike the midfoot/forefoot easier and the calf muscles will get stronger.

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  5. Just be aware as you transition away from your heel to mid/forefoot you may notice some calf soreness. That is normal. It is your calves getting stronger and use to the new foot strike and new muscles being used. As usual ice and compression socks can help until your calves adjust.

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