Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Track Workout for Tuesday, December 28, 2010

CONDITIONS: One of those evenings where you put on/take off the gloves every couple of minutes. Temperature 45*/Humidity 47%/Wind 1mph W/Rain 0%
PARTICIPANTS: MB, Suzanne, Deena, Allan, Gary
WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2x 1mi parking lot loop, 10x 100m striders
Set 1 - 5x 200m (50m recovery); 3 at "fresh" pace, 1 "good build-up", 1 at "good" pace
Interlude - 400m jog, 8x 100m striders (at least 8, might have been closer to 10...Coach MB needs to stop telling stories during striders...)
Set 2 - 4x 400m (complete recovery) in 1:23-1:26 (5:32/mi-5:44/mi pace)

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Workout for Thursday, December 16, 2010

CONDITIONS: Temperature - 63*/Humidity - 87%/Wind - 8mph SW/Rain Probability - 30%

PARTICIPATION: MB, Suzanne, Deena
WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2x mi parking lot loop, 10x100 striders
Set 1 - 8x 160 @ "fresh" pace
Set 2 - 6x 200 @ "fresh pace
Interlude - 200m walk
Set 3 - 4x 300m @ "fresh" pace
Cool-down - 100m walk

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Workout for Tuesday, December 2010

CONDITIONS: Brrr... Temperature 40*/Humidity 27%/Wind 4mph N/Rain Probability 0%
PARTICIPANTS: Leeanne, MB, Deena, Allan
WORKOUT:
Warm-Up - 2x mile parking lot loop, 10x 100m striders
Main Set - 5x 600m @ threshhold pace (6:44-6:53/mi), 100m recovery
Cool-Down - 400m jog, 10x 100m striders

Friday, December 10, 2010

Track Workout For Thursday, December 9, 2010

CONDITIONS:
Flippin' cold! Arm/leg warmers for MB. Deena in tights and knit running cap which we realized was made by adidas. Allan in an ear band. Steamy breath. Fortunately, though, no wind.
PARTICIPANTS:
MB, Deena, Allan
WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2x 1mi parking lot loop, 10x 100m striders.
Main set - 6x 500m at threshhold pace (7:05-7:27/mile), 100m walk recovery
NOTE:
Original plan was for 9x 500m at threshhold with 100m walk recovery. However, rather than us hitting the 500s at 2:11-2:19, we were hitting them at 2:00-2:02. We probably could have done three more at that pace, but we got a good five miles of work in total. Seemed like a good note on which to end the workout...especially since the weekend has some long runs planned.
On the really bright side, the bathrooms were unlocked (yippie-ki-yay!).

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Workout for Tuesday, December 7, 2010

CONDITIONS:

Pretty nippy. Temperature - 45*/Humidity - 40%/Wind - 6 NNW/Rain - 0%

PARTICIPANTS:

MB, Suzanne, Deena, Allan

WORKOUT:

Warm-up - 1mi, 16x100 striders

Set 1 - 5x200 @ "fresh" pace (50m walk recovery)

Interlude - 400m jog, 8x100 striders

Set 2 - 6x350 @ "fresh" pace (50m walk recovery

Interlude/Cool-down - 400m jog, 8x100 striders
NOTE:

The same genius who decided to keep the track open & the lighting on (hooray!) also decided to lock the bathroom doors (un-hooray.). Talk about sick & twisted. So, there were a few "shiggy" moments early in the evening.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

FWB Jingle Bell 10K Results

(...nice day for a run. Sandy Ebanks (Overall Female), Chris Neal (1st Masters' Male), & MB)

Suzanne Bowen - 1:08:46 - 2nd AG
MB - 47:47 - 1st AG

(Coach Mike's Commentary on the Day: "Nothing like running bare-chested on the first weekend of December.")

Friday, December 3, 2010

Track Workout for December 3, 2010

CONDITIONS: Early winter in FL. Go figure. Once you start running it's all right. Temperature - 50*/Humidity - 55%/Wind - 2mph NNW/Rain Probability - 10% PARTICIPANTS:
Lee Ann, MB, Suzanne, Deena, AllanWORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2x mile, 10x 100m stridersMain set - 8x 400m (50m walk recovery) @ threshold pace (7:05-7:27/mi)Cool-down - 400m walk

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Workout for November 30, 2010

CONDITIONS:
Probably ugly. Temp 54*/Humidity - 71%/Wind - 14mph NNE/Rain Probability - 80%

PARTICIPANTS:
Nobody. Rainy conditions - workout cancelled.
WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2xmile, 10x100
Set 1 - 8x160 fresh
Interim - 400, 8x100
Set 2 - 3x400 fresh
Interim - 400, 8x100
Set 3 - 5x200 fresh
Cool-down - 400, 10x100

NOTE: Rainy weather conditions forced a cancellation of outdoor workout...yep, back to the "dreadmill:"

Warm-up - 10min - 6.8mph, increase by .1mph every minute.

Main set - 6min @ 7.9mph, 4min @ 8.3mph, 2min @ 6.8mph, 6min @ 7.9mph, 4min @ 8.3 mph, 2min @ 6.8mph.

Cool-down - 11min - 6.8mph, decrease by .1mph every minute.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Pensacola Marathon Race Report

Team F.A.S.T. - (clockwise from L) - Suzanne, MB, Allan, Deena

Well...considering the (achilles') issues this race became less of a target race and more of a long-distance race-like effort...a first step on the way to next spring's Rock n' Roll/Mardi Gras Marathon. One of my athletes decided to run her first marathon in Pensacola...a decision I would have recommended otherwise. But, we stepped to the line having used the MN speed/strength workouts and discussed the pacing strategy.

My "smoking drugs" finish goal: 1:30 My "VDOT" finish goal: 1:34

Pre-race: Up 2hrs before race start...good sleep...yogurt, bagel, peanut butter, coffee. Arrived at race site 20min before start, enough time to get my singlet/bib number/shoes situated, make a head call, and settle into the starting corral for a seemingly-endless litany of opening ceremony. The race not only started on time, but seemingly quicker than I initially feared.

Usually, I'm hell-bent for election off the starting line, but I wanted to start conservatively...and perhaps, in the words of the late Walt Stack...taper off.

Mile 1 - 7:14 HR 142-155 (While barreling down the main drag I grabbed a firm grasp of reality and decided to go closer to the VDOT prediction performance.)

Mile 2 - 7:18 HR 151-163 (The first climb on the course...worrying a little, but not much...just get to the top without pushing the envelope.)

Mile 3 - 7:18 HR 152-160

Mile 4 - 7:22 HR 151-159 (The isolation of the individual runner on the course begins...this event is not one which has been embraced by the city as a whole...as well as some strange camber which beat me on the first race simulation.)

Mile 5 - 7:26 HR 153-158 (Here I begin to feel quite concerned...not only because of the camber but also because we are sharing a single lane with northbound traffic.)

Mile 6 - 7:20 HR 153-163 (This, to me, is probably best part of the course...it's fairly flat and familiar to me from my flatter Sunday morning long runs. At this point I take half of my espresso gel flask - two shots, mixed with equal parts water and coffee.)

Mile 7 - 7:20 HR 151-161

Mile 8 - 8:35 HR 148-158 (This was the big climb which had teeth on the course...I backed off pace to save energy, and felt pleased I only lost a minute of time.)

Mile 9 - 7:49 HR 149-159

Mile 10 - 8:18 HR 150-166 (This was where I took the second shot of gel/fluid...at this point is the last REAL climb on the course, a viaduct over the rail lines. The concrete slab roadway of US-29, turning back toward downtown, awaits.)

Mile 11 - 8:16 HR 143-153 (Again this is a point on the course where you approach the dark tea time of the runners' soul. The strange and unnerving sense of legs beginning to empty themselves of glycogen begins here. But this is not the beginning of the worst...)

Mile 12 - 12:07 HR 133-150 (The R achilles has begun to complain about the course. Both it and the front ankle/arch of the foot has swollen, slowing me down to a walk at the Confederate War Memorial. Just what I need, a reminder of another lost cause. Attempting to gently jog down the last last ugly .3 mile/100-foot descent is impossible. My marathoner athlete, Deena, passes me at 1:36...which worries me to no end; she only needs to run 4:00, I know she's gone through too quickly and will definitely pay on the second loop...)

Mile 13 - 14:54 HR 132-153 (I pass the point on the course where my wife is cheering us onward. Not long after, the ankle/achilles' swelling has subsided.)

.1(.25) - 2:25 HR 135-143 (HOWEVER...all I can manage is a limping, gimpy jog into the finish.)

Total time: 1:53:54

So, what's the cause of the achilles swelling? It might have something to do with elastic laces, laced up one eyelet too high. The hills weren't any help, either...remember this is a month since I spent a week in San Francisco...too many hills too soon...so I didn't give myself enough time to heal. I suspect a solid week-to-two weeks of non-impact activity (swimming), continued work on body composition (I'm eight pounds lighter than I was when I first came aboard with MN), followed by conservative-paced long runs and a modicum of speed work (mostly threshold pace!) should have me prepared for mid-February.

There's a couple of opportunities to run/race in the next month, which I might do to tune-up for RNR/MG:

Turkey Day 5-Miler - 11/25 (fun run...no more, no less!)

Old Man River HM - 12/19 (treat as a long training run for Mardi Gras)

RNR did offer a switch-out to the half marathon; if I don't feel good about the race I'll definitely switch to the half rather than risk a major/runner-ending injury.

FOOTNOTE: Deena barely missed her BQ by 7min. She came through 12 at 3:57. Bad day on the second half...cramping legs...but a great first marathon effort. She finished third in her age group and made me proud.

I think she's a convert to the MN pacing strategy. Stand by for further reports.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Track Workout for Thursday, November 4, 2010

CONDITIONS: A little on the cool side, but enjoyable.
PARTICIPANTS: MB, Suzanne, Deena, Allan
WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2x 2x800 parking lot loop
Main Set - 4x 800m (400m walk recovery) @ 6:13/mi pace (goal)
Outcomes - 6:55/mi, 6:45/mi, 6:20/mi, 6:20/mi

So...yeah, I'm all right with it. Deena didn't kill us and my achilles' tendon isn't killing me.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Workout For Thursday, October 28, 2010

CONDITIONS:
Not too bad. Mother Nature was definitely getting her last fling of (late) summer-like conditions during the day, but great temps during the workout.
PARTICIPANTS:
Charity, MB, Deena, Allan
WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2x 2x 800m parking lot loop.
Main Set - 8x hill repeats: 4x 300m, then 4x 200m, sprint last ten seconds of climb, jog down, 2:00 recovery

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Track Workout for Tuesday, October 26, 2010

CONDITIONS:
Seems like Mother Nature is not prepared to pack her summer things away...yet. Temperature 77*/Humidity - 84%/Wind - 7mph S/Rain Probability - 20%

PARTICIPANTS:
MB, Suzanne, Deena, Allan

WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2 x 2x 800m parking lot loop, 10x 100m striders
Main set -
4 x 200m (200m walk recovery) @ Daniels' I pace
4 x 400m (400m walk recovery) @ Daniels' I pace
4 x 200m (200m walk recovery) @ Daniels' I pace
Cool-down - 400m walk/jog

Friday, October 22, 2010

Workout for Thursday, October 21, 2010


CONDITIONS:
Quite nice.

PARTICIPANTS:
Charity, Suzanne, MB, Deena

WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2 x 2x 800m parking lot loop
Main Set -
Plan: 2x 200m (200m walk recovery), 4x 400m (400m walk recovery), 1x 800m at "good" pace
Actual: 2x 200m (200m walk), 3x 400m (400m walk) at "good" pace, 800m parking lot loop jog

NOTE: Managed to get most of the workout in before the mens' soccer team came out for pre-game. I think we could have gotten in the fourth 400, but the 800 might have been impossible.

Semper Gumby.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Workout for Tuesday, October 19, 2010


CONDITIONS:
Comfortable, a tad humid.

PARTICIPANTS:
MB, Suzanne, Deena, Allan

WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2x 2x 800m parking lot loop, 10x 100m striders
Set 1 - 10x 160m (40m recovery); 3 @ "fresh," 1 "good build-up"
Interim - 400m jog, 8x 100m striders
Set 2 - 3x 350m (50m recovery) @ "fresh" pace
Interim - 400m jog, 8x 100m striders
Set 3 - 5x 200 (50m recovery) @ "fresh" pace

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Workout for Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Happy Christopher Severy Day! Tim Catalano & Adam Goucher's blog www.runtheedge.com for October 12 had a touching tribute to the late University of Colorado cross-country runner, whose tragic death was a central theme in the latter half of Chris Lear's 1999 book, Running With The Buffaloes.
CONDITIONS:
Beautiful! Temperature 76*/Index 76*/Humidity 69%/Wind SSW 13mph
PARTICIPANTS:
MB, Allan
WORKOUT:
Warm-up - 2x 2x 800m parking lot loop, 10x 100m striders
Set 1 - 5x 200m (50m recovery); 2 "fresh," 1 "good build-up"
Interval - 400m jog, 8x 100m striders
Set 2 - 5x 300m (62m recovery), switch between "fresh" and "good build-up"
Cool-down - 400m jog, 10x 100m striders