Sunday, August 15, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
July 31: 10+6 miles from TrySports
SMiGs, Beasts,
It's good to be back. It's even better to be ahead. I was pleased to see a couple new faces--at least, new to the SMiG since two weeks ago--on Saturday: Welcome Tony and Chris. And fortunately, the weather cooperated.
We averaged ~8:25 for that run, which is a little slower than usual (we're usually on about 8:15), but man are my quads killing me! I'm pretty sure it's from the glider (sputter?) drills that Jeff and I were doing as other groups approached. Much as I'm paying for them now, I bet they're good training. Let's keep that up.
Also, a couple miles into the 6-mile tack-on, Jeff, Patrick, Tony, and I were doing Indian sprints. I think we were going pretty fast, but it was nice to have quick efforts followed by quick breaks. I highly recommend we try this again, too. These are a whole lot nicer with a smaller group. I might suggest that when the program does the "official" Indian sprint, the Beast break into groups of 6-8. But your mileage may vary.
Finally, I'm trying to work back in some bonus, but I'm going to hold off on the trail run for 1 more week (not like you would show up anyway). So, Wednesday morning at 6, let's do the bridle trail again. Meet at Harrison gate. Wanna do 10 like Jason? Okay, let's do 10. Or we can do less. Whatever.
As for Friday: any interest in hitting the track? We don't have to do aggressive speedwork. Maybe just mile repeats or something.
Let me know. And have a fine week.
It's good to be back. It's even better to be ahead. I was pleased to see a couple new faces--at least, new to the SMiG since two weeks ago--on Saturday: Welcome Tony and Chris. And fortunately, the weather cooperated.
We averaged ~8:25 for that run, which is a little slower than usual (we're usually on about 8:15), but man are my quads killing me! I'm pretty sure it's from the glider (sputter?) drills that Jeff and I were doing as other groups approached. Much as I'm paying for them now, I bet they're good training. Let's keep that up.
Also, a couple miles into the 6-mile tack-on, Jeff, Patrick, Tony, and I were doing Indian sprints. I think we were going pretty fast, but it was nice to have quick efforts followed by quick breaks. I highly recommend we try this again, too. These are a whole lot nicer with a smaller group. I might suggest that when the program does the "official" Indian sprint, the Beast break into groups of 6-8. But your mileage may vary.
Finally, I'm trying to work back in some bonus, but I'm going to hold off on the trail run for 1 more week (not like you would show up anyway). So, Wednesday morning at 6, let's do the bridle trail again. Meet at Harrison gate. Wanna do 10 like Jason? Okay, let's do 10. Or we can do less. Whatever.
As for Friday: any interest in hitting the track? We don't have to do aggressive speedwork. Maybe just mile repeats or something.
Let me know. And have a fine week.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
July 10: 13 miles from Bull City Running
Hey SMiG and Beasts,
Yeah. It's late in the week. But it's still early enough that I can remind you that we're meeting at Inside Out in Cary on Saturday at 6:30 for 14... maybe 15... maybe 20 miles of running. Here's a map. I'll tell you in advance: this can be a rough one. It's all on concrete sidewalk, out in the open. Wear sunscreen. Watch for traffic.
It was nothing short of a pleasure to run with Patrick and Gary on Saturday at Bull City. We kind of pushed the pace a bit. Whoops. If you found 8:05/mi a little fast, given the conditions, well, it's okay. We'll pull it back to 8:15. Better to train all day a little slower than to get wasted in the first half. Here are the stats:
Congratulations to Jeff, who did his first tri -- Triangle Triathlon -- at Harris Lake on Sunday. We'll send out our respective versions of what happened a little later. But here's a preview. Here are two pictures, toward the end of the race, taken less than thirty seconds apart. Jeff is the guy in the blue. He passed the other guy as well.
Have a great... couple days.
Dan
Yeah. It's late in the week. But it's still early enough that I can remind you that we're meeting at Inside Out in Cary on Saturday at 6:30 for 14... maybe 15... maybe 20 miles of running. Here's a map. I'll tell you in advance: this can be a rough one. It's all on concrete sidewalk, out in the open. Wear sunscreen. Watch for traffic.
It was nothing short of a pleasure to run with Patrick and Gary on Saturday at Bull City. We kind of pushed the pace a bit. Whoops. If you found 8:05/mi a little fast, given the conditions, well, it's okay. We'll pull it back to 8:15. Better to train all day a little slower than to get wasted in the first half. Here are the stats:
Congratulations to Jeff, who did his first tri -- Triangle Triathlon -- at Harris Lake on Sunday. We'll send out our respective versions of what happened a little later. But here's a preview. Here are two pictures, toward the end of the race, taken less than thirty seconds apart. Jeff is the guy in the blue. He passed the other guy as well.
Have a great... couple days.
Dan
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
June 26: 8 miles from New Balance on Glenwood
SMiG, Beast: Holla.
There are 8-mile runs. And then there are 7-mile runs with a last mile of hill-slogging. Yes, it was that one again. Last year when we did this, someone was selling an empty keg at a garage sale out on Oak Park Rd. So, I was kind of hoping they'd have taken me up on my request and had a full keg waiting for us this year. No such luck. We were, however, treated to a not-quite-cold-enough sprinkling by a lady watering her plants on the way back up that hill.
I know Lassiter Mill is supposed to be longer and steeper, but something about this particular run just makes me tired. Splits, data appear below.
Anyway, it was good to see Drew, AKA Rob, AKA Evan join us again, and Patrick happily ran up from the Beast to run with us this week as well. With the usual dudes, Gary and Jeff, I thought the group hung together quite well, and I look forward to blazing the Greenway with y'all through the rest of the season.
Anyone who doesn't have a better offer on Saturday: we're at RRO Cary at 6:30 for our first 10 miler. If I don't see you, have a happy Independence Day!
Dan
There are 8-mile runs. And then there are 7-mile runs with a last mile of hill-slogging. Yes, it was that one again. Last year when we did this, someone was selling an empty keg at a garage sale out on Oak Park Rd. So, I was kind of hoping they'd have taken me up on my request and had a full keg waiting for us this year. No such luck. We were, however, treated to a not-quite-cold-enough sprinkling by a lady watering her plants on the way back up that hill.
I know Lassiter Mill is supposed to be longer and steeper, but something about this particular run just makes me tired. Splits, data appear below.
Anyway, it was good to see Drew, AKA Rob, AKA Evan join us again, and Patrick happily ran up from the Beast to run with us this week as well. With the usual dudes, Gary and Jeff, I thought the group hung together quite well, and I look forward to blazing the Greenway with y'all through the rest of the season.
Anyone who doesn't have a better offer on Saturday: we're at RRO Cary at 6:30 for our first 10 miler. If I don't see you, have a happy Independence Day!
Dan
Friday, June 25, 2010
June 23: Track at Meredith
This week's workout was ripped from the pages of this month's Runner's World, as recommended by Ms. Lauren Fleshman... with a tiny bit of modification to make it end at the same place it starts.
1600m warmup (800m if you show up late)
5 x 400m at a 5k PR pace, with 200m of recovery jog in between each
400m of recovery jog after the 5th 400
1200m at the 5k PR pace
400m of recovery jog
5 x 400m at a 5k PR pace, with 200m of recovery jog in between each
Note: feel free to push the pace faster on these last 400s
1600m cooldown (2400m if you show up late)
Essentially, you're doing 5.2k at your 5k PR pace, just broken up into sections. It's very niiice.
1600m warmup (800m if you show up late)
5 x 400m at a 5k PR pace, with 200m of recovery jog in between each
400m of recovery jog after the 5th 400
1200m at the 5k PR pace
400m of recovery jog
5 x 400m at a 5k PR pace, with 200m of recovery jog in between each
Note: feel free to push the pace faster on these last 400s
1600m cooldown (2400m if you show up late)
Essentially, you're doing 5.2k at your 5k PR pace, just broken up into sections. It's very niiice.
June 19: 6+ Miles from The Athlete's Foot, Cameron Village
Alright, alright,
I know this is a little late. Apparently, the time it takes me to send out a recap is equal to 1 week minus the time it takes Rick to send out a recap. Think of it as a dynamic story problem.
That TAF run is a little hilly, huh? But we tackled it in style, as always. Even though Jeff was on vacation on Saturday, we mostly managed to not get lost. However, I was thinking about going until we found an officially marked turnaround. I guess I'm glad we didn't, because no other groups reported there being one. As it was, we ended up with 6.5 miles for that run. Data are posted below.
Lucy and Drew came up to join the SMiG--regulars being Rob, me, and Gary, who reached us a couple miles in--on Saturday, and they held their own quite well. Joe's brother-in-law, Matt--the 2:42 Boston runnner--kept up okay, I guess. I'm very impressed with the number of people running with the Beast and SMiG this year and the kind of shape everyone's in.
As always, though, remember that there's nothing wrong with dropping back to run with the Beast or any of the slower groups. We're still figuring out our standard pace, but it looks like an 8:15 net average (including the walks) is suiting us well. We'll see how that holds as the runs get longer and adjust accordingly.
The next run is tomorrow, 6/26, at 7am at New Balance at the Pleasant Valley Promenade on Glenwood (link goes to a map). It will be an 8-mile run onto the Greenway and back. There's a memorable long hill on the way back. Bonus runs leave as early as 5am. Send an email if you want to do an in-between time, and they'll [we'll?] loop back to get you.
Have a great... day.
Dan
I know this is a little late. Apparently, the time it takes me to send out a recap is equal to 1 week minus the time it takes Rick to send out a recap. Think of it as a dynamic story problem.
That TAF run is a little hilly, huh? But we tackled it in style, as always. Even though Jeff was on vacation on Saturday, we mostly managed to not get lost. However, I was thinking about going until we found an officially marked turnaround. I guess I'm glad we didn't, because no other groups reported there being one. As it was, we ended up with 6.5 miles for that run. Data are posted below.
Lucy and Drew came up to join the SMiG--regulars being Rob, me, and Gary, who reached us a couple miles in--on Saturday, and they held their own quite well. Joe's brother-in-law, Matt--the 2:42 Boston runnner--kept up okay, I guess. I'm very impressed with the number of people running with the Beast and SMiG this year and the kind of shape everyone's in.
As always, though, remember that there's nothing wrong with dropping back to run with the Beast or any of the slower groups. We're still figuring out our standard pace, but it looks like an 8:15 net average (including the walks) is suiting us well. We'll see how that holds as the runs get longer and adjust accordingly.
The next run is tomorrow, 6/26, at 7am at New Balance at the Pleasant Valley Promenade on Glenwood (link goes to a map). It will be an 8-mile run onto the Greenway and back. There's a memorable long hill on the way back. Bonus runs leave as early as 5am. Send an email if you want to do an in-between time, and they'll [we'll?] loop back to get you.
Have a great... day.
Dan
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
June 16-22: Schedule
Wednesday, June 16th: 6am trail run at Umstead. 6-9 miles, depending on the trail. Park and start at the Harrison Rd. gate.
Friday, June 18th: The Friday track workout returns next week. Unless you want to lead it. (Let me know, and I'll post it.)
Saturday, June 19th: 7am group run at The Athlete's Foot (TAF), Cameron Village. Note their new address: 430 Woodburn Rd, Raleigh, NC. (919.828.348). 6 miles, easy. A little bonus before. A little after. Let me know what you want to do.
Monday, June 21st: 6am bonus run at Umstead. 6.66 miles on the bridle trail. Starts at the Bridge to Nowhere.
Friday, June 18th: The Friday track workout returns next week. Unless you want to lead it. (Let me know, and I'll post it.)
Saturday, June 19th: 7am group run at The Athlete's Foot (TAF), Cameron Village. Note their new address: 430 Woodburn Rd, Raleigh, NC. (919.828.348). 6 miles, easy. A little bonus before. A little after. Let me know what you want to do.
Monday, June 21st: 6am bonus run at Umstead. 6.66 miles on the bridle trail. Starts at the Bridge to Nowhere.
June 12: 5 Miles from TrySports at Crabtree Valley Mall
Well, it was an interesting start to our 5-miler from TrySports at Crabtree Valley Mall. For a few minutes there, I wasn't sure if the CV mall cops were going to haul Ron off for having such a large gathering without a permit or something. Anyhoo, now you know what's out there and where the McDonald's is for our Shelly Lake runs.
Stats are at the end of this post. OBTW, the official run was more like 5.75 miles. There's a little extra on the end there.
We managed to get a couple people to run with the SMiG: thank you Rob and Ken for joining us. Jeff and I will continue to recruit, so be careful when you run off the front of the Beast.
Congratulations to Rob, who competed in the Jordan Lake 1-mile open water swim on Sunday. Looking forward to a race report.
And good luck to Al, Stuart, and Dave Gross, who will be competing in Grandma's Marathon on Saturday.
Next week, we're at The Athlete's Foot (TAF), Cameron Village. Note their new address: 430 Woodburn Rd, Raleigh, NC. (919.828.348). We'll be doing 6 miles at 7am. And guess what, we'll have bonus opportunities before the run. Discuss over email.
Have a super week.
Dan
Stats are at the end of this post. OBTW, the official run was more like 5.75 miles. There's a little extra on the end there.
We managed to get a couple people to run with the SMiG: thank you Rob and Ken for joining us. Jeff and I will continue to recruit, so be careful when you run off the front of the Beast.
Congratulations to Rob, who competed in the Jordan Lake 1-mile open water swim on Sunday. Looking forward to a race report.
And good luck to Al, Stuart, and Dave Gross, who will be competing in Grandma's Marathon on Saturday.
Next week, we're at The Athlete's Foot (TAF), Cameron Village. Note their new address: 430 Woodburn Rd, Raleigh, NC. (919.828.348). We'll be doing 6 miles at 7am. And guess what, we'll have bonus opportunities before the run. Discuss over email.
Have a super week.
Dan
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
June 8-15: Schedule
Tuesday, June 8th: 6-9pm Happy Hour at Crabtree Tavern. Eat chia seeds, pinole, and corn beer. (They probably don't have any of these things.)
Wednesday, June 9th: 6am trail run at Umstead. 6-9 miles, depending on the trail. Park and start at the Harrison Rd. gate.
Friday, June 11th: I'm not planning to do a track workout this week. Are you? (Let me know, and I'll post it.)
Saturday, June 12th: 7am group run at TrySports @ Crabtree Valley Mall (4325 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC. (919) 785-2824) 5 miles, easy. I'm up for some bonus afterward. Let's talk over email.
Monday, June 14th: 6am bonus run at Umstead. 6.66 miles on the bridle trail. Starts at the Bridge to Nowhere.
Also, someone will probably be up for some bonus miles on Sunday. Check your email.
Wednesday, June 9th: 6am trail run at Umstead. 6-9 miles, depending on the trail. Park and start at the Harrison Rd. gate.
Friday, June 11th: I'm not planning to do a track workout this week. Are you? (Let me know, and I'll post it.)
Saturday, June 12th: 7am group run at TrySports @ Crabtree Valley Mall (4325 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC. (919) 785-2824) 5 miles, easy. I'm up for some bonus afterward. Let's talk over email.
Monday, June 14th: 6am bonus run at Umstead. 6.66 miles on the bridle trail. Starts at the Bridge to Nowhere.
Also, someone will probably be up for some bonus miles on Sunday. Check your email.
June 5: 4 miles (incl. Magic Mile) from Fleet Feet, Raleigh
Great job on Saturday, Beasts and SMiGs!
I hope you enjoyed the Magic Mile. I will admit that I face it every year with a bit of nervous anticipation, but I think most of us were pleased with the results. It tends to be a pretty good predictor of your racing ability if you use the pace calculator (don't forget weather corrections!).
I've been told there's about 5% of wiggle room in that prediction, due to building muscle over the season, learning how to run better, and possibly other factors. But most of you already know how to run. So keep in mind that if you try to push too far beyond the prediction, there's a good chance you're going to hurt yourself or burn out during the season. I've seen it before. I've done it before.
And while I'm all up in your face: The hot weather is here earlier than it has been the past couple years. All the more reason to bring your water! As the runs get longer, you'll want to take in fluids more frequently. Once we get to ten miles on our Saturday runs (less than four weeks from now), you should be using the water stations to fill up the bottles THAT YOU'RE ALREADY CARRYING. There are about half a dozen hydration systems out there: camelbaks, fuelbelts, fanny packs, hand straps. This year, I'm doing the hand strap thing, which means I have an extra fuel belt from years past. I'm thinking about keeping it in my car and decorating it as a "fuel belt of shame" for whomever fails to carry water a few weeks from now. Beware the FBS.
Alright, back to good cop. Speaking of hydration, there's a Happy Hour tonight at Crabtree Tavern from 6pm to 9pm. I will try to be there at some point to fumble around trying to recognize everyone in normal clothes.
And our next run is a 5-miler at TrySports at Crabtree Valley Mall, Saturday at 7am. Given the sun, it will be nice to finish under a parking deck.
I'll put out a new calendar later today.
Have a great week!
Dan
PS, here are our stats:
I hope you enjoyed the Magic Mile. I will admit that I face it every year with a bit of nervous anticipation, but I think most of us were pleased with the results. It tends to be a pretty good predictor of your racing ability if you use the pace calculator (don't forget weather corrections!).
I've been told there's about 5% of wiggle room in that prediction, due to building muscle over the season, learning how to run better, and possibly other factors. But most of you already know how to run. So keep in mind that if you try to push too far beyond the prediction, there's a good chance you're going to hurt yourself or burn out during the season. I've seen it before. I've done it before.
And while I'm all up in your face: The hot weather is here earlier than it has been the past couple years. All the more reason to bring your water! As the runs get longer, you'll want to take in fluids more frequently. Once we get to ten miles on our Saturday runs (less than four weeks from now), you should be using the water stations to fill up the bottles THAT YOU'RE ALREADY CARRYING. There are about half a dozen hydration systems out there: camelbaks, fuelbelts, fanny packs, hand straps. This year, I'm doing the hand strap thing, which means I have an extra fuel belt from years past. I'm thinking about keeping it in my car and decorating it as a "fuel belt of shame" for whomever fails to carry water a few weeks from now. Beware the FBS.
Alright, back to good cop. Speaking of hydration, there's a Happy Hour tonight at Crabtree Tavern from 6pm to 9pm. I will try to be there at some point to fumble around trying to recognize everyone in normal clothes.
And our next run is a 5-miler at TrySports at Crabtree Valley Mall, Saturday at 7am. Given the sun, it will be nice to finish under a parking deck.
I'll put out a new calendar later today.
Have a great week!
Dan
PS, here are our stats:
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
June 2-8: Schedule
I thought doing a schedule Wednesday to Tuesday might give people an opportunity to plan ahead. Or something.
Wednesday, June 2nd: 6am trail run at Umstead. 6-9 miles, depending on the trail. Starts at Harrison Rd. gate, which will be closed, and so that's where people park.
Friday, June 4th: 6am track workout at Meredith. ~6 miles. Workout varies. I swear there's a track there, even though the map doesn't show it yet. Just take the first right out of the traffic circle.
Saturday, June 5th: 7am group run at Fleet Feet on Wade (3546 Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC). 4 miles with a timed (downhill) Magic Mile. Don't panic. It's not like the Magic Mile is the SAT of running or anything. haha. I'm up for some bonus afterward. Let's talk over email.
Monday, June 7th: 6am bonus run at Umstead. 6.66 miles on the bridle trail. Starts at the Bridge to Nowhere.
Also, someone will probably be up for some bonus miles on Sunday. Check your email.
Wednesday, June 2nd: 6am trail run at Umstead. 6-9 miles, depending on the trail. Starts at Harrison Rd. gate, which will be closed, and so that's where people park.
Friday, June 4th: 6am track workout at Meredith. ~6 miles. Workout varies. I swear there's a track there, even though the map doesn't show it yet. Just take the first right out of the traffic circle.
Saturday, June 5th: 7am group run at Fleet Feet on Wade (3546 Wade Ave., Raleigh, NC). 4 miles with a timed (downhill) Magic Mile. Don't panic. It's not like the Magic Mile is the SAT of running or anything. haha. I'm up for some bonus afterward. Let's talk over email.
Monday, June 7th: 6am bonus run at Umstead. 6.66 miles on the bridle trail. Starts at the Bridge to Nowhere.
Also, someone will probably be up for some bonus miles on Sunday. Check your email.
May 29, 2010: 3 Miles, Out and Back from RRO
Way to kick off the season! It was great to see some new faces and to see some folks I hadn't seen in a while. As for the rest of you, whom I see pretty much every week, well, it was okay to see you.
What did we learn this week?
Next week we're at Fleet Feet on Wade. Details in the next post, as well as bonus runs.
Have a great week!
Dan
What did we learn this week?
- We stayed together. We took walk breaks. A+
- Warrior Dash was muddy fun.
- Stuart is an optimist.
- Will, who does high school cross country, has progressed from a 5:08 mile at the start of last year to a 4:38 mile, which he does best on hilly terrain.
Next week we're at Fleet Feet on Wade. Details in the next post, as well as bonus runs.
Have a great week!
Dan
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