first week of practice

It's finally here! Hopefully all are getting settled in and taking care of the many things demanding your attention. In the shuffle, do your best to make sure you getting the right amount of sleep. Also, pay close attention to the list of important dates you received! The big ones though are:

Sunday - physicals
Monday - NCAA Compliance meeting
Tuesday - team meeting
Wednesday - first official practice!

All of you should have received the new calculator to be used at least through September, so make sure as you begin the new week on Monday that you are using the correct calculator for your daily miles. The pattern for this week is:

Monday- light aerobic running
Tuesday- free-form fartlek (short & fast segments for all men & women)
Wednesday- aerobic running
Thursday- medium long aerobic running
Friday- aerobic running
Saturday- threshold running (cut-down run)
Sunday- long aerobic running
(EDIT: EC for this week is 2 x 15' + 2 x 30')

Moving forward, you should note that the new calculator included a new weekly pattern for race weeks and non-race weeks. For race weeks, Tue & Sat are the hardest days, with a long run on Sun; for non-race weeks, Tue & Fri are the hardest days, with a long run on Sunday. Monday will be your lightest day each week.

Lastly, Tue & Fri will vary from week to week as to which is fartlek/interval oriented and which is tempo/threshold oriented.

See you very soon!

Summer 2009 - week eleven

Just think, one more week and we'll all be together again! If that doesn't bring a smile to your face...wait, I won't even finish that sentence because there's no way that doesn't bring a smile to your face!

One more week of training on your own, the start of phase II conditioning. Keep the same schedule as phase I conditioning though. The only change right now is slight and mainly directed at the women. In your fartlek runs over the next two weeks, keep the fast efforts short, between 15-30 seconds of fast yet relaxed running. The efforts are short so that you can focus on generating some good, quick speed. In between efforts, run easily and recovery for 1-1.5 minutes. For the men, the longer distance types can partake of these fast efforts also. You of the middle distance breed, however, should keep your efforts in the 3-5 minute range. All of you should be sure to run as correctly as possible on these efforts.

Also, as I indicated in last week's post, try to hit a level of volume that is just a bit higher than what is on your schedule by incorporating the extra credit for the week, which is:

2 x 15' + 2 x 30'

All of your extra running should be done at a very easy pace, slightly slower than your regular easy day pace. If you have been healthy all summer, there's no reason you can't maintain a little higher volume with very easy extra running. If you've had some injury issues this summer, be very careful and listen to what your body is telling you it can handle.

And lastly, Assistant Coach emailed to everyone a list of important dates. So if you haven't received it, first, check your email!; then, if it's not there, let us know.

Summer 2009 - week ten

With the completion of week ten, one-fifth of your training year will be in the books. Think about that for a second, 20% of the training will be completed. Hopefully you feel good about where you are at.

As we have now recovered from the highest volume of running from two weeks ago, we want to take a slightly different route than previous years. Instead of now working to increase the intensity, we want to focus on the nice, steady level of intensity that you have had while adding in the the extra credit offerings. In other words, don't increase the intensity at this point. Instead, let your volume go up even a little higher by adding in the extra credit that is offered each week now.

We should be seeing some gains now in general aerobic fitness. Let's be patient, let the volume remain a little high, and continue to build a great foundation of general endurance. During this time, make sure you are stretching some before runs and stretching even longer after runs. Ice anything that is sore. Take an iron supplement and make sure you're hydrating well.

Extra credit offering this week: 3 x 15' + 1 x 30'.

Lastly, I've edited last week's post to include the race distances.

Summer 2009 - week nine

Heading into week nine, we're looking forward to seeing how everyone handled the volume of last week. With a slight decrease this week, take this opportunity to recovery and restore. Back off the quality days a bit this week also, so that it can really be a week of recovery.

As noted in the comments from last week, your schedule now gives you an option of relaxed repetitions on Mondays. But I actually want to encourage everyone to stick with the fartlek efforts longer, particularly the type of fartek efforts I wrote about last week. Continue to focus more on how you're feeling as opposed to actual times/paces.

Extra Credit offering for the week is 2 x 15' + 1 x 30'.

2009 Cross Country Schedule (w/m):
Friday, September 4 - GT v. UGA Dual -Athens, GA (4k/4m)
Friday, September 18 - Crimson Classic - Tuscaloosa, AL (5k/8k)
Friday, October 2 - Great American Festival - Cary, NC (5k/8k)
Saturday, October 17 - Pre-NCAA Meet - Terre Haute, IN (6k/8k)
Saturday, October 31 - ACC Championships - Cary, NC (6k/8k)
Saturday, November 14 - NCAA South Regional - Tuscaloosa, AL (6k/10k)
Monday, November 23 - NCAA Championships - Terre Haute, IN (6k/10k)

*the October 2nd meet in Charlotte is the only meet not set. As of right now, we are planning to compete in Charlotte, but also are looking at a couple of options for that weekend.

Summer 2009 - week eight

Another solid week of training is in the books based on the comments reported. Now we find week eight in front of us with the highest volume of the summer. Make a commitment to get the miles in, adjusting the intensity if needed. Also, let's give a little focus to the fartlek effort on Monday's. I really want to encourage you to use the fartlek as an opportunity to explore the finesse side of running, making it less a structured workout (i.e. x number of minutes times y number of reps) and more of a workout by feel. Use the terrain, flow up and down the hills, push the pace at times, float along for recovery, and then push again when ready. Mix it up with the hills and turns of your route. And for the week, as always, make sure your really devoting yourself to a routine that lends itself to success.

A note about the comments section. Everyone has a responsibility to our team to present themselves fit and ready for the upcoming season come the start of the semester. Posting our weekly efforts adds an element of accountability. In addition, it fosters an environment of motivation and encouragement. In my opinion, it's not a chore to post your weekly results, it's an honor. Just my two cents...

EC offering for the week is againg 3 x 15'.

On a final note, Veronica emailed me a link to an article titled "Chocolate Milk: the new sports drink?" (http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20060224/chocolate-milk-new-sports-drink) The article details a recently completed study. Check it out. A couple of notes from the article are highlighted below:

"...milk contains key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, in quantities that sports drinks can't match."

"The findings suggest that chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles..."

Thanks Veronica! Recovery is just as important to your development as the training we do!

Summer 2009 - week seven

Week seven brings another increase in volume as you continue building up to the highest level of volume for the summer. Keep the quality efforts up decently but remember to stay well within yourself. If you aren't already 'living like a clock', now would be a great time to do so. Rest and recovery are so important. And hydration and proper nutrition play such a vital role in recovery and compensation. You need nutrition very soon after your efforts, remember you have about a 45' window of opportunity to really jumpstart recovery. Pay attention to all the 'small things', which in fact aren't so small after all.

Extra Credit offering for the week is 3 x 15'.

Summer 2009 - week six

It's kind of hard to believe week six of the summer is here so quickly! Hopefully everyone had a great holiday and I look forward to hearing tales from the Peachtree Road Race!

After last week's opportunity to consolidate training gains, this week brings an opportunity to start pushing the volume levels even higher. While we don't want the intensity to be too low, make sure you focus first on handling the higher volume. Only push the pace on runs to the point where you still feel comfortable with a relaxed rhythm (and running with proper technique!). Keep in mind that weather conditions will affect your pace and adjust accordingly.

Opportunities for extra credit this week: 3 x 15' & 1 x 30'

Most if not all of you have received the strength-training schedule from Scott. Some of the new people have not, some have. If you haven't, you can email me and I will forward it to you. One of the areas of emphasis right now should be the core. If you don't have access to a workout facility, there is still plenty of bodyweight work you can do and plenty of core work you can do. Make sure you are putting in some solid work on your core. It can't be too strong.

Some educational opportunities for this week:

Here is a link to an article that discusses the iron supplementation issue which I think is very important to both men and women alike:
http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/hs/coachscorner/20051215.html

and a link to a thread on a running website which also discusses iron supplementation:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=3089515&thread=3089378

Lastly, I have read recently about the importance to recovery of keeping testosterone levels elevated throughout the day. Below are some stategies that help keep those levels elevated:
-sleep (take naps when at all possible)
-eat smaller meals, 5 x day
-eat protein with each meal
-zinc supplement
-increase good fats in diet (nuts, etc.)
-push-ups after runs, etc.