Double Rainbow All the Way

I know this has nothing to do with running, but the passion this guy has is definitely inspiring. Enjoy!

Saturday Breakfast Run

If you are interested in doing a breakfast run, I'll be hosting one on Saturday morning, 8am at my house. I'll provide food and depending on who's interested and the availability of rides, we'll either run from my house or go out to Chimney Hollow Trail (just past Churchville).

I'll send out a text later today to try to get an idea of who can go. If I can't text you and you see this, please give me if you're interested.

7:00 PM run

7PM run tonight at GHP poooooooooooooooooooooooooooool :D :D :D :P :P :P :) :) :)

7:00 PM run

7:00 PM run today at Gypsy Hill Park. Meet at the pool.

Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man

Sweet Song

Trail Run Tuesday

Runners will be meeting tonight at 6:30pm at the Montgomery Hall Park soccer parking lot.

8:00 PM run tomorrow

8PM run tomorrow at GHP pool.

Also lets watch this movie sometime soon. Anyone wanna host it at their house? I have the movie and I'll bring popcorn. :P

Coaches Message:

Coach Marino and I are excited to see the motivation and focus this year's teams have shown.  No group has prepared as much or has been as dedicated to running summer mileage.

As you enjoy your last week before official practice, remember to stick to your mileage goals, stay healthy, and enjoy yourself.

Mileage Goals:
Last week, Varsity runners peaked at 50 miles, while newer runners were totaling 38 miles. Remember to only increase your mileage by 5-7% each week. That means this week, Varsity runners are sticking to 50 miles, while newer athletes are logging 41 miles.

This week's schedule:
Remember to follow the hard-easy approach, running harder on M-W-F and an easy 30-45 minutes on T-Th-S. To meet mileage goals, varsity runners are doing 3-4 two-a-days a week.

Hard Run Workouts:
Follow these three workouts on your hard days:

Long Run. If your mileage goal is 41 miles, then run for 60 minutes (which will equal 6-7 miles). If you are a varsity runner trying to go for 50 miles this week, then you need 90 minutes (11-12 miles).

Track Workout. Warm-up by running one mile on the track. Stretch. Do at least two strides to finish warming up your legs. After doing one of the following, warm-down by running one mile on the track. Stretch.

3x1200 repeats, resting for 4-5 minutes in between each repeat Use your 5k time to figure out your pace. If your goal is to be able to maintain a 6 min. mile pace to start out the season, then run each 400m section of the 1200m at 1:30sec. Consistency and quality are crucial to being successful, so stick to your goal pace.

Or 5x800 repeats, resting for 3-4 minutes in between each repeat

Hill Repeats and Strides. Warm up by running one mile. Stretch. Find a gradual hill that is 200 meters long (think the one right in front of Lee for comparison). Do 5 repeats, making sure to jog easy downhill. Then on a flat surface, do 8x100 meter strides, running slightly faster than your mile race pace. Warm-down by running one mile. Stretch.

Nike Track Nationals: Boys Mile

Nike Track Nationals: Girls 800

Tomorrow's Run

I'm not going to be here tomorrow night, so I am meeting at 3:00 PM at Gypsy Hill Park at the exercise equipment. I understand if you cannot make it, and if anyone wants to post another time later in the day when it's cooler for the rest of the team to meet that's totally fine with me.

8:00 Pm run tomorrow

Meeting at 8:00 PM tomorrow at Ghp pool for a nice easy run.

Also I'm meeting Jacob Sheets tomorrow morning at 6:45AM on the sidewalk in front of the Y if anyone gets this in time to join us.

Haile Gebreselassie (Practice tomorrow at 8PM)

Practice tomorrow at 8:00 PM at Ghp pool.

Sweet vid on Haile Gebreselassie below

Change of Plans

7:30 run instead of 8:00 run today. Meet at exercise equipment at GHP.

In order to participate in Cross Country, you must have a physical form on file before the first practice on August 2nd. You can either bring it to practice on the first day or drop it off with the secretaries at the high school. Physicals need to be done each year and are good from May to May.

2010-2011 VHSL Physical Form

finally made my decision

Well, looks like i will be doing cross country this year. So i guess i'll see ya'll Aug.2?

ps. i've actually been doing some summer running!

Practice 8:00 PM

Practice tomorrow is at 8:00 PM at GHP pool. Easy day, we'll do a fun run somewhere.

Also some guys are meeting up tomorrow at 9:00 AM for an easy morning run, so if you are supposed to do two a days, feel free to join.

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."
-Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner

Practice 5:00 PM

Practice is at 5:00 PM tomorrow at Gypsy Hill Park. We will meet at the exercise equipment again.

And make sure you're doing those two a days if you are supposed to be.

"Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don't think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made."
Patti Sue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

Summer Training: Week 7

Coaches Message:

There are only two weeks until official practice starts on August 2nd! Hopefully, you've been setting and keeping your mileage goals each week, slowly building your endurance and strength.

As you enjoy the last couple weeks of summer, remember that recovery is just as important as pushing yourself. After each run, especially the hard days, make sure to fully recover for your next run by following the THREE C's:

Chug water: your body has lost a tremendous amount of water and needs to be rehydrated. So chug at least a quart right when you finish, then sip water for the rest of the day.

Chow down: there's a fifteen minute window when the body maximally absorbs nutrients. Drink some chocolate milk, eat a banana and peanut butter, or whatever protein and slow carbohydrates you can get your hands on so your muscles can rebound from the long run.

Chill out: go grab the garden hose and spray each leg for ten minutes or take a shower, making the water really cold and spraying each leg.
Cold water constricts blood vessels and muscle tissue, which will speed recovery.

Mileage Goals:
Last week, Varsity runners peaked at 50 miles, while newer runners were totaling 35 miles. Remember to only increase your mileage by 5-7% each week. That means this week, Varsity runners are sticking to 50 miles, while newer athletes are logging 38 miles.

This week's schedule:
Remember to follow the hard-easy approach, running harder on M-W-F and an easy 30-45 minutes on T-Th-S. To meet mileage goals, varsity runners are doing 3-4 two-a-days a week.

Hard Run Workouts:
Follow these three workouts on your hard days:

Long Run. If your mileage goal is 35 miles, then run for 60 minutes (which will equal 6-7 miles). If you are a varsity runner trying to go for over 45 miles this week, then you need 90 minutes (11-12 miles).

Track Repeats. Warm-up by running one mile on the track. Stretch. Do at least two strides to finish warming up your legs. After doing one of the following, warm-down by running one mile on the track. Stretch.

3x1200 repeats, resting for 4-5 minutes in between each repeat Use your 5k time to figure out your pace. If your goal is to be able to maintain a 6 min. mile pace to start out the season, then run each 400m section of the 1200m at 1:30sec. Consistency and quality are crucial to being successful, so stick to your goal pace.

Or 5x800 repeats, resting for 3-4 minutes in between each repeat

Hill Repeats and Strides. Warm up by running one mile. Stretch. Find a gradual hill that is 200 meters long (think the one right in front of Lee for comparison). Do 5 repeats, making sure to jog easy downhill. Then on a flat surface, do 8x100 meter strides, running slightly faster than your mile race pace. Warm-down by running one mile. Stretch.

How do I record my mileage???

Hey gang, we got a question from a runner about how to record weekly mileage when you don't know how far you ran. It's simple... use the web to figure out how far you ran.

Google has a great service for doing this. Log into http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ to visit Google's Pedometer website.

Type in Staunton's zip (24401) in the "Jump To" text-entry form and a map of Staunton appears. You may have to zoom in as much as three or four times to see street names clearly. Find your location and press "Record" on the left of the screen. Now you're ready to track your mileage electronically. Just double-click on the map and a red line appears mapping out your run. Gypsy Hill Park is known as Constitution Drive for anyone who starts a run there. Even Thornrose Cemetery's winding paths show up (though unfortunately the winding paths of Montgomery Park are not visible).

Feel free to post-up other cites that make tracking mileage easy. Hopefully this will help anyone who is having trouble guessing at distances and tracking mileage each week.

Friday 5:00 PM

Fridays run will be at 5:00pm at GHP. Meet at the exercise equipment.

Andd, watch the video I just posted to get pumped.

Distance running compilation

One of the sweetest distance running compilations I've ever seen. Prefontaine, 2004 Olympics, Sebastian Coe, Alan Webb, World Record Mile and the incredible Billy Mills finish.

Thursday Run, 8:00 PM

Thursdays run is at 8:00 PM this time at GHP, meet at pool again.

Great run today guys, running the golf course makes us tough.

Wednesday 7:30 PM

Once again 7:30 PM at GHP pool.

Tuesday's Run 7:30 PM

Like Coach Marino said in his previous post, we are sticking to night runs. Tomorrow we are meeting at 7:30PM at the Gypsy Hill Park Pool.

Those of you who haven't been coming to the runs, I hope you are running on your own. Just get out there and have fun and feel free to run with us :D

Meeting Place/Time for Monday

Hey gang, a few runners have been asking where/when to meet for Monday's run. It would be wise for you guys to continue to meet in the evening (or in the morning if you can't in the evenings). Weather.com is still reporting temps in the upper 80's to the 90's all week which can be potentially dangerous in the right circumstances. Make sure to stay hydrated. Also, make sure to note the potential for thunderstorms all this week. A little thunder in the distance or some rain is usually safe to run in, but use common sense and postpone a run if there's major lighting going on.

But back to Monday's Location...

Unless someone has a better plan (in which case be sure to update the blog), let's plan on having everyone meet again at Gypsy Hill Park at 8:00pm, at least for Monday.

Week 6: Summer Training

Goals:

Last week, Varsity runners were averaging 47 miles, while newer runners were totaling 32 miles. Remember to only increase your mileage by 5-7% each week. That means this week, Varsity runners are logging 50 miles, while newer athletes are logging 35 miles.

This week's schedule:
Remember to follow the hard-easy approach, running harder on M-W-F and an easy 30-45 minutes on T-Th-S. To meet mileage goals, varsity runners are doing 3-4 two-a-days a week.

Hard Run Workouts:
Follow these three workouts on your hard days:

Long Run. If your mileage goal is 35 miles, then run for 60 minutes (which will equal 6-7 miles). If you are a varsity runner trying to go for over 45 miles this week, then you need 90 minutes (11-12 miles).

Track Repeats. Warm-up by running one mile on the track. Stretch. Do at least two strides to finish warming up your legs. After doing one of the following, warm-down by running one mile on the track. Stretch.

• 3x1200 repeats, resting for 4-5 minutes in between each repeat Use your 5k time to figure out your pace. If your goal is to be able to maintain a 6 min. mile pace to start out the season, then run each 400m section of the 1200m at 1:30sec. Consistency and quality are crucial to being successful, so stick to your goal pace.

• Or 5x800 repeats, resting for 3-4 minutes in between each repeat

Hill Repeats and Strides. Warm up by running one mile. Stretch. Find a gradual hill that is 200 meters long (think the one right in front of Lee for comparison). Do 5 repeats, making sure to jog easy downhill. Then on a flat surface, do 8x100 meter strides, running slightly faster than your mile race pace. Warm-down by running one mile. Stretch.

Today

Today's run is at 5:00PM at GHP, meet at exercise equipment.

Morning Runs

Damon, Coalter and I are going to be meeting at the exersize equipment stuff @ the park 6 AM Saturday to run a couple laps, anyone who wants to join is welcome

Thursday's Run

Same Time same place guys. 8:00 PM at GHP, meet at pool. Today we had a lot of people show up it was awesome, lets do it again.

And to get pumped listen to this sweet song intro. It's the Chicago Bulls theme song.

Damn, It's Hot Out There. So How Much Should You Be Drinking?

We often talk about "staying hydrated" when it's really hot out. But how much water should you be drinking, and when?  Check out the article at Runnersworld.com

Wednesdays Run (8:00PM GHP)

Good run today guys, now tomorrow's run will be at 8:00 PM at Gypsy Hill Park, and lets meet at the pool again. I'll try to get off work as quick as possible.

Run Slow and Long: Go the Distance

This has to be one of my all time favorite running songs!

Starting a weekly long run now can have many benefits when the season starts in September. Long distance running will give you the strength and lay the ground work on which all the interval and speed workouts during the season will be built.

How long should you go?
The greatest benefits come when you run between 1:30 and 2 hours. You might be thinking are you kidding me?  An hour and a half?  That's like 9 or 10 miles!?!  Screw that, why can't I just add miles to other runs during the week? or just do two-a-days? There are several important reasons why running for this long can make a huge difference.

Why so long?
First off, "adding miles to other runs" can destroy the delicate balance you create with our hard-easy alternating days. If you add extra volume to your "easy" recovery days, then you risk forfeiting crucial muscle recovery time, resulting in you getting worn-out and feeling too tired for your next hard day.


The physical rewards for doing a continuous 1:30 to 2 hour run each week are huge. Long runs will:

• Strengthen and increase endurance of leg muscles
• Stregthen the heart
• Increase aerobic efficiency

But some of the most important benefits of long runs aren't physical, they are mental. Continous long distances gives you the mental toughness and the ability to cope with pain that you will need to be a successful cross country runner.  

What is the best way to approach a long run?
I personally like to think of long runs as a way to get out and explore areas I don't normally get to do during my other runs. Believe me, it can be pretty numbing to run around Gypsy Hill Park for an hour and a half. The only time I can handle that sort of repetiveness is when I have someone cool with whom to talk. So I suggest picking a new route. Go explore. Try to make it to the top of Betsey Bell, go run in one of the many local state parks, or as Dalton did the other day, do something creative, like run by each elementary school in town.  

Treat it as a hard day. Your goal is three hard days a week, so add this to your hill day and speed day.

Go slow! Running at a 8:45 to 9:30 pace is completely okay. In fact, running slow is the best way to approach long runs. We call this speed "conversation pace" because you should be going slow enough to be able to hold a conversation and not be out of breath. Remember, the goal is to run continuously for 1:30 to 2 hours, which is hard enough without going fast. 

Make sure you are well hydrated and have a plan to get water along the way. There are several places around town that you can get water at or drop a water bottle somewhere halfway. Just make sure to not stop for too long cause it's tough to get going again.

Run early or late to avoid the midday heat. When the temperature is in the 90's, it doesn't matter how hydrated you are, running for an hour and half can be tough, so be careful and listen to your body.

Finally, follow the three C's of recovery when you're done.
Chug water: your body has lost a tremendous amount of water and needs to be rehydrated. So chug at least a quart right when you finish, then sip water for the rest of the day.  
Chow down: there's a fifteen minute window when the body maximally absorbs nutrients. Drink some chocolate milk, eat a banana and peanut butter, or whatever protein and slow carbohydrates you can get your hands on so your muscles can rebound from the long run.
Chill out: go grab the garden hose and spray each leg for ten minutes or take a shower, making the water really cold and spraying each leg. Cold water constricts blood vessels and muscle tissue, which will speed recovery.  

Run for Tuesday (7:00PM GHP)

So the Belles Lane run was extremely hot. It had to have been 100 degrees and it was our hard day. And Jacob and Gary got lost and were out there 20 minutes longer than us, which must have totally sucked.
So to have a more comfortable run, we are meeting at 7:00 tomorrow evening at Gypsy Hill Park. Meet at the exercise equipment like we did during our 3:30 runs, not the pool this time.
Hope to see all of you guys there.

Optional "Cool" Run

Hey gang... I know that this is last minute, but a few of the girls have mentioned that they'd prefer to run at a cooler time of day. If you skipped the Bells Lane run because of the temps (or because you were napping), then try to make it to the park tonight. If anyone would like to join the cool runners, they will be meeting at Gypsy Hill Park today at 8pm to run in the more comfortable weather. We will update you guys if we continue to see interest in two different meeting times this week.

Monday, July 5th Meeting Time and Place

Runners will be meeting on the Lee Track at 3:30pm to run Belle's Lane. This is for Monday only. Check back for Tuesday-Friday meeting times.

Week 5: Summer Training

Goals:
To be successful, you need to train smart, sticking to a hard-easy schedule and giving yourself ample time to recover.

Last week, Varsity runners were averaging 43 miles, while newer runners were totaling 29 miles. Remember to only increase your mileage by 5-7% each week. That means this week, Varsity runners are logging 47 miles, while newer athletes are logging 32 miles.

This week's schedule:
Remember to follow the hard-easy approach, running harder on M-W-F and an easy 30-45 minutes on T-Th-S. To meet mileage goals, varsity runners are doing 3-4 two-a-days a week.

Hard Run Workouts:
Follow these three workouts on your hard days:

Long Run. If your mileage goal is 32 miles, then run for 60 minutes (which will equal 6-7 miles). If you are a varsity runner trying to go for over 40 miles this week, then you need to go 80-85 minutes (9-10 miles).

Track Repeats. Warm-up by running one mile on the track. Stretch. Do at least two strides to finish warming up your legs. After doing one of the following, warm-down by running one mile on the track. Stretch.

• 3x1200 repeats, resting for 4-5 minutes in between each repeat Use your 5k time to figure out your pace. If your goal is to be able to maintain a 6 min. mile pace to start out the season, then run each 400m section of the 1200m at 1:30sec. Consistency and quality are crucial to being successful, so stick to your goal pace.
• Or 5x800 repeats, resting for 3-4 minutes in between each repeat

Hill Repeats and Strides. Warm up by running one mile. Stretch. Find a gradual hill that is 200 meters long (think the one right in front of Lee for comparison). Do 5 repeats, making sure to jog easy downhill. Then on a flat surface, do 8x100 meter strides, running slightly faster than your mile race pace. Warm-down by running one mile. Stretch.

Well f*** then...

Yeah, I timed my 4 mile run today for the first time for the summer. I had been doing this one a lot because I knew that I drove the route in a car with a mile checker thing and I knew it was a solid 4 miles.

Well, apparently the car was broken, because today the time read about 30 minutes, and unless I was running at like a sub-8-minute mile pace (psh, yeah right) I was completely off. I know this has little to no significance, but I decided to vent my anger because now I know I've been running like 4 miles a week less than I thought. Grr.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Always check how far you've gone, and never be optimistic about your distances: you're only hurting yourself.

OH but good news is that I outrun the #1 girl in our region by .80 seconds, I cross referenced our PRs like 5 minutes ago.

Is there a Regular Beverage that Works as well as Specialty Recovery Drinks?

Over the past several years, exercise physiologists have determined that drinking a carbohydrate-protein combo soon after exercise helps speed recovery because it quickly replenishes spent glycogen stores. Typically, the beverages used in this way are jazzed-up sport drinks with extra carbohydrates and added protein, usually in a ratio of about four to one (carbs to protein).


Jason Karp, an exercise physiology graduate student at Indiana University, recently tested a popular carb-protein recovery drink along with good old chocolate milk (low-fat, of course) to see which helped speed recovery better. In the study, a group of cyclists pedaled a grueling interval workout to deplete glycogen stores, then immediately drank either two or two-and-a-half cups of chocolate milk or the recovery drink. Two hours later, they drank the same amount of the same beverage. Two hours after that, the cyclists pedaled at a fixed pace until they were exhausted.

The results: The cyclists who drank the chocolate milk pedaled just as long as those who had the recovery drink. This type of timed performance trial indirectly indicates how much the cyclists' glycogen stores had recovered from the previous session of exercise. So after your next long run, go ahead and chug a cup or two of low-fat chocolate milk (cookies are optional). 


Damon Brogan, right, would prefer it if whoever is pouring water on him would please make it chocolate milk next time. 

Link to Runner's World Article and other articles on Nutrition

sorry mr.frye for not talking to you sooner but i went to florida for a soccer tornament and thats y i havent been at practice but im still running so its ok i geuss

Start Summer Speedwork

For many, your weekly mileage has been consistently building for the past month. Now that July is here, your training needs to become more specific to the 5k distance, which will be run at a much faster pace than the conversation-paced runs you've been doing to build your mileage. 

Jeff Arbogast, two-time National Cross Country Coach of the Year, gives the following rationales for starting speed work early:

• "...speed work is much more than a finishing product applied only to build a powerful kick. Athletes in the new superpowers of distance running, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco to name but several, incorporate speed into virtually every phase of distance preparation."

• "...speed in cross country can be used for many things. Speed can lead to a devastating kick . . . a long prolonged drive to the finish . . . the ability to modulate speed according to terrain and racing conditions. 

• "...pure speed is always an advantage, but speed endurance, an ability to hold speed over time, can demoralize the opposition and provide the athlete with tactical advantages of strength and speed that are unbeatable." 

 

 Pick one of the following workouts to do, once a week on your "hard" training days:

Warm-up by running one mile on the track. Stretch.

Do at least two strides to finish warming up your legs. 

3x1200 repeats, resting for 4-5 minutes in between each repeat

Use your 5k time to figure out your pace. If your goal is to be able to maintain a 6 min. mile pace to start out the season, then run each 400m section of the 1200m at 1:30sec. Consistency and quality are crucial to being successful, so stick to your goal pace. 

Or 5x800 repeats, resting for 3-4 minutes in between each repeat

Warm-down by running one mile on the track. Stretch.