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.