"It's never too early for cross country!" Peter G. Sweeney
This is the overview of the coming fall's training in anticipation of the USATF Fall National XC Championships to be held on 12/5 in
Portland
OR
. As an added feature, this year's national championship XC race will be held in conjunction with the Nike HS National Team XC Champs, so expect a boatload of people and a circus like atmosphere. Should be fun. Course details: http://www.dyestatcal.com/results/xc2004/December/04NikeNationals/CourseAnnouncement.htm
If you're on the fence about cross country and not sure how much emphasis it should place in your training, or if you're thinking "why the heck should I race cross country? I'm a track runner for cryin' out loud." Well let's consider the following people and look at what they all have in common: Alan Webb, Charlie Gruber, Daniel Lincoln, and Shayne Culpepper. First off, they are all 2004 Olympians, also they all ran well at recent editions of the fall XC nationals. Look back a few years and you'll see Jason Lunn's 4th place finish at the 2000 1500 Trial preceded by a top 10 finish at the fall XC meet. Also look at the year Nicole Teter made her big 800 breakthrough and it was also preceded by a top 10 finish at the fall XC nationals. If your goal is to race fast on the track this coming spring, please take the upcoming XC season seriously.
Goals: To systematically build aerobic endurance through progressive workloads. Maintaining the athlete's health is of primary importance. Improvement within the season and beyond previous seasons is the hallmark of success. Ideally we want the athlete to exhibit the greatest focus in the championship meets, specifically PA's in
San Francisco
on 11/21, followed by Nationals in
Portland
on 12/5.
The following is the upcoming fall training schedule we will be using here in SLO. You should be able to follow the general outline and incorporate the specific workouts listed in your area with success.
Detailed listing of all XC events can be found at the Pacific Association website: (http://www.pausatf.org/). I will send a detailed message next week outlining the formula used to determine who will represent us at Nationals. Keep an eye open for it. Reader's Digest version is there are 3 races that count, Folsom, Shoreline and PA's with each talking on greater importance as the season progresses. You are welcome to run any other races you wish, unfortunately the only races that will count towards your point total and ability to represent the club in
Portland
are those listed in bold below:
10/08: Asics Aggie Folsom Challenge. Folsom CA. Aggie sponsored, national's squad qualifier. 4 miles for males, 5k for females.
10/23: Shoreline. Mt View CA. Aggie sponsored, national's squad qualifier. 5k for females, 4.6 for males.
11/21: PA champs. SF CA. National's squad qualifier. 6k for females, 10k for males.
12/05: 2004
USA
Fall XC Championships,
Portland
,
OR
. 6k for gals, 10k for guys
The goals for our teams this year are to race our best at PA's and Nationals. For the last few years we have raced extremely well and beyond the expectations of many of our competitors at the end of the season, so there is no reason to think we won't rise to the challenge again this year. Our goal for the fall is to train similar to years past with an eye towards being patient and consistent, as well as training and racing with greater intensity as the season progresses. Also, we want to encourage our runners to work together as a team. We always do best when we help each other out during the meets.
The following is an overview of our training this fall followed by a detailed outline for the month. This isn't written in stone, it's there to help guide you efforts each month this fall. You can expect an email bulletin the start of each month with the updated training program or you can just check the club website where it will posted each month as well.
Best of luck to everyone the coming fall and have a great weekend. We can chat at camp on this if you'd like or feel free to email me directly. Joe
Overview:
8/1-8/28: Stage 1:
General
Conditioning
I.
(4 weeks week #4 is easy)
-Goal: Re-establish consistent training into the routine, reintroduce some lighter turnover, get back on the miles.
-Workouts: strides, 200-300's on grass, light steady state runs.
8/29-9/25: Stage 2: General Conditioning II (4 weeks - week #4 being an easy week)
-Goal: Continue to progress from last month
-Workouts: Strides, 200-300's, hill reps, slightly faster steady state runs.
9/26-10/23: Stage 3: XC Specific training. (4 weeks - week #4 being an easy week)
-Increase the intensity focusing on VO2max development.
-Workouts: Hill reps, fartleks at XC race effort, controlled races
10/24-11/20: Stage 4: Final push (4 weeks - week #4 being an easy week)
-Focus on higher intensity work coupled with a slight drop in weekly mileage.
-Workouts: Mile reps at 10k, 400's at 3k or faster, 800's at 5k,
Wake
Forest
drill
11/21-12/04: Stage 5: Taper, sharpening.
Detailed write up:
8/1-8/28: Stage 1:
General
Conditioning
I.
(4 weeks week #4 is easy)
Goal: Get back on the miles, get consistent, get into a routine again.
Get your miles up approximately where you want them for the next few months. Nothing heroic pace-wise, just get the miles in. As a guideline if you're thinking 70 MPW for the goal by the end of the month, then go 40, 55, 70 followed by an easy week of 50-60. Another guideline, add about a 10-15% increase over the previous year's weekly high mileage mark. You should seriously consider adding volume to your weekly mileage goals over what you safely handled in the past each year. As much as possible keep the runs in this stage on soft surfaces such as dirt and do these runs in the hills whenever possible.
Hints:
* Paces: Keep the paces on your run in check. The goal here is not intensity, it's on volume. If you hit a day where you feel good and smooth, go ahead and press the pace (refer to chart at end of message), don't force it though. Strides one or two days a week is cool as well.
* AM or Lunch runs. To achieve the mileage goals you'll most likely have to add some double days in there. Start adding second runs to the days you are planning on doing your harder effort days first and foremost, then add them to the other days of the week. 3-5 days a week of doubles should be expected. If you plan on doing your hard workouts on Tuesday and Friday the coming season, start adding doubles to Tuesday and Friday first before adding them to the other days of the week. In this way we can start making the two days proportionally harder than the rest of the week, which results in a fitter athlete than does training at the same level each day. Additionally, we want to reintroduce some turnover on top of the weekly miles. Not super hard, just enough so running fast isn't a foreign activity.
* Long Run: Should be roughly 80-120 minutes based on experience, try to make it roughly 20-25% of your weekly mileage. Pace is easy.
* Aerobic Endurance runs (AE) are you're garden variety everyday run where you start at a very easy recovery pace and run with the primary goal of covering the distance. As your fitness improves the pace at the end of these runs can become fairly brisk. If this happens to you go with the flow. This isn t the type of run where you force the pace at all, rather you run on the easy side of life and as you warm-up you naturally pick up the pace. For suggested paces refer to the chart at the end of this message. Runs should be in the 40-60 min range generally speaking with paces in the 75-80% range at the fast end of the spectrum.
* Recovery days: make one, maybe two days each and every week a very easy recovery day. A 20-40 minute jog or a DNR or active recovery such as a mtn bike ride, hike, light swim that sort of thing. The other option would be 2 x 20-40 minutes easy (one in the AM and one in the PM), real easy. Just make sure that a recovery day includes nothing over 40 minutes and is at a butt slow pace.
* Strides: Before the main workouts for the week. 4-6 x 80-100m efforts at smooth, quick effort on grass or dirt if possible. 30 + seconds between each. Also follow up one run per week with 6-8 x 100 at the same smooth, quick effort.
* Add a mid week run at an easy pace naturally working towards a moderate 75-80% effort. Ideally 12-15% of your weekly mileage. 70-90 minute for most.
Scheduled Workouts for the Month 1.
2 primary workouts per week. Additionally, add 1 day of a run followed by strides.
- Steady state run: Once a week at this stage do a 20-40 minute steady state run (80% effort).
- 200-300's at 3k pace (preferably 1-2 seconds slower) on grass or dirt if available. Take an equal time recovery jog (1:1). 8-12 x 200 w/ 30-40 seconds btw each or 5-8 x 300 with 45-60 seconds btw each. Pace is slightly slower than 2 mile race pace effort.
One additional day each week do a 40-60 min easy-moderate run (70-75% effort) followed by 6-8 x 100 at a quick, smooth effort w/ full recovery. Can go stride the straight/jog the turns if you like.
The workouts listed should be accompanied by a second run for the day of 20-40 minutes. Warm-up for the 2 primary workouts should include a 20-30 min easy run followed by 4-6 x 80-100m strides. Warm down should be 15-20 min easy.
How all this would look in standard week:
Sun: Long run. Pace = 70% easy effort. Length = 20-25% weekly mileage, 80-120 minutes.
Mon: AM: easy 20-40 min.
PM: 40-60 min 70-75% run followed by 6-8 x 100 strides quick and smooth with 30+ second recovery btw each.
Tue: AM: Optional 20-40 min. easy
PM: 40-60 min at 70-75%. Substitute an easy 20-40 min recovery run if needed.
Wed: AM: easy 20-30 min.
PM: 200-300's at 3k pace (preferably 1-2 seconds slower) on grass or dirt if available. Take an equal time recovery jog (1:1). 8-12 x 200 w/ 30-40 seconds btw each or 5-8 x 300 with 45-60 seconds btw each. Pace is slightly slower than 2 mile race pace, figure about 5k race effort.
Thurs: Mid week long run. Last 15-50 min at 75%. 12-15% weekly mileage. 70-90 min.
Fri: AM: 20-40 min EASY PM: 20-40 min EASY
Sat: AM: 20-40 min steady state run at 80%. Substitute a 20-30 min at 85% effort at the end of the easy week to slightly test fitness. Neither of these should be very hard.
PM: 20-40 min easy
Easy Week (8/22-8/28): Cut back mileage 15-25% on all runs: recovery, AE, long runs, etc. Cut back number of reps the same % (ie, if doing 6 x 3 min on/off, cut it back to 4 x 3 min on/off, a 16 mile long run should be cut back to 12-14). Follow up the month with a 20-30 minute steady state run at approximately 85% effort (see chart at end of message) to test fitness a bit and get a better idea of where you're at.
Races: You can race a low key race or two during this stage in place of the listed steady state run. Not to be a real big deal, should be a fun run in the true sense of the term. Low key, tempo effort, social in nature. Run harder the last mile or two if feeling fresh and spunky. If no races on the horizon follow up the easy week with a run of 20-30 min at 85%, but please note, this is not a very hard workout nor is it meant to be. It's a moderate tempo to test the waters a bit. It's not a full on race type effort.
Emotional Window: If you're reading the above and thinking it's pretty light in terms of workload, particularly intensity, you'd be correct. The idea for the month of August is to get on the miles and start working towards making them stronger in nature. We maintain some turnover in the form of 100, 200 and 300's so that when we ask you to turn up the pace, you don't break into a million pieces. This being the case, we do not want you hammering the workouts just yet. We'll get to that. As hard as it is for most to understand, it only takes someone about 4-6 weeks of harder workouts to get about as fit as they are going to get that season. Before that we want you under-trained, consistent, patient and viewing the next 12 weeks as putting
money
in the bank. Please be aware that going above your abilities and really hammering in the early workouts amounts to taking a withdrawal out of your savings. Please stick to the prescribed paces in workouts as much as possible to ensure you are working out at the correct intensity and keeping your cash safely in the bank, then in the last month go crazy and spend all you want in practice and in races. Taking this viewpoint in looking at the outline for the season, we will hammer in earnest come Shoreline and continue that increased intensity through Late November. If viewing the season on a scale of 1-4 (4 being hardest) in terms of physical intensity and emotional focus, we want the season broken down as follows:
Aug: 1
Sept: 2
Oct: 3
Nov: 4
This being the case, you will notice a distinct increase in the intensity and race expectations as the season winds along. Be mentally prepared to give your best efforts after Halloween. Doing so now will generally result in you being the hunted as the season winds down instead of the preferred position of being the hunter. This just happens when you get too fit, too soon. Nothing better than rounding into form about the time the
Turkeys
get thrown into the ovens.
Suggested Pace Chart
The following chart represents the approximate pace ranges for most of the runs we do away from the track or XC course. These paces fall between 70 and 100% of your cur
ren
t 5k fitness. Why this is significant is because these paces represent the ideal speeds necessary to increase your aerobic st
ren
gth as well as train a larger percentage of your fast twitch fibers to take on aerobic characteristics. Increasing fitness in both of these areas results in improved distance running performances. You will notices that many of the paces are not incredibly heroic. The concept here is not to kill every run, rather it is to run at a relatively strong effort for a significant percentage of most of your runs. Ideally the first few miles are slower and used to warm-up, but after the athlete is warm and the paces come easily, the last 25-75% of the run should be done approximately at the paces listed within the training schedule outline provided at the beginning of each month.
Please note recovery is an absolutely essential aspect to improvement. A run listed as a recovery/easy run in the outline should be done at 70% or preferably SLOWER and then for only 20-40 minutes. A true recovery day comprises one or possibly two recovery runs for the day the goal of which is to get your training legs back.
Done consistently within each training week over the course of several months, the runs listed within the ranges below increase the aerobic st
ren
gth considerably and lay the foundation for the ability to train and ultimately race at a higher percentage of the athlete's available VO2max. This ultimately leads to significant improvements in race times. The period of time spent focusing on improving this energy system is what we term true base training. 12 to 16 weeks of training emphasizing the following paces results in a very fit runner who is able to convert this increased aerobic fitness into faster race times regardless of race distance.
All paces listed are approximate times based on cur
ren
t fitness. Be realistic when establishing your cur
ren
t fitness because as crazy as this may sound, under training by working out slightly slower than you should generally results in better race performances. On the other hand, running consistently faster than the paces listed tends to result in poorer race results. The best way to determine your cur
ren
t fitness is to actually race a 5k Otherwise be your own best judge and be conservative with yourself. The listed paces assume a flat course with good traction. If you're running on a hilly XC type course, the effort to hit the listed paces will be much greater. Please take surfaces, weather, etc into consideration and adjust your paces accordingly. Finally, the listed paces are suggestions. The earth won t open up and swallow you if you don't follow them to the letter. They are guidelines to help you learn the appropriate effort needed to increase aerobic fitness effectively.
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Current 5k
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70%
(Recovery)
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75%
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80%
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85%
(MP)
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90%
(tempo)
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95%
(10k)
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