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Week 2 - March 7th thru 13th

Monday 7th                 No Run - Cross Training Day

                                 Lift Weights/Pilates (Mat or Reformer)/Yoga – 45 to 60 minutes

Tuesday 8th                 Easy/Light Run 45 minutes

                                 Include 6 x 30 sec light strides/60 sec easy within run

                                 workout on quicker cadence/faster turnover with the light strides

Wednesday 9th            Chris Fartlek Workout

                                 Meet @ East Boulder Rec - 6:30 am

                                                     OR

                                 Meet @ Potts Field - 5:30 pm

                                 Warm Up 15-20 min/Stretch/4 x 30 sec strides

                                 1/2/3/4/4/3/2/1 min ladder…run as follows:

                                 1/2 min @ 10 km effort with 60 sec easy

                                 3/4 min @ half marathon effort with 90 sec/2 min easy

                                 10 km effort = around 80% effort of max

                                 half marathon effort = around 70-75% effort of max

                                 Cool Down 5-10 minutes

Thursday 10th             Easy Recovery Run 45 minutes

                                 Plyo’s Class @ CAC-Flatirons – 6:00 pm

Friday 11th                  No Run - Day Off

                                 Lift Weights/Pilates/Yoga/Core Strength Work – 45 to 60 minutes

Saturday 12th              Tempo Workout from Tom Watson Park @ 7:30 am

                                 Warm Up 10-15 min/Stretch/4 x 30 sec strides

                                 Start 12 min @ half marathon effort with 4 min active rest

                                 Then 8 min @ half marathon effort with 3 min active rest

                                 End 5 min @ 10 km effort                 

                                 70-75% = half marathon

                                 80% = 10 km

                                 Cool Down 5-10 minutes

Sunday 13th                Easy Long Run 70 minutes

                                 Relaxed Effort-Pace/Hydrate on the Run

                                 Easy 5 min Walk Cool Down

Easy/Light/Recovery - Conversational Pace/Time on Legs/Relaxed Effort

Long - 60 to 90 sec slower than goal pace for marathon

Fartlek - Playing with Fast/Slow Speed

Tempo - Run between 70-75% Effort of Max

Meeting Places

East Boulder Rec - follow Baseline east to 55th St. Take a right on 55th and follow the road until the sharp left turn and go past the first parking lot and tennis courts towards the Rec Center. Park on the West Side of the Rec Center Parking Lot.

Potts Field – CU Outdoor Track between Foothills Parkway and 30th off of Colorado Avenue

Tom Watson Park - follow the Diagonal Highway to 63rd Street. Go north on 63rd for about a half mile and look for the sign saying Tom Watson Park on your right. Parking Lot is opposite Coot Lake on east side of 63rd Street. DO NOT park @ Coot Lake.

Coach's Notes

You have the Option to Cross Train on Mon/Fri and or attend my Sports Conditioning Class at CAC-Flatirons on Tue/Thu. I encourage you to get into a regular routine of lifting and doing core-work, however, read these notes below to make sure you are on the right track.

Runners Cross-Train to prevent injuries, so it's ironic, to get injured while cross-training. Pilates and Alternative forms of exercise can improve your fitness, prevent and re-habilitate injuries, promote recovery, and revive a stale routine, just approach them as a Runner.

Runners have their obvious strengths: power, endurance, tenacity, however, within those strengths lays the potential for weakness: quads that overpower the hamstrings, neglected upper bodies, and poor flexibility - qualities that could lead to problems. Understanding the 3 most common problems runners experience will help you cross-train safely and benefit you.

Weak Hamstrings - quads are larger and have more muscle than hamstrings, so generate more power. Running increases this imbalance because it's such a quad-dominated activity. You cannot expect to get your hamstrings to 100 percent of the strength of your quads, so work to do 50 percent of what the quads do.

Weak Upper Body - a strong upper body helps process oxygen more efficiently, which allows you to run faster with less effort. Adding upper-body work to your routine will also help maintain form in the later stages of a race when it deteriorates. Runners new to strength training tend to get injured either from lifting too much or lifting with incorrect posture. Lift at 50-75 percent of your max weight and try doing your exercises in front of a mirror to keep proper form.

Tight Legs - yoga and pilates build core strength, mental focus, balance, and flexibility. However, in an attempt to loosen ones hamstrings, calves, and hips, one may push too far and end up with a strained muscle or joint. Start with a Beginners Class and build from that.

Cross Training can BENEFIT your Running!!!