Summer Base - Week 4 - Group 2

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Week 4 - July 2nd thru 8th

I AM LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR OUR AID STATION FOR THE BOULDER PEAK TRIATHLON ON SUNDAY JULY 8TH...IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME OUT AND HAVE FUN AND SUPPORT THE ATHLETES...PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK AND GET YOURSELF AND ANYONE ELSE REGISTERED...WE ARE THE TURN-AROUND ON THE RUN...THANKS                                                                                              http://www.doitsports.com/volunteer2/info.tcl?job_id=41924163

Monday 2nd                No Run - Cross Training Day

                                Do ONE of the Following after Warm Up:

                                Warm Up 10 minutes on Stationary Bike - THEN

                                Lift Weights/Pilates (Mat or Reformer)/Yoga

                                Cool Down 10 minutes on Stationary Bike

Tuesday 3rd                Easy/Light Run 30-35 minutes

                                Include 5 x 30 sec light strides/60 sec easy within run

Wednesday 4th           Easy/Light Recovery Run 35 minutes

                                HAPPY 4TH EVERYONE!!!

Thursday 5th              Light Fartlek/Tempo Workout - OPTION TO MEET SATURDAY

                                IF YOU CAN'T MAKE THURSDAY...YOU MAY COME BOTH DAYS

                                Meet @ Tom Watson Park - 6:30 am

                                Warm Up 15-20 min/Stretch/4 x 25 sec strides

                                Start 5 x 3 min @ 10 km Effort with 2 min easy to re-group

                                End 7 min @ Half Marathon Effort

                                Run Pick-Ups...Nice and Controlled...Use Paces as a Guideline

                                Cool Down 5-10 minutes

                                             OR

                                No Run - Day Off

Friday 6th                   No Run - Cross Training Day

                               Do ONE of the Following after Warm Up:

                               Warm Up 10 minutes on Stationary Bike - THEN

                               Lift Weights/Pilates (Mat or Reformer)/Yoga

                               Cool Down 10 minutes on Stationary Bike

Saturday 7th               Light Fartlek/Tempo Workout

                               Meet @ Tom Watson Park - 7:00 am

                               Warm Up 15-20 min/Stretch/4 x 25 sec strides

                               Start 5 x 3 min @ 10 km Effort with 2 min easy to re-group

                               End 7 min @ Half Marathon Effort

                               Run Pick-Ups...Nice and Controlled

                               Cool Down 5-10 minutes

                                            OR

                               Easy/Light Run 35-40 minutes

                               Include 5 x 30 sec light strides/60 sec easy within run

Sunday 8th                 Easy Longer Run 50-60 minutes

                               Relaxed Effort-Pace/Hydrate

                                 

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

Fartlek - Run between 70-80% effort of Max

Meeting Places

Tom Watson Park - follow the Diagonal Highway to 63rd St. 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. DO NOT park @ Coot Lake.

Coach's Notes

Last Week I spoke about Consistency and achieving an optimal emotional approach to training which is the key to long-term success. I covered the different Characteristics of Consistency and how if you are able to approach training with long-term vision, persistence and patience, you will achieve the results that you set out for yourself. This week I’ll discuss the Common Mistakes, High Peaks and Valleys, and Skipping the Support aspect of Consistency.

Common Mistakes – mistakes happen…repeat mistakes are called habits. Ironically, many of the mistakes are born out of a positive quality; a determined desire to improve. The motivation for gains often ends up being a barrier to success.

1)     Chasing power or pace on every workout – this is so common amongst athletes and happens on a daily basis where a workout designed for endurance becomes an all-out battle for more power or a faster pace. A lack of patience is born out of a lack of self-confidence and a lack of confidence in the overall plan and a need for the validation that improvement brings. When a workout that is designed to be done at a lower intensity becomes a race, it will negatively affect the overall plan.

2)     The inability to back-off – recovery or actively including lighter sessions to allow recuperation not only allows for better performance in the key sessions but also allows muscular and hormonal repair. Most type A athletes skip the lighter sessions, adding intensity and effort, because of a lack of patience and confidence. In its acute phase, the consequences are minor, but repeated multiple times will result in lingering fatigue, uneven energy levels and declining performance.

3)     Giving up before it has begun – endurance sports can be quite frustrating as the key adaptations that provide results don’t happen overnight. In fact, some adaptations take so long that it can feel like you are going nowhere. Newbies to the sport of Running sometimes think this and give it up before giving it a realistic chance…Rome was not built in a day and neither will your Aerobic Capacity.

High Peaks and Valleys – this is probably the greatest battle a Coach will face; athletes who approach each training session as a test of their worth and potential. A good session is glorified as a massive breakthrough, while a tough session is seen as a massive failure and confidence killer. These high peaks and valleys damage self-confidence and the ability to create consistent training. To truly improve this tendency takes a good deal of coaching as well as real work by the athlete. The goal is balance: focus on doing the best job as possible to execute the session as it’s meant to done, and move on.

Skipping the Support – the final mistake is neglecting the components of performance that support training, such as nutrition and recovery…i.e. when an athlete puts a massive effort into a training session and then “forgets” to refuel properly afterwards and then is confused by their poor performances on subsequent days. The athlete who displays long-term patience, massive persistence and a deep passion is always likely to understand the value and necessity of the supporting components.

In closing, don’t look for a magic training recipe or plan…there are none. A smart training plan, built around your needs is important, but the real magic is setting up the best possible emotional approach to training and being able to create real consistency.    

Remember to follow the Base Schedule based on your Fitness Level right now:

Group 1 – been training consistently since Bolder Boulder and running on a daily basis

Group 2 – took time off after Bolder Boulder and back running 3-4 times a week now