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Week 4 – June 24th thru 30th

House Keeping Notes

1. Weekly Base Schedules are NOT password protected…posted on the Websites front page 
2. SUMMER Saturday Meetings time is 7:00 am
3. Mark your Calendars…Boulder 70.3 on Saturday August 3rd…Volunteers will be Needed 

Monday 24th           Cross Train Day

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

Tuesday 25th           Easy/Light Run 40 minutes  

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

                              do light strides after 20 minutes of running

                              Sports Conditioning Class @ CAC-Flatirons – 10:45 am

Wednesday 26th      Fartlek Workout from East Boulder Rec @ 6:30 am OR 5:30 pm

                              Warm Up 15 min/Stretch/4 x 30 sec strides (45 sec easy)

                              3 x 2 min @ 10 km effort with 60 sec easy

                              4 min @ half marathon effort

                              take 3 min active rest after 4 min

                              3 x 2 min @ 10 km effort with 60 sec easy

                              4 min @ half marathon effort 

                              run fartlek @ 70-80% of max…controlled/steady efforts

                              active rest = walk/slow run recovery

                              Cool Down 5-10 minutes

Thursday 27th         Cross Train Day

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

                              Sports Conditioning Class @ CAC-Flatirons – 6:00 pm

Friday 28th              Easy Recovery Run 40 minutes

Saturday 29th          Continuous Tempo Workout – Lefthand Trailhead @ 7:00 am

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

                              5 x (5 min @ given pace…2 min @ long run pace)…as follows:

                              #'s 1/3/5: 5 min @ marathon pace…2 min @ long run pace

                              #'s 2/4: 5 min @ half marathon pace…2 min @ long run pace

                              35 min continuous running

                              Cool Down 5-10 minutes

Sunday 30th            Easy Long Run – 70 to 75 minutes   

                              Relaxed Pace/Hydrate on the Run

                              Easy 5 min Walk Cool Down

Easy/Light/Recovery Run - Conversational Pace/Relaxed Effort

Long Run – 60-90 sec Slower than your Marathon Goal Pace

Tempo/Sustained - Run between 70-80% Effort of Max

Fartlek – Playing with Fast/Slow Speed

Hills - Work on Good Form (drive with arms/relax the shoulders/get up on toes/quick

          turnover/mid-foot strike on the downs/look 5-10 feet in front of yourself)

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 close to the tennis courts.

Lefthand Trailhead - follow Highway 36 north until Neva Road…take a right on Neva and go about a mile…trailhead will be on the right. If you coming from the east side take a left off of 63rd onto Niwot and go west thru the s- bend…trailhead will be on your left about a mile up.

Coach's Notes

We spoke about Consistency and achieving an optimal emotional approach to training which is the key to long-term success two weeks ago. The different Characteristics of Consistency and how you are able to approach training with long-term vision, persistence and patience, the will to achieve the results that you set out for yourself, was covered. This week we’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...is 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. Newbie’s to the sport of running sometimes think this and give 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 with 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 be 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 after, but 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.

SO 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.