Week 2 Training Plan, 8/30-9/5

 This week features the start of school of course. With the resumption of classes we hope to get in to the regular routine of practice starting at 3:30 in the afternoon. Based on the current long range weather forecast this should be doable. 

The pattern of this week's practices is overall similar to last week with a maximum of six runs that includes three shorter runs, two longer runs, and a long run. One of the two medium length runs, on Monday, will also include a series of timed pickups.

Please hand in your summer training log (optional for new athletes, required for returning athletes) by the first day of school (Wednesday) at the latest. Rewards will be distributed once the coaching staff has tabulated the logs, hopefully wrapping up by Friday.

Finally, there will be an optional day trip to Western Massachusetts on Saturday. We'll be taking one of the school's booster buses leaving at 7:30 AM and returning around 5:30 PM with a full day of running and other fun planned. If you're interested let the coaches know. There's room for up to 13 people on the booster bus.

With all that out of the way, here's the plan:

• Mon 8/30 - Warmup including BURPEES followed by a medium length run that will incorporate timed pickups of 1 minute in length, at a "race pace" (90%) effort. In between the race pace pickups is a recovery of 1 minute, ideally run at a 60% effort (this is not a slow jog). This will be followed by a few pickups of 30 seconds in length at a speed faster than race pace, with the same 1 minute recovery. Level 1 athletes may find it more realistic to jog the recovery interval or even walk the first 30 seconds of each recovery interval. Everyone will begin and end their run today with a warmup and cooldown that are at an easy pace, with the timed pickups sandwiched in between. Time for today's run is as follows, with number of pickups indicated as well:

Level 1: 22-26 minutes: 4x 1 minute pickups, 4x30 second pickups (warmup and cooldown 5-6 minutes each)
Level 2: 34-38 minutes: 6x 1 minute pickups, 4x30 second pickups (warmup and cooldown 8-10 minutes each)
Level 3: 43-47 minutes: 8x 1 minute pickups, 6x30 second pickups (warmup and cooldown 10 minutes each)
Level 4: 52-56 minutes: 8x 1 minute pickups, 6x30 second pickups (warmup and cooldown 12-15 minutes each)

• Tue 8/31 - Warmup followed by a short, easy active recovery run. Following the run will be a series of run throughs over cones, both quick stepping and bounding. This will be done in the softball outfield. Today is also a day for those who have a bike and haven't done as much running over the summer to bring their bike to practice for a cyclocross-style ride around campus instead of running.

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-32 minutes
Level 4: 38-42 minutes

• Wed 9/1 - Introductory circle after the first day of school, then warmup including BURPEES, then a medium length run which will be the same overall length of time as Monday's workout but without any pickups. In fact, you should cover less distance on today's run than Monday because today is meant to be an easy active recovery day.

Level 1: 22-26 minutes
Level 2: 34-38 minutes
Level 3: 43-47 minutes
Level 4: 52-56 minutes

• Thu 9/2 - Warmup followed by a cyclic long run (CLR). The total time of your run will be broken down into 12 equal segments. The first segment is run at an easy (40% or so) effort. The next is run at a "fresh" (60-65% or so) effort, and the one after that at a "good" (80-85%) effort. Then this easy-fresh-good cycle is repeated three more times. The countdown timer function on your watch is a good way to keep track of these time segments. Total length of the run as follows:

Level 1: 36 minutes (12x3 minute segments)
Level 2: 48 minutes (12x4 minute segments)
Level 3: 60 minutes (12x5 minute segments)
Level 4: 72 minutes (12x6 minute segments)

We will discuss a route for today's run at the start of practice. 

• Fri 9/3 - Warmup including BURPEES and then a short, easy active recovery run. We will be doing hill drills as well, possibly on Wallace Road.

Level 1: 18-20 minutes
Level 2: 22-26 minutes
Level 3: 28-32 minutes
Level 4: 38-42 minutes

• Sat 9/4 - Western Mass. day trip (assuming sufficient interest). For those not coming along for the Western Mass. day trip, either:

- a cross training workout of 30 minutes to an hour plus (depending on what the activity is)

- a run of 25-45 minutes with the last 5-10 minutes being run at about a 75-80% effort. Up to that point, take it easy.

Regardless of which workout you choose to do, please remember to do the warmup routine beforehand and SAM afterward. The specifics on these can be found in the "Training Links" sidebar of the team website.

Sun 9/5 - off