Let's Run Some Time Trials

Hey guys. Let's try and keep our motivation up with a few periodic time trials.  See the video below for details.  Leave your results in the comments section below.

Here's a video of Erick doing a 600m time trial.  The goal for a 600 TT is to go out about 4-5 seconds slower than your 400 PR and then hang on. Erick PRed at 400 then tried to hang on.  He ended up with 1:36 after coming through in 57, oooof!  Should have gone out in 61

Home Strength Training Links From Coach K

Coach K sent me this email today. I'm passing it on to you guys.

Hi all,

 You need to continue your strength training even without a gym. I've been trying out some home bodyweight workouts and here they are.

Jeff Cavaliere was the Head Physical Therapist and Assistant Strength Coach for the New York Mets before going into private practice.

He still trains pro athletes while maintaining his Youtube channel for the masses.

Athlean-X

https://www.youtube.com/user/JDCav24/featured

The PERFECT Home Workout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc1E5CfRfos&list=PLRS2DE4P39EdCAYKkWqPfd9b6ZeNodzz2&index=2&t=0s

Home Workout Survival Guide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpBikq-_E3o&list=PLRS2DE4P39EdCAYKkWqPfd9b6ZeNodzz2&index=24&t=0s

7 Most Explosive Home Exercises 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2nerwXm9d4&list=PLRS2DE4P39EdCAYKkWqPfd9b6ZeNodzz2&index=21&t=0s

Bodyweight/Home Workout Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRS2DE4P39EdCAYKkWqPfd9b6ZeNodzz2

Distance Athletes - Covid 19 Shutdown Guidelines.

Distance Athletes:

Well, we were off to a great start and as of today, based on the section comissioners message, there is still hope that we can salvage a partial season at the end of the school year.  Please see the guidelines below for training on your own during this time.

For the most part, your sessions should look like they have for the last 2-3 weeks with a couple of exceptions:

1. Since you won't be racing, you need to try and simulate the stress of a race periodically (no more than once per week).  
2. Since very long or very hard workouts temporarily weaken the immune system, you should avoid sessions like capillary runs or 90 minute long runs.
3. Because you have lots of extra time on your hands now, you should try to double more frequently, sleeep in longer, and take naps during the day.

I'm going to lay out the most important type of sessions for you in order of priority. 

1. Lactate Threshold - This is the single most important factor for events longer than 800m.  We've been doing capillary runs and sessions of 4-5min fartlek type intervals @ 85% vVO2 with 1 min rest.  You can continue to do the fartlek, but should drop the capillary runs.  Instead, you can finish 2-3 of your runs per week with up to 3 miles at 80% pace.
2. Aerobic Power -  You can develop aerobic power in many ways, but the standard plan is to run intervals of 2-4 minutes at 95%-100% of vVO2 max.  While the long sprint group might do these at 100% of 6 minute pace and take longer rest, your events lend themselves more to doing these at 95% of 6 minute test pace but taking shorter rest.  For example, you have done a couple of sessions of 6x800 @ 95% pace with 2 minutes rest, this is to develop Aerobic Power
3. Aerobic Endurance - In all honesty, this factor could still be listed as number one on our list.  You gain aerobic endurance by doing your distance runs.  Your easy mileage should still make up the backbone of your training.  Focus on doing runs of 30-50 minutes at an easy pace to maintain the aerobic endurance you've built.  Once again, I'm asking you to break up what otherwise might be a day with a 70 minute single run to a day with a 40 minute run and a 50 minute run. 
4. Anaerobic Endurance (Lactate Tolerance) - We have not done much of this training yet, but the ability to tolerate high levels of lactic acid in the blood is crucial to racing performance.  Usually, we address this through racing.  All of those early seaosn 1600m and 3200m races also serve as a great training stimulus.  Since we aren't racing, you guys need to address this in training.  The 20x200m workout at mile pace with 30-40 seconds rest is as session designed to develop lactate tolerance.  Another session is the 5-4-3-2-1.  For this session, run 5 minutes then 4, 3, 2, and 1.  Take only 45 seconds rest between each rep and measure the total distance you covered during the course of the workout.  You should aim for about 2 mile race pace.  So, an athlete capable of running 3200 in 10:00, should be able to cover 4800m in this workout.  The first time you do this session, it will suck.
5. General Fitness and Speed you should continue to do the workouts CoachK has had you doing.  Sessions like Dragon and Minotaur are also great.  Throw in striders at about 800m race pace into your runs a couple times a week or do some easy pre-meet style 200s at the end of some of your easy days.  

Putting it all together (14 day block)

There are too many factors to fit into a one week block.  Most elite athetetes train in 10-14 day blocks (or microcycles as we call them in the biz).  For the most part, you guys have been on a 14 day block this year.

Week 1 (Key Sessions Only)

• Aerobic Power - Example 6 x 600-1k @ 95% vV02 max, 2 minutes rest.
• Lactate Threshold - Finish 2-3 runs a week with 2-3 miles of 80% vVO2 max pace.
• General Fitness and Speed - 6 x 200 @ 800m race pace with 90 seconds recovery, Dragon, Minotaur.

Week 2 (Key Sessions Only)

• Anaerobic Endurance - Example: 5-4-3-2-1 workout OR 1.5 mile time trial, rest 15 minutes, 1200m time trial. 
• Lactate Threshold - Finish 2-3 runs a week with 2-3 miles of 80% vVO2 max pace.
• General Fitness and Speed - 6 x 200 @ 800m race pace with 90 seconds recovery, Dragon, Minotaur.

The rest of your sessions you should fill in with easy running, strides, drills, lunges, stretching.....Remember, for your group, Mileage = Champions. 

Long Sprint - Covid 19 Shut Down Guidelines

Long Sprinters:

We are off to the best start we've ever been off to.  6 Boys made milkshake marks for the 800 in the first 3 meets!  That means by historical standards, we have 6 in the top 6 of the TVL.  We're doing great in the 400 and the mile also.  We need to keep that going!  We need to think positively that this panic will pass once we understand what we are up against and that the CIF will allow the resumption of sports once we have passed April 19th.  Let's look at the most important factors in your training and you can figure out how to make a plan that works for you for the next month

If you cannot get access to a track, these workouts can be done on the roads.  If you live out in LaGrange, Hickman, or Roberts Ferry, Hill repeats can replace many of the sessions below.

Important Factors (in order of importance) for this point of the season

1. Aerobic Power -  You can develop aerobic power in many ways, but the standard plan is to run intervals of 2-4 minutes at vVO2 max.  You may have noticed that we did 600s at vV02 3 weeks ago and 800s at vV02 last week.  This week would have been another session of 800s at vVO2 and then we would probably move to 1000s at the same pace.  Because you are mid distance runners, you can afford to do these right at 6 minute test pace, but because you're doing them faster than we did during cross or faster than the distance group would be doing them, you can take more rest.  A solid varsity boy Long Sprint Aerobic power might go.  Warm Up, Drills, 3 x 50 (70-80-90).  Change to spikes. 50m sprint.  Catch your breath, get a drink then 5 x 800 @ 2:26-2:28 with 4 minutes of rest.
2. Anaerobic Power - The workouts we've done with very fast 250s -300s are designed to develop this characteristics.  Since you are putting out VERY high power outputs in these workouts, the total volume can be very small and the rest can be very long.  This is why we rested 8 minutes in between the last 300s we did. 
3. Aerobic Endurance - In all honesty, this factor could still be listed as number one on our list.  You gain aerobic endurance by doing your distance runs.  Your easy mileage should still make up the backbone of your training.  Focus on doing runs of 20-40 minutes at an easy pace to maintain the aerobic endurance you've built
4. Anaerobic Endurance (Lactate Tolerance) - We have not done much of this in training yet.  The session of 5 x 500 at goal mile race pace was geared to start developing Anaerobic Endurance.  You can approach these sessions in 2 ways. A) Do long repetions of 500-800m at faster than mile race pace with long recoveryies (like the 5x500 session we did) or B) Do shorter reps (200-400m) with short recovery.  Most of you are familiar with our 20 x 200 @ mile race pace with 30-40 seconds recovery....That is designed to develop Anaerobic Endurance. 
5. Top Speed We spent a lot of time working on top speed early in the semester.  Now we simply need to try to maintain what we've built and develop the fitness that will allow us to use that speed at the end of a race. A couple of top speed 50m sprints as we transition from warm up to workout once or twice a week should be fine to maintain your top speed.

Putting it all together (14 day block)

There are too many factors to fit into a one week block.  Most elite athetetes train in 10-14 day blocks (or microcycles as we call them in the biz).  For the most part, you guys have been on a 14 day block this year.

Week 1 (Key sessions only)

• Aerobic Power - as described in #1 above
• Aerobic Endurance - Warm up. 3 x 50 sprint.  6k progression in Arb or on roads.
• Anaerobic Power/Aerobic Endurance - Warm up. 1200-800-400 @ 90% vVO2 with 1 min recovery, 2x350 at 400m goal pace.  Full recovery.

Week 2

• Anaerobic Endurance - 5 x 600 @ goal mile race pace, 4-5 min recovery or 20 x 200 @ goal mile race pace with 30-40 seconds recovery.  
• Aerobic Power/Aerobic Endurance - 5-6 x 3 min @ 90% vVO2 embedded into a 40-50 min run.
• Race simulation @ 3/4 goal race distance. followed by easy 200s or easy fartlek.

The rest of your sessions you should fill in with easy running, strides, drills, lunges, stretching.....

DO NOT BE AFFRAID TO DOUBLE.  It is an easy way to maintain your training volume.  Plus 2 very easy runs have a much greater restorative effect than on longer, easy run.

Staying Healthy and Training During Shutdown

Well, team.  Tomorrow is the last day we'll see eachother for about 4 weeks. As we discussed in the team meeting yesterday, we should anticipate that we will be able to hold a limited season from late April through Mid May.  If nothing else, training for that will give you something to do....a reason to get out of the house.

So, what should you do training wise?  You should do pretty much what we've already been doing with a few alterations.

Nutrient rich foods will help your body fight infection

1. While heavy training loads can temporarily depress your immune system.  Moderate training loads will actually increase immunity. Therefore, getting out for a workout is actually one of the best things you can do for yourselves during this time.  Plus, if you're out on the canal, you're pretty safely socially distanced from the rest of humanity. 
2. Since you have so much more time at your disposal where you are literally NOT ALLOWED to get together with large groups of friends and family, You should spend more time SLEEPING and DOUBLING Sleep is the other great immune booster, and breaking your sessions into two chunks will help ensure that any one session is not too hard and won't weaken your immune system.

When we sleep is when we recover

Covid 19 and the rest of our season.

Hey guys, as I'm writing this, I don't know what the status on the rest of our season is.  what I do know is this - Many of you have put in the work during the off season and pre-season and are in the best shape of your lives, but now your opportunities to demonstrate your fitness to the rest of the league and section is in jeopardy.

It sucks that the rest of our season is clouded with uncertainty. So, I want to give you as many facts as I can, based on the information that I have.

• As of right now, all the schools in our area have suspended athletic competition.  
• San Joaquin County Schools are closed until April 6th (Ripon, Escalon)
• Merced Union High School District (Livingston) has suspended athletics until April 19.

As of right now, I'm hopeful that we may still be able to salvage some of our season in late April and then move forward into the championship season of May. So, what does that mean for us.

1. If we are able to stay in school, our practices will continue as they have.  We will bring in some more fun, Intra-squad competitions to keep things interesting.  We'll likely play some game days as well.
2. If school is shut down and we cannot practice, you should continue to train on your own in anticipation of being able to compete after spring break.  If we do shut down school, I plan to push out workuts for you guys on this website.  Remember, your events lend themselves the best to training OYO.  There haven't been books, movies, and songs called "The Lonlieness of the Long Distance Runner" for nothing :).  In some ways, you guys could look at a potential school shut down as an opportunity to get in even better shape because you will have more time to double and more time to sleep!.

I will be keeping you guys informed as best as possible.  For today, remember that this is supposed to be a day where all groups get 50-70 minutes of total running in.  If you need to break that into two runs, that is fine.