VO2theMAX

VO2theMAX

9 PAX launched from the friendly confines of the Vine Restaurant on Tuesday morning for a little yogging before the main event.  What perhaps was a record PAX for the pre-run, was also perhaps a record number for those bailing and choosing Bagpipe (3).  We picked up 6 more yoggers in the Parking lot at 0515 and set off for the socialist Eastern lands of Ballantyne at North Community House Rd.

The THANG:

• 1.2mi Pre-run https://www.strava.com/activities/442461153
• Mosey to Metlife building via the Ballantyne Hotel shortcut. Do some drills. ~1.4mi
• Start the main event at 0530
• 4minutes at Interval Pace – Find your Interval training pace here:  http://runsmartproject.com/calculator or also available via the app VDOT Running Calculator by The Run SMART Project, LLC. Here are downloadable links:iOS App Store = https://appsto.re/us/gp4b6.i Google Play = https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.runsmartproject.vdot_calculator
• 3minutes to recover and regroup
• Repeato for 5 total rounds – between 4 and 5mi.
• Mosey back the way we came. ~1.1mi.
• Total for the morning – about 6-7mi not including Pre-run.

Moleskin:

• Working on the Interval pace this week.  From Jack Daniels –

Interval Pace

Variety: VO2max Intervals (see below).

Intensity: Generally in the range of 95-100% of VO2max or 98-100% of HRmax. Intervals are “hard” but not all-out running by any means. Usually at a pace that you could maintain for about 10-15 minutes in a serious race. Intervals are best if they involve runs of 3 to 5 minutes each (800m and 1000m workbouts are typical), with jog recoveries of similar duration (not necessarily, equal distance); relative to the runs they follow. If a workout calls for “hard” runs, then go by feel and imagine 5k race pace, as he intensity of each run.

Purpose: Stress your aerobic power (VO2max). It takes about two minutes for you to gear up to functioning at VO2max so the ideal duration of an “Interval” is 3-5 minutes each. The reason not to go past 5-minutes is to prevent anaerobic involvement, which can result in blood-lactate build-up.

• What that boils down to is some Hard running.  Usually feels good for about the first 90 seconds (probably equivalent to a lap of the track), but that’s only about 1/3 of the way.  Towards the end it starts getting really difficult.
• Let’s talk for a minute about the direction we did these.  Intervals 1 and 3 were mostly downhill, but Intervals 2 and 4 had to compensate coming back on the slight incline.  It was definitely noticeable. Fun thing on Interval 5 to do an Out 2minutes and Back 2minutes to even things out, but not sure it was preferred to do the Back up the incline on the 2nd half of the last one.  Definitely a lot of hands on knees after that one.
• Notable was JRR Tolkien dropping clothing all over the place to make sure he got as light as possible for the last interval that he was surely smoking on.
• OneNiner seemed unfazed the whole workout.  As others bent over exhausted at the end of intervals, he just smiled and kept running back to join the PAX.  Wicked sense of humor.
• On the last Interval, the out & back one, YHC noticed that Haggis and HoneyBee were some of the few that obeyed all traffic rules and crossed completely (trampling Ballantyne’s expensive landscaping in the process) over the median to the other side of the street.  Was just about the only way you could slow those 2 down today.  Haggis seemed to attack every rise in the street with a new vengence.  He either kept slapping his wrist to keep the drugs flowing into the system or was checking his watch, but something had him heading to a new level.
• Gumbo said he keeps dropping time from his runs after only a month or so of Swift.  Great to hear it helps some get faster, because it certainly keeps YHC’s bag of bones from getting too much slower.
• It’s hard to tell how Mr. Bean feels about the Crossfit gym and it’s occupants.  As we’d see them sprinting on the sidewalk for short bursts he kept yelling “Clipboarder” and “Pay for Play” between gasps of air. He couldn’t get Abacus to join in the rabble rousing, but then again Abacus is too polite for that.
• A solid pack seems to be generating with the Pax.  Guys like Cable Guy and Gumbo are right there along with the leaders of Ringer and Long Haul as he’s getting back to form.  Don’t know who the Sturdy Undercarriage is that is keeping everyone in check or chasing, but something seems to be working.
• Most of YHC’s Monday night was spent billing Stump Hugger for IT hours on his TomTom to Strava sync issues.  Pleased to see he worked it all out while not having to carry a tool belt of devices anymore.
• Lots more people traffic than auto traffic on the North Community House that day.  Other than the Crossfitters, we had Tomatoes, and some headphone-wearing sad clowns.

Week 4 next week will be trying a new spin of an old workout.  The 2/1/30 will shape shift to the mixing bowl.