#F3-Swift – Fartlek or Fartsack?

#F3-Swift – Fartlek or Fartsack?

At 0515 this morning, 8 PAX rolled out from the Vine restaurant for the weekly Ballantyne Area Speed workout known as Swift.  One more Swifter caught us on the warm-up jaunt and we swelled to 9, one dropped after the warm-up to drop us to 8, but one poor Bagpipe soul got caught up in Haggis’s motivational speech and gave Swift a try to stabilize our numbers at 9.

The THANG:

• 0.9mi – Warm-up (0515 option added 1.3mi of running and drills).
• 3.4mi – Heading over the the landing strip known as North Community House, we ran 4 rounds of 2minutes Hard (a.k.a. I-pace or as Dredd calls it “Aye” pace or your 2-mile race pace – figure it out from the pace calculator at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator), 1minute jog, 1minute Hard, 30sec jog, 30sec Hard, 30sec jog.  No extra rest between rounds.  Covered minimum of 3.4mi – PAX got extra if they recovered back to last man before starting next interval.
• 1.3mi – Cool-down back to the Vine
• Total mileage about 4.7mi in 45-47minutes – averages to just under a 10minute pace for the main workout. 0515 option would have finished between 6 and 6.8mi depending on distance of timed intervals and recovery.
• Full Strava report here: http://www.strava.com/activities/140580485

The Moleskin:

• After borrowing from Scottish heritage with Ben Nevis last week, we stayed in the European flair with a “Fartlek” workout – Swedish for “speed play”.  At least 9 PAX decided that it was better to run a Fartlek workout than stay in the Fartsack this morning.  This was more structured that some Fartlek workouts can be, but incorporated intervals of varying distance.
• The goal is still to run the intervals at the same speed, which becomes much harder to do on a 2minute interval after only 30seconds rest.  Rounds 2, 3, and 4 get “very hard” if you are pushing too much on the 1st and 2nd rounds.  It should always be “hard”, but bearable for 2minutes.  You’ll get the groove eventually.
• North Community House Rd is about as straight, quiet, and flat as you’ll find in Ballantyne.  You may be able to land a small plane there (or just use I-485 down below), but the Helipad has been relocated there.  The inbound car traffic that we brushed up against this morning was either going to the Helipad or getting to the Ballantyne Resort Golf Course maintenance area to cut the grass.
• Honeybee made perfect attendance again, and we’ll see how long this streak continues.  He clued us into his goal to stomp the Chicago Marathon in October.  What other races do the PAX have planned?
• Jamboree is a FNG to Swift, but he is no stranger to running.  He is a veteran of several marathons I believe, even dating back to when Thunder Road was just the “Charlotte Marathon”.
• Haggis joined us late on the warm-up, but seemed like he was trying to make up for lost mileage on the 2/1/30.  Don’t think there was spilled merlot, but YHC even felt like it after the 4th 2min interval.  No spillage though!
• MT and Spinner are quickly becoming familiar with these kind of workouts.  After last week’s hills, these should have felt smoother and better able to get in a groove.
• Puppy Love (War Daddy – Respect!) was a FNG to Swift, and despite his taking the Red Pill this morning and there being some chatter about regret, it only helps to make you stronger on the other stuff.  Having a good rotation between Boot Camps and Running (or Cycling and other pure cardio) is a great balance.  Still waiting on Brisket to return from his Boot Camp rotation…
• Abacus was back to Swift to show that it can’t keep him down for too long.  Great to have you back!
• Strange Brew, still recovering from multiple 15mi long runs over several weekends, is just about to turn that corner where the body adapts and starts getting stronger.  These faster workouts are a different kind of hurt, and they build the strength to help you go longer.
• Soft Pretzel claimed “travel” was in his decision to pass on the main Swift workout today and just join for the workout.  I agree, do this Swift workout on your own, run through the Boot Camp with others, and then brag about the results later.  Just hope the Pretzel doesn’t get too stale from lack of running…

Announcements:

• Area 51 BRR teams – we will be putting out some announcements soon to have a “BRR preview” on a Saturday this summer to run legs 31 and 33.  Stay tuned.
• F3-Golf – HC this week!
• Stonehenge Double-down this weekend – do the workout and then stay for the Ballantyne 5K/10K.
• Running Plans – looking for a “coached” plan for your BRR or long distance race plans?  Look no further than the really cheap runcoach promo that they have offered to F3.  Money-back guarantee allows you to take a spin on it for a couple of weeks.  Month-to-month plans starting at $10.  Go here for details – http://f3nation.com/2014/03/26/f3-marathon-training-plans-take-your-running-to-the-next-level/