#F3Swift – Take a Chance on that Hill

#F3Swift – Take a Chance on that Hill

10 PAX launched at 0515 on Tuesday from the Vine Restaurant at the Ballantyne AO for the weekly speedwork known as Swift.

The THANG:

• Warm-up 1.9mi including high knees, butt kicks, and bounding.
• Dice game – roll the dice.  Do Exercise, recover back to start, roll the dice. Repeat until 5:55
• 1 = Bounding for 1min; 2 = Backwards (but never rolled it); 3 = 30 sec hill; 4 = 45 sec hill (never rolled); 5 = Q-choice (which ended up being backwards run for 1min); 6 = 60 sec hill (most popular)
• Indian Run back to AO
• Approx 0.5mi from the end, Jailbreak to COT whatever route you want to get back by 6:10am.
• Total miles about 5.0-5.5.  Overview here = http://www.strava.com/activities/185482914

Moleskin:

• First “unplanned” Q felt a little weird.  Rolling the dice left way too much up to chance, but we got a good mix with a little bit of everything.  Audible on several repeat rolls to make sure there was some variety.
• 60 seconds of bounding and backwards running up a hill help to reach your limit in hip flexors.  Perfect for those Mountain Goat type hills to come.
• Stump Hugger’s headlamp was necessary to see the dice.  Otherwise, it would have been by the light of the Q’s watch each time.
• Indian Run towards COT went well, but would have been enhanced by PAX spreading out more.  Apparently, now one knows what 3 – 4 yards means, or it’s just impossible to keep that space.
• Final instructions were heard by some as just “All you Got”.  Should have been “All You Got taking whatever route you want to get back to AO by 0610.”  Frasier and Honeybee either understood or followed the Q blindly into a 1.1mi AYG.  Fresh asphalt when at your breathing max doesn’t do good things for the lungs – dry heaves, ugh.
• Hops (Swift FNG) knows Ballantyne pretty well apparently, for he went straight back to the AO on the jailbreak.  He had time to towel off, get a bagel, and enjoy a nice coffee before the rest of the PAX arrived.
• Strange Brew trailed in late only because he was Sweeping for PAX.  We almost had to go Sweeping for him.
• 10 PAX at Swift is reaching critical mass for getting separation into a pace group for everyone.  No one should have to run a workout alone when it’s a group run, but it’s good to get out there and push yourself to stay with the guy who’s just a little bit ahead.  It pushes everyone.

Announcements:

• 30+ at the Bagpipe / Swift AO today is pushing a record.
• Swift next week will be BRR-prep friendly.  5 miles or less with long cruise intervals and more recovery than normal.  A great race-week taper workout – taper weeks shouldn’t be less intense than normal, but reps should be shorter and recoveries longer.