Author Archive Bratwurst

Costume Party

Preblast:

http://f3nation.com/2016/10/31/preblast-trick-or-treat/

The THANG:

• All 17 PAX who posted took on the XL option.  While we were doing the 15 minutes Easy, instead of finding the Six and regrouping, the PAX held a Costume Contest.  You Vote for the Winner by adding comments to this Backblast.

Announcements:

• While the Newsletter holds the most recent info, here are two key points:
  • F3 Christmas Party – December 2nd
  • Joe Davis Run – 5K or 10K in early January.  Big F3 participation event!

Sour Green Patch

Full Backblast coming soon…

Knotts Landing with the TI-Nspire

Full Backblast coming soon…

#PreBlast – Trick or Treat

Once again, the PAX of F3nation will launch from the Vine Restaurant in Ballantyne for the weekly workout known as Swift.  What’s different this week, other than you being several ounces (hopefully not pounds) into a candy stupor, is that there will be a PAX choice depending on your training goals for the Fall.  We’ll have the XL and the HD options on the table.

The THANG:

• 0500 – Swift XL launch from the Vine for 15minutes of warm-up running and drills.
• 0515 – Swift XL and HD launch from the Vine and mosey together for the first 5 minutes down to the Brixham Hill and Ballantyne Corp Pl intersection.
• Swift XL:
  • 0520 – Starting at intersection, head off towards SPX / Premier for 20 minutes of Threshold Pace running. Find your Threshold Pace here.  The route is the “Stumpy” route (from 3 weeks ago).  From the Intersection, down/up the hill, over the 521 bridge, pass Premier building, Left on Ballantyne Commons, Left on Elm.  If you reach 485, U-turn back down Elm.
  • 0540 – Easy running for 15 minutes.  When you finish your 20 minute threshold pace, if you are the Six, keep heading forward.  If you are not the Six, go find the Six and join them in their “forward path”.  Once all PAX are regrouped, we’ll continue the mosey for 15 minutes.
  • 0555 – Threshold Pace for 20 minutes.  Return route suggestions will be made, but the easiest way to think about this.
    • From Elm & Ballantyne Commons, it’s 2 miles as the crow flies back to the Vine.
    • From Elm & Ballantyne Commons, it’s 2.6 miles back to the Vine if you take the reverse route back through Ballantyne Corporate Pl / SPX and cut through the Fitness Trail back to the Vine.
    • From Elm & Ballantyne Commons,it’s 3.0 miles back to the Vine if you take the reverse route back through Ballantyne Corporate Pl / SPX, Left on Brixham Hill at Sara’s Y, and head back to the Vine.
• Swift HD:
  • 0520 – Continue warm-up and drills
  • 0530 – start the workout on the Bull Ring at a 1mile Race pace, 3 rounds of 200 meters (200 recovery), 200m (200 recovery), 600m (600 recovery).
  • Cooldown and be back at Vine by 0615.
• 0615 – COT with Bagpipe at the Vine

SYITG,

Bratwurst

Head Out on the Highway…

13 PAX read the PreBlast and posted anyway at #F3Swift on Tuesday.

Here was the PreBlast:

http://f3nation.com/2016/10/10/preblast-get-your-motor-runnin/

The THANG:

• Read the Preblast (link above).  We executed it so well that there is no need to write an extensive THANG…

The Moleskin:

• Most of the PAX chose the XL option, which after Reading the PreBlast, it’s surprising that there were so many PAX that showed up.  Missing some of the regulars due to the Fartsack or Ragnar recovery (or both, and there are some that would call this a SmartSack, but…).  Many of these PAX also are finally getting the notion that in order to do the XL option, there’s going to be a limited warm-up if you only show at 0515.  We probably had our biggest group at 0500 yet to get ready for this one.
• Long intervals, dark streets (except for the streetlights near the 485 bridge that make it seem like it’s daylight), and definitely a you vs. you workout waiting for the clock to signal the end of the interval.  If you didn’t have the end of the interval counting down and listening for the ending tone, it probably seemed a lot longer not knowing how far you had to run for.  Frasier, turning back a little over halfway in to go back and get wrist warmers, was the only one who knew where he would end up on the first interval.  The rest of us just ran into the darkness.
• Recovery seemed to be pretty short at only 10 minutes, and most of the time was spent looking for and gathering PAX on the dark Endhaven.  Never found StumpHugger, but turns out that he had alternate routes in mind that morning.
• The way back should have been easier.  We had hit decent hills on the way out so it should be more downhill, and we knew where we were going.  You were at least chewing up the 2-3 miles that you had just run through.  Only challenge was in seeing PAX in front of you and not wanting to get run down by the PAX behind you.  Probably the most fun about out and back.
• On the way back, there was one PAX that wouldn’t be run down.  His group said that he had shot off and left them, and he kept increasing the gap.  Then, when he heard foodsteps, he didn’t concede but pushed harder, well beyond whatever Threshold Pace was the target, right into a zone that only he knew about.  Nice work Beaker.  That Minnesota air must have helped you with some sort of Altitude training, but it’s only further North, isn’t that close to the same thing?
• A bit of a brisk morning, most PAX were in the long sleeves and stayed that way.  No shirtless, but Mario was probably the last holdout to stay sleeveless.  May have also been the reason he didn’t want to slow down on the recovery in the middle and headed for home.  Probably to get some handwarmers that Frasier had left in the parking lot.
• If you showed to the 0500 warm-up, you probably had about 9 miles today.  Not too shabby.
• Already, YHC is not looking forward to next week’s workout, but YHC is still looking forward to the PAX that will be there after reading the PreBlast anyway.

Announcements:

• 10/22 Southern Discomfort (sign up)
• 11/4-11/6: Mtn Biking and Breweries–Champagne on Q
• 12/2 Christmas Party.  A51/SOB/UCo/IL.  Sign up
• 1/7/2017: Joe Davis Run For Recovery.  Register

Go the Distance

17 PAX departed the Vine Restaurant in Ballantyne with running on the mind on Tuesday.  Pretty much everyone got their fill… and then some.

The THANG:

• 0500 – Early Bird warm-up.  2nd F Pace.  Drills optional.
• 0515 –
  • Option 1 (Swift XL) – course is https://www.strava.com/routes/6698348
    • 5min warm-up to the course starting point
    • 15min Threshold Pace, 3min Rest & Regroup
    • 15min Threshold Pace, 3min Rest & Regroup
    • 10min Threshold Pace
    • Head back to COT
  • Option 2 (Swift HD)
    • 15min warm-up with 2nd F running and drills
    • 200/200/400m Intervals along Rushmore Dr.  Cones prepped and ready. PAX choice to use a part of the hill for the 200s or just the 400s.
  • Option 3 (FreePlay) – Show up, MAF it (Tolkien), get lost (Fireman Ed), workout at Bagpipe and then head out on a run (Triple7) – whatever you do, just keep running…
• 0615 – Back at Vine for COT with Bagpipe
• 0620 – Extra 10min 2ndF running option

The Moleskin:

• Writing a detailed PreBlast every week the day before the workout is so you don’t have to write a Backblast the day OF the workout, right?  At least everyone knew what you should have done, or they could look on Strava app (or be forced to the web site only you want Interval details, except for HoneyBee where you have to dive into Garmin Connect for that) for the results of what everyone did do.  And then, they could play the Strava Fly-By to see if the mission was accomplished and who did what.  If one did all of that every week, then they might actually forget what went on at the workout because there are only so many T-paces, Lap paces, Mile splits, segments to create, and other useless stuff that can fit into a brain before the fun stuff gets pushed out.  At least that’s the excuse YHC is using this week.
• Observations not otherwise noted:
  1. Brew and Wingman pounded out 2 miles worth of really Hard intervals.  If “I-pace” is a “hard” effort, then “R-pace” (or 1 mile race pace) must be “really hard”.  Well done using the hill as often as they could and only using the flat for the longer intervals.
  2. 15minutes on a 1.5mile loop means you see the same spot several times on a single interval.  You start thinking in your head about where you’ll end up on the loop (or where you *should* end up) and it seems so far away.  Although there were plenty of opportunities to make shortcuts, and YHC definitely thought about it, don’t think anyone actually pulled it off during the fast running portions.
  3. The first 15 wasn’t so bad because we started on the downhill for the loop and had mostly downhill over the interval.  But that meant the second 15 caught most of the uphill sections multiple times, and it was here that it really hurt.  Fortunately, on the 10 minute section, you knew that it wasn’t going to be as long and it was the last one to go.  Mental relief if anything.
  4. A joint Fahvra and Citgo workout is a scary combination.  Fortunately, they know how to time 15 minutes, so being out of earshot so far ahead isn’t a concern.
  5. The longer intervals on a loop don’t allow the PAX to rely on a single Q to tell them when to stop at the end of the interval.  Fortunately some PAX figured it out, but it always seemed like when FireHazard went by during interval or recovery, he was always pushing it.  Most PAX also got the memo about heading to the six to regroup on recovery.  While not only helping to keep the group together, it keeps the recovery a little more social.
  6. TigerRag mentioned something about cursing @Bratwurst during this workout.  Just to make sure that he’s directing the frustration to the right person, here’s the source.  But, just for good measure, the workout wasn’t all fun for YHC, for upon coming back to the drop point of YHC’s shirt, sprinklers filled with scummy pond water were found soaking said shirt.  A fun ride home.

Without a recording from COT, had to go off memory and Strava to put together the PAX list.  Keep me honest.

SYITG,

Bratwurst