Author Archive Bratwurst

Follow the Leader?

13 PAX launched on Tuesday morning from the Vine restaurant at the Ballantyne AO into a unremarkable gloom.  There wasn’t much gloom, but it was there and it hurt.

The THANG:

  • 0500 – 5 PAX depart the parking area for some true 2nd F running.  Low heart rates abounded.  1 PAX found us in the gloom as he was a tad late.  1mi+ done.
  • 0515 – 7 more PAX standing around with nothing better to do follow the group to the course for the morning – https://www.strava.com/routes/1578212 – a 5.8mi hilly course with 438ft of elevation climbing that would be described as “Moderate” by BRR standards.  Stop approximately 1mile in for some dynamic stretching / drills.
  • 0530 – Commence the 2/1/30 for 6 rounds.  This consists of running for 2 minutes Hard (or I-pace from the calculator at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator), 1 minute jog recovery and regroup to the Six, 1 minute Hard, 30 seconds jog recovery and regroup, 30 seconds Hard, and 30 seconds jog recovery.  Immediately start the next round starting with 2 minutes Hard again.
  • Finish near Ballantyne Commons “east” exit from Ballantyne Country Club and make our way way back home along Ballantyne Commons.
  • 5.8mi – 8.0mi done!

Moleskin:

  • #dontReadThePreBlast – why do the running workouts (Swift, Mountain Goat, SIB, etc.) or HD workouts (Muthaship, YoungGuns, WIB, SOFAWIB) #preblast the workout?  Usually to help PAX setup their fancy watch gizmo or if there are overly complicated directions.  #PreBlast are not intended to frighten off potential participants.  Make the decision to post, then read the #preblast.  For some of you, it’s the only way you may make it there.  Haggis apparently never reads the #preblast, so usually the warm-up is full of questions.  #heresatopicdiscuss
  • #listenToDirections – the first two 2/1/30 sets were a mess.  PAX all over the place.  Starting whenever, running until they felt like stopping, all because not many listened to directions.  Not many like to run backwards (unless you posted at the Muthaship Monday), but regrouping (which is run forwards towards the back) is key on these long loop courses to keep the PAX together.  Towards the end of the morning, PAX got the hang of regrouping to the Six at the end of each interval.  This keeps PAX together, doesn’t force the Q (who is calling out to most PAX when to start/stop each effort) from shouting and waking the neighbors, and keeps everyone “in” the workout.
  • Abacus has been quietly putting in the miles.  Knows how to stay healthy and be reliable for his BRR team.  Will probably take on more legs if called to!  Driver to BRR runner in one year!
  • Strong performances out there today from Outback and Mr. Bean dueling at different times to see who could run fastest for one minute.  Outback chose a downhill, but found it hard to apply the brakes like a runaway train.  Mr. Bean saved it for towards the end, or as soon as YHC said “last set”.
  • Hops said he was “mid-pack”, but was doing really well and is going to help push his BRR team.
  • Cheddar was back from a long trip, but any remaining psychedelic effects were out of the system and
  • Champagne was perhaps pleased that the intervals only lasted for 2minutes this week, but probably found out to be careful what you wish for.
  • Haggis played Frogger with traffic on Hwy 521 pointing at all the cars that slammed on their brakes while claiming, “this is MY road.”
  • HoneyBee was apparently a co-conspirator in the mangling of the first few sets to get more rest while pretending it was the Qs fault that the PAX were in disarray.
  • Brew went Metro, but had the only other working watch, so when we found each other the only ones on the stretch of road, we almost just did our own workout.
  • LongHaul is back, and it appears to be sticking this time.
  • Tootie wouldn’t let Outback off easy, so took the Six and forced Outback back to racing Mr. Bean.
  • StumpHugger building his base back up.  Wise to get the feet back under you before pushing it.  When coming back from injury, or starting a new training program, start slow and think longterm.  Too much too soon and you’ll be right back where you were hurting.
  • The Fort BRR teams have gone into seclusion to make final preparations.  No representatives today.
  • Bonus of missing COT with Bagpipe – no Q name exchanges for the list of the PAX.  May have to do this more often…or not.

Announcements:

  • #Taper – next week at Swift we’ll be keeping intensity, but cutting duration like a true taper. Check out @F3Run51 article about a proper taper.

#PreBlast for Hilly 2/1/30

Swift will launch from the Vine Restaurant at 0515 on Tuesday for a weekly #downPainment of Speed.

The Thang:

  • 0500 – leave Vine for an optional prerun for those seeking more time on their feet instead of the fartsack
  • 0515 – leave Vine for some continued warm-up on the course for the day that will tackle the undulation of the Ballantyne Country Club – https://www.strava.com/routes/363736
  • 0530 – start rounds of 2 minutes Hard, 1 minute regroup and recover, 1 minute Hard, 30 seconds regroup and recover, 30 seconds Hard, 30 seconds regroup and recover.  Continue until Q calls time or we run out of the planned course.  Expect 6 rounds for a Hard running total of 21 minutes.  This is just like 2 weeks ago (with 3x5min, 2x3min), but with slightly more frequent intervals and uncomfortably short recovery.
  • 0615 – back at Vine for COT

Spartan Superlative

7 PAX left the parking lot at Weddington HS on Saturday morning in memory of their brothers at the Spartan Super event in Asheville.  Our #Downpainment on the trails of the Weddington Complex was meant to induce pain and a little bit of adventure.  Not a full Spartan Super, but let’s try for a Superlative workout anyway.

The THANG:

  • 0630 – Hairband mile around the parking lot.
  • 0632 – Sun still not up, so COP with all ICx15 Good Morning, Imperial Walker, SSH, Low Slow Squat.  Peter Parker, hold it, Parker Peter, hold it, Mountain Climbers, hold it.  OYO w/ Wide-arm Merkins x 15, Regular Merkins x 10, Diamonds x 5.
  • 0640 – Sun still not up, so follow me to side courtyard.  OYO Steps Ups x 10 each leg, Dips x 10.  Repeato.  Plank it up.
  • 0645 – Sun is up enough, so follow me to the trails for a Tempo run.  We’ll stop every so often for a called exercise OYO and continue until the 6 comes in.  Continue exercise IC, then 10-count to  recover before running again.
    • Exercises are Lunges at the top of the first hill, Burpees on upper practice field, Imperial Squats past baseball diamond (cadence #FAIL), Knee Ups halfway on the pine trail, Plank Jacks at ES/MS bus lot, Knees to elbows on the ES playground, Merkins on the ES entrance road, LBC and Left side/ Right side crunches on the HS football practice field, Peoples chair back at the High School building.
  • Grab a rock.  OYO Overhead Press x 20, Tricep extensions behind your head x 15.  Press x 15. Tricep x 10. Overhead x 10. Tricep x 5. Place rocks back.
  • Back to Peoples Chair with some Right Leg only, Left Leg Only, Toes only, Overhead Press.
  • Back to Front of School.  Plank it up with some modifications.
  • 0725 – Let’s run out the clock with She Hate Me OYO – 10 Lunges each leg, 10 Burps, 10 Merkins.  Repeato for 5 min.
  • 0730 – Done

Moleskin:

  • It’s been a few weeks since YHC has had the opportunity to be at Commitment.  Too much kids sports and running probably.  Wanting to get in some running and use the vast campus, we were going to hit the trails like our Lawson pack was going to this morning in Asheville Super at the Spartan.  However, no mud, a little wetness with some LBCs in wet grass, and no swinging from vines.  Also, let’s try to stay together and have everyone get in a good workout.
  • Kilowatt recognized by Ice9 in opening COP for losing some Voltage.  Still a full Kilowatt, as the Voltage is going down, the Current is going up to keep Power high (P = I * V). Or is the Resistance that is dropping along with the Volts to keep the Current stable (I = V / R)?  We’ll have to get his expert opinion, but nice work over several months – it is paying off!
  • T-claps to Posse for posting without the rest of the Lawson crew.  True Commitment!
  • Silicon is a newer PAX but showed that he would stay with the best in Area51 on a Mud Run team.  Grab this free agent!
  • FNG Smooth, who sells jail time, was EH’d by Ice9 with the promise of a parking lot workout.  After about 10 minutes, he was questioning Ice9’s truthfulness like many of Ice9’s EHs have.  How many of the recent PAX have Middle School students doing XC in Union County?  There will be some reunions and friendly rivalries at XC meets this Fall.
  • Howie found comfort in #refuseniks during exercises, but only used it as ammo to make sure he kept Ice9 in view on the runs between the pain.
  • Ice9 takes us out with awesome encouragement. Keep his family, M, and Ice9 in your prayers as they continue to fight on.

Announcements:

  • If you do not receive the Area51 Weekly newsletter via email, please contact Ice9 or Snowflake.
  • MudRun sign-ups have begun!
  • Some Area51 teams in need of chauffeurs for the Blue Ridge Relay.  YHC not sure why it’s so hard to drive a van and run, but see weekly email for details.

FastTwitchHD & Swift in controlled chaos at #SpeedVergence

At 0515 on Tuesday morning, approximately 23 PAX made it from the Bus lot at Community House Middle School to the track.  We stayed on the track until 0610 for an #ISI standard workout that was Area51’s #SpeedVergence for the month.

The THANG:

  • Warm-up mosey on track group style for 1mi+.  Kick small Yellow and Red cones out of the way that the Q had planted for the workout.
  • Head to the back stretch for some toe & heel walking.  Head towards the Start/Finish line with some High Knees and Butt Kicks along the way.
  • Get instruction from the Q about optional 2-way traffic on the track.  For the 1st 2 intervals (and recovery), run normal CounterClockWise direction.  For the next 2 intervals (and recovery) run the opposite ClockWise direction in Lane 4. Then back to CCW normal for next 2.  Back to CW opposite for next 2.
  • The intervals are 800m at a Hard pace (or, more specifically Interval pace from http://runsmartproject.com/calculator). 200m jog recovery is between 1:30-2:00 minutes.  Slow and easy.
  • Continue 800m/200m until Q calls time around 0605 (finish what you’re doing) and head to COT.  Cooldown optional today.

The Moleskin:

  • Final #SpeedVergence participation was Swift 11, Fast Twitch 11, and Independents (Frasier) 1. This was a HUGE improvement for Swift, who at the last #SpeedVergence 1 Mile Speed Challenge in April only brought 7 (FT brought 14 to that event…). Overall, a marginal increase in participation of 1 from the last #SpeedVergence with several new faces.  In fact, only repeats from April were HoneyBee, Haggis, Soul Glo, Abacus, Frasier, Strange Brew, and Bratwurst.  Jury is out if this is a good or a bad thing that previous participants didn’t turn out again…  Will the FT PAX travel better to Providence Day School where a SIB / Swift / FT #SpeedVergence is proposed to happen next.
  • Here’s how to use this workout to predict your fitness level.  Take the average of your 800m, multiply by 4, and put those in this Calculator as a 2mi race.  Click Calculate and then go to the “Equivalent” tab to get a prediction for your next race.  For a BRR translation, YHC has found a good target is to hold your race pace for whatever your BRR mileage total is.  For example, if your legs total 26 miles, then focus on Marathon pace as your average pace goal.  If your legs total 13mi, then focus on Half-Marathon pace as your average pace goal.  Each leg won’t be right on this pace, for some are uphill and some are downhill, but it’s a good target over the course of your legs.  When you have those “flat” legs, it’s a good pace to try to hit mile after mile.  Hence the “Marathon Pace” efforts that DevilsTurn has been incorporating are at the top end of pace for most PAX during the BRR.
  • It probably won’t come as a surprise to many who was out front today (Frasier), but certainly a surprise to see Teddy trying to hang on for as long as he could.  Not sure the dude even runs with a watch, and that may have come at a price.  Frasier could be seen doing extra intervals on his cool down prodding others to finish.  You won’t find many better encouragers than this man.
  • What comes as a surprise to the Swift PAX is how much Turkey Leg has improved.  We all know about the BRR Leg 32 performances, Ultra relays, and GhostRunner performances where hills are involved, but it was flat-out proven that this bird in the genus Meleagris can fly on the flats, too.  Unrelenting to the last interval. Either the altitude training camp in Switzerland this summer, the secret formula he rubs on his legs at night, or the empty vials YHC may have or have not seen rolling around the floor of his vehicle has this bird staying off a Thanksgiving table near you. #smokingTurkey
  • Some huge performance increases from StrageBrew over the past 2 months.  Under a 7:30/mi average today on the 800s and just 2 months ago was over 8:00/mi on the 800s.  Since this is the 3rd time in 4 months many Swift PAX have done this workout, how’s the progress for others?
  • Not all PAX heeded the suggestion to switch directions, and you guys missed out.  Some have a distaste for the track because it’s the same way around every time.  It even seems to stress one side of the body more than the other, and YHC is perfectly worn out on both sides today!  Seemed like it brought a new wrinkle to the workout despite being a little chaotic at times.  Fortunately, the Tomato didn’t get run over, good thing we caught her early to explain whole Lane 1, Lane 4 thing.
  • Strava Labs View Flybys > are usually a good place to watch how workouts went down from Strava.  Who started fast, who ended well, etc.  However, forget about the Playback this week because of the 2-way traffic.  It makes your head spin.  Generally however, if you use Strava to record your workouts, it’s a neat tool to watch the playback.

Announcements:

  • F3 Soccer rematch coming in November between Area51 and Metro.  See Bodybag for details.  Apparently, TigerRag will be holding tryouts.

 

#Speedvergence – 800s

Area51 #SpeedVergence August edition will launch from the Community House Middle School parking area at 0515 on Tuesday morning.  Get up a few minutes early, for we’re only 10minutes from South Charlotte Middle & 7minutes from the Vine in Ballantyne.  Park on the North side of the school in the bus lot.

FastTwitch always has more PAX than Swift week-to-week, but who travels the best?  Swift boys don’t travel well, for we know about the paltry 4 that went up to SIB for last month’s SpeedVergence.  However, this is the 4th invite sent out to FT for this workout, and FT has sent no one, ever (not counting Frasier’s split custody).  Let’s have some predictions on turn-out for this one in the comments below…

The THANG:

  • 0515 – Warm-up negotiated by Turkey Leg and Bratwurst
  • 0530 – 800m at Interval*-pace, 200m jog recovery
  • REPEATO until 0610 – You should get in at least 5, and we’ll keep tabs on Frasier to see if he can pull through to 8.  If you think running the track in one direction for almost an hour is boring, there’s something planned for you (and YHC), too.
  • 0610 – Head to COT a few steps away.
  • 0615 – Head home.

*Interval Pace – described as just plain “Hard” running.  A great goal to shoot for, and why this is a good Race predicting workout, is to do all Intervals within a few seconds of each other.  Pick a starting goal and hold it for all 5-8. If you have a recent race, or take a past race even, plug it into the calculator here at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator, then go to the Training tab to get the “Interval” training pace. If you click on “Interval”, you’ll see:

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 the 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.

Go to Hills. Run. or Run.stop.Run

At 0515 on Thursday morning, 22 PAX launched from the 4Mile Creek parking area at Bevington and Rea Rd.  2 more PAX rolled in after COT, but we’ll count them despite their aversion for inclusion – 24 PAX total at this weekly installment of DevilsTurn.

The THANG:

  • Quick overview that it’s Piper Glen Hill week.  There will be something special, so regroup at the neighborhood entrance.
  • Start the first mile through the Apartment loop
  • Regroup just past 1mile at the entrance to Piper Glen
  • Here are the options:
    1. Run at Threshold Pace (http://runsmartproject.com/calculator) for 1 mile on the course of your choosing.  There will be a tiny non-reflective orange cone in the darkest shadow in the left gutter or the road to mark 1 mile.  Rest for 1:00 (or up to 1:30 to allow regrouping with others), then repeato to next cone.  There are five 1 mile segments on the 6.5mile course.  There are three 1 mile segments on the 6mile course.  There are two 1 mile segments on the 4mile course.
    2. Run at Marathon pace on the course of your choosing.
  • After your last 1mile segment, cooldown to COT at 0615.

Moleskin:

  • HoneyBee has done an admirable job sacrificing his own run by putting out turn signals for this course via chalk arrows on the road each week.  However, this is a tiresome process that YHC didn’t want to engage in (or get mounted by Mr. Brady).  Instead, we took a leap forward with technology to compensate.  Jury is out if the maps are helpful or the format needs to be redone (smaller paper, laminated, better descriptions, etc.).
  • Here are all of the routes in a single document – Google Doc download.  Here are the Strava courses:
    • 4mile course in Strava – an update to the past 4mile course that makes this 4+ miles.  Includes an extra hill.
    • 6mile course – the traditional Piper Glen course that HB has chalked out dozens of times. It’s really only 5.9 miles, but who’s counting (other than Outback and MT who made sure to get some extra).
    • 6.5mile “double hill” course – hill climbers get the Piper Glen Dr hill
  • A strong group of Frasier, Mr. Brady, Bout Time, Honey Bee, and Clippy took on Option 1 – at least mostly.  Each 1 mile was ticking off in 6:00 to 6:30 per mile.  Apparently Mr. Brady doesn’t like to wait around for a minute and induced others to walk into the next mile.  Or, the Q didn’t explain it well.  Basically, we were setting out to run five 1 mile Threshold pace intervals and get no more than 1:30 rest (standing around if you want) in between.  The 1-1:30 rest gives some flexibility, otherwise you’re going to be running these on your own as each runner finishes 1mile at different times.  In then end, only Frasier and Clippy took on all five 1mile intervals.  Not to blame it on Mr. Brady (but he’s getting a lot of facetime in this BB), but when he said, “you guys go ahead” just after starting the 5th interval, the other part of the group hung back with him and took a little off the throttle on the last one.  #mindgames
  • Haggis tore into the first mile, but was having none of the format.  Still finished well ahead of the first Option 1 group, so he was moving out there.
  • Not sure how many others took on the Option 1 either due to lack of explanation, lack of finding the cones or having the distance on their watch, but this was a tough morning to run – hills never change but the 73 degrees F and 94% humidity wasn’t helping.  Comparing this to last week when it was 66 degrees F and 78% humidity.  Any improvements or close efforts to last week would have been HUGE!  Given the stop at the Entrance to the neighborhood, it gave all PAX a chance to CHARGE in on Old Course and set some PRs.
  • Notables were several PAX at least taking the 6 mile option including Huggy Bear, Semi Gloss, Strange Brew, Hairball (with some bonus hills on his own course), Champagne, Cheese Curd (at least he took a 6mile map) and OutbackTussaud (they run so close to each other, they are a couple now – sorry Mr. Bean).  Some others may have run it, but if you’re not on Strava, it’s hard to prove!
  • Suggestions for next time to put blinky lights on the Mile Markers are a really good option, and surely the early morning dog walkers won’t call the PiperGlen Rent-a-cops thinking that someone wants to blow up their mailbox or is marking the next house to “hit”.
  • YHC appreciates everyone pushing themselves and those that took on the Option to try something different even though it may have seemed like a Run/Walk.  Thank you to HoneyBee and LongHaul for the opportunity.
  • Thanks to Long Haul for the takeout.  It’s great seeing you back out there brother!

#Preblast for DevilsTurn

The PAX will leave the 4 Mile Creek Greenway parking area (Rea Rd & Bevington) at 0515 tomorrow.  Our path will naturally bring us back by the lot around 0520 for those running late.

@HoneyBee has unwisely turned over the reins to YHC for tomorrow.  We’ll not deviate from the plan to continue in the hills of the Piper Glen neighborhood, but we’ll give everyone something new to think about.  First, there will be no chalk lines, but cones instead.  Cones for directions you ask?  No, cones will serve a different purpose.

You are guaranteed to get in the full 4, 6, or 6.5 mile option tomorrow, but you’ll not be running it along for more than a few minutes at a time.  How you ask?  Well come to find out.  What is suggested is that you use that Marathon Pace you’ve been targeting from the calculator at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator and use it to find Threshold Pace instead.  You’ll be glad you did.

Burn the route https://www.strava.com/routes/492638 into your mind.  If you don’t, then YHC will have some printouts for the Preblast challenged.

Turnaround – Every now and then I get a little bit lonely

14 PAX struck out from the Vine Restaurant at 0515 on Tuesday morning for the weekly group Speed therapy session known as Swift.  1 more PAX somehow found us in the gloom.

The Thang:

  • Early, early (++) crew of Outback and M. Tussauds were out doing something.  When 4 more PAX pulled into the parking lot at 0500, those 2 were no where to be found.  Apparently, they were out for an early 3 mile therapy session.
  • Early (+) crew of 4 pax found a way to spend 15 minutes running around for 1.5 miles.
  • Full crew left promptly at 0515 for 1.0mi easy warm-up over to the Ballantyne Corp bridge over Hwy 521 near Bank of America and Snyders Lance.  Commence with 4 drills and strides.
  • Stretch, shed shirts (most of the crew), get a Garmin tutorial from HoneyBee, and get the workout plan from the Q.  All run at I-pace / Interval pace / 2mi Race Pace / VO2max – find yours at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator.  Route is stay on Ballantyne Corporate and head towards Ballantyne Commons / Premier deck.  Turn around half-way through interval.
  • 5minute out & back, 4min jog recovery
  • 5minute out & back, 4min jog recovery
  • 5minute out & back, 4min jog recovery
  • 3minute out & back, 2min jog recovery
  • 3minute out & back, 2min jog recovery
  • Grab shirts, head back to COT, but…
  • Time for one final effort up to the 4-way Intersection of Ballantyne Corp & Brixham Hill.
  • Mosey back to COT.
  • Totals between 5.6mi and 6.5mi for the main crew.  Bonus miles count on your own.

The Moleskin:

  • YHC was not looking forward to this one, but it’s pretty amazing how the body adapts.  Just when you think, I can’t go faster than last week’s 5minute Threshold intervals, you speed it up about 30seconds per mile and still hold it for 5 minutes. Just when you think, but we only did 1 of these I-pace intervals for 5 minutes a few weeks ago (and the 2-1-30 seems so short now), you push through 3 and still have energy for more.  Just when you think I shouldn’t wake up at 4am and go push myself today, you did it anyway and now have some success to look back on.  Well done PAX!
  • Turnaround – because “Every now and then I get a little bit lonely.” Out and back is a favorite for keeping PAX together.  It helps to make sure you are honest with pace in the beginning because if you go out and run the “out” too fast, you’ll get caught on the “back” and become someone’s road “kill”.  Also because most of us only ever have Frasier to chase, the out and back immediately gives you a target to chase down and make your road kill – a feeling to remember in the BRR when you hit those long stretches with only 1 other runner in sight.  There is the negative with out & Back of those sharp turns that mess up the “pure” pace, but it’s a price to pay for all of those other benefits of a way to run intervals as a diverse group.  If you hit the targets, everyone should be starting and finishing as a group.
  • While sometimes the recovery wasn’t so “easy”, the goal is to keep moving for these longer recoveries.  It’s not an easy run pace (which could be too fast), it’s a slow recovery.  Just keep moving and keep loose.
  • The usual suspects of Frasier, HoneyBee, and Haggis were out front on the “out” and still picking up PAX on each “back”, but SIB FNG Gecko was pulling out strong performances and would refuse to be caught.
  • JRR Tolkien fresh off 12 trips up the Mutha yesterday perhaps got too ambitious at the beginning intervals and felt the effects catch up with him, but still is ludicrous to think he wouldn’t help dominate with someone’s BRR team.  Someone sign this guy up!
  • Champagne anticipated and stared down the 5 minute intervals with as much pleasure as YHC looks at a 2 Pood Kettlebell.  However, 5 minute intervals did not prove to be his Kryptonite, and he just knocked them out of the way.  If Champagne is not attending #F3FightClub to get rid of that rage, then perhaps he needs to get with Chipotle and workout some sparring sessions.  But YHC looks at sparring sessions with Chipotle as longingly as much as Stump Hugger looks at an elevator door, or runaway car, or crack in the sidewalk, or 0350 on the alarm clock.
  • Abacus picked wisely with Van #2 not having to arrive for his 0730 start time, but he has been consistently putting in the early miles at seemingly every opportunity.  I feel bad for the poor tomato he passes at 2am on the BRR while moving past her and barely making a sound.  There will start to be Bigfoot sightings reported after that.
  • Somehow Long Haul’s sense of direction is better than his timing.  With Preblasting a location veiled in secrecy, YHC didn’t expect any latecomers to find us.  Perhaps it was a credit to his network of construction cameras on every building giving him the lay of the land.
  • Strange Brew led the shirtless revolt amongst the Swift PAX again today and it was either Brew or Honey Bee making gestures to Bagpipe PAX with “want some of this”?  In the end, it seemed only Frasier was comfortable showing the skins at COT or perhaps trying to get a sunrise tan to stop glowing in the dark.
  • Tootie, Abacus, MT, and HoneyBee even stayed around longer today at #F3TimeKeeper to hear YHC mumble on about Moses undergoing a 40 year transformation in the Wilderness.  Each morning is a special opportunity to lead at Swift and the group at #TimeKeeper is always open. Come join us as we talk about a new historic figure each week and how each of us can be challenged by what challenged them.

Getting a little less lonely,

Brat

5min reloaded

Swift will launch at 0515 from the Vine Restaurant at the Ballantyne AO on Tuesday morning.

We’re revisiting the 5min Intervals at I-pace.  Last time we ran these at I-pace (Interval pace / 2 mile race pace – go here for details http://runsmartproject.com/calculator) was on the “Snapchance loop”, but we ran only one 5 minute interval and descended from there.  Last week we ran these a tad slower at T-pace, but only got 1 minute recovery.  Getting faster is all about Progression, so we’ll speed up the 5 minute interval to I-pace, do more of them, and build that VO2max endurance.  Here’s what we’ll do.

  • After an optional 0500 easy run, and 0515 easy run and drills…
  • 3 x 5 minutes out & back at I-pace, 4 minutes recovery after each
  • 3 minutes out & back at I-pace, 2 minute recovery – we’ll do these until 0605 or so then…
  • easy run back to COT by 0615

The course will be new and one that we haven’t done Intervals on before.  I’ll call it “the shoulder” and one that’s sure to please with scenery and some rolling elevation.  Virtual Prize to whoever guesses where it will be.  We’ll do the Intervals out & back meaning that we’ll start and end at the same location.  For example, go out for 2.5 minutes, turn and then head back until 5 minutes is up.  If you run both halves equally, you shouldn’t get passed by another PAX and we’ll all finish together.

Random Turns on the Straightaway

17 PAX played follow the random turning leader at Swift today.  Here is what they did.

The Thang:

  • Early crew rolls out at 0501 from the Vine Restaurant in Ballantyne for 1mile easy through the corporate park. Returning early to the Vine, decide stretching and 2nd F is worth more than miles.
  • Full group rolls at 0515 on a new warmup route. Instead of trudging through grass (that’s for those bootcamps), the PAX roll across 521 at the hotel entrance and through the hotel parking lot to cut to Ballantyne Commons PKWY. Up to the MetLife building and stopping at the back entrance. 1mile more done.
  • 4 drills with toes, heels, high knees, and butt kicks done.
  • Provide some navigating rules along N. Community House and explain Threshold pace for the 5minute interval and 1minute. Read the Preblast for a video explanation of Threshold pace.
  • Start 5 minute interval with 1 minute rest. Complete 4 with some regrouping.
  • Regroup all of the PAX and mosey before 1 last 5minute interval to meet back at start point.
  • Mosey home via Ballantyne Commons or Ballantyne Corporate. 1+ mi more.
  • COT

 

Moleskin:

  • Threshold pace = Comfortably Hard. If you didn’t check out the pace guidance from http://runsmartproject.com/calculator, then Q guidance was 50-60 seconds per mile slower than your fastest mile race/time trial. Should be in control during these intervals that translate over to doing a consistent 20minute interval or mile repeats at the T-pace.
  • Swift PAX were strong in numbers today. Not quite a record, but notable that we were only one short of the Bagpipe numbers. Site FNG Cable Guy and relative newcomer (to Swift) Dear Abby almost helped tip the scales. Strong showing knowing that Swift is one of the few workouts with a Preblast each week (whether the PAX choose to read it or not).
  • And that’s with several PAX coming off a long BRR training trip over the weekend. A lot of the warm-up was spent discussing the van-sized cabin they chose to simulate actual conditions in, that Beer+Cheese don’t mix with Outback, and that there are significant hills on the BRR even on just “Hard” legs – keep in mind that “Hard” is the middle level with “Very Hard” and “Mountain Goat Hard” adding elevation or distance.
  • A bit of Q prerogative today with turning points on the intervals. It makes sense that in order to keep the PAX together on “the strip” of N. Community House that we turn when the leaders turn around. Even better when Honeybee is leading out front and the Q calls a turn to effectively now be in front. Overall, makes for some erratic turning at times, but it seems to work. Suggestions welcome if it really works.
  • Notable on the last interval were the Q instructions to take 5 minutes to get back to where we started the intervals. This did not mean race straight back to the start point (Doubtfire seemed exuberant), but take whatever path necessary to get there AND keep running until clock expired. In the end, Strange Brew took an unconventional route (not to mention “going metro” again) and Doubtfire got dragged farther than he bargained for – kind-of like chasing a chicken through a field with random turns.

 

Announcements:

  • Next week is the last ISI workout before BRR. 800m with 200m recovery. It was nice to do these on the track at AG last month. What do you all think about visiting Community House Middle School (less than 5min from the Vine) and trying to get #FastTwitch to join? What kind of turnout could we get?

Categories

Most T-claps

None found

Twitter

© 2024 F3 South Charlotte