Author Archive Bratwurst

Less Like Daytona, More like Watkins Glen

17 PAX set out into the Ballantyne Corporate park on Tuesday, 11/14, for a looping course of medium-long interval running.

The THANG:

PreBlast – More to the Max

Moleskin:

  • After leading the PAX on a slightly disjointed warm-up mile that included preview of the course, we settled down into the streets of Rushmore and Harney for some warm-up exercises.
  • Intervals were set up for the first 3 to give the PAX a taste of measurement for the 5 minutes.  Starting at the same place each time and only running one direction allowed us to note the ending point and if we were getting faster or slower with each interval.  While the point of the intervals this morning was to push the heartrate to the MAX, as it’s noted in the PreBlast you can push the speed of your running past the level at which you reach your max HR, but it’s not of much benefit to you unless you like pain without gain.
  • The last two intervals done as out-and-back along Harney.  Goal is to make it back as a group to the starting point.  If you go out too fast on the “OUT”, then you’ll probably get passed on the “BACK”.  If you sandbag on the “OUT”, then you’ll surely pass people on the “BACK” as well.
  • Strava Fly-by was entertaining with 12 of the PAX on there today.  Can see the loops, time gaps on the longer intervals, and if you made it out and back with everyone else… https://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#1274815116?c=dnnx2n0c&z=H&t=1Q2iO0&a=jCL8S25mH0wBtvpLGpP6SwH1-kt71_pLYhD8SxWM_kueb_tLw5j6SxzK-ktu0fpL
  • Notable performances of the morning – Cobbler stuck it out, Bounty Hunter was back after a long dry spell, Abacus first workout since it got cold and he didn’t sweat though his shirt, Haggis beat Frasier (who said he was feeling “off”, turned out he had the Flu) and was REALLY proud of himself, and Cheddar sand-bagged until the last 3 minutes of the intervals (by a lot, he had gas to burn still).
  • Cobains on the late Backblast.  Tracking PAX names by “tagging” to the Backblast is forcing me to put these out there for credit.  Eventually, Wingman would have just posted a BLANK Backblast with his name and Swift on it for credit, but it looks like I beat him to it.

 

PreBlast – More to the Max

Fall race?  New Year’s Race?  Just want to get faster and have more endurance?  Visit Swift this week.  We start at 5:15am from the restaurant of the Vine American Kitchen Parking lot in Ballantyne Corporate Park.

The THANG:

  • 0500 – Prerun from the Vine lot that SHOULD be an Easy 10-15 minutes of nice and easy to get the legs moving.
  • 0515 – Leave the Vine lot for the group warm-up jog.  We’ll be headed down to Rushmore Dr intersection at Harney Dr eventually, but we’ll take a route that will allow us to preview the workout loop for the intervals.
  • 0525 – Warm-up drills on Harney and Rushmore.
  • 0530 – Start the Interval Pace intervals (find your I-pace / 2mile Race Pace / VO2Max speed at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator )
    • 5min I-pace (done on loop), 4 min recovery as a group
    • 5min I-pace (done on loop), 4 min recovery as a group
    • 5min I-pace (done on loop), 4 min recovery as a group
    • 3min I-pace (done as Out & Back along Rushmore Dr with turn-around at 1:30), 2 min recovery as a group
    • 3min I-pace (done as Out & Back along Rushmore Dr with turn-around at 1:30)
  • 0610 – Recovery towards COT at the Vine
  • 0615 – COT at the Vine
  • 0630 – Timekeeper is the 3rd F on Tuesdays in SOB land.  For the rest of the year, we’ll have a topical discussion each week, so no prep needed for the PAX that attend.  Come, grab a coffee, stay as long as you want.  This week’s topic is: What is your F3 story?  How did you find or begin F3 and what impact has it made on your life and on the lives of the people around you?

See you in the Gloom,

Bratwurst

 

Head Out On the Highway

16 PAX either didn’t read the Preblast (or there wasn’t one posted in the normal place) or fought through suggestions in their head that hills, hard intervals, and short recoveries weren’t going to be their thing this Tuesday morning in Ballantyne.

The THANG:

  • Pre-run at 0500
  • Head out from the Vine at 0515, and realize quickly why we don’t take “the shortcut” often through the Ballantyne hotel lot in order to get far East up Ballantyne Commons.  After the game of Frogger (or Crossy Road for you young whippersnappers), we headed up Ballantyne Commons to the “East” entrance to the Ballantyne Country Club.  Once regrouped, we did some warm-up drills in between bursts of instructions about the workout, and we headed into the neighborhood on the long outside loop for the Intervals of the day.
  • 2minutes “Hard” (or I-pace for exact GPS wearing running freaks), 1minute to regroup the PAX and recover
  • 1minute “Hard”, 30seconds to recover and regroup
  • 30seconds “Hard”, 30seconds to recover
  • Start it all immediately over, whether there is a hill, road hump, stop sign, or truck barrelling down the highway.  We will stop to cross Hwy 521 as a group though.  We learned from earlier.
  • Keep it up for 6 total rounds of the 2/1/:30 snaking through Ballantyne Corporate Park until time is called and we can head back to the Vine before Bagpipers arrive, but not too early so that they think we don’t actually work at all.

The Moleskin:

  • What’s up with having to go shirtless in November?  Let’s hope this doesn’t last much longer.  Some of these PAX need to cover up.
  • What makes your adrenaline spike?  Try heading out along Hwy 521 on a flat stretch of road with 55mph traffic coming at you in the dark.  Pretty exhilarating, and it’s easy to see what Steppenwolf meant about looking for adventure.
  • Soft Pretzel, Thin Mint, and others (though they didn’t show) don’t care for this workout that we always seem to do in the Country Club.  It’s hard with the Hills, the humps, and the short recoveries.  And the short 2/1/:30 second intervals seem to make you think they’re really short too, especially when compared to the 5 and 4 minute intervals of last week, so perhaps you take the first round or two out pretty hard.  Let’s just say that if you do that, round 5 and 6 are hurting pretty bad.
  • Haggis didn’t listen!  Pushed extra Hard the whole morning.  At least we still have last week, we’ll just have to file that one away…
  • Cobbler!  Big props to him for joining us on a course where there is no “shortcut”.  You have to run the whole way or you’ll get lost like Citgo almost did.  Keep it up!
  • Brew is coming back into form.  Let’s just hope he makes it back from a wild Thursday of football at App State this week, because he’s going to crush what we have in store for next week.
  • Das Boot was on time.  With the muzzle door shut, the breech door was opened and torpedo Das Boot was loaded into the tube.  Fire when ready!
  • Erector quietly putting in the work week in and week out.  A sure Joe Davis runner this next year, he’s going to PR for sure.
  • Retread again!  How do the hills of Ballantyne compare to the hills of Raintree?  Mountain Goat needs a 2/1/:30, and you could give it to them…
  • Cheddar making things look too easy.  We need to get him in a run shorter than 20 miles to see what kind of speed he’s got now.
  • Looking for big things out of Atlas, Citgo, Thin Mint, and Depth Charge at the Charlotte Marathon Relay this Saturday.  Who else is planning to run?  Whether it’s pushing kids, running alongside vets, or pushing yourself to a new goal, it’s shaping up to be a fun weekend.

It’s a pleasure running with you gents every week!  As I was reminded last week running a workout on my own during some travel, you can go much harder when you do it with others.  When alone, it’s too easy to give up!  Thank you all!

See you in the Gloom,

Bratwurst

 

Swifter, Higher, Stronger

Faster, Higher, Stronger – Let’s try to get Faster overall (better endurance) by running some Higher minute intervals to build our Stronger lungs and heart for more capacity.  In the end, 19 PAX set out on a brisk 45 degree Tuesday morning to get in some speedy distance intervals.  Most PAX got in about 6 miles for a good bit of running in an hour.

Preblast:

Preblast – Citius, Altius, Fortius

The THANG:

  • 0500 – the usual early crew of Depth Charge, Atlas, and Wild Turkey were joined by a Woodson and a Swedish Chef.  Apparently Frasier just couldn’t keep up with the pace, and tried desperately to catch up the whole time.
  • 0515 – 18 of the PAX set out, and despite the recommendation for an optional shortcut, everyone figured they needed to cover 1.35 miles in 10:00 or less (under 8:00 pace) as a warm-up.  Not sure this was the wisest decision for all the PAX, but a straggling Das Boot made sure the six was in.
  • 0525 – got in our warm-up drills from the back porch of the Met Life building down to North Community House, and were ready to commence the intervals of the day.
  • 0530ish – 5min Interval at I-pace (read the Preblast above for the purpose of the workout), 4min recovery to regroup the PAX.
  • 5/4
  • 4/3
  • 4/3
  • 0600ish – Head towards COT and give the PAX optional two more intervals of
  • 3/2
  • 3/2
  • 0615:59 – COT at the Vine

Moleskin:

  • Again, read the Preblast linked above for the purpose of the workout and pacing guidelines.  Despite a slightly downhill interval 1 and 3, and back up the opposite way for intervals 2 and 4, these should have been evenly paced at an effort that is bringing the Heartrate to near maximum.  At this level and time of interval, you are able to still clear the lactic acid from your muscles, but you’re working at an effort level simply described as “Hard”.  If you start off too quickly on Interval #1, then you suffer on later intervals and don’t get the maximum benefit of running at that Interval pace
  • Haggis listened!  Despite running many workouts as hard as he can, and doing quite well most of the time, a restrained Haggis seemed to follow his personal pacing target and ran a very solid effort.  And still had his 2nd and 3rd fastest times run over a segment he’s done countless times.  A testament to the shape he is in, but also to getting the point of the workout as being consistent.  Looking at Strava’s GAP (Grade Adjusted Pace), his intervals were all paced within :12/mi of each other.  I feel that elusive 5K goal is going down soon.
  • Prohibition came back for more!  What seemed like a post-BRR fluke, he’s bringing his efforts a bit southwest on Tuesdays of late, but knocking out the workouts like a seasoned Pro.  He actually got faster as we went along.  Either more in the tank that he didn’t know about, or was just sandbagging like a Pro.
  • Guess Pro must have just been following in Frasier’s footsteps, for Frasier just got faster and faster and faster.  Barely missing out on a Course Record segment that even JRR Tolkien would have a hard time stalking, it didn’t seem like any bridge, darkness, or hill could slow him down.
  • Citgo’s 5:30/mi pace average for his intervals was just uncounciously fast.  Tugging at the heels of Frasier the whole way.
  • Great to have Swedish Chef join the interval crew at Swift.  Way to jump right in on the pre-run and find a sneaky way to get in over 6? miles (though I can’t tell because he divided the pre-run, workout, and cooldown into 3 different activities to shoot himself up on the F3southcharlotte leaderboard – don’t know who would do such a thing) in a morning.
  • Wingman didn’t fartsack.  He was there.  Promise.  Check Strava, but beware of his computer skills to fake a time and route.  Still not sure about it, but it did look like he was one of the few that ran the “uphill” segment as fast as the “downhill” segment.  Impressive.
  • Cheddar found his way back and didn’t lead a crew to find lost golf balls this time.  His loss, our gain.
  • A high mileage Enron has turned into a sneaky fast Enron.  Guess there’s something to be said for training the right way, getting a lot of time on your feet, but still being able to increase your turnover and be fast.
  • Wild Turkey just turned up in a twerking video, thought I’d mention that.

Preblast – Citius, Altius, Fortius

PAX will launch from the Vine Restaurant on Tuesday morning at 0515 to reach for the objective Citius, Altius, Fortius.  It will be a next phase in the Swift training regiment.  We have been doing Repetition Pace training intervals over the last 2 weeks in pursuit of Running Economy.  We’ll now turn to Interval Pace to get back to the training intervals similar to 3 weeks ago in order to maximize Aerobic Power .

The THANG:

  • 0500 – Pre-run for 1.3mi at a 2nd F pace
  • 0515 – Leave the Vine parking lot for the MetLife back alley near Ballantyne Commons and North Community House.  Route is either through the Ballantyne Hotel or by SPX (via fitness trail).  Choose wisely to arrive at MetLife by 0525.
  • 0525 – Warm-up drills
  • 0530 – At North Community House we’ll get to some Interval Pace (a.k.a. 2 mile race pace / VO2Max / “Hard” intervals / 8.5 out of 10 on the effort scale / 97-100% max heart rate).  Note, the goal is to run at an effort that will induce 97 to 99.99999% max heart rate during the interval, which is your VO2Max.  It’s a slow ramp up of heart rate during the interval because you should be running at a consistent pace, but realize that you can run faster than a level which produces 100% max HR, but your heart rate won’t keep climbing and you’ll just be running anaerobic.  And that Hurts!  Our goal is not to Hurt, but to maximize time at VO2Max.  If you start out the intervals too fast, you’ll not get the maximum benefit of the workout.  Watch the video for more details: https://youtu.be/7dQEwJhHWXk?t=2m40s
    • 5:00 I-pace, 4:00 jog recovery to regroup the PAX
    • 5:00 I-pace, 4:00 jog recovery
    • 4:00 I-pace, 3:00 jog recovery
    • 4:00 I-pace, 3:00 jog recovery
  • 0605 – Head towards COT at the Vine.  If you so desire, there are more optional Intervals on the way there.
    • 3:00 I-pace, 2:00 jog recovery
    • repeato until arrived at COT
  • 0615 – COT
  • 0630 – TimeKeeper at Einstein Bagels

See you in the Gloom,

Bratwurst

Not so Comfortable Speed

19 PAX at Swift on Tuesday morning set off into the mild chill of the gloom that makes running so enjoyable.  We were instructed to find some Comfortable Speed, but we were left with anything but comfortable legs the rest of the day.

The THANG:

PreBlast – “Comfortable Speed”

Deviations from the PreBlast:

  • Pre-run crowd was still small, and Bratwurst eventually caught up with a non-2ndF pacing Depth Charge, Wild Turkey, Atlas, and Retread.
  • Cones were missing along Rushmore.  Either the security guards patrolling Ballantyne Corporate Park scooped them up, a wild coyote mistook them for a giant candy corn, or YHC forgot them at home.  Instead, we figured out a reasonable pole-to-pole landmark that we’ll likely use on future segments unless YHC or someone else mysteriously paints the road with marks at 100m intervals.
  • PAX fought through 3 rounds and make it back to COT in time to run around an extra building or two, and still have time for about 90 seconds of elbow plank as the Bagpipe PAX arrived in COT.

The Moleskin:

  • 200m of Comfortable Speed, our pace target this morning was 1 mile race pace (check the PreBlast link for how to find your’s), sure feels good for 60 seconds or less.  Running strong, feeling tall, long strides, breath hardly elevates from a solid rhythm; it’s a perfect distance for feeling good about your speed.  Then some equal or longer distance recovery to regroup the PAX feels good at a very slow shuffle / mosey.
  • Then comes the 2 minutes of PAIN.  At least a minute of feeling good and then you realize that you’re still only halfway there and starting to breathe much harder, legs and arms are feeling heavy (especially if you are pushing too hard to keep up with the faster PAX in front of you), and the end of the interval sounded by the 5 second countdown on the watch is glorious.  No slow shuffle or mosey right away unless you are Depth Charge who seems to hardly ever stop moving (turns out he threw the hammer in college track so he’s used to spinning and spinning and spinning – bet that was a good party trick in the day, which for him was last weekend), but a stop and hunch over, grab your knees, try to feel the oxygen coming back in your lungs, and eventually get the legs moving again to find that slow mosey to regroup everyone.  Then about 3 minutes into the recovery, it’s time to round the corner and start the cycle again.
  • 14 of the 19 PAX workouts made it to Strava.  Of those 14, 7 actually contain Lap data that is critical for evaluating Interval workouts.  If you aren’t using Laps created by a programmed workout or manually hitting the Lap button, then you’re only getting total distance of your workout (I feel average pace per mile is irrelevant for interval workouts), and wasting your money on your GPS watch.  You could have just asked your buddy for total miles and saved $100 bucks or more.  And you don’t have to be a Premium Strava member to view Lap data in Strava.  Either use a desktop browser to Strava.com, desktop mode of your mobile browser, or your watch’s native mobile app (Garmin’s mobile app has this).  I personally don’t feel it’s worth paying Strava to get the lap data in their mobile app, but it sure would be nice.  What it would show you is some data that would allow you other data heads to pontificate on items like this:
    • Difference = Bratwurst average pace on 2minute intervals were 0:18 sec per mile slower than average pace of 200m intervals
    • Possible reasons: YHC 2min pace average was under recent personal best mile by about 0:08, so the 2min intervals were an honest effort.  The 200m felt really good and not too fast, so perhaps my watch was just clocking them fast.  Or, my first 2minute interval was well under my average, and that put me in the pain locker for the next 2.   Or, I’m running the 200m too fast when I should be targeting a more even effort.
  • Here are some other PAX results (these guys all have Lap data on Strava) of average pacing of the 200 meters vs. the 2 minutes.  This is the amount of time slower on the 2minute interval per mile vs. the 200m interval:
    • Das Boot = 0:23 sec slower
    • Atlas = 0:36 sec slower
    • Prohibition = 0:14 sec slower   <—- Virtual Trophy for most consistent
    • Retread = 0:39 sec slower
    • Wild Turkey = 0:33 sec slower
    • Voodoo = 0:29 sec slower
  • On Strava, but no Lap data: Fletch, Tootie, Meatloaf, Fleetwood, Cheddar, Erector, Strange Brew
  • Not posting to Strava, so they must not care about getting credit or accuracy of their effort for future training: Frasier (check your watch sync), Beer Goggles (Swift FNG?, so we’ll give him a pass), Depth Charge (not sure he even wears a watch), Pearl (FNG, so we’ll give him a pass), Picasso (admitted he’s a slacker)
  • Props to Tootie for bringing out the FNG Pearl to Swift.  Way to start him off right.  Now, it’s all downhill from here (open to several interpretations).
  • Welcome to Beer Goggles at Swift.  We look forward to having you again.
  • For all you stats heads who want to see your official posting stats accumulate, I’m being guilted into once again writing Backblasts…  Apparently Strava isn’t enough…  PreBlasts aren’t enough… Free Workouts aren’t enough…  you’ll at least have your attendance recorded now!

PreBlast – “Comfortable Speed”

The PAX of South Charlotte will depart the Vine Restaurant parking area for what may be the last true Swift “Track” workout of the year to develop “Comfortable Speed”.  But, we’re not using a track…

The THANG:

  • 0500 – arrive and run an extra warm-up of 1.3mi or so.  This has been VERY lightly attended recently, and I can only assume it’s because the PAX don’t feel like they need the extra miles or time with the BRR in the rear view, but I would suggest this week with fast repeats getting in more than the usual 15 minutes of warm-up we’ll do starting at…
  • 0515 – depart the Vine parking area on a warm-up down past the Synchrony building to Rushmore Drive.  Mosey along Rushmore to regroup at Harney at 0525.  If you arrive prior to 0525, feel free to mosey a little more or stretch.
  • 0525 – Dynamic drills along Rushmore
  • 0530 – Start the workout with a goal to finish at least 3, but max to 4 rounds of the following “track” workout along the measured pre-staged cones of Rushmore:
    • 200meters at Repetition Pace (a.k.a. R-pace, 1-mile race pace, find your’s here at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator )
    • 200meters recovery
    • 200meters at R-pace
    • 400meters recovery (probably timed to about 3 minutes)
    • 2 minutes at R-pace (if you were a “really, really good” runner and could cover 800meters in 2 minutes, then this would say 800meters.  However, as Jack Daniels says in this video, https://youtu.be/BGQKlSU4HQM,you only really need 2 minutes at this pace for it to reach maximum effectiveness.  The effectiveness of a Repetition Pace workout is ECONOMY or “comfortable speed”.
    • 400meters recovery (probably timed to about 3 minutes)
  • 0605-0610 – Regroup and head back to COT
  • 0615 – COT at the Vine Restaurant
  • 0630 – 3rd F at Timekeeper – held at Einstein’s Brothers bagels

 

PreBlast – Green Ring Repeats

At 0515 of Tuesday, the PAX of Swift will search for the Green in Ballantyne.  Not the putting green.  Not the green with Ben Franklin on it.  The Green with the fountain, social tent, lazy curve (on one side), low traffic, long straight aways, passable speed bumps, and cones that appear out of nowhere as long as the cone police don’t repossess them.

The THANG:

  • 0500 – Extra credit Easy running 2ndF style for 1.3mi or so.  Or setup cones.  Or get some extra rest.  Pax choice.
  • 0515 – Depart the Vine Parking lot on a warm-up jog heading towards the Brixham Green.  Since the Green is so close, we’ll have to get a tad creative to just not run straight there and run around it a bunch of times more than we need to.
  • 0525 – Regroup on the Tent side of the Brixham Green  for some dynamic stretching and form drills.
  • 0530 – Start the workout du jour:
    • 400m Repetition Pace (1 mile race pace, 9 out of 10 effort wise, find your target at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator) starting from far side of fountain, around the lazy curve, to finish at the tent.  There will be cones marking every 100m.
    • 400m recovery jog (or 2:00-2:30 slow mosey) back around to start.
    • Repeato until time is called at 0610 ish.
    • Target will be 8-12 repeats.
  • 0610 – Mosey back to COT.
  • 0615 – COT
  • 0630 – 3rd F Timekeeper at Einstein’s Bagels.

Dromedary 77.0

The parking lot wasn’t empty at Marvin Ridge HS at 0510 this morning when the Q arrived, but only one PAX was still hanging around the cars. Eventually, 45 PAX set off at 0530 and performed the First annual Dromedary 77.0 Tri.

The Thang:

Disclaimer given

Head out for long Mosey, and Q sheds a layer.

Mosey through the bus lot to the soccer practice fields. Circle up at the center circle for the opening circle of pain.

  • 10 count merkins IC (5 count to go down, 5 count to come back up)
  • Full Mountain Climbers IC (slow cadence and right foot lands on ground when right knee touches right elbow)
  • Standing Lunges IC
  • Imperial Walkers + Chorus Line extension IC
  • Side Lunges IC
  • Peter Parker IC, hold it and then
  • Parker Peter

Run Over to Soccer goal, find a group of 3 for 3 man Grinders. 1 man stays to do exercise, 2&3 run to far side of field, 2 stays at other side and does same 1st exercise, 3 runs back across to relieve 1. Keep the grind going. Exercises were:

  • Hand release Merkins
  • Diamonds
  • Wide Arm
  • 10 count merkins
  • Repeato through set again
  • American hammer called until all groups finish

Mosey toward globe and down side of high school. Leaders do 10 LBCs at each light post while 6 catches up. The 6 can just keep running if they want. Regroup back in Main Lot with LBCs.

Slalom run through the middle island around the crape myrtle. Regroup at the railings entering the stadium in a plank with some space between you and the next man.

On the railings packed line sardines:

  • Inch Worm Plank for 1 minute (standing start, walk hands out to plank position, 1 Merkin, walk hands back up to standing)
  • Standing Merkins on rail for 1 minute (face rail, lean forward to grasp top rail, lower to inclined Merkin position, then explode to erect position. Again, explode then erect. Not the other way around.)
  • Scorpion Fighter for 1 minute (feet on lower rail, 1 leg at a time, swing bent leg out away from body and then back towards opposite shoulder. Switch legs after 30 seconds)
  • Derkins IC (feet on lower rail)

Back out to parking lot near launch point and circle up. Got a little hazy here. Think I’m missing something:

  • Dolly IC
  • Marching Bridge IC (starting position is on your six with feet pulled in until shins perpendicular to ground and raise your butt off the ground until shoulders hips and knees in line. Movement is Raise one knee to your chest and then back down. Flapjack after max could take reached on first leg).
  • Flutter IC (with slower and faster cadence)
  • Side Plank with Leg Lifts IC
  • Take a Mosey lap to loosen the legs
  • Windshield Wipers IC
  • 5 burpees OYO

 

The Moleskin:

  • No swim, no bike, a little run (just over a mile), but three main areas equal a Traithlon somehow.
  • Suprisingly dry grass on the soccer field for such a warm morning. Perhaps is was the short manicured grass that the Booster Club pays for.
  • Some speedy 3 man grinder groups and no surprise that Dasher and Soft Pretzel were a part of that one. Don’t know the third. Dasher did have some extra adrenaline this morning after killing a snake with his bare hands (that held a rock) on his pre-pre-run and then getting scared by Goodfella and YHC doing just a Pre-run but emerging from the darkness.
  • The Chimneys crew of Aztec (when is his VQ???), Boucher, and Johnny Utah had a rival clown car to those from Lawson with whoever Foundation threw in his trunk.
  • Old Macdonald had big feet that didn’t fit on the skinny rails, so he just levitated with skills learned from the chicken hawks down on the farm.
  • Posse and Cobbler were in the second best grinder trio after the results were tallied, but it’s always interesting trying to spot your partner across a dark field. I was easy to spot in the pink singlet missing from my wife’s running drawer, so don’t know what their problem was finding me.
  • Thanks for Goodfella taking us out.

Announcements:

  • Mondays 3rd F at Brooklyn Pizza in Wesley Chapel. 7:30pm. New topic / material starting soon. Pizza optional. 2nd F and beer mandatory apparently.
  • Country Fair at Graceway Baptist this Sunday  – 12:30-4pm. Located across from Weddington HS. Games, pie eating contest, food, all free! Bring your family including kids.
  • Keep in your prayers a missing teen from South Charlotte. Son of PAX from F3.

 

PreBlast – Readying for Fall Events

Swift will launch at 0515 tomorrow from the Vine Restaurant parking lot in Ballantyne corporate park.  What’s up for the next 9 weeks are workouts design to keep you sharp for Fall 5Ks, 10Ks, and anything else that will lead up to a Half Marathon (Charlotte or Kiawah) or the Joe Davis run in January.

This week:

  • 0500 – Extra credit easy 2ndF running to get things going again after Ragnar this weekend.
  • 0515 – Main event heads out from the Vine Restaurant on the way to the Met Life building back porch at the corner of Ballantyne Commons and Community House.  We’ll have the normal 2 options to get there – shorter through the Ballantyne Resort Hotel parking lot or longer through the fitness trail / Chiquita / over the Hwy 521 bridge.
  • 0525 – Start the drills and dynamic stretching for the warm-up at the Met Life back porch while making our way down to North Community House.
  • 0530 – Start the Workout along N. Community House towards Earthfare:
    • 3 minutes at Interval Pace (a.k.a. “Hard” effort or 2-mile Race pace or VO2Max intervals – find your pace at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator)
    • 3 minutes jog recovery to regroup – will often use this regroup opportunity to cross over the median to be ready to run on other side of the road.  Never recover in the street in the same direction of traffic – use the sidewalk instead.  Otherwise, continue in the street / bike lane against traffic until PAX are back together.
    • 6 rounds
  • 0603 – Head back to COT after 6th I-pace interval.
  • 0615 – COT at the Vine
  • 0630 – 3rdF Timekeeper at the Einstein Bagels.

Future weeks’ workouts:

  • 10/17 – Rounds of 400m R-pace w/ 400m jog
  • 10/24 – Rounds of 200m R w/200m jog + 200m R w/ 400m jog + 800m R w/ 400m jog
  • 10/31 – Sets of 4 to 5 min I with 3 to 4min jog
  • 11/7 – Sets of 2/1/:30
  • 11/14 – Sets of 5min I w/4min jog + 3min I w/2min jog
  • 11/21 – longer Threshold Pace or Tempo Run, multiple 400m R w/ 400m jog, closing Threshold Pace mile intervals
  • 11/28 – 1 mile Threshold Pace intervals w/ 2min jog, multiple 200m R w/ 200m jog, closing 1 mile Threshold Pace
  • 12/5 – 4 x (1200m T w/ 2min jog) + 4 x (200m R w/ 200m jog)

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