PreBlast: 8 Weeks To Your Fastest Mile
YHC will take the reigns at Swift starting next week for an 8-week training program designed to produce your fastest mile. Why? Because getting older stinks so why not flip the bird at Father Time and show him you’re not done yet. Need more? “Training for a fast mile can teach your body how to finish your next 5k faster. It can boost your overall pace in a longer distance race (hello, half marathon PR). Most importantly it can make you a stronger athlete altogether.”
There will be two workouts per week (one at Swift and one OYO or at some other workout) for 8 weeks, culminating in a mile time trial at the Community House Middle School track on Saturday, June 12th @ 0615. Who knows, maybe some other running workouts such as Waxhaw Express or Fast Twitch will join in and run these workouts in parallel and join us at the time trial (hint hint). The plan is based on Nike Run Club’s “Find Your Fast” 8-week training program. YHC has loaded the plan into a Google Sheet (link) so that you can save your own version and track your progress and/or make edits. Here are the 2 weekly workouts:
- Week 1:
- Tue, Apr 20: 8 x 400m @ goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery. Average the 8 intervals for a proxy of your current mile fitness.
- 2nd workout of the week: 2.5 mi tempo run
- Week 2:
- Tue, Apr 27: 200m x 3 going from 10k pace to 5k pace to goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery. Repeat 5 times (15 total intervals). Note: rest 120 sec after 10th 200m
- 2nd workout of the week: Fartlek Run: 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min, 1 min @ 5k pace w/ equal recovery
- Week 3:
- Tue, May 4: 1,000m @ 10k pace, 500m @ 5k pace, 500m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 400m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace w/ 90 sec recovery
- 2nd workout of the week: 1,000m @ 10k pace, 1,000m @ 5k pace, 1,000m @ 10k pace w/ 90 sec recovery
- Week 4:
- Tue, May 11: Hill Repeats: 1 min @ 10k pace, 1 min @ 5k pace, 1 min @ goal mi pace w/ recovery jog down hill. Repeat 3 times (9 total intervals).
- 2nd workout of the week: 3 mi tempo run
- Week 5:
- Tue, May 18: 200m @ 10k pace, 200m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 200m @ goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery. Repeat 5 times (20 total intervals).
- 2nd workout of the week: Fartlek Run: 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min @ 5k pace w/ equal recovery
- Week 6:
- Tue, May 25: 200m @ goal mi pace, 800m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 600m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 400m @ 5k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace. 120 sec recovery after 200m intervals and 60 sec recovery after other intervals.
- 2nd workout of the week: 3.5 mi tempo run
- Week 7:
- Tue, Jun 1: 8 x 400m @ goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery. Average the 8 intervals for a proxy of your current mile fitness.
- 2nd workout of the week: 1,000m @ 10k pace, 1,000m @ 10k pace, 1,000m @ 5k pace, 1,000m @ 10k pace w/ 90 sec recovery
- Week 8:
- Tue, Jun 8: 12 x 200m @ goal mi pace w/ 60 sec recovery
- 2nd workout of the week: 1,000m @ 10k pace, 200m @ goal mi pace, 200m @ goal mi pace w/ 120 sec recovery
- Sat, Jun 12: 1 mi time trial @ Community House Middle School track @ 0615
In week 1 and week 7 there is a mile simulation workout (8 x 400m) that will help you identify your current mile fitness and give you a good idea of what you should be shooting for at the time trial.
Find your various training paces by inputting your goal mile pace or a recent race time here: Link. “Tempo” pace (not shown in website) is your 5k pace + 25-30 seconds. It is a pace that you would be able to sustain for a full hour of running and should feel “hard, but controlled”.
It is recommended that you begin each workout with a 1 mile warmup and dynamic stretching, and end with a 1 mile cooldown. The goal is to PR but also to get to the starting line in one piece.
Just not enough to last……(TWSS)
9 Pax arose from the ashes of their fartsacks to suffer the latest installment of #Swole. This is my first Q since the “InVue-Gate of 2021” where our Nantan was drawn and quartered by Invue HR dept for using their precious and smooth parking lot. Apparently Toby got his feather’s in a bunch. #getoffmyasphalt. I had forgotten the rotten state of McAlpine’s Parking lot…..as rocky and pebble-filled as Frehley’s toilet after a kidney stone issue.
Anyway….we did stuff.
COP
- SSH
- 10 2H Swings
- 10 Merkins
- 10 1-Swings (L)
- 10 Merkins
- 10 1-Swings (R)
- Prayer Squat – much flatulence from Ickey’s area.
- LSS
The Thang:
Lord Neupert’s Spreadsheet
10 X 3 Double Clean and Double Military Press
I finally had my own playlist with my own speaker. Mighty Mite properly shamed me to put together an unplugged playlist befitting my name. I had a grungy filled list of 1990 alt-ish rockers for the “youngsters” including, acoustic Creed, POD, Plush, GnR, Chili Peppers, Chris Cornell, etc. I curated this to incite passionate mumble chatter and fact-giving, or “I remember when” monologues (ahem Ickey, Hoover, and Wild Turkey). But it was all for naught as my brand new speaker died after 3 songs…screaming “low battery” like a bad 1990’s movie….ya know when the heroine is running from the monster/dinosaur/alien and looks at her Nokia and the battery light is flashing…..yeah my speaker was like that. Poor Family Dollar speaker just did not enough juice to last long….insert TWSS here. Thanks Voodoo for the musical rescue per usual. The playlist will be back at another Q soon.
Sorta-Complex
- Heavy 2H swing 10 min EMOM – 15 reps for 5 min, then 20 reps for last 5 min. The 20 reps/min was a crowd pleaser. I think the Worm has my address and will pay me a visit.
Carry and Snatch
- 30 sec suitcase carry then 5 snatches (L/R) – Apparently I did not give the promised rest, so Uncle Leo protested….as he should.
- 30 sec rack carry then 5 snatches (L/R) – Rest was given.
Mary:
- Plank 1 min
- HBH until time
Done
MoleSkine:
Super work and turn out by all the PAX today. I have not posted to Swole since 2021 began as I have been supporting a new F3 Union County AO on Mondays. Thanks Mighty Mite for asking/demanding that I Q….always a pleasure.
Announcements:
- Something about Midriff running the Appalachian Trail all in one day all by himself. He may need some buddies, a Kind bar, and/or medical attention or a helicopter or maybe somebody take him out for a beer instead.
- Something about a Strength Challenge in May.
Unplugged out!
Well that was stupid
DiCCS were given
Warmup
Mosey around parking lot and circle up
15 SSH
10 Merkins
Calf Stretch – (we were graced with real Damascus moans today)
15 Plank Jacks
The Thang
Paula Adbul light poles all the way to Rudy’s shed, up 2 poles for 1 burpee and back 1 pole for 1 burpee (15 burpees total)
At the end circle back or mary then Partner up with someone of the opposite speed.
Starting at Rudys shed run opposite directions as your partner. When you meet do 20 reps of exercise, every other pass is Bobby Hurleys then V-Ups. Do 3 laps, passing your partner 6 times total, so doing each exercise 3 times.
Mosey to the benches the most exciting dumbest web you have ever been apart of. We started at the end and moved down because it was easier ….just because. Starting at 10 derkins and 40 dips, 9 derkin 36 dips, down to 1-4.
Mosey to front of school benches for 20 step ups and a lap then mosey home
Moleskin
Great group of guys today! Everyone pushed and man did some all of it suck. That hill on the loop was worse than I remember and the derkin web is just stupid. I felt like every segment of today’s Q was just out of reach, which is how I like to push myself and hope you all felt the same. Every round of derkins the last pushup was, as Recalc would say, perfect form a slurpee. Everybody joined in for a team effort counting, complaining, and having a damn good time doing it!
Announcements
Schneider with the 6th man
Waxhaw Trail Fest May 1 – preblast in playhouse
F3 Waxhaw – The Lycan – 04/12/2021
Amazing weather for chasing your inner werewolf. Lets get to work.
#DICCS
(Disclaimer, Cell Phone, CPR, Safety)
#Warm Up
Mosey around front parking lot then back to the back parking lot to circle up and warm up.
- SSH x 15
- IW x 15
- Windmill x 10
- Mtn Climbers x 10
#The Thang
Line up at the bottom of the hill for ladders:
Ladder 1 – 10s:
- Burpees (bottom) -> Squats (top)
- Merkins (bottom) -> Lunges (top, 2=1)
Run back around front for:
- Merkins on the clock – On my down
Select one half of one of the sections and line up in the parking lot
- Burpee Broad jumps down -> Lunges back
- Suicides 1 x 1 down – > Bunny hop back
- Karaoke down and back
- Jail break down and back
#Mary
- LBCs x 20
- Reverse Crunch x 20
- WWII Situps x 20
- Homer to Marge x 5
- Squats to run out time
#Moleskin
- WTF – 5/1/ Deadline to sign up is this week. Ping Chastain or Rubbermaid for more.
- Always a pleasure to lead the men of F3. I’m grateful for the trust put into me this morning to lead, make everyone stronger and get everyone back to their families safely.
- Great seeing Flip Phone again. Nice to have another Harrisburg brother down south.
A Round of Exercises are Better Than a Round of Shots (on this morning anyway)
YHC was on the schedule to clock in as this week’s bartender at Last Call. Being my first time at Last Call I did not know what to expect. I did not know if it was going to be more Tom Cruise’s cinematic masterpiece “Cocktail” or the culture defining “Coyote Ugly”. Once Posse and Noonan saddled up to the Marvin Ridge watering hole I knew that it would be neither of these. After discussing the Spring Break exodus that everyone was on this year and inquiring if One Star had even posted at Last Call yet, it was time to get going. As a SOB’er in Waxhaw land YHC tried to follow the local customs so as to not offend the natives and a clumsy attempt at DiCCS was given.
After a short mosey and a standard warmup here is what went down.
The Thing
While scouting the AO YHC noticed a paved walkway from the parking lot to the front of the school that had a few set of small stairs. And at the front of the school there are coincidentally several benches. So for starters YHC was going to have guys pair up. P1 run up the walkway and stairs to the front of the school, do 18 dips (in honor of the Masters) and run back. P2 does flutter until P1 returns and flapjack. Seeing as there was only 3 of us YHC told Posse and Noonan to stick together and I would be the odd man out. As I was heading back from the first run I pass Posse who tells me he is turning it into a grinder. I laughed with Noonan as I returned that Posse was Q-jacking me but it was actually a good idea and worked out better. We did this for 3 rounds and then did another 3 rounds substituting in derkins and heels to heaven.
After this was done we moseyed to a corner of the parking lot where YHC had set up 4 cones in a large square. The object of this was to have 4 groups of Pax cycling through the exercises listed at each cone with one of the cones acting as the timekeeper. This would obviously have been difficult with 3 guys so we stuck together. Starting with cone #1 which was the timekeeper we ran a lap around the drive thru lot in front of the high school. YHC asked if anyone had a watch to time us upon which Posse stepped up. We ran this lap in 1:45 which was then our time to spend at each of the other stations. The other stations consisted of Cone #2 = hollow body hold, Cone #3 = merkins and Cone #4 = 4×4’s. As we got going YHC quickly realized that 1:45 straight on each was going to be a tall task so we broke them up in half with a short rest in between.
We had enough time to go through the cone circuit twice with about 3 minutes to spare. Time to head back to launch and Posse asked if we needed to grab the cones. Nah, YHC replied I’ll grab them on the way out (maniacal laugh in my head). We mosey back to launch at which point YHC exclaims “Now sprint back for the cones” which actually led to Posse calling me a bastard…a badge that I will wear proudly with honor. This time return to launch for real, 1ish minute of plank and finito.
Moleskin
I thoroughly enjoyed getting out to this new AO. And while I get to workout with Posse and Noonan from time to time it was great to workout with them in a smaller gathering like this. A few cursory observations from the morning.
- Right off the bat Posse was giving me a hard time for not being CPR certified. Once a weasel shaker, always a weasel shaker I guess.
- Noonan was crushing the circuits, especially the merkins. There was one point where it was the last 10 seconds of the merkin stations and I was struggling to do a variation of a Cobra that would somehow vaguely resemble a push up and I look over to see Noonan cranking out several in that last bit of time.
- Speaking of the merkin station, as were working through the last set I made the comment that the goal of this was to get to muscle failure. Posse commented that happened on the first set…same here my friend, same here.
Thanks fellas for putting in hard work and pushing me to as well. And thanks to Noonan and One Star for allowing me to man the bar at Last Call.
Do Over
3 #respect-ful pax joined YHC for a do-over of last week’s weinke, unknowingly. YHC was unable to join last week, so, with a slight modification here and there, we were good to go. Maybe even…better to go.
The Thang
Disclaimer – quite thorough, given the seasoning of this group of pax
COP
- Single arm rack carry – L
- Prying squat
- Single arm rack carry – R
- Prying squat
- One-hand swing – L – 15 reps
- Windmill – aka Sharon Towers – 10 in cadence
- One-hand swings – R – 15 reps
Neupert
- Double swings – 10 sets of 6 reps – EMOM
Easy Strength (pax choice of reps, as needed)
- Deadlifts – 3 sets of 10
- Renegade row – 3 sets of 3
- Press – single or double – 3 sets of 3
- Explosive merkins – 3 sets of 10
Snatches – Viking Warrior
- 20 minutes EMOM, 5-7 snatches at top & bottom of each
- such as: 5 during first 5 minutes, then 6, then 5, then 4 during subsequent 5 minute blocks – totaling 200 snatches
Round it out
- Waiter carry – L
- Waiter carry – R
COT
Announcements:
Functional Strength Challenge (FSC) – May 22 – deadlifts, pull-ups, and snatches. Pax, Meathead, & Respect classes. See preblast for more details.
Moleskine:
As a late substi-Q and having missed last week’s Q (thanks for covering, Voodoo), YHC wanted to see how it compared in actuality vs in planning. Added a few more minutes of snatches (you’re welcome) and ran out of time for the squats (you’re very welcome). YHC rated it “good” overall.
Welcome back #kotters to Beetlejuice, recently healed up and pried off the couch. Glad to have you!
Uncle Leo staked out the Meathead location for us, which is preferred for the carries, of which we did some but not as many as planned.
Frehley’s Comet joined us about halfway through the Neupert sequence, after having warmed up at Stonehenge. Said something about it being “easy”. (Or maybe I’m confusing it with the snatch discussion…)
Good work gentlemen. Honor being among you.
Aye.
High Tide
It’s Raining?!
Another week, another Clyent Dinner
Because of the “April 1 Q Challenge” I thought Boitano was on Q
However, Boitano was
Which quickly became apparent at 5:29pm.
So with less than a minute to go it also became apparent that a lot of guys had already been on Q this month and were like:
So we looked at 8 year old Speed Bump and said:
and his reaction:
And off we went!
Warmup:
Mosey around parking lot to front of middle school
- SSH, Merkins, Calf Stretch, Imperial Walkers
The Thang:
Run to the tables behind the middle school
Dip Web
- 10 Dips legs out, 10 Dips, legs in
- 20 Dips legs out, 20 Dips, legs in
- 30 Dips legs out, 30 Dips, legs in
Run along back of school to the path
- Burpee mile practice
- 5 burpees every light pole to Rudy’s Shed and back
Grab a rock
- 10 curls at light pole
- 10 shoulder presses at next light pole
- 10 bench presses at next light pole
- run to path that leads to gravel lot with rock
- rifle carry back
- 20 curls at light pole
- 20 shoulder presses at next light pole
- 20 bench presses at next light pole
- Rifle carry to side path and back to light pole
- 20 curls at light pole
- 20 shoulder presses at next light pole
- 20 bench presses at next light pole
Mosey to COT for Heals to Heaven / Flutter Web
- 10 H2H / 10 Flutters
- 9 H2H / 9 Flutters
- 2 Merkins
Run to next corner of lot
- 8 H2H / 8 Flutters
- 7 H2H / 7 Flutters
- 2 Merkins
Run to next corner of lot
- 6 H2H / 6 Flutters
- 5 H2H / 5 Flutters
- 2 Merkins
Run to next corner of lot
- 4 H2H / 4 Flutters
- 3 H2H / 3 Flutters
- 2 Merkins
Run to next corner where we started
- 2 H2H / 2 Flutters
- 1 H2H / 1 Flutter
- 2 Merkins
Run to front of Middle school
- 10 Derkins / 10 Step Ups
- half lap around parking lot
- 10 Derkins / 10 Step Ups
Run Back to COT
- Plank for final 45 seconds
Done!
Moleskin:
We got sprinkled on a few times during the workout. Elsa must not have signed on for rain because “It’s Raining” was heard many times with this exact expression:
Pretty funny and cute
Orkin, The Beans, and Rock were playing with a frog right before we started. We we get to the front of the middle school and somehow the frog made it with us. Clyent Dinner is not frog friendly so he had to go in the bushes
Hats of to Speed Bump for Qing a workout on the fly to save Clyent Dinner from being the workout that brought down the 1 Q April Ship. Streak still in tack.
Great to see SCUBA back out. I know you’ve had some calf issues (seen today at Homecoming) but now that your shoulder is feeling better everyone else better watch out.
I think everyone’s triceps are still hurting after the 120 dips to start
Well done everyone
Such A Bad Idea
What a beautiful morning to get out and bathe in the pollen that is suffocating right now. 8 very fit guys and 1 fat feller showed up for a nice 4 miler at Homecoming. As we were ready to start Recal looked at me and growled “I am waiting for some damn Clydesdales to pull in”. Yep you and me both buddy. I at least knew Zinny Boy would play in the back with us as he was up late last night in the sauce and stirring up trouble on the Ol Crest of the Briars Facebook page. I gave the disclaimer and checked to make sure we had a CPRer on hand as I am a month into Keto, just had my Johnson and Johnson one shot yesterday and I am allergic to everything on God’s shiny green Earth. Off we went on a long opening Mosey.
That Thang:
Warm up in the back of the school with some stretching, Merkins and SSH’s.
1st Exercise: In big parking lot in back run down to curb Merkins x10 back pedal back to curb at start for Bobby Hurley’s x10. Five Rounds.
Mosey to Alcove in back for 1/2 Web of Merkins and V-Ups. Mosey back to front of school to bottom of the hill.
I pre-apologized to the guys that this exercise would be bad. Start at bottom run to the top of the hill and do burpees at bottom do a 30 second plank hold each round. First round 10 burpess, then 8, 6, 4 and 2 burpees each round at the top of the hill. That hill is simply miserable. I’d like to name it Mount Misery. Marketing Department please make those changes. I think Gerber successfully lapped us all on the lovely exercise. This also inspired my title of this backblast. Let’s mosey to basketball courts.
Everyone was pretty gassed at this point but let’s line up for some suicides. Worked in some V-Ups and Big Boy’s in between Suicides.
Mosey to front of school for some partner work. Partner 1 runs while partner 2 completes 100 speed skaters, 100 Bobby Hurley’s and 100 Squats.
Mosey back to start for 3 minutes of Have a Nice Day!
Moleskin:
It really was great to lead this group this morning. We had some good banter with the group. It was good to learn about Honeycomb’s son Chum as we were going through the exercises. He is on a college fishing team hence the name Chum. Also had some great discussions afterwards at Coffeteria. Discussions ranged from Wolverine is a maniac on a mountain bike, breaking your putter in a round of golf, Nascar(Scuba Steve has been to every track in the country) and buying ticket for the new soccer team in Charlotte. All in all a great morning to get out with a great bunch of guys. I’m sure you all didn’t mean to call me all those potty names on Mount Misery as well.
Announcements:
Rockwell is permanently moving Off the Chain to Wednesday nights. Locations may change but will always be Wednesday’s now.
Waxhaw Clean Up is next weekend with Coffeteria to follow. Bring blowers, rakes, gloves bags etc…….
Some call it skipping
I knew I was in for a bit of a challenge today, as I was dealing with some late night disagreements between the M and 2.0 teen, leaving
me with only 5 hours of sleep before the Q. I was tossing and turning between the disagreement and what I was going to Q. In the end with this group of guys it doesn’t matter, they take you at your best and your worst, which I appreciate.
Warm-up
- Asked the Pax, should we go left to start or right. Complaints started right from the beginning when folks didn’t want to go left because of the gravel, so they picked right. Well, I really wanted to go left, but only partial, so this became a political discussion right from the beginning.
- Mosey from the parking lot past the circle half way to the bridge and back to the circle
- 20 Side Straddle Hops
- 10 Imperial Walkers (cut down from 20 after Fuse looking like he wasn’t liking to do 🙂 )
- Calf stretches
- Upward Dog / Downward Dog
- 10 Merkins
- 20 Plank Jacks
- Pants Splitters (Foot by hand) stretch
The Thang
- Tried to ask the PAX to start with door number 1 a burpee at every tree on the right to the rock pile or
door number two. Since the first selection didn’t work out, they chose burpees, but since that is not what I wanted
to do, we did what I called slow high knees to the rock pile, but some called it skipping. This took a toll by the time
we reached the rock pile. - Grab a lifting rock
- Rifle carry to a parking spot
- Mosey to a small hill for 7’s (Burpees on top, jump squats on bottom)
- Mosey back to parking spaces, where we will do 4 exercises and run a lap around the parking lot.
- Round 1
- 20 Mike Tysons
- 20 Dry Docks
- 40 Shoulder Presses with Rock
- 20 Moroccan Night Clubs
- Run a lap
- Round 2
- 20 Low Slow Squats with Rock
- Lunges from parking lot end and back
- 2o Prisoner squats (hands on head, down each leg 10 times)
- 100 Toe Raises, broken up 50 at a time
- Run a lap
- Round 3
- Rifle carry to the gym set for some rare pullups
- Three rounds
- 5 pull ups (need to start getting back to 10)
- 20 rows
- Rifle carry back to parking spots
- Round 4
- 20 Big Boys
- 20 V Ups
- 20 Thread the Needle , 10 on each side (holding up on your side, bring 1 arm in air and back through other side)
- 20 Side Lifts (10 on each side for those obliques)
- Run lap
- Round 5
- 50 Triceps Extension with Rock
- 20 Curb Dips
- 10 Plank pushups (in plank position, pushup off elbows)
- Run a lap
- Round 6
- 50 Chest Presses with Rock
- 10 Merkins
- 10 Side to Side Merkins (Lean to each side and pushup, repeat)
- 10 Curb Merkins, tapping each hand on curb after each Merkin
- Run Lap
- Rifle carry to bring Rock back.
- On six, call out exercise Chainsaw and High hat
- Mosey / Jailbreak back to COT (race between deep dish and Fuse, nice job)
The Moleskin
Like I mentioned, I was super tired and distracted going into it, but you can do no wrong with this group and was able to put my distractions
and tiredness past me. Great job gentlemen.
Thanks gentlemen for helping me provide some challenges today.
Announcements
Waxhaw cleanup 4/17
Waxhaw Trail Run 5/1
What’s the hook?
5 PAX met at Kohl’s for a brand new route designed with love by Bunker. Fit the second week in a row the route avoided Marvin altogether but that did not deter or diminish the conversation: shoes, vacationing, beach recs, 23-mile marathons and the heavy reliance on the sensors built into vehicles. PAX also realized a gate is down in lesser Longview allowing for easy access to run that short loop. The Somerset hook raises some questions but you can’t call it the hook route if you complete the circle. Great morning for a run, but hopefully the humidity stops at this. (It won’t.)