Boston Monday

All,

Nice work by Danielle and Jack in Jersey City this morning. Good luck to anyone running Boston.  It's always an exciting day.

There was some more great racing this weekend.  Florida star Parker Valby broke the NCAA record in the 10k.  She ran 30:50. Former PA and current UVA star, Gary Martin set a school record in the 1500.  He ran 3:37 which is about a 3:54 mile.  There are two good HS meets this week-Tuesday at 3 at DTW and Friday at 2:30 at Henderson. Things are heating up.

Everyone else:  Let's do some work this week!!!

Broad Street is only 3 weeks from today.  It will be here fast.

There is a race in town on Saturday morning that would be a great tune up for Broad Street.  It's good to get used to the discomfort associated with racing before you get to your big race and a 5k 2 weeks out is perfect preparation for BS.  It's called the Running Home 5k.  Here is the registration link. I'm going to build that into the week's training.

Here we go:

Tuesday-All(if no BS, only 1600 of tempo at the start)-3200 of tempo-2:30 rest, 4 x 800 at 5k pace with a 400jr, Take 2:00 after the 4th one and do 2 x 300 at 3k pace with a 300 jr.  If you're running a 1/2 marathon this weekend, do 1600 of tempo and then 4 x 800 at HMP minus 5 seconds.  No 300s

Wednesday-4-10 miles.

Th-4-10 miles with 6 x striders.  If HM on Sunday 2 x 1600 at HMP with 1:00 rest

Fri-HM-Off.  Others pre race-30:00 warmup, 1200 of tempo, 2:00 rest. 3 x 200 w/200 jr  at 5k pace. If not racing on Saturday, 3 x 1600 at 5k pace with no rest, then run a 200 at 5k pace(no rest between the 1600s and 200).

Saturday-Race-4 mile wu, 3 mile cd.  Others 10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Boston/Jersey City

All,

Looks like good weather for Boston.  It's going to be mostly a tail wind year which is good and rare. Sunday looks decent for JC. The 7am start is good.  It should be in the 40s at the start.

Taper plan-5 days out 3 x 1600 w/100jr at MP +5, MP and MP-5. 4 days out 2 miles of MP. 3 days out 1.5 miles at MP. 2 days out-day off.  1 day out- 1mile at MP.  Race day-Stick with your plan.

Everyone else-Here is the wo schedule:

Tuesday-BS-1000(5k), 600(3k), 200(mile) x 4 w/400 jr after each one and a 600jr between sets.  Other 3 sets of the same routine.

Wed-4-9 miles.

Th-4-10 miles with 6 x 15 second hill sprints.  Walk the recovery.

Friday-3200 of tempo 2:00 rest then 400(3k),300(mile),200(800) x 3 w/200jr and 800 between sets. 

Saturday-8-15 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Happy Easter

All,

If you celebrate Easter, I hope you had a good day and got to spend some quality time with your family.  If you don't, I hope you enjoyed the nice day.  

Boston and Jersey City marathoners-it's winding down.  Broad Streeters, It's ramping up.  Stay healthy and have a good week.

Here is the training for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-1600(5k pace), 4000m(10k pace), 1600m(5k pace all with a 400jr.  BS and others-1600(5k), 3200(10k), 1600(5k) all with a 400 jr.

Wed-4-9 

Thursday-4-10 w/8 x striders.

Fri-Marathoners-5 mile cutdown-Mp+10, MP, MP -10, MP-20, MP-30.   BS and Others-3 mile cutdown-MP, MP -10, MP-20 3:00 rest and then 6 x 200 at mile pace with a 200jr.

Saturday-Marathoners-15 w/3 ay MP. Others-8-13 w/3 at MP.

See you soon.

Kevin

Love Run

All,

I hope the Love Run went well for you this morning.  I saw that Ed went sub 17 for his last 5k to really roll up on people.  It was a nice day for it.

I'm hearing really good things about the training.  Let's keep it rolling.

Here are the workouts for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-8 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace.  Broad Street-6 x 1200 at 10k w/200jr  Others-4-5 x 1200 w/200 jr at 10k pace.

Wednesday-4-10 miles

Th-4-10 + 8 x striders.

Fri-Marathoners-6 mile tempo run.  Others and Broad Strett-4 mile tempo run plus 4 x 200 at mile pace w/200 jr.

Sat-Marathoners-15 w/3 at mp.  Broad Street-10-12 w/3 at MP, 1 at 1/2mp.  Others-7-12 w/2 at MP, 1 at 1/2mp.

Have a great week.

Kevin

The "TEN"

All.

Last night in California was a meet called the "TEN".  The main event, believe it or not, was the 10k on the track with the goal of getting as many people as possible to hit the Olympic standard(27:00 for the men and 30:40 for the women.  8 men hit the A standard lef by Americans Grant Fisher and Nico Young(NCAA Record).  2 other runners set National records.  This was only the 2nd time in history that 8 men had broken 27:00 in one race.  3 Americans hit the standard.  On the women's side 4 women hit the standard and the winner ran the fastest time ever on American Soil.  Here are meet details.  This is going to be an exciting year for running.  

Here are the workouts for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-8-10 x 1600 w/100jr at tempo down to 10k.  Only 10k for the last couple at most.  Others-4-6 x 1600 w/100jr at tempo down to 10k.  Love Runners-3 x 1600 at 1/2 marathon goal pace with a 200jr.  If you're doing the Love Run and Boston or Jersey City, run the first 10 at mp and then roll the last 5k.

Wednesday-4-9 miles.  Love Run-4-5

Thursday-4-9 miles w/8 x striders at the end.. Love Run 4 w/1 at 1/2 pace.

Friday-Marathoners-60 w/some :30 pickups(6-8 w/:30 rest).  Others-6 x 600 w/400 jr at 3k pace-800 jr and then 1 x 400 fast(spike up if you have them). Love Run-off.

Saturday-Love Run 2.5 miles with 1/2 mile at 1/2 pace.  Marathoners-21 w/5 at MP and 5 of tempo.  Others-10-15 w/3 at mp.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Doubles/NCAAs

All,

I just wanted to mention doubling as an option to increase your mileage with a little less stress on the body.  You could just go for an easy 20-30:00 a couple of times per week.  Or, you could do 2 shorter runs instead of one longer run mid week.  Like, 2 4 milers instead of one 8 miler.  2 4 milers is a little less wear and tear on your body.  You also get a little neurological benefit from running more often.   You just want to listen to your body and stay healthy.  Hobbs Kessler of the Very Nice Track Club, who just finished third in the 1500 at the World Indoor Championships is a big doubler.  He gets 70+ miles in per week with no run over 8 miles.  Also, he ran a 3:48 mile this winter as a 20 year old.

I was always a big fan of doubling 2-4 times per week when I was younger.  I would typically get in 8-11 runs per week.  I'm actually thinking about trying to take that route again, but have it be just 6-7 runs in 5 days.  I'll keep you posted on how it works for me.

The other doubling is running 2 races in a track meet.  Nico Young of NAU and Parker Valby of Florida did that at this week's NCAA Championships in Boston.  They both won the 3k and the 5k.  Parker set a meet record in the 3k and the collegiate record in the 5k.  Nico set the meet record in the 3k.  Here are some highlights and interviews from day 2 for the men. Here women's day 2 highlights and interviews. By the way, Juliette Whitaker, the sophomore from Stanford who won the women's 800, ran at the PA Distance Festival a few times in high school.

Here are the week's workouts:

Tue-Marathoners-3 x 3200 at (1st 2400 10k, last 800 5k) w/400jr.  Others 2 x 3200 with the same format.

Wed-4-8 miles.  Th-4-10 miles w/8 x striders.

Friday-M-8 mile tempo run.  Love run people-5 mile tempo run.  Others 4 x 4 x 200 w/200jr and 600 between sets Mile pace down to 800 pace.

Sat-M-15 miles.  Love Run 9-11 miles.  Others 9-13 miles.

if you're running the Haddonfield 5k, you would do pre meet on Friday.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Spring Weather

All,

Looks like a nice week as far as the temps.  A little bit of off and on rain, but it shouldn't be bad.  Enjoy!!  Also, what agreat World Indoor Champs for US distance runners.  2 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals in the 3 distance races.  Impressive.

Remember, the St. Agnes 5k is this Saturday at 9am.  You should get out and race.  Maybe, incorporate it into your long run or don't and just race.

Here is the training schedule for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-5 x 2400 at 10k pace with a 400jr.  Others-2400(10k), 1600(5k), 800(3k), 400(mile) all with a 400jr and then 3 x 300 at mile pace w/200jr.

Wed-4-8 miles.

Thursday-4-8 miles with 6 15 second hills at the end.  Sprint up jog down.

Friday-Marathoners-60 w/strides.  Others-12 x 150-quick, with a 250jr.  If racing, keep them a little slower.

Saturday-Race or 9-15 w/3 at mp.  Marathoners- 22 w/2 x 4.5 at MP and 1.5 of tempo with 4:00 in between.  

Have a great week.

Kevin

A-10 Champs

All,

I hope everyone is having a good weekend.  I spent the last few days at the A-10 Swimming and Diving Championships watching my daughter and her teammates compete.  it was a fun meet with a lot of good performances.  I enjoy the way swimming presents their championship meets.  It was about 500 athletes and around 1000 spectators(mostly family) in a tight arena.  It makes for some very high intensity action.  They have trials in the morning and finals at night along with the relays.  It's tiring but intense.  

This Friday, we have the Polar Bear Champs 3k or 5k on the track at Henderson. Here is the information.   It's a great way to test your fitness.  The weather looks good.  Scott has his last winter Series race at DTW on Sunday and the St. Agnes 5k in 3/9.  Let's get ready to race.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-10 x 800 at 5k pace with a 400jr.  Others-6 x 800 w/400jr at 5k pace plus 4 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace.

Wed-4-8 miles

Thursday-4-8 miles plus 8 x striders.

Friday-Race on the track or:  marathoners 7 miles of tempo.  Love Run 5 miles of tempo.  Others-3-4 miles of tempo.

Sat-Marathoners14-16 miles.  Others-10-13 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Indoor Nationals

All,

More great racing this weekend.  Indoor Nationals was in New Mexico.  Drew Griffith from Butler, PA ran 8:38 for 2 miles which is an all time hs best, but doesn't count as a national because it was run on an oversize track.  There were some really fast college DMRs.  Gary Martin, Archbishop Wood, ran one of the fastest anchor legs ever for Virginia at Arkansas.  He ran 3:51 for his anchor leg.  And Grant Fisher ran the fifth fastest 5k in indoor history on Friday at BU.  He ran 12:51. It was only 2 seconds off the World Record.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-5-6 x 2k at 10k pace with a 400jr.  Others-3-4 x 2k with the first 1600 at 10k pace and the last 400 at 3k pace with a 400jr.

Wed-4-9 miles

Th-4-9 miles with 8 x striders at the end.

Fri-Marathoners-60:00 with 8 x :30 on :30 off near the end.  Others- 3 x 4 x 400 /w200jr after each one and a 600 jr between sets at 3k pace.

Sat-Marathoners-21 w/3 x 3.25 at mp and .75 of tempo w/3:00 between each one.  

Others-8-12 miles.

Remember, Jackie's book reading and signing is this Tuesday at 6pm in Phillips Reading Room.  &00 South High Street.

Also, March 1, 3k or 5k at Henderson. Details here and here.

Have a good week.

Milrose Games

All,

Great job by those racing this morning in Downingtown.  Here is the link to the results. There will be an open 5k at Henderson on March 1.  It's a good place to PR. Details are here.

The Milrose Games are on NBC from 1-3.  There should be some great races.  

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-The workout is 1200 at 10k, 200jr, 400 at 5k down to 3k, 400jr x 3-5 for the non marathoners and 6-7 for the marathoners.

Wednesday-4-8 miles.

Thursday-4-8 miles with 8 x striders at the end.

Friday-Marathoners-42:00 of Broken tempo 6:00 on 1:00 off.  Others 28:00 of broken tempo, 6:00 on 1:00 off.

Saturday-Marathoners-15.  Others 7-15.

Don't forget Jackie's book signing on Tuesday at the Philips Hall Reading Room at 6pm.  Have a good week.

Kevin

Olympic Trials

All,

Big weekend for the sport.  Saturday was the US Olympic Trials in the marathon in Orlando.  There were some great races.  There is a lot of information here .

Also, here on Citius Mag.  There was also a great professional track meet in Boston and a lot of really good high school action in track this weekend.  On a side note, Declan Rymer from Downingtown West(and Virginia Tech) broke 4:00 for the first time on Saturday.  Congrats to him!

Looks like a nice week to train.  Here is the schedule:

Tuesday--Marathoners-6 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace.  Non-marathoners-3=4 x 1600 at 5k pace with a 400jr and then 3 x 150, quick but relaxed w/250jr/

Wednesday-4-7 miles

Thursday-4-8 miles with the last mile at mp plus 4 x striders at the end.

Friday-Marathoners-60:00 with a few 30 second pickups.  Others good warmup and then 16 x :45 at 3k pace with 1:15 jog in between.  

Saturday-Marathoners-20 miles with 4 x 3 miles at mp with 3:00 in between and then 2 miles of tempo.  Others-7-14 with 1.5 miles of tempo  OR  Run Scott's Winter Series 5k or 10k on Sunday.at DTW and add on appropriately to get the correct mileage.

Have a great week.

Kevin

The Fruit Cure

 All,

Jackie's book is out.  It's exciting to have an author in our presence.  I've heard it's a great read.  Can't wait to get started.  I've attached a flyer for a book signing on February 13.  Try to get out for that.

January flew by.  I hope the training is going well.  I've heard good things about the groups.  Let's keep it (or get it) rolling.

There were some great races at BU this weekend.  5 guys under 13:00 in the 5k including a collegiate record for Nico Young.  I think 9-10 guys hit the Olympic Standard which is huge for January.  20 guys under 4:00 in the mile.  At Penn State on Saturday, there were another 11 under 4:00 and I'm sure there were a ton under at UW.  Fast races all around the country.

Here is the training for the week:

Tuesday-Non Marathoners-5-7 x 1000 w/200jr at 10k pace.  Marathoners-10 x 1000 w/200jr at 10k pace.

Wednesday-4-8 miles.

Thursday-4-8 w/4 x strides at the end.

Friday-Marathoners-6 miles of tempo.  Non-Marathoners-4 miles of tempo.

Saturday-Marathoners 15 with 4 strides at the end.  Non Marathoners-7-14 with 4 strides at the end.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Last week of Hills

All,

I can't believe January is almost over. This week is the last week of hills.  Starting next Tuesday, we'll be back on the track.  If the track happens to be snow covered, we'll just move the workout to the roads.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-8-10 x 2 block hills.  Again, run hard, jog the recovery.  Really work on sprinting the uphill portion.

Wed-4-8 miles

Th-4-8 miles plus 4 striders.

Friday-Good warmup and then 8 x 2:00 at 5k pace with a 1:00 jog recovery.  I would go on the roads or find a loop somewhere.  

Sat-Marathoners-18 with 3 x 3 miles of mp and .5 miles of tempo with a 3:00 break after each one. Start at 6 miles. Also, 4 striders at the end.  Others-6-13 miles with 1.5 miles of tempo and 4 striders at the end.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Houston

All,

Great job by the Houston from Downingtown this morning.  Steve Jordan, Henderson Alum, ran 2:24 which was almost a 7:00 PR and finished 22nd.  Danielle Burns PRd in the 1/2.  The rest of them ran tough.  It's fun going to a big race as a group.  I know we have a good crew heading to Berlin in the fall.  It will be a great trip.  I think we have 8-10 people who got in.  Looking forward to getting them ready to go.  

Here is the training for the week:

Tuesday-  6 x 2 block hills on Biddle street and the 6 x 1 block hills.  All should be done with a light jog recovery back to the bottom.

Wednesday-4-7 miles

Thursday-4-7 miles with 4 x striders at the end.

Fri-Marathoners-5 miles of tempo.

Non marathoners- 2 x 2 miles of tempo with a minute rest in between.

Saturday-Marathoners-15 miles with 4 striders at the end.  Others-6-12 miles with 4 striders at the end

This is a great time to gradually build your mileage.  This has the makings of a rough weather week.  Hang tough and hit the treadmill if necessary,

Have a good week.

Kevin

Training 2024

All,

I hope the year is starting pretty well for you.  Thanks to all of you for responding about your races/plans/goals for the spring.  We have a lot of Broad Street Interest. A few who are running Boston/Jersey City.  A good crowd will run some different 1/2s(the first of which is the Love Run).  We have a bunch of people who just want to get faster and focus on running a fast 5k in preparation for a fall Marathon. Scott has the Winter Series going which is always fun to jump in. A good fast 5k for mid march is the Haddonfield 5k on March 16.  I'll keep you posted on some others that we'll have in town. This is a good race with a fast course.  I haven't run it since 1997 but it was decent then and has become a pretty deep race.  I know it's a bit of a hike but it would be fun to get a good crew out for that.  It's fun to travel as a group and race with your teammates.

Anyway, I sat down and planned out the training for now through mid June. with some adaptations for the various races.  As we move forward, please let me know if you have another race to add to the calendar/training.  I'm excited to see how the training goes.  

Here is this week's training:

Tuesday-Hills-Meet at High and Biddle Street. 6-8 x 2 blocks.  Run hard up, jog back down.  The hills have been a great workout over the years.  When I think of the hill workouts, the two things that pop into my head are Manion and Ed just blasting up and flying down the hills and Colleen being very pregnant and showing up to do a couple of hills.  It's always good action.

Wed-4-7 miles

Thursday 4-7 miles with 4 x 100 yard striders at the end.  Stride a 100, jog a 100.

Friday-20-25:00 warmup and then 30:00 of Fartlek.  Here is how I think of Fartlek.  Run hard for between :30 and 2:00 and then jog about 1/2 of that time.  It works great if you have a small group and take turns leading.  I wouldn't necessarily time it but just estimate the time. Sometimes, it could be just picking out a spot and running hard to that spot.  It should be a pretty solid effort.  I also used to like doing this on my own if I was in comeback mode.

Saturday-6-12 with a mile of tempo at some point during your run plus 4 striders at the end.  Boston and Jersey city-16 with 5 at MP and 1 at tempo(go right into the tempo at the end of mp).  Start that with 7 miles to go.  Also, 4 striders at the end.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Happy New Year!!

All,

Have a safe and Happy New Year!  I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season. Hopefully, we'll see a lot of you out for Stanley's Dream tomorrow at Noon in town.  Registration is at Barnaby's starting at 11am.  Here is the link to registration.  The weather looks great.

I've linked a form below.  Please fill out and submit so we can set up the training for the spring and early summer.  
Spring Training form.

Kind of funny/interesting short article by Toni Reavis.  It's a quick read.  


We'll start the hill workouts on Tuesday of this week.  Plan on meeting the group at Biddle and High Streets at 5:40am on Tuesday.  All are welcome.  We're just going to do hills in January this year.  We'll transition to non-hill workouts in February.  

Here is the training for this week.

Tuesday-Biddle Street Hills-Run hard from High Street to Matlack Street.  Jog back down.  Repeat 6-8 times.  Concentrate on good form and running fast on the way up.  Take your time on the way down.

Wed-4-7 miles.

Th-4-7 miles.

Friday-30:00 warmup then 22:00 of broken tempo.  4:00 of tempo, :30 jog, 5 times.

Saturday-6-11 miles depending where you are with your running.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Very Late Post!!

All,

Sorry for the late post.  I lost track of the day.  I hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Now is a great time to use your runs as a stress reliever.  Let's not do any real workouts this week.

I always like to just run something hard every once in a while on an unstructured week.  Here is what I would do this week.

1-Do some light pickups.  Maybe, a little fartlek.  Good warmup, then run hard for a couple of minutes, jog a little, then sprint a little.  Just mix it up with varying paces/

2-Run the last 1/2 of your run pretty hard.  Like if you're doing a 6 miler, ease into it and then get rolling 1/2 way through and then really hammer the last mile.  

3-Run Stanley's Dream next Monday, New Year's Day, at Noon.  You'll be happy you did.

Have a great week.

Kevin

2 Mile Time Trial

All,

We've been doing the around Xmas Eve time trial for a long time.  The first year, it was Manion, Lavo, Harris and me.  We've had up to 40 do it.  It's been a lot of fun over the years.  It's just a good hard effort leading into the holidays.

That will be Tuesday morning.  If anyone knows the start time, let me know and I'll post it here.  Send in your time and I'll put it up here also.

Tuesday-2 mile time trial.


Friday-Good warmup, then 12 x 100 w/100jr.

Saturday=6-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Mid December Grind

All,

It's grind time.  Not a lot going on other than just getting ready for the training in the new year.  We'll keep the training going, obviously.  Use it as a good stress reliever for the holidays.  With the extra time off, hopefully, you can get some easy miles in and maybe run a two mile on the Friday before Xmas, or Stanley's Dream.  In 1996, we had 12 days off for winter break, I set the goal of running 15 miles a day(180 miles) during the break(It was before we had kids).  It worked out great.  I got the mileage in and built on that to have a great spring of racing.  My wife thought I was being a little ridiculous, but I tried not to say much about it.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-Mile of tempo, 400jr, 6 x 300 w/80 wr, 20jr at mile pace.

Wed-5-7 miles
Th-5-7 miles plus striders.

Friday-800 of tempo, 400jr, 800 at mile pace, 400 jr, 8 x 200 w/200jr at Mile pace.

Saturday-6-10 miles.

Start thinking about targets for the spring so we can set up the training.  I'll send out a form next week.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Brian's Run

All,

Great job at Rehoboth this morning.  Jackie won and PRd and JT got 3rd and ran fast.  That's 2 marathon wins in a row for her.  We had some nice performances by others also.  We had a nice crew out there.  

Tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of Brian's Run.  It should be a fun day.  Come out and run or if you don't want to run and have time, we could always use a couple more course marshals.  There is a 5k or 5 mile option.  Thanks to Brian McFadden for keeping this going.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tue-3 x 4 x 400 w/200jr between each one and a 600 between sets at 5k pace(1st set), 3k pace(2nd set), mile pace(3rd set).

Fri-Mile of tempo, mile at 5k pace, mile of tempo, w/400jr, then 1 x 300 fast.

Sat-5-10 miles.

Have a good week.  Hope to see you tomorrow.

Kevin

Rehoboth-It's go time!!!

All,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.  We had some great Turkey Trot turnouts. Let's look for a good turnout for Brian's Run next Sunday.  You have the 5k or 5 mile option.  it should be fun.  An email blast will go out tomorrow.  If you're not running and want to volunteer, let me know.

.Alright, the Rehoboth Crew is ready to go. The weather is looking decent.  Let's get the payout for the all of the hard work this fall.  Run smart and run fast!!

Here is the training:

Marathon
Monday-7 miles easy
Tue-1 mile wu, 3 x 1600 w/100jr MP+:05, MP, MP-:05 1 mile cd
Wed-1/2mile wu, 2 miles at mp, 1/2 mile cd
Th-Off
Fri-1/2 mile wu, 1 mile at mp, 1/2 mile cd
Sat-Race.  Do a 7-10:00 wu about 20:00 before the start.

1/2 marathon
M-4 miles easy
Tue-5 x 1000 w/200jr at 1/2 pace.
Wed-1/2 mile wu, 1.5 miles at 1/2 pace.  1/2 mile cd
Th-Off
Fri-1/2 mile wu, 3/4 of a mile at 1/2 pace, 1/2 mile cd
Sat-Race-Do a 7-10:00 wu about 20:00 before the start.

Both groups, have a good race plan in place, but don't be afraid to change on the fly if you get thrown a curve ball during the race.

Also, after what happened to Ethan Hermann in Philly, make sure that no one is handing drinks or gels during the race other than race volunteers.

Others:
Tue-5 x 1000 w/200jr at 5k pace.
Wed and Th-4-7 miles.
Fri-1 mile of tempo and then 4 x 400 at 5k pace w/200jr
Sat-3 miles.
Sun-Race Brian's Run.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Week starting 11/20/23

All,

Sorry for the early blog.  I'll be at Rylee's swim meet all weekend so I wanted to get this out. Good luck to the Philly Crew.  Let's be smart and run well this weekend.
;
Here the workouts
Tue-Rehoboth Full-1600, 3200, 1600 w/400jr.  The 16s at 5k and the 32 t 10k.
        Others and R 1/2-3 x 1600 w/400jr at 5k pace.
    
Wed-5-8
Th4-7 with striders.

Fri-All-5 mile cutdown.  Starting at MP plus 10 and taking :::15 off per mile.  Try to hit it right early.  So, i you're trying to run 6:30 pace, you would go 6:40, 6:25, 6:10, 5:55, 5:40.  It should be a little tough at the end.  I would stay on the track for the whole thing.

Sat-R Full-13 w/3 at mp
       R 1/2-11 w/2 at 1/2 pace.
       Others-8 w/2 at 1/2 pace

Have a good week.

Kevin

Philly

All.

Big week for the Philly 1/2 and full marathoners.  Saturday looks like low 40s at the start and Sunday looks like upper 30s at the start.  A little breezy, but not bad. Also, don't be afraid to jump in a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving or the the Warrior Classic 3200 on Wednesday evening at Henderson.  

Here is the week's training:
Philly Full
M-X,  Tue-3x 1600 w/100 jr at MP, MP -5 and MP -10.  You should feel great on the last 2.  Practice taking fuel and some water while you're doing the 1600s.
Wed-1/2 mile wu, then 2.5 miles at MP, 1/2 mile cd.
Th-1/2 mile wu, 2 miles at MP, 1/4 mile cd.
Friday-Off.  Saturday1/2 mile wu, 1 mile at MP, 1/2 mile cd.
Marathon Plan-1st 5 miles, slightly slower then MP(4-7 seconds slower per mile) it will be a good race if you feel a little rough those first couple of miles.  By 5 miles, you should be warmed up and ready to get in a groove.  5-18 stay right on MP or 1-2 seconds faster.  When you get to 18, you can start making some decisions: 1-You feel great-Drop it down by 5 seconds per mile for the next 2 miles, coming out of Manayunk, be at MP or slightly slower.  At 21, you can start rolling if you feel good.  Don't get going all at once, maybe a slight pickup every 1/2 mile. You can easily pickup up 1-3 minutes in the last 8 miles if you have fueled and paced well. Besmart early, be tough late.  Have fun.
Please text me or email if you have any questions or concerns.

Philly 1/2-
M-X, Tuesday-5 x 1000 w/200jr at 1/2 pace.  The last 2 can be 2 seconds faster.  Wed-1/2 mile wu, 2 miles at 1/2 pace, 1/2 mile cd.  Th-Off.  Fri-1/2 mile wu, mile at 1/2 pace, 1/2 mile cd.  Saturday-Race.  Race plan should be to be on pace by 2 miles, keep it consistent through 10 and then drop it down.  I would do a 10:00 warmup before the race if you can.

Others
Tue-R Full(BTW-Some really nice long runs and workouts last week)-8 x 1200 at 10k pace w/200jr.  Don't go crazy.
        R 1/2-5 x 1200 at 10k pace w/200jr
        Others-4 x 1200 at 10k pace w/200jr
Wed-4-8
Th-5-7 w/striders
Fri-R-6-8
  Others mile of tempo and then 8 x 400 w/400jr at mile pace.
Sat-R Full-15-16 /5 at MP
       R 1/2  11-12 w/2 at 1/2 pace.
       Other-6-12

Have a great week.  Philly crew-We'll be following you.  Get it done.

Kevin

It's Crunch Time

All,

Congrats to those who ran NYC today.  That's a tough course.  

The training is winding down(kind of) for Philly and Rehoboth. Remember to sign up for Bran's Run if you're not running Rehoboth.

Here is the training for the week:

Tue-R-Full-8-10 x 1600 w/100jr from tempo down to 10k.
       R 1/2  and  P-Full-4 x 1600 w/100jr from tempo down to 10k .
        Others and P 1/2 x 1600 w/100jr temp, 10k, 5k
Wed-4-9
Th-4-9 w/Striders
Fri-P-Full-5 mile cutdown starting at mp + :10 and taking :15 off per mile.
      Others and P 1/2  3 mile cutdown starting at 1/2 pace plus :10 and taking off :15 per mile others also d 3 x 200 w/200 jr after that.  Pac=quick/
      R 1/2 and full-60:00 with 4 x :30 pu with :30 rest.
Sat-P full-13 w/3 at MP.
       P 1/2-10 w/2 at 1/2 pace
        R Full-21 w/10 at tempo.  The starting point is the question mark.    do we start at 5 and have tired legs or do we start at 10 and have tired legs going into the tempo.  Let's have a discussion about that during the week.  Both have benefits
          R 1/2-14 w/5 of tempo.  Same debate.
      Others-6-10 miles.

Have a god week. 

Kevin

NYC

All,

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  Hot one for the long run yesterday, but it looks good moving forward.  It's crunch time for NY.  Let's have a good week and run smart.

Here is the training for the week:
Tue-NY-3 x 1600 w/100jr at MP
        P-Full-3200, 1600, 3200 w/400jr 3200s at 10k, 1600 at 5k
        R Full-3 x 3200 at 10k with a 400jr
         P 1/2  3200, 1600, 800 with a 400jr  3200 at 10k , 1600 and 800 at 5k
         R 1/2-3200 x 2 w/400jr at 10k
        Others-Philly 1/2 workout
Wed-5-10 miles
         NY-Mile wu, 2.5 miles at mp, 1/2 mile cd
Th-4-9 miles
          MY-Mile wu, 2 miles at mp, 1/2 mile cd
Fri-R Full-8 mile tempo run
      R 1/2 5-6 mile tempo run
      P full and 1/2-60:00 w/8 x :30 pickups
      Others-2 miles of tempo and then 400, 200 x 3 w/200jr after the 400 and 400 jr after the 200.  400s at mile pace.  200s at 800 pace.
     NY-Off
Sat-R-Full15-17 miles
       P-Full-15 w/5 at MP
       R 1/2  12-13 miles
        P 1/2  11 w/3 qt MP
        NY-1 mile wu 1 mile at mp, 1/2 mile cd
Sun NYC Race

Have a gppd week.

Kevin

Wk of 10/22

All,

I hope everyone is feeling good.  It looks like a nice week weather wise.  Have a great week of training.

Tue-
Philly and Rehoboth Full-4-5 x 2400 at 10k pace w/400 jr. Last one at 5k pace.
P & R 1/2  3-4 x 2400 same recovery and paces.
NYC-1600, 3200, 1600 w/400jr 1600s at 5k pace.  3200 at 10k pace.
Others-2 x 2400 w/400jr at 5k pace.

Wed-5-10 miles
Th-4-8 miles with 4 striders.

Friday-P & R-60:00 w/6 x :30 pickups.
           NYC-5 mile cutdpwn.  Starting at MP + 10 and taking :15 off per mile.
           Others-3 x 5 x 200 w/100jr between each one and 600 between sets at 3k pace down to mile pace.

Saturday-Philly-21 with 10 of tempo.  
                 Rehoboth-22 w/3 x 5 mles at MP w/3:00 recovery.
                Philly 1/2 15 w/5 miles of tempo/
                Rehoboth 1/2 15 w/2 x 3 miles at MP with 3:00 recovery.
                 NYC 13 w/3 at MP.

Kevin

Red October

All,

Exciting times if you're a Philly sports fan.  The Phils and Eagles are rolling.  Let's hope they keep if up.

Speaking of rolling, the training seems to be going great(other then rain every Saturday).  Let's keep that up!!  Be smart with your training but also don't be afraid to push yourself.  We had a pretty good xc workout this morning at Stroud.  It was a good way to start the week.  

As Andy said in his email this week, "The SaturdayLong Runs are getting real."  If you're in on this training cycle, be all in.  

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-Philly and Rehoboth-Full-8-10 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace.
                NYC-8 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace
               P and R 1/2-6-8 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace
               Others-4-5 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace
Wed-5-10 miles
Th-4-8 miles plus striders
Fri-Philly Full 8 mile tempo run
      Rehoboth Full-6 mile tempo run
      P & R 1/2-4-5 mile tempo run
      NYC-60 w/6 x :30 w/1:00 rest
      Others-  2 miles of tempo plus, 600(mile pace), 400(800 pace), 200(as fast as you can do while staying under control). all with a 400 jr.

Sat-NYC-15 w/5 at mp.  MP stuff should be on a rolling loop.  NYC is not flat.
       P and R-15-17 miles.
       P and R 1/2-12-14 miles
       Others-4-10 miles.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Chicago

All,

Good work by all who competed at Chicago today!  It's always fun to be in a world record race.  Congrats to Henderson Physics teacher Scott Delone for breaking 3 hours.  Welcome to the club!

It looks like we have some fall weather coming up.  I can't wait.  Also, this is Ches-Mont XC Champs week.  If you want to see some good high school racing, stop by DTW on Wednesday.  Varsity girls run at 3:30, Varsity Boys run at 4:10.  The JV races are after that.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
T-NYC-8-10 x 1600 w/100jr starting at tempo pace and working down to 10k pace.
   Philly and Rehoboth-Full-5 x 2000 w/400 jr at 10k pace.
    P and R 1/2s-4 x 2000 w/400jr at 10k pace.
     Others-3 x 2000 w/400jr at 10k pace.

Wed-5-10 miles
Th-4-8 miles w/4 striders at the end.

Fri-Marathoners-60:00 w/some :30 pickups.
Others-2400 of tempo and then 8 x 300 w/80wr, 20jr at 3k pace.

Sat-NYC-21 w/8-10 of tempo.  /try to incorpprate some hills.
  Philly Full-22 w/3 x 5 miles at MP w/3:00 rest.
  Rehoboth-20 w/2 x 6 miles at mp with 4:00 rest
   Philly 1/2 15 w/3x 3 miles at MP w/2:00 rest
   Rehoboth 1/2 14 w/3 x 3 miles at mp w/2:00 rest.
  Others-4-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Welcome Fall!

All, 

Looks like a little stretch of heat early in the week, but turning cooler for the weekend. Hopefully, it's cool in Chicago on Sunday.

Here is the Chicago training
T-3 x 1600 at MP +10, mp, mp -10 w/100jr
W-2.5 of mp
Th-2 of mp
Fri-off
Sat-1 mile at mp
Sun-Race

Others:
Tue-Philly and Rehoboth-6 x 1600 at 10k w/200jr
        NYC-8 x 1600 at 10k w/200jr
         Others-3-4 x 1600 at 10k pace w/200jr
W and Th-5-10 miles.  6 x striders at the end of your run on Thursday
Fri-P and R-5 mile tempo
    NYC  8 mile tempo
    Others-2 of tempo and then 10 x 200 w/200jr at Mile pace.
Sat-R and P-15
      NYC 15-17

Have a good week.

Kevin

Rain!

All,

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the rain.  All of my shoes are wet.  My mood is not great either.

We do have a lot of good training going.  The fall marathoners and 1/2 marathoners are really starting to ramp up(except for the Chicago crew). 

Here is the training for the week:

Tues-Chicago-1600(5k pace, 3200(10k pace), 1600(5k pace) all with a 400jr.
         Philly, Rehoboth and NY 8 x 800 at 5k pace with a 400jr.
         Non Marathoners-6 x 800 w/400jr at 5k pace.

Fri-Chicago-5 mile cutdown starting at :15 slower then mp and taking :15 off per mile.
      Other 1/2 and full marathoners- 60:00 w/10 x :30 w/:30 rest.
       Others-2400 of tempo and then 2 x 400(3k), 2 x 300(mile), 2 x 200(800) all with a 400jr.

Sat-Chi-13 w/3 at MP
        NYC-20-22 w/3 x 5 miles at MP with a 4:00 rest.
        PHI-20 w/2 x 5 miles at MP w/4:00 rest.
        R-18 w/6 at MP
        1/2s-13-15 w/4 at MP.
         Others-6-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Fast Mile

All,

I hope everyone is having a good week.  The Diamond League Final was in Eugene this weekend.  I hope you had a chance to catch some of the races.  Here is the link to the great Bowerman Mile on Saturday afternoon.  It was one of the best miles in history.

On a local note, we had some nice performances at PDR.  Keep up the good work.  Make sure you take this week as a recovery week.

Here is the week's workout schedule:

Tuesday-Chicago-6 x1200 w/200jr at 10k pace.
               Philly and Rehoboth 12 x 600 w/200jr at 5k pace
               Non marathoenrs- 8 x 600 w/200jr at 5k pace.

W-4-10 miles.  Let's start adding 3-4 striders at the end of the run.  
Th-5-8 miles.  

Fri-Chicago-60:00 w/:30 pickups
     Rehoboth/Philly- 5-6 miles of tempo.
     Non Marathoners-2 miles of tempo then 4 x 400 at mile pace with a 400jr.

Sat-Chicago-13-14 w/5 at mp.
      Rehoboth/Philly-14-16 miles.
       Others-6-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

FB Season

All,

That was a little close for comfort today.  But a win is a win for the Birds.  

It was a crazy week with the convict on the loose.  I hope it hasn't stressed you out too much. It was painfully hot and humid also.  I don't know if I can take another week of that.

Here is the wo schedule for the week:

Tue-PDR-5 x 1000 w/200 jr at 1/2 marathon pace.
       Chicago-10-12 x 1000 at 10k pace w/200jr
        Philly and Rehoboth-8-10 x 1000 at 10k pace w.200jr
         5k people  5 x 1000 at 10k pace w/200jr
Wed-PDR-4-5
         Others-5-10
Th- PDR  4-5
       Others 4-8
Fri-PDR-off
   Marathoners-60 w/8 x :30 w/1:00 rest
         Others-2400 of tempo and then 800, 400 x 3 w/800s at 5k pace and 400s at Mile pace.  200jr after the 800s and 400 jr after the 400s

Sat-Chicago-21 w/3 x 5 miles at MP w/3:00 rec
       Rehoboth and Philly-15 w/2 x 5 miles at mp w/3:00recovery
        PDR_4 with 1 mile of tempo.
        Others-4-10 w/2 miles at mp.
Sun-PDR  Run fast.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Move in day

All,

I hope you're having a good weekend and the training is going well.  We moved Rylee into URI yesterday and Amanda into Bloomsburg 3 weeks ago.  They were ready to go.  I'm proud of them but still miss them.  Time flies.

Anyway, it is going to be a hot week.  Hydrate, get plenty of rest and eat right and it will be much easier to deal with the heat.  I'm not going to go into a nutrition seminar, but by eat right, I mean healthier foods and you can digest easily.  Try to avoid a lot of heavy processed foods.  Also, think about your recovery:  There is a lot of data out there that shows that if you eat a 250-300 calorie recovery snack/meal within 30:00 of finishing your workout, you'll recover faster.

It should be a fix of fats, carbs and proteins.  Examples might be, a peanut butter banana, apples with pb, a smoothie, a greek yogurt a pb sandwich on wheat bread or on a bagel.  There are many more, but you get the idea.

Here is the week's training schedule:

Tue-All long race people(marathon and 1/2)
       4 sets of 5 x 400 w/:30 rest after each one and 3:00 between sets at 5k pace.  The recovery is short so don't go too fast early.
       Non long race people, same workout but 2-3 sets.

Wed-5-10 miles
Th-4-8 miles
Fri-Chicago and Wineglass-8-10 miles of tempo(Base it on where you are in your training)
      PDR, Philly marathon and Rehoboth-6 miles of tempo.  PDR, really dial into your race pace.
       Non long racers-2 miles of tempo 400 jr, then 6 x 300 at 3k pace with an 80wr, 20jr.
Sat-Chicago-18
       Wineglass-16
       PDR-12-14
       Philly/Rehoboth-12-14
       Others-5-10

Have a good week.

Kevin

Back to School

All,

For most of us, school starts tomorrow.  As much as I enjoy the summer, it will be good to get back in the routine of school.  Hopefully, some nice weathers starts to roll in.  Let's keep things going with the workout groups,  We have a lot of people showing up and getting in great shape.  

Just finished watching the World Champs.  What agreat meet!

Here are the workouts for the week:

Tuesday-Chicago and Wineglass-3 x 3200 w/400jr.  During each one-1st mile at 10k pace, 2nd mile at 5k pace
               PDR, Philly Marathon and Rehoboth-2 x 3200 with the same recovery and pattern and then 1 x 1600 w/first 800 at 10k, 2nd 800 at 5k.
               5k group-1 x 3200, 1 x 1600.  Same recovery and pattern.

Wed-4-8 miles
Th-4-10 miles
Fri-Marathoners and 1/2 marathoners-60:00 w/8 x 1:15 at 3k pace with 1:15 recoery
      Others-1600 of tempo and then 8 x 400 w/200 jr at 3k pace

Saturday-Chicago and Wineglass 19-21 w/12 at MP starting with 13 to go.
                 PDR, Philly and Rehoboth-15-16 w/8 at MP and right into 2 of tempo starting with 11 to go.
                 Others-5-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

One last meet

All,

Sorry for the late post.  I hope you've been checking out the World Championships.  There have been some great races so far.

We have one last track meet coming up next Saturday at Hoey Farms in Coatesville.  It will featyre an elite 800 and some open races.  Come out and run if you're around.  Here are the details.

Here are the workouts for the week:
Philly Marathoners, we'll start building you into the workouts.

Tue-Full-4 x 2400 at 10k pace w/400jr.
        PDR and Philly marathon-3 x 2400 w/400jr at 10k pace.
        Others-2 x 2400 w/400jr at 10k pace plus 3 x 200 at mile pace with a 200jr.

Wed-4-10
Th-4-8
Fri-Marathoners-7 mile TR
      PDR-5 mile TR
       Philly-4 mile TR
       Others 3 mile TR

Sat-Race or
       Marathoners-12-14 miles
        PDR 10-12 miles
        Others-5-10 miles

Have a good week.

Kevin

Mile Wrapup

All,

Thanks again for your support of the WC Mile.  We had some great Citizen's Races. Th Elite races were outstanding.  The mile came down to a great finish with Eric Holt defending his chanpionship with a 54.9 last 400.  CJ Jones won the 600 in 1:15.50.  Between prize money and bonuses, these elites went home with over $10k in earnings.  We had a nice crowd.  The Elites spoke really highly of the event.  The Empire Elite guys came out to talk to and run with the campers the enxt morning.  They all had some great stories.  

The elite races are on the Hendytrackxc Instagram reels.  The livestream was actually pretty good.

Milers-What's up next?  Let me know.

Here is the schedule for the week:  Philly and Rehoboth marathoners-start bringing up the mileage.  Be smart about it though.

Tue-Chicago/Wineglass-10 x 1000m at 10k pace with a 200jr
        PDR/Philly and Rehoboth Marathoners- 8 x 1000 at 10k pace with a 200jr
         5k types-5 x 1000 w/200jr at 10k pace.

Wed-5-9 miles
Th-4-8 miles

Fri-1/2 and marathoners  60:00 w/12 x :15 hard w/:45 recovery
      5k runners-45:00 with the same workout
      Everyone could do it as 70s on the turf after a good warmup.  Run from the 30 to the goal line on one side of the field.  Jog around to the other 30 and repeat.  6 laps of that would be great.

Sat-Chicago and Wineglass-17-19 miles with 8 at MP starting with 9 miles to go.
       PDR and late marathoners-14-16 w/6 at MP starting with 7 miles to go.

Have a good week.

Kevin

WC Mile is Here!!!

All,

The WC Mile is shaping up really nicely.  Entries are starting to roll in and the elite races are looking hot.  The men are shooting for the PA State record of 3:52.16 set by the legendary Steve Scott in the 80s.  It's going to be a fun night.  Even if you don't run, you have to come out and watch the races.  It's going to be exciting.  You can sign up here. Post-Race party is at the Hotel Warner's Bar.

Here is the training for the week:
Tue-Milers-1 mile of tempo-3 x 300 at mile pace w/200jr
       PDR-6 x 1200 at 1/2 marathon pace w/100jr
       Chicago/Wineglass-8 x 1200 at 1/2 marathon pace with 100jr.

Wed-Milers-800 of tempo and then 3 x 200 at mile pace with a 200jr.  Run the pace, not faster.
         Others-5-10 miles.

Thursday-Milers-15:00 shakeout in the AM.  RACE! in the PM!
Others-5-8 miles.
Fri-Marathoners-7 miles of tempo
1/2 marathoners-5 miles of tempo.
Non Milers-3 miles of tempo
Sat-Marathoners-12-14 miles
       1/2-9-10 miles
        Others-5-8 miles.

Have a good week.  See you on Thursday.  

Kevin

Mile Time

All,

Get pumped for the WC Mile.  It's next week.  Remember, if you made a donation to support the race, email your name, age, gender and seed time and I'll enter you.  Everyone else, sign up here.  It's going to be a lot of fun.  The post-race party will be at the Bar at The Hotel Warner.  It's a nice opportuniyu to rub elbows with the elites.

Here are the workouts for the week:
Tue-Milers-  800 of tempo, 400jr, spike up.  1000 at mile pace, 6:00 rest and then  4 x 300, 200 at mile pace.  300 jr after the 300s and a 400jr after the 200s.  Keep it at mile pace.

Chicago/Wineglass(NY coming next week)-10 x 800 at 10k pace w/200jr
 PDR-8 x 800 at 10k pace w/200jr

Wed-5-10miles
Th-5-8 miles
Fri-1/2 and marathoners-60:00 w/10 x 45 at 5k pace w/1:15 jr.
      Milers and others-1200 of tempo, then 4 x 300 at 800 pace with a 100 wr. 200 jr.  Then 800 of tempo.

Sat-Milers-5-9 miles
       Marathon-19 with 2 x 5 miles at mp w/1 mile easy in between.
        PDR=15 with 2 x 3 miles at mp w/1 mile easy in between.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Landon's Get Together

All,

Thanks to Jackie for putting together today's event and to everyone who came out. I hope some of you won your auction items. You can still donate here.

Let's have a good week of training.

Tuesday- Chicago/Wineglass-5 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace
                PDR-4-5 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace
                Milers-1 x 1600 at 5k pace, 400 jr, 8 x 400 at mile pace with a 400jr. 
Wed-6-10 miles
Th-4-8 miles

Fri-Marathoners and 1/2 marathoners-35:00 of broken tempo.  4:30 on :30 rest 7 times.  Make sure it's at tempo pace.
      Milers-2400 of tempo.  Spike up, 8 x 150 w/250 jr fast.  Really get moving off the turn.

Sat-Marathoners-12-14
       1/2 marathoners 9-11
        Milers and others -4-8

As always, lmk if you have questions about the training.  If you were one of the people who made a donation for the mile, send me your name, age and seed time and I'll add you to the entries.

Have a good week.

Kevin 

Big Week

All,

Busy week this week:
1-New Balance is coming to the Tuesday morning workout with some try on shoes and possibly some giveaways.  They, along with Ed, should be at the track at 5:30.They'll have some good stuff to try on.

2-Last All Comer's track meet of the summer on Thursday at Downintown West.  Here is the meet information link.  If you're going to run the WC Mile, it's always good to get a tuneup race in before the main race.  Also, if you're training for a longer race, getting into a mile race is good for your racing instincts.  

3-Landon Peacock's Event:  Here is the Gofundme page with a lot of information including the info about next Sunday's Event at Alignspace in WC. Here is more info about Sunday's event. Along with art and other things, the Silent Auction will have some shoes that Ed got donates:  We have shoes from On, Hoka, Brooks, Mizuno, Nike, Puma, New Balance, runner’s massages, and more up for silent auction! (Huge shoutout to Ed for all that!)  Come out, break bread with your friends and support your brother!!  See you on Sunday!

Once again, thanks to everyone who donated to and has supported the mile this year and over the years.  We really appreciate it.

Here are the workouts for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-4 x 2400 w/400jr at 10k pace
                1/2 Marathoners 3 x 2400 w/400 jr at 10k pace
               Milers- 2400(10k pace), 1200(5k pace) 600(3k pace), 300(mile pace) all with a 400 jr and then 3 x 150 w/250 jr fast but relaxed.  Bring it off the turn.

Wed-5-9 miles
Th-4-8 miles or track meet.
Fri-60:00 w/12 x :30 quick with 1:00 jr.
Sat-Marathoners-16-18 w/6 at marathon pace(MP) startinng with 7 miles to go.
       1/2 marathoners-11-13 w/4 at MP starting with 5 to go.
        Beginning 1/2 marathoners-7-8 w/3 at MP starting with 4 to go.
         Milers-5-9 w/2 at MP

Have a good week.

Kevin

Heat Training

All,

I was in North Carolina last week.  It was super hot and humid(just like here).  As much as I hate the heat, it really is good for you to train in the humidity.  You just have to adjust your paces and hydrate and replenish your electrolytes.  Getting out early or late is a huge benefit.  You do have to listen to your body.  If you're having a rough day, live to fight another day.

Here is the workout plan for the week:

Tue-Marathoners-6 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace
        1/2 marathoners-4-6 x 1200 w/200 jr at 10k pace.
         Milers-1200 at 10k pace, 200jr, 200 at mile pace, 400 jr x 3

Wed-6-10 miles
Th-4-7 miles
Fri- 1/2 and Marathoners-4 miles of tempo
       Milers-1200 of tempo, then spike up- 3 sets of 3 x 200 w/200 jr and a 400 jr between sets.  In each set-1st at mile pace, 2nd at 800 pace, 3rd one fast.

Sat-1/2-10-12, Full 12-14, Milers-5-7.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Wk of 7/3

All,

I hope everyone is having a great week and have a great holiday week. It's not a bad idea to jump in a race if you can.  Good Neighbor Day in Dtown is a good option and we're timing the Swarthmore 8k on Monday night.

Workouts for the week:
Tue-Wineglass, Chicago and PDR 5 x 1600 at 10k pace w/200jr
        Milers-1600 at 5k pace, 400 jr and then 5 x 600 w/200 jr at 3k pace.

Wed-5-7 miles
Th-5-9 miles
Fri-All-30:00 wu, 1 mile of tempo, 400 jr, 8x 300 w/80wr, 20 jr at mile pace.

Sat-PDR-12 w/3 at MP starting with 4 to go.
       Chic/Wineglass-15 w/5 at MP starting with 6 to go.

Have a good week.

Kevin

PDR Training

All,

So, this week is 12 weeks of traing until the Philly Distance Run and then Chicago Training would start next week.   We'll also have mile training going on.  For the PDR people, I would recommend doing your longer Tuesday workout and your longer runs and doing the shorter Friday workout.It's always good to keep a relationship with your speed.  For PDR people, I would race the mile and a couple of 5ks over the summer in preparation for the race.  

The 2nd Summer Track Meet at DTW is this Thursday.  Here is the link.  For milers, I would suggest Mile and 200 or 800 and 200.  For PDR people, I would suggest the mile(hard) and comeback and tempo/cutdown the 5k.  Something like, 6:10, 6:00, 5:50 depending on your fitness level.

Here are the workouts for the week:

Tuesday-PDR-6-8 x 1000 at 10k pace with a 200jr
               Milers-2 x 1000 at 10k pace with a 200jr, 2 x 800 at 5k pace with a 300jr, 2 x 600 at 3k pace with a 400 jr and 2 x 400 at mile pace w/200 jr.

Friday-If you didn't race on Thursday:
              8 x 400 at mile pace with a 400 jr.

Saturday-PDR-8-13 miles with 3 miles at mp starting with 4 miles to go.  
                Milers-6-8 mile.

Thanks to everyone who has donated to support the MIle so far.  It's starting to shape up nicely.

Kevin

Summer Track

All,

Sorry for the late post.  Still adjusting to the summer schedule.

We have 3 summer all comers track meets this summer.  It's a great opportunity to test your fitness and run some shorter races.  Here is the link to meet information.  As a special for people who follow the blog, if you bring your kids it would be $20 total.  So, basically, you pay and your kids run for free.  We want to encourage a family environment.  You can try some different events.  The meets are at Downingtown West starting at 5:30.  Enter on MIlesplit if you can.

Here is the schedule for the week:

Tuesday-Mile of tempo, 400 jr, 800 at mile pace, 400 jr, 800 of tempo,400jr,  400 at mile pace, 400 jr, 800 of tempo,500jr,  300 at 800 pace, 200 jr, 600 of tempo, 200jr, 200 at 400 pace.

Wed-4-8 miles.
Th-5-8 miles or easy 3 miles in AM, then race in the track meet.  I would suggest Mile and 200 or 800 and 200.  There is nothing that gets you ready for the pain of racing like racing.  And, realy racing involves a lot of pain.

Friday-If no race:  2000 of tempo and then 3 x 4 x 200 at mile pace with a 200jr between each one and a 600jr between sets.

Saturday-8-13 miles with 3 miles at MP.  I'm going to come up with some 1/2 marathon options for those doing PDR and some marathon options for Wineglass and Chicago.  I'll add thos in next week.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Late workout 6/12

All,

Sorry for the late posting.  I hope everyone is doing well.  Here are the workouts for the week.


Tuesday-6 x 800 w/400jr at 5k pace.

Friday-8-10 x 400 at mile pace w/400 jr

Saturday-8-13 miles with the last 2 miles at mp.

Have a good week.

Kevin

PADF

All,

Thanks for those of you who came out on Friday.  That was a great track meet.  14 year old Sophia Rodriguez of Dallastown set an age 14 world record of 16:22 in the 5k.  Lots of other great performances.  It was a lot of fun.

We have the West Chester Mile and some summer meets at Downingtown West coming up.  These will be great ways to test your fitness over the summer.

We'll really start to dial into mile training with some longer options for people doing an early fall marathon or 1/2.  We'll also have some hybrid options for people.I'll try to lay out the plan next week with what some of the targets might be.

Here is this week's workout schedule:

Tuesday-1600 of tempo, then 800(3k pace), 600(mile pace), 400(800 pace) and 200-fast.  All with a 400 jr.

Friday(I've heard the Friday turnout has been a little light-let's step it back up).  2 miles of tempo and then 6 x 150 w/250 jr(the 150 starts in the middle of the turn in line with the goalposts).  In the 150s, really blast it coming off the turn.

Saturday-7-12 miles.  

Have a good week.

Kevin

Happy Memorial Day!!

All.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  The John Hay PA Distance Festival is this Friday.  It's shaping up to be a great meet.  There will be something for everyone.  Here is the meet info link,  As a special for this group,

If you want to run and bring your kids to run also, it would be just $5 for each of them.  You'll just have to enter them on Milesplit and then pay at the meet.  Just say you're with the Tuesday morning crew when you get to the meet.

It should be a fun meet.  

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-2000 of tempo, 400jr and then 6 x 400 at mile pace with a 400jr.  

Wed-5-7 miles.
Th-Pre meet(if you're racing)  20:00 warmup and then 3 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace.  No faster.
Friday-Race the Distance Fest or Mile time trial in the morning.

Saturday-7-13 miles.

See you on Friday.

Kevin

Saturday

Week of 5/22

All,

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Looks like the nice stretch of weather will continue(although I hope it starts to warmup a bit for the start of swim practice.

Entries are starting to roll in for the PA Distance Fest.  It's going to be a great meet.

Here is the week's training:

Tuesday 8 x 500 w/300 jr at 3k pace.  Plus 4 laps of 70 yards fast on each side.  Run from the 30 to the goal line and then jog around to the other 30.  Do this barefoot if the turf isn't too wet.

Wed-4-7
Th-4-7

Friday-5 x 3 x 200 w/200 jr  each one and a 600 jr between sets.  1st 3 sets at mile pace.  last 2 sets at 800 pace.

Saturday-8-13.  Start getting the long run back up a little.

Have a good week.

Kevin

PA Distance Fest

All,

Less than 3 weeks until the distance fest.  It's a great open meet with something for everyone.  Race distances are 200-5k.  Race abilities are from beginner to very fast.  You enter here.  On Pa Milesplit and then you can pay at the meet or on the pay site.  When you enter on Milesplit, select your event and your seed time.  Races will be set up based on seed time so you'll race with people of your ability.  It's become a really good event.  It's on Friday, June 2 at Henderson.

We'll also have some summer track meets at Downingtown West.  Same deal.  Enter on Milesplit and either pay at the meet or at Runsignup.  Here is the link to meet information. Running track meets is a good way to spend your summer Thursday evenings.

Here are the workouts for the week:

Tuesday-1200, 1000, 800, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 all with a 300 jog recovery-1000s and 1200s at 5k pace.  The 600s and 800s at 3k pace.  Trust me on this one-the way back up the ladder with take some focus.

Wednesday-4-8 miles
Thursday-5-7 miles.

Friday-800 of tempo and then 16 x 100 w/300jr.  Without doing a full sprint, make them pretty quick.  

Saturday-7-12 miles.

Here is what I've heard from people for training in the fall,  PDR, Chicago Marathon, Philly 1/2 and full, Rehoboth 1/2 and full, just stay in shape. Also, WC Mile. Anything else?

Have a good week.

Kevin

Late Workout 5/8

All,

Sorry for the delay.  The Hendy Invite got the best of me.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-1200, 400 x 3 w/100 jr after the 1200 and a 500 jr after the 400.  The 1200s will be at 5k pace and the 400s at Mile pace.  It's a tough dropdown.


Wed-4-7
Th-4-7

Friday-3 x 3 x 300 at Mile pace with a 50 wr, 50 jr between 300s and a 500 jr between sets.

Sat-6-12.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Wrapup

All,

So,e nice runs at BS today.  I didn't look very closely but heard that Ed ran 53:26.  I know a lot of people ran some good work.  Keep the training going.

Jackie Alnes joined the sub 3 club at the Jim Thorpe Marathon by running 2:56.  She was also the first women.  Megan March and Mark McCaffery also ran there.  In the "Whatever happened to blank" Johnny Lavin ran 3:06 at the Eugene Marathon.  Good work by him.

Now, where does the training go.  We'll start getting ready for some 5ks and track races.  Don't waste your fitness.  Recover from Broad Street and the marathon and then get after it.  I never really ran a good marathon, but I would run great in shorter races following the marathon. Take advantage of your fitness.

If you have something you're training for, let me know.

If you ran BS or JT, don't work out this week.  Everyone else-let's get after it.  BTW, the EC is being folded into the regular group for now.  We'll see how that goes.

Here are the week's workouts:

Tuesday- 4 x 4 x 200 w/200 jr between each one and a 600 jr between sets.  1st set 3k pace, snd set mile pace plus one second(so if you are in 5:00 mile shape, run this set in 38.5). 3rd set-mile pace.  4th set mile pace minus 1.  

Wed-4-7
Th-4-6
Friday-2.5 miles of tempo then  4 x 300 w/80wr, 20 jr at 800 pace.
Sat-6-10.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Big Race Time

All,

Big race weekend.  We have 3 doing the JIm Thorpe Marathon and a lot doing Broad Street.  Temps look good with a chance of rain on Sunday.

We also have some nice races coming up on the downtown loop.  This Saturday is Turning Pain into Power on Saturday at 8 and the following Thursday, May 4 is the Bournelyf 5k at 6:30pm.  Also, track fans, the Hendy Invite is on Friday, the 5th.

I've been getting some questions about when Mile training is starting.  Soon!

Here is the training:

Tuesday-JT 2400 at MP, 1200 at 5 seconds faster than MP, 600 at 10 seconds faster than MP all with a 100 jr.  Don't get carried away/
                BS-5 x 1000 w/200 jr at BS pace
                 Others 5 x 1000 w/200 jr at 5k pace

Wed-JT-off
         BS-off
          Others-5-7
Thursday-JT-off
                 BS-3
                  Others-4-6
Friday-JT  1/2 mile wu, 2 miles at mp, 1/2 mile CD
            BS  1/2 mile wu, 1 mile at BS pace, 1/2 mile CD
            Others-6 x 600 w/400 jr at 3k pace.
Sat-JT-1/2 mile wu-mile at mp-1/2 mile cd
       BS  1/2 mile wu, 3 x 200 at BS pace with a 200 jr, 1/2 mile cd
        Others-7
Sunday-Race smart-Take advantage of your fitness.

Kevin

Crunch Time

All,

Good luck to the Boston Crew in the morning.  The weather is not perfect, but not bad.  Cloudy and 50 with a headwind.  Can't wait to follow everyone.  

Jim Thorpe and Broad Street crews only have 2 weeks until race day.  Let's just fine tune things and get ready to go.  

Nice job by those who ran St. Agnes on Saturday.  There was a nice crowd out there.

Here are the workouts for the week:
Tuesday-JT-3200, 1600, 3200 w/400 jr at 10k pace.  Stay controlled.
               BS-1600, 3200, 1600 w/400 jr at 10k pace.  Stay controlled.
                EC- 1600, 800, 1600 w/400 jr at 10k pace.  Stay controlled.

W-6-10 miles
Th-5-7 miles.

Fri-  JT-5 mile cutdown-Start at mp and take :15 seconds off per mile.
        BS 4 mile cutdown-Start at BS pace plus 30 and take :15 seconds off per mile.
        EC  3 mile cutdown-Start at a comfortable hard pace and take :15 seconds off per mile.

Sat-JT 13 w/3 at mp-Flat course.
       BS 8 w/2 at mp-Flat Course
        EC-6-8

Have a great week.

Kevin

Boston Taper

All,

Boston is a week from tomorrow and that crew is looking fit.  Also, this Saturday is the St. Agnes 5k on the downtown loop.  It's time to get back into racing.  If you're running Broad Street, this is the perfect time to test your fitness. Sign up now.

Here is the workout schedule(Boston Taper will be below):

Tuesday-JT-8 x 1600 w/100jr at tempo pace. Practice taking fluid and gels.
               BS and others-4-5 x 1600 at tempo pace w/100jr.

Wed-4-7
Th-4-7
Friday-Pre race-30:00 plus 3 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace-no faster.
Saturday-St. Agnes 5k.
               BS-4 mile wu, race, 2 mile cool down(9 total)
                JT-8 mile wu, race. 2 mile cool down(13 total)

Boston Taper-
 Monday-off
Tuesday 10:00 wu, 2 miles at MP, 200jr, 1 mile of tempo
Wednesday-OFF
Th-10:00 wu, 3 x 1600 at mp w/100jr
Fri-off
Sat-1/2 mile wu, 2 miles at mp, 1/2 mile cd
Sun-1/2 mile wu, 1 mile at mp, 1/2 mile cd
Monday-Race

Have a good race.  See you on Saturday.

Kevin           

WK of 4/3

All,

I hope everyone is feeling good.  Looks like a good weather week this week.  Let's continue to get after it.

Here are the workouts for the week:
Tuesday-Marathoners-12 x 600 w/200jr.  1st 6 at 10k pace, last 6 at 5k pace.
               BS and others-8 x 600 w/200jr.  1st 4 at 10k pace, last 4 at 5k pace.
               EC-12 x 70 on the turf start on the 30 and run to the goal line each time.  Run to the other side 30 for your recovery.
               Do this barefoot, if the turf isn't too wet.
Wed-6-10
Th-5-7
Friday-Boston 5 mile cutdown starting at MP plus :10 and taking 15 seconds off per mile.  Preferably on the track.
            All others, either 60:00 w/6 x 1:00 w/1:00 rest at 3k pace or 6 x 300 w/100jr at 3k pace.  3k pace should be mile pace plus 3 seconds for the 300.  So, if you're in 4:00 mile shape, you would run your 300s in 48.

Saturday-Boston-13 miles w/3 at MP starting at 9.
                 JT-19-21 with 3 x 4 miles at MP with 3:00 recovery.  Start the MP with 13 miles to go.  Try to find a semi flat route.
                 BS and others-12 with 3 x 2 mile at MP with 3:00 recovery.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Good Racing!!

All,

We had some nice running this weekend at Garden Spot and the LOVE Run.  Let's keep up the good training.  The group is fit.

If you ran a 1/2 this weekend, you should not workout until Friday this week.  You have to be smart and stay healthy.

Workouts for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-2 x 8 x 400 at 10k pace w/100jr betwenn each one and a 400 jr between sets.
               Broad street and others-2 x 6 x 400 w/100jr betwenn each one and a 400 jr between sets.
               EC-300, 200, 100, 100, 200, 300-Fast with a 50 wr, 50 jr.
Wed-7-10 miles
Thursday-5-7 miles.

Friday-Marathoners 6 miles of tempo and then 1 mile at 5k pace.
           BS 4 miles of tempo and then 1 mile at 5k pace.
            EC-1 mile of tempo, 1 mile at 5k pace.

Sat-Boston 18 miles
        Jim Thorpe-14 miles.
          BS-8-11 miles.
         EC-6-7miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

1/2 time

All,

I'm hearing good things about the workout groups, including the EC.  Keep up the good work.  We have the Garden Spot 1/2 and the LOVE Run coming up this weekend.  For marathoners, it will be part of your training plan(see below).  For people racing the 1/2, be smart and get after it the last 3-4 miles.  Weather looks decent both days.  

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners-3 x 3200 w/400jr.  1st 1600 at 10k pace, and 1600 at 5k pace on each one.
                 1/2- 5 x 1000 w/200jr at 5 seconds faster than goal pace.So, if you want to run 7:05 pace, run your 1000s at 7:00 pace.
                  BS and others-2 x 3200 w/the same paces as the marathoners.
                  EC-8 x 300 w/a 50 wr, 10 pushups and then 50 jr at mile pace.

Wed-5-7 miles
Th 4-6 miles
Fri-BS and others-mile of tempo- 8 x 400 w/200jr at 3k pace.  
  Garden Spot 30:00 with a couple of striders.
Sat-Marathoners run sunning GS-21 miles total.  5-7 warmup, 1-3 cooldown.  1st 10 miles at marathon pace, drive the pace down the the last 5k.  Come out feeling good.  Don't go out too hard.  
Marathoners not running a 1/2 this weekend.  21 with 8 at mp and 2 at tempo starting at 10 miles.
BS-10-12 with 4 at MP.
Love Run-30:00 w/striders.

Sunday-Marathoners running LOVE Run-21 miles total.  5-7 warmup, 1-3 cooldown.  1st 10 miles at marathon pace, drive the pace down the the last 5k.  Come out feeling good.  Don't go out too hard.  

Good luck.

Kevin

Nationals weekend

All,

Great weekend of track and field.  We had high school nationals in Boston and NYC and the NCAA Champs in New Mexico.  There was some great performances.  Maybe, the most impressive was a high school freshman winning the 400 up in Boston in 46.7.  The kid is 14 for crying out loud.  And, he looks like he's 14.  

In the meantime, outdoor track starts here and we open March with some truly crappy weather. Oh well, that's spring in the northeast.  

We had some nice runs today on the Perkiomen Trail 1/2 marathon(I'm sure it was called something).  I believe that Elliot PRd in 1:27.  Pretty impressive.  It was a nice morning to run a 1/2.  Also, I'm getting some good workout reports.  People are getting fit.

Here are the workouts for the week.
Tuesday-Marathoners-4 x 2400 at 10k pace w/200jr
               1/2-3 x 2400 at 10k pace w/200 jr
               BS and others-2-3 x 2400 at 10k pace with a 200jr
               Exercise club-6 x 400 at mile pace with a 50 wr and a 50 jr.  plus 3 x 1:00 plank with a :30 rest.
Wed-7-10
Th-4-8
Fri-M-7 mile tempo run plus 3 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace
      1/2 6 mile tempo run plus 3 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace
       BS and others 4 mile tempo run plus 3 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace
      EC 1 mile tempo run plus 3 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace

Sat-M-12-14 miles
       1/2-10-12 miles
        BS 8-11

Have a good week.

Kevin

Start of Spring Sports

All,

This is a great time of year if you have a high school aged athlete.  Spring sports start tomorrow.  It's an exciting time.  We had some nice races on Thursday at the track.  It was fun to see people getting after.  Some middle school girl from Dallastown ran 9:43 for 3k.  It was the 2nd year in a row that we had a state record in this meet.

Also, good news.  We're going to put the Hoka snow fence up soon.  More good news, we're going to add an "Exercise Club" workout to the schedule. Slot yourself accordingly.

Workouts for the week:
Tuesday- Marathoners-10 x 1000m w/200jr 1st 200 of each at 5k pace, last 800 at 10k pace.
                 1/2 marathoners-7-8 x 1000m w/200jr 1st 200 of each at 5k pace, last 800 at 10k pace.
                 BS and others 5-6 x 1000 w/200jr 1st 200 of each at 5k pace, last 800 at 10k pace.
                 EC  1 x 1000 at 10k pace, then go to the turf do 10 x 70 yards quick and preferably with no shoes.  Start at the 30 and run to the goal line, your recovery is jog through the end zone until you get to the 30 on the other side of the field.  

Wednesday-6-10 miles
Thursday-5-8 miles

Friday-60:00 w/12 x 15 seconds with 45 second recovery-pretty quick. like striders with a long recovery.

Saturday-Boston and Jim Thorpe 21-22 with 1 at 5k pace and 8 at marathon pace.  Here is what I would like to see as a course.  8-9 mile warmup to Wylie Road at Birmingham.  Run down Wylie at 5k pace(I think it's about 1.2 to Creek Road)  Then settle into marathon pace on Creek Road.  Keep that up to the top of Hillsdale.  
1/2 16 with the same start idea, but a shorter warmup and then do the downhill faster mile and then 5 of MP.  I would go in 842.
BS-12 with 4 at MP
EC-8 with 3 at MP.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Catching Up!

All,

It was great seeing some of you out on Friday.  It's been awhile.  I got some good feedback on this week's long run.  The basic message was that it was tough, but good.  We just have to be smart about the training.  We don't want to leave our race on the streets of WC.  There was a guy, who we won't name, about 20 years ago who ran 22 at 6:45 pace with a nice cutdown.  He ended up running 3:20 at Boston.  He said his effort 5 weeks beofre was his race.  So, like I said, just be smart.

Here is the week's workouts:
Tuesday- M-8 x 1200 w/100jr at tempo pace, the last 3 should be tempo minus 5 seconds.  
               1/2-6 x 1200 at the same effort.
               Broad St and others 5 x 1200 at the same effort.

Wed-6-10 miles
Th-5-8 miles.
Friday-Race 5k on the track at Henderson.  Here is the entry link.  It should go around 5:00.  We've moved the race to Thursday due to Friday's weather forecast.  The 5k will start at 5:55pm.
Sat-M-12-14 miles.
        1/2 10-11 miles
         BS and others-7-9 miles.

See you on Friday.

Kevin

Happy President's Day

All,

I hope you're enjoying the long weekend, if you have today off.  Looks like a nice weather week.  

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-Marathoners 10 x 800 w/200 jr in each one, the first 600 is at 10k pace and the last 200 is at 5k pace.  So, you'll have a nice dropdown in each one.
                1/2 marathoners 8 x 800 w/the same format.
                BS and others    6 x 800 w/the same format.

Wednesday-7-10 miles
Thursday-5-8 miles.

Friday-60:00 w/10 x :45 1:15 recovery or if on the track, 10 x 200 w/200 jr all at 3k pace, Don't blast them.

Saturday-Marathoners 20 miles total.  8 warmup and then 2 miles of  tempo with a gradual incline, 3-4:00 jog recovery and then 8 x pretty steep hill, up for a 1/4 mile, down for a 1/4 mile at marathon pace 8 times, keep up and down at marathon pace, no faster or slower.  3-5:00 of easy recovery. Then 2 miles of gradual downhill at tempo pace, again no faster or slower.  Finish to get to 20. The last 3-4 miles should be easy but not slow. Something like MP plus 20-30 seconds.
               1/2 marathoners-15-16 miles total with the same workout as the marathoners, but 4 up and down hills instead of 8
                Broad Street and others-12 total. 5-6 warmup, 2 of tempo, 2 hills, 1 mile of tempo.
It should be a pretty challenging day.

Sunday and Monday-Off or easy.

Have a good week. Also, here is a link to the 5k on the track on March 3.

Kevin

Go Birds!!

All,

Big day.  I hope everyone got out today to start your Super Bowl Sunday on a good note.  

Here is the link to sign up for the 5k on the track at Henderson on 3/3.  Here is a link to more detailed information.  We'll update that when the entries close on 3/2.

The Tuesday workout will be moving back to the track.  I know you've missed it.

Tuesday-Marathoners- 5 x 1600
               1/2 marathoners 4 x 1600
                Broad Street and others 3 x 1600
                1st one at 5k pace.  The rest at 10k pace.  All with a 200jr.
Wed-7-10 miles
Th-5-7 miles.  Get out before the parade.
Fri-Marathoners and 1/2 marathoners 35:00 of broken tempo.  4:30 on :30 easy 7 times.  
       BS and others-25:00 of broken tempo.  Same format.
Sat-Marathoners-12-14 miles
       1/2-9-11 miles
        BS and others-7-10 miles.
Sun and Monday-Easy or off.

Have a great week.

Kevin            

New Hill WO

All,

We're going to do a little longer version of the hill workout as Marathon Prep this Tuesday.  We'll also have the regular hill workout.  The Marathon prep wo comes from Andy via the BAA.

Basically, it's 1.5 miles of rolling tempo, then 6 hills at MP up and down the hills and then 1.5 miles of tempo.  So, 6 miles of total work.  Not a bad Tuesday morning.  Here is Andy's explanation of the route:
This way all groups can at least start together.
Tempo 1.5mi - from High and Biddle: Biddle to Lincoln, Schramm Loop back to Biddle (4min recovery jog to Franklin and Goshen
6x Uphill AND Downhill Continuous 3mi @MP - bottom of Franklin & Goshen up to Elizabeth St (.25mi) and back down, no rec in between. After 3mi, 4-5min JR
Tempo 1.5mi - Fern Hill or other rolling route
Hill
If you're not training for a marathon, you have 2 options:
1-Do 6 x 3 block hill on Biddle from High to Franklin
2-Do the 1.5 of tempo of tempo and then do 4-6 x the Franklin St. hill.  
Either is a good option.

Wednesday-7-10 miles
Thursday-5-8 miles
Fri-60:00 with 12 x :30 pus at 3k pace with a 1:00 rest or on the track, 12 x 200 w/200 jr at 3k pace.

Sat-B-18 w/6 at MP
      JT-16 w/6 at MP
      1/2-12 w/4 at MP
      BS  8/w2 at MP
You should work it out so you finish your MP with about a mile to go.

Sunday-Off or easy.

Have a good week.

Kevin

A little cold patch

All,

Looks like it will get a little cold starting on Tuesday.  Saturday looks like the only brutal day.  No snow in the forecast so that's good.  Along run in the single digits is not the worst thing in the world.  Distance running requires a certain amount of toughening.  Dealing with some tough weather can move that process along.  We have some good groups so that helps.  "Misery loves company".

Also, the 5k on Friday, March 3 at Henderson is getting some traction.  I'll put details on here soon but figure on a start time between 5 and 6pm.  Let me know if we need to add a kid's 400 for family reasons.  That's easy to do.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

M-Easy 4-5 or off.
Tues-Hills.  2  x 1 block run, 2 x 1 block power skip for height, 8 x 1 block sprint.  Recovery for the last 8 is a 1/2 block walk, 1/2 block jog.  They should be fast.  We'll start differentiating workouts next week.

Wed-7-10 miles

Th-5-7 miles

Friday-4 mile tempo run  About 15-20 seconds faster per mile then MP.  Or, about 30 seconds slower per mile then 5k pace.

Sat-Marathoners-11-13
        1/2 marathoners-9-11 
        BS-7-10
         5k 5-10

Sun-Off or easy 3-6.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Spring training plans

All,

I hope everyone is recovered from staying up to watch the Eagles.  Good job by Mark McCaffrey turning it around and getting up for a good run at the WS.  

I've put together the training plans for Boston, Jim Thorpe and Broad Street.  We'll have a 5k option also.  We have some race dates that we'll try to hit during the leadup.  They are a 5k or 3k on the track at the Polar Bear Champs at Henderson on 3/3, the Love Run or Garden Spot 1/2 on 3/27 and the St. Agnes 5k on 4/15(Obviously, the Boston crew would not run that).

These plans will be based on having a decent level of fitness and running 4-6 days per week. Let me know if you need a lighter version.

Here is the training for this week:
M-Off or 4-6 miles
T-Hills 7 x 3 blocks.  Make sure to really stretch out and run over the top.

W-7-10
Th-5-7

Friday-The workout is 60:00 w/8 x 1:00 w/1:00 rest at a little faster then 5k pace.  If you go on the track, it would be 8 x 300 w/50 wr, 50 jr.

Sat-Boston-15 with 5 at MP starting at 9
       Jim Thorpe-13 w/3 at MP starting at 9.
        Love Run-12 w/3 at MP starting at 8.
        BS/5k-7-10 miles.

Sun-Off or3-6.

Have a good week.

Kevin

 

Hills week 3

All,

Hope you had a good weekend.  We have a couple of people doing the Jim Thorpe Marathon on April 29 and probably a big Broad Street Crew. So, we'll get some training going for those plus the LOVE Run plus some 5k training.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday- 2 short hills(1 block), 2 long hills(3 blocks), 2 short hills, 2 long hills.

Wed-4-6 miles

Thursday-5-8 miles.

Friday 4 x the following 7:30 segment, 4:00 of tempo, 1:00 easy, 1:00 at 3k pace, 1:30 easy.

Saturday-7-13 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Hill benefits

All,

Nice job with the hill workout last week.  Keep up the good work.

Some of the benefits are:
1-Increases ankle flexibility.  We know range of motion at the ankle has a great influence on how fast you can run.  
2-Improve form.  It's always nice to improve running technique.
3-Improves speed.  If you run really hard up the hill, your speed will get better/
4-Strengthens the legs and lungs.
5-I know we love the track, but this gives us a short break from the track.

Let me know what we're training for in the spring.  I'll get the training programs going.

Here is this week's training:
Tuesday-Hills-5:40am at Biddle and High Streets.
Run 4 x 3 blocks-High to Franklin and 4 x 1 block-Walnut to Matlack.  Run the 1 blockers really fast.  Take it really easy on the recovery.  For those pick a start line and a finish line.

Wednesday-4-7
Thursday-5-8 w/6 striders in the last mile.  The striders should be 80-100 yds w=distance in between.
Friday-2 miles of tempo and then 12 x :45 hard w/1:15 recovery.   Think faster than 5k pace.
Saturday-7-11 miles w/2 miles at MP.

Have a good week.

Kevin
PS-Nice race at the WS this morning.  The next one is in 2 weeks.

Hills/Mileage

All,

Happy New Year!! Great showing today at Stanley's Dream.  Congrats to Jackie on the win and 5k PR.  17:46 is smoking on that course.

We'll start the hill workouts on Tuesday.  Meet at the corner of High and Biddle Streets at 5:40am to start the workouts.  We're going to change things up slightly to work on running over the top of the hill.  We'll go 3 full blocks and finish at Franklin Street,  Really work on opening your stride and running fast on the downhill part once you get to the top.  Let things flow like water running downhill.  I'll give the full workout schedule below.

Thanks to everyone who responded to the Mileage survey.  It motivated me to check through some of my old running logs to see what years I was running a lot and see how that influenced my racing performances.  I still have some research to do and I'll report on that in the future.  The short version is the more you can run and still stay healthy, the faster you'll run in most cases.  

I had two really good cycles of running in my life, with a lot of other solid years.  My training for those two times was very different.

In 1992, I was only running 40-50 miles per week, but doing great workouts and racing a lot.  My best workout was 3 x mile w/400jr after the first and an 800 jr after the 2nd.  I ran 4:31, 4:27 and 4:21 for those miles.  I had some great races that year, 3:56 for 1500, 8:24 for 3k, 14:17 for 5k, 24:24 at Media and a bunch of other sub 15 and sub 24:20 races.  Because of the workouts, I ran some great shorter races, but nothing great over 10k.  Surprisingly, despite the lack of a good base, I ran pretty well all year. My mileage for the year was just over 2000.  I started running for BMRC that December.

From 1995-1997, I averaged just over 3600 miles per year with a high of 3770 in 1996.  I was really strong and raced and worked out a lot.  In 1995, I ran 1:06:07 for the 1/2.  In 1996, I ran 49:52 at Broad Street, 23:55 for 8k of xc, 2:33 at Wineglass and sub 15 for 5k a bunch of times including 6 days after Wineglass.  In 1997, I ran 29:10 for 10k and 24:01 for 8k.  Also, in 1997, I wanted to get my racing instincts back so I ran a bunch of indoor 1500s and miles.  It worked out really well even though I could never break 4:18, I never ran slower than 4:20.  It was really good for me to race some shorter races off high volume training.

The bottom line is that easy way to get faster is to run more volume, but just focusing on running great workouts can you super fit also.  Finding a balance is important.  In the mid 90s my notable workouts were more tempo type workouts.  There were no notable track workouts.  They were all just solid.  I was always committed to the 2nd shorter workout at the end of the week to stay in touch with my speed.  That was split between the track and working out on the fields at WCU.  

If you have strength with speed, you'll run pretty well.  You can't ignore either area.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-Biddle street hill workout. High Street to Franklin,  Run hard up, jog back down 4-6 times.  BTW, the hill cycle will be 6 weeks.

Wed-5-8 miles.

Thursday-4-7 miles.

Friday-Mile of tempo and then 8 x 1:00 hard with 2:00 rest.  Lets do this on the roads.

Saturday-8-12 miles.

That's 30-41 miles counting wu and cd on the workout days.  If you're running 5 days per week, you can manage how it fits your schedule, but it's not a bad idea to take 2 days off in a row.  If you run 6 days, add an easy run on Sunday or Monday.  If you run 7 days, great.  Just add another easy day.  When I was running well, I would average about a day off per month.

Have a good week.

Kevin

PS.  Scott has his next WS Race next Sunday at DTW. 

Stroud

All,

I hope everyone is having a good holiday season!  If you want to join us for a hill workout in Stroud, we'll start warming up at 9.  We'll warmup for 25:00 and then do the workout.  It will be a hybrid workout.  We'll run up the hill and then, run flat/downhill for about 400m and then continue the loop back to the start.  It will be fairly challenging if done properly.  

Try to do one hard workout this week.  It could be:
*the hill workout
*just a hard last couple of miles during a run
*some fartlek, where you go for like 20:00 with some slow running and different levels of fast running mixed in.

The end the week and start the year by running Stanley's Dream on New Year's Day.  It starts at noon.  It looks like the temps will be in the high 50s.

See you soon.

Kevin

TT 12/23 Update See below

All,

Thanks for the mileage feedback.  Go back to last week and fill out the form if you haven't yet.  I'll give you some feedback and my thoughts on that next week or the week after.   I'll put a form on here later in the week or next week for results from the 3200 time trial.  I'll put them into a spreadsheet and send them out.

The 3200 time trial will be Friday at 6:30 at the track.  I'll try to remember to leave the bathrooms open after practice on Thursday.  If someone can text me Thursday around 3, that will help.  

Workouts for the week:

Tuesday-Mile of tempo, 400jr, 2 x 800 at 3200 pace w/400 jr, 3 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace(no faster).
Wed-off
Thursday-35:00 w/4 x :30 striders in the middle.
Friday-Race
Saturday-5-8 miles.

Good luck on Friday-Have a good week.

Kevin

Form for results.  Please submit.  I know the weather is not going to be great, but if you were planning on running the TT, don't miss it because you're going to get your hair messed or because your shoes will get wet.  This is a footrace.  Get with your group and do what you have to do to win that race with your groupmates.  If someone comes off the group ahead of you, don't be afraid to run them down.

BR Wrapup

All,

Thanks to everyone who showed up today for Brian's Run.  It was small but the crowd was high quality.  Thanks to Brian McFadden for keeping this going.

Let's keep it rolling into the 3200 TT.  Manion will let me know the details and I'll get them out here.

Please fill out this short form about your yearly mileage.

Here are this week's workout:

Tue-800 of tempo, 200 jr, 800 at mile pace, 400jr, mile of tempo, 200 jr, 600 at Mile pace, 200 jr, 400 at 800 pace minus 2 seconds.

Friday-3 x 5 x 200 w/100jr after each on and a 600 jr between sets at 3k pace.

Saturday-6-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

3200 TT

All,

Remember, Brian's Run is next Sunday, 12/11 at Rustin at 11am.  Sign up here.  I'd really like to rekindle the Knights vs. the Tuesday Morning Crew rivalry. It adds a little spice to the local racing scene.  I know there is a lot of crossover between groups which is great.  On race day, you'll have to show where your loyalties lie.  

We've had a 3200/2 mile TT on Christmas Eve for awhile.  The first time we did it, it was Lavo, Harris, Manion and me.  I forget how fast we were trying to run, but we were going to take turns leading, probably by the 600, and then race the last 800.  Say, we were trying to run 11:30, Lavo leads the first 200 in 34.  We stopped and started over and it ended up being a pretty good effort.  Needless to say, Lavo didn't get another turn to lead.  We had a year when, the Pistol showed up and the track was a sheet of ice so we went to Fern Hill and back.  It's a fun, challenging, quick morning.   I'll talk to Manion and get some details out. 

Here are the week's workouts:

Tuesday- 3 x 3 x 400 w/200 jr after each one and a 400 jr between sets at 3k pace.

Friday-4 x 800 w/400 jr in preparation for BR-1 at  MP, 2 at tempo, 3 at 10k and 4 at 5k. 

Saturday-4 miles with 6 x striders as your pre meet for BR.

Sunday-Race.

Hey, congrats to Andy Evans for winning a 1/2 last Sunday and PRing.  I think it was on the Perkiomen Trail.

See you on Sunday.

Kevin  

Happy Thanksgiving

All,

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and got to spend some good time with your families.  We had some great Turkey Trotting going on.  What a nice day!

Remember, we have Brian's Run coming up in two weeks.  It will be at Rustin.  We're going to add a kid's 400 to the entry option to really make it a family affair.

Stanley's Dream is on New Year's Day.  This is the 15th Annual.  It's a great way to start your year.  Put it on your calendar.  Scott's Winter Series Races at DTW are sprinkled through out the winter.

We'll keep the training a little lighter for the next couple of weeks, but we'll still keep things going.  We'll try to stay in touch with our speed.

Here are the week's workouts:
Tuesday-Mile of tempo, 400jr, then, 4 x 300, 200.  300s at mile pace and 200s faster.  200 jr after the 300 and a 500 jr after the 200s,

Friday-Mile at MP, Mile at tempo, mile at 5k with no rest, 400 jr and then 3 x 200 at 800 pace w/200jr.

Sat-6-10 miles.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Philly wrapup

All,

Great job by those of you who ran one of this weekend's races.  We had some really outstanding performances.  Steve Jordan tops my list with his 2:31 in that wind today.  Here is the link to searchable results.  There were a couple of pages of WC runners.

Now sign up for a Turkey Trot and then sign up for Brian's Run.  It will be a good way to end your Fall.

Workouts-
Tuesday-Good warmup and then 4 x 400 at 5k pace with a 100jr.  This will be a perfect tuneup for a Thursday race,

Thursday-Race

Saturday-6-10 miles.  

See you on Thursday.

Kevin

Big Week

All,

Big week of racing for the Philly Crew.  The 8k and 1/2 are on Saturday and the full is on Sunday.  We also have the Warrior Classic on Wednesday night at Henderson.  There is an elementary mile and a 2 mile that is open to all.  You know how it is running under the lights at Henderson.  Also, lots of Turkey Trots on Thanksgiving morning and Brian's Run is on December 11 at Rustin. Time to show off your fitness.

Marathoners taper plan:
Monday-off
Tuesday-1 mile warmup, 3 x mile w/100 jr at MP plus :05, MP and MP -5.  No faster, no slower.
Wednesday-off
Thursday-3 miles at MP.  No warmup.  Just go out the door and hit MP.  No faster, no slower.
Friday-2 miles at MP.  No faster, no slower. If you're traveling on Friday, do it when you 
Saturday- 1 mile at MP. No faster, no slower.
Sunday-Race-Have a plan!!

1/2 taper plan-
M-off
Tuesday-5 x 1000 w/200jr at race pace.
Wed-off
Thursday-1 mile warmup, 1.5 miles at race pace, 1/2 mile cooldown.
Fri-1 mile wu, 1/2 mile at race pace, 1/2 mile cd.
Sat-race.

Others-T-5 x 1000 at 10k w/200jr
             Fr-3 miles of tempo
             Sat-6-10 miles.

Good luck this weekend.

Kevin

NYC

All,

Good job by those who ran New York today.  It looked rough out there.  Tough course on a humid day can be brutal.  The weather is looking good for Philly, as of now.

Workouts:
Tuesday-Philly 1/2-3000(tempo), 2000(10k), 1000(5k) all with a 400 recovery.
               Full-8 x 1000 w/200jr at 10k pace.
               Others-Philly 1/2 workout.

Friday-Others and 1/2 4 mile cutdown-starting at 1/2 goal and taking 10 seconds off per mile.
            Full-5 mile cutdpwn starting at marathon goal time and taking off 15 seconds per mile.
             
Saturday-1/2-10-11 w/2 qt 1/2 pace.
                Full-13 w/3 at mp.
                Others-6-8

Have a good week.

Kevin

10/31 Workouts

All,

I hope everyone is doing well.  Good luck NYC marathoners.  Here is your taper week plan:

Monday-off
Tuesday-1 mile warmup, 3 x mile w/100 jr at MP plus :05, MP and MP -5.  No faster, no slower.
Wednesday-off
Thursday-3 miles at MP.  No warmup.  Just go out the door and hit MP.  No faster, no slower.
Friday-2 miles at MP.  No faster, no slower. If you're traveling on Friday, do it when you 
Saturday- 1 mile at MP. No faster, no slower.
Sunday-Race-Have a plan!!

Others:
Tuesday-Philly 1/2-6 x 1600 w/100jr at 1/2 marathon pace
               Philly Full-8-10 x 1600 w/100jr at 1/2 marathon pace.
               Others 4 x 1600 as above.
Friday-60:00 w/ 6 x :45 striders w/1:15 recovery.

Saturday-Philly 1/2-14-17 w/5-7 of tempo.
                Philly full-18-20 w/3 x 3 miles at MP w/2:00 recovery starting with 10 miles to go.
                 Others-5-10 w/2 miles of tempo.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Early Blog/Marathoners-Don't waste your fitness

All,

Great job again by the marathon crew.  Sorry for the early blog, but I may not be around on Sunday.

I just wanted to remind the marathoners to take advantage of their fitness and jump in some races.  I would keep the training light but have some fun and run fast.  I almost always raced after a marathon.  I ran Philly in '94 as my first marathon-the next Saturday, I ran the Delaware XC Champs and the week after that Brian's Run.  That spring, I Prd at Boston and the ran 51:10 at Broad Street 2 weeks later.  In '96, I was 2nd at Wineglass, then ran a 5k in Bryn Mawr the following Saturday in 14:50(I got 3rd but just by a few seconds).  2 weeks after that I ran 23:52 for an 8k XC race in Franklin Park. 

You just have to put your mind to it.  You always have the excuse of just having run a marathon if it doesn't go well.

Here is the week's training:
Tue-Philly 1/2 + others-1600, 400 x 3-4 w/1600 at 10k pace and the 400 at 3k pace w/a 200 jr after the 1600 and 400 jr after the 400.
       Philly full-1600, 400 x 4-5 w/1600 at 10k pace and the 400 at 3k pace w/a 200 jr after the 1600 and 400 jr after the 400.

Fri-all-60 w/8 x :45 w/1:15 recovery

Sat-1/2-14-17 w/2 x 3 miles at mp w/3:00 in between.  Start with 7 miles to go.
Full-20-22 w/3 x 4 miles at MP w/2:00 recovery, starting with 13 miles to go.
Others-6-10.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Marathon Wrap up

All,

Great job by the marathoners today.  We saw a bunch of PRs and a lot of goals were achieved.  It's nice to see that.  You should be proud of the training you put in and your commitment to achieving a goal.  I'm glad you had nice weather.  Recover and then find the next target.

Here is the training for everyone else:
Tue-Philly 1/2  3 x 2000 at 10k w/200jr
        Philly full-4-5 x 2000 at 10k pace w/200jr.
Others-2-3 x 2000 w/200jr at 10k pace.

Friday-1/2 and others-5 miles of broken tempo-4:00 on 1:00 off.
           Full-6-7 miles of broken tempo-same pattern.

Saturday-1/2-10-12 miles
              Full-13-14 miles
               Others-6-8 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Red October

All,

Wow!!  What a fall!! The Phils are in the World Series and the Birds are undefeated!(We won't talk about the Sixers).  It's an exciting time to be a Philadelphia.  In case you didn't see Bryce's HR, here it is.

As if that's not enough, we have the District 1XC Championships on Friday and the JV Champs on Saturday.  What a great time to be alive and moving.  Take advantage of your fitness(or work to build your current fitness) and join the group on Tuesday or Friday or Saturday.  Let's get after it.

Workouts for the week:
Tue-Philly 1/2-2400(tempo), 2000(10k), 1600(5k), 800(3k), 400(mile) all with a 400 jr.
Philly Full-3 x 2400 w/400jr-1st at tempo, 2nd at 10k, 3rd at 5k.  Hit your times.
Chicago-Get back after it.  Jump in for all or part of a workout.
Others-Philly 1.2 workout but start with the 2k.

Friday-Philly 1/2-5-6 miles of tempo
Philly full-8-10 miles of tempo
Others-3-4 miles of tempo.

Saturday-
Philly 1/2-10-12
Philly full-12-14
Others-6-10

Have a great week.

Kevin

Crunch Time

All,

I hope everyone is feeling good.  It's time for the Chicago and Steamtown crew.  The weather looks decent.  Let's run smart and take advantage of our fitness.  After talking with some people, and looking at my best long races, we're going to change the taper to optimize your race result.

Here is a cool tweet from the Duke Women's Basketball coach.  A lot of you have probably seen it already.  It's about 2:45 so well worth your time.

Chicago.ST taper plan:
Monday-off
Tuesday-1 mile warmup, 3 x mile w/100 jr at MP plus :05, MP and MP -5.  No faster, no slower.
Wednesday-off
Thursday-3 miles at MP.  No warmup.  Just go out the door and hit MP.  No faster, no slower.
Friday-2 miles at MP.  No faster, no slower. If you're traveling on Friday, do it when you 
Saturday- 1 mile at MP. No faster, no slower.
Sunday-Race-Have a plan!!

Workouts for everyone else:
Tue-Philly 1/2-1600(5k), 3200(10k), 1600(5k) w/a 400 jr
        Philly full-3200(10k), 1600(5k), 3200(10k) w/400 jr
         others-1600, 3200 w/400jr
Friday-Philly 1/2-30:00 wu, 8 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace, 15:00 cool down
            Philly full-60:00 w/8 x :30 striders
Sat-Philly 1/2-14-15 w/5 miles at mp
       Philly full-18-20 w/6 miles at mp starting with 7 miles to go.
       Others-6-10 miles.

Have fun.

Kevin

Berlin

All,

I don't know if you saw the Berlin marathon results but Eliud Kipchoge ran 2:01:09 to break the world record.  That's about 4:37 per mile.  That's cooking.  He went through the 1/2 in 59:51.  The women's ran 2:15.  Her previous best was 2:34,  She started her elite career as an 800 meter runner.

The Chicago/ST crew is nearing the end of training.  We have a great group heading out to Chicago.  I can't wait for the results.

Here is the week's training:

Tuesday-Chicago/Steamtown-7-8 x 1000 w/200jr at 10k pace.  Last one can be a little faster.
Philly 1/2-6 x 1000 w/400jr at 5k pace.
Philly full-4 x 2000 w/400jr at 10k pace,

Friday-
Ch/ST-5 mile cutdown-start at 15 seconds slower than mp and take 15 seconds off per mile.
Philly 1/2-4 mile tempo
Philly full-5 miles of tempo.

Saturday
CH/ST-13 w/3 at MP starting at 9.
Philly 1/2-10-11
Philly full-13-14 

Have a great week.

Kevin

Silver Lining

All,

I hope everyone is doing well.  Keep up the good training.  I love to hear how it's going.  

I got this email from one of the Wednesday Knights.  

I like almost every runner in West Chester has heard about your fall and I hope you are doing well at this point.

I want to let you know that your fall has a silver lining.  The story I heard was you fell and no one in the group had a way to contact 911.  My wife put her foot down and made me go straight to ATT and by a cellular apple watch.

As I was learning how to use the watch, I noticed that it has EKG capabilities and I tried it.  Well it told me my heart was in A fib, which explains why recently I was so out of breath running and hitting 200bpm on my runs.

I’m now going through a series of tests with a hopeful end result of having an ablation to get my heart back into normal rhythm.  The tests aren’t complete, but they have already identified I have sleep apnea and some apparent heart blockage as well.

So, I hate to say it, but thank you for falling.  It may have saved my life.

I responded that I was glad to be able to help the group.  Anyway, it's good to keep things in perspective. 

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-Chicago/Steamtown-8 x 1600 w.200jr at 10k pace.
                Philly Full-5-6 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace
                Philly 1/2 4-5 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace
                 Others 3-4 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace.

Friday-All-60:00 w/8 x :30 pickups w/1:00 jr.  Again, they could be done as 200s on the track.  Just don't go crazy.

Saturday-Chicago/ST- 18-20 w/3 x 3 miles at MP w/ 2:00 jr between sets. Star the MPs w/10 miles to go.  MP not faster.  Practice taking water and fuel.
                Philly Full-15-17 w/5 at MP.
                 Philly 1/2-13-15 w/2 x 2 miles at MP w/2:00jr.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Racing

All,

As we all know, the best preparation for racing is to actually jump in some races.  I know it takes some time and makes you nervous but going through that pre race routine and getting in two or three races before your main race is good for you.  It gives a great evaluation of your fitness and, excuse my language, it's also fun to race.  It can put you a great amount of discomfort, which can be a good thing.  So, adapt your tsining s littlr bit and get after it.  If you're not sure how to adapt the training week to fit in a race, just ask.

Unite for Her is on the 24th on the downtown loop.  Sign up here.

Here is this week's training:

Tuesday-Philly and Chicago Marathons-3-4 x 2499 w/499 jr.  1st at tempo, 2nd at 10k, 3rd at 5k, 4th at tempo.
Philly 1/2  2-3 x 2400 same paces.  If 2, 1st at 10k, 2nd at 5k.
Others-2 x 2400 at 10k and 5k.

Friday-Chicago-8-10 miles of tempo.  
Philly Full-5 miles of broken tempo 4:00 on :30 jog.
Philly 1/2-4 miles of broken tempo 4:00 on :30 jog.
Others-3 miles of broken tempo.

Saturday-Chicago-13
                 Philly full-12-13
                  Philly 1/2 9-11 miles
                 Others-6-8 miles.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Happy Labor Day!

All,

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  Let's get some good training in this week.  Prepare to get a little wet for tomorrow's workout.  Philly 1/2 training starts for real this week.

This week's training:
Tuesday-Chicago-8 x 800 at marathon goal time with a 400 jog recovery.  So, if you're trying to run 3 hours for the marathon, you would run your 800s in 3:00 each.  
Philly Marathon-Same wo.
Philly 1/2-Same workout.  Your target would be your 1/2 goal time doubled and add 10:00.  So, if you want to run 80:00 for the 1/2, your 800s would be in 2:50.  I hope that makes sense.
Others-6 x 800 w/400 jr.  Find a group to run with.

Friday-60:00 w/6 x :30 striders w/a :30 jog recovery, you could possibly do them as 6 x 200 w/100jr.

Sat-Chicago-20-22 miles w 3 x 4 miles at MP w/2:00 recovery starting with 13 miles to go.
       Philly 1/2-11-13 miles w/3 at MP starting with 4 to go.
       Others-6-9 miles.
       Philly Marathon-13-15 w/4 at marathon pace starting with 5 to go. 


Have a great week.

Kevin

wk of 8/29

All,

I hope we all had a good week of training.  Looks like another hot start to the week.We'll start Philly 1/2 training next week.

This week's wos:
Tuesday-Chicago-6 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace
Non-Marathoners-4 x 1200 w/a 200 jr at 10k pace plus 3 x 200 w/200 jr at ,ile pace.

Friday-Chicago-Chicago-6-7 miles of tempo.
Others-Mile of temp and then 5 x 600 w.400jr at 3k pace.

Saturday-Chicago 13-14 miles,
Others-7-11 miles.

Have a good week.  

Kevin

Hunkering Down

All,

1st-Thanks to all for their kind words concerning my incident at XC Camp.  Hopefully, I'll be back doing something soon.

Milers-great work.  That was impressive. Let me know what's up next for you and we'll tailor the training to some things,

Marathoners-Time to hunker down.

It's going to be another hot one this week.  Let's take advantage of it.

Workout schedule:
Tuesday-Marathoners-3200, 1600, 3200 w/a 400jr,  3200s at 10k 1600 at 5k pace,
Milers-3200, 1600.  Same paces abd recovery.
Friday-Marathoners-60:00 w/6 x :30 striders.
Milers-2 miles of tempo, 400jr, 1 x 600 hard, 800 jr, 1k of tempo.

Saturday-Marathoners-18-20 miles w/6 mile at MP starting with 7 miles to go,
Milers-6-8 miles w/1 mile at mp.

Have a good week.

Kevin

WC Mile Review and Weekly Workouts

Congratulations to everyone that ran last Thursday night at the West Chester Mile! There were fantastic performances from the elementary mile to the citizen's heats all the way to the grand finale men's elite race. 

Eric Holt of Empire Elite ran 3:54.93 to set a new stadium and meet record with three other elite men also breaking the 4-minute barrier.
Check out this thread about the race on LetsRun.com --- the race also got a mention from CitiusMag and others on Instagram. 

The citizen's race were full of WCRC runners. Ed Brittingham led the way with a 4:38 mile. Eric Smith and Jack Nolen both snuck under 5 minutes with impressive 4:58.25 and 4:59.69 times respectively. Next in was John Manion running 5:04.21 and Ed McConnell at 5:05.74. Other notable performances included: 
Elliot Parsons at 5:28, Mark McCaffrey at 5:29, Megan March at 5:48, and Walt Stecklair at 622

You can find the full results from all of the races here. Be sure to check out all the race photos from Denise Trigo and Derek Call. 

---------------------------

Here is the workout schedule:

• Fall Marathoners 
  • Tuesday:  6 x 1600m @ 10k Pace (200mR) 
  • Friday: 5 Miles of Tempo (MP-HMP) 
  • Saturday/Sunday: 13-14 Miles 
• Milers 
  • Tuesday: 5 x 1000m @ 5k Pace (400mR)
  • Friday: 8 x 400m @ Mile Pace (400mR)
  • Saturday/Sunday: 6-8 Miles 

The WC Mile is here

All,

The WC Mile is back again this Thursday.  The elite men's race looks great.  My prediction is that 5 guys break 4:00 and the winner goes 3:56.77.
It's going to be a blast.  We also have a kid's 400.  Sign up now if you haven't yet.  You'll regret not doing it.  I'm sure we'll have some kind of WCRC vs. the Wednesday Knights battle going.  There will be a nice post-race situation at the Hotel Warner's Bar.  Please join us if you're 21 or older.

Even if you're racing something longer in the fall, it's always good for you to race a mile.  It really hones your racing instincts.  You wouldn't rest for it, but you could still mix it up.

Here is the workout schedule:
Tuesday-Milers-600 of tempo, 4 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace.  No faster. No slower.
Marathoners-1200,400 x 5 w/100jr after the 1200 and a 500jr after the 400.  1200s at 10k pace.  400s at 3k pace.

Thursday-Mile for all.

Friday-Marathoners who didn't run the mile-60:00 w/8 x :30 w/:30 rest at mile pace.

Saturday-Milers-4-8 miles
Marathoners-16-18 w/2 x 3 miles at MP w/2:00 jr.  Start the MP with 7 miles to go.

See you on Thursday.

Kevin

Welcome to August

All,

The summer is flying back.  We're already at August.  Looks like another hot week.  Let's get after it.  Milers. it's go time.  2 more real workouts beofre the race.  

Tuesday-Milers-Spikes for this workout.  3 x 200 w/200 jr at 3k pace.  5:00 rest, 1 x 1200 at Mile goal pace.  3:00 rest.  1 x 400 at 800 goal pace.  7:00 rest 3 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace.

Marathoners-4 x 2000 at 10k pace w/200 jr.  The jog should be 1:20-1:30,  

Friday-Milers-6 x 300 w/50 wr, 50jr at mile pace.
Marathoners-5 Mile tempo run

Sat-Milers-4-7 miles
      Marathoners-13-14 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

The heat is on!

All,

Tough weather week last week.  It looks like we'll get a little break this week.  It still looks pretty humid.  Take advantage of the heat to build your fitness.

Also, congrats to Brian Forgue and Chris Howe for their performances at the Lake Placid Ironman.

Here are the week's workouts:
Tuesday-Marathoners- 4 x 4 x 400 w/100jr and a 600 jr between sets at 5k pace.
               Milers-3 x 4 x 400 w/100jr and a 600 jr between sets at 5k pace.

Friday-Marathoners-60:00 w/6 x :30 striders w/:30 recovery.
            Milers-1200 of tempo, then 600 at 800 pace, 600 jr, 300 at 400 pace 600jr, 200 at 200 pace, 600 jr, 800 of tempo.

Saturday-Marathoners-15-17 w/5 at mp starting with 6 miles to go.
                 Milers-5-7 miles.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Kevin

Pop Up Mile

All,

I hope your week was good.  It looks like a really humid week.  This morning was brutal.  

As part of this Thursday's all comers meet, the mile winner will get free entry into the West Chester Mile.  Here is how I would use the meet to benefit my training:
Milers-Race the 800 and the 200.  It's a great way to set yourself up for a fast mile in August.
Marathoners-Race the mile and then comeback and run the 5k as a tempo run.  It's great race preparation.  

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-Marathoners-5-6 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace.
               Milers-4-5 x 1000 w/200 jr at 5k pace.

Thursday-Race:
Marathoners-5 miles of broken tempo-4:00 on, :30 rest.
Milers-1200 of tempo, then 8 x 400 at 3k pace with a 200jr.

Saturday-Marathoners-12-13 miles
                Milers-6-9 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Chicago

All,

As you know, Chicago training starts this week.  A couple of notes:

• Monitor your fitness and adjust your training accordingly, Don't be afraid to do a little less. It's better to be healthy and slightly undertrained then to try to be hero and be injured. Ask questions if you're not sure. Most of you have my email and/or number.
• Try to be accurate with your paces, especially MP on your long runs.
• Don't race your workouts but do try to jump in a race or two during the training.

Happy 4th

All,

I hope everyone is having a Happy 4th of July.  The mile fields are starting to shape up nicely for the WC Mile on August 11.  Sign up soon.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tue-800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800 with a 400 jr.  The 800s are at 5k pace, the 1200s and 1600 are at 10k pace.

Fri-1200 of tempo and then 4 sets of 4 x 200 w/100jr(in :40) at mile pace w/a 500 jr between sets.

Sat-8-15 miles.

See you soon.

Kevin

More Track

All,

I hope your summer is going well. I've attached p 1 of the Chicago Plan here.  If you are running a different marathon, you can just adjust the plan to fit your marathon.  

We have another open meet on Thursday at Henderson starting at 5:45.  It would be super beneficial to run the meet vs. doing the Friday morning workout.  Here is the info.

Here is the workout plan for the week:
Tuesday- Mile of tempo, 400 jr, then mile at 3k pace, 600 jr and then 4 x 600 at 5k pace with a 200jr.  

Friday-(if you don't race on Thursday)-1200 of tempo and 4 x 600 w/600 jr at mile pace.

Saturday-9-15 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Late workout

All,

Sorry for the lateness of the workout schedule for the week and Happy belated Father's Day to all of the Dads out there.  I hope you had a good day.  Thanks also to everyone who donated to the mile.  It will help to keep it as a great event!!

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-800, 400 x 4 800s at 10k pace, 400s at 3k pace with a 200jr after the 800s and a 400 jr after the 200s.

Friday-Mile of tempo and then 8 x 200 w/50 wr, 150jr at 800 pace.

Saturday-8-15 miles with 2 miles at mp during the run.

Hopefully, the Chicago plan shows up also.  I'll put in in a better format and there will be some changes. I can only load one image.  I'll add the 1st page next week.

Kevin

Open Track Meets

All,

The first of our summer track meets is on Tuesday.  Details are here.  The link to the pay site is here.  We've set up a $5 discount for readers of this blog if you pay online or via Venmo.  The discount code is Blog.  This is good if you preregister.  The meet schedule is here.

Evening summer track meets are great.  Tuesday's weather looks to be pretty good.  Here is how I would do it if I was racing.  I'd race to mile or the 800 and then come back in the 5k and do it as a cutdown run.  If I was in 18:45 shape(6:00 pace) for 5k, I would try to go 7:00, 6:30, 6:00.  You'll probably not feel great the first couple of laps but then should be able to really get rolling the 2nd 1/2 of the race.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-Race or 3 x 1600 w/400jr at 5k pace.
Friday-Mile of tempo, then 400, 200 x 4 w/200 jr after the 400 and a 400 jr after the 200 with the 400s at mile pace and the 200s at 800 pace.  \
Sayurday-8-15 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Distance Festival Wrapup

Wow!  What a meet!!  Thanks to everyone on the blog who came out and raced.  Here are the results. 

Some of the highlights were:
-49 guys under 4:30 with a winning time of 4:03 in the mile.
-28 females under 5:20 with a winning time of 4:36(by a high schooler).
-28 under 2:00 in the 800.

Hopefully, you take advantage of the summer meets at Henderson on June 14, June 30 and July 21.  They won't be of that quality but they'll still be good.

I'm thinking that Chicago training will start July 11.  I'll get some basic guidelines out next week for planning purposes.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-Mile of tempo, 600, 400, 200 x 2 w/400 jr 600 at mile pace, 400 at 800 pace, 200 at 400 pace.

Fri-Mile of tempo, 8 x 150 w/a 250 jr-fast, float the first 50 and then fly off the turn.

Sat-8-15 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Time to Race!!!

All,

Lots of race opps in the next two weeks:
June 3-John Hay PA Distance Festival at Hendy(your track), starting at 5:30.  This is shaping up to be a great meet.  If you're not racing, and why wouldn't you, come watch some great action.
June 4-Scott Elliot race at Rustin or Penn Fusion race in town.  Both are at 9.  
June 9-Once More Track Carnival at the Hoey Track.
June 14-Hendy Open Meet #1.

Let's test our fitness and speed. BTW, I ran into Andy Evans today.  We talked about racing the Distance Fest and doing one of the Saturday morning runs as just a run.  The beauty of Friday night is that you can bring your kids and they can jump in a shorter race.  Use the track as a babysitter.  It's a perfect setup.  Also, this just in, Heat winners get a DQ wooden nickel for a free cone.  

I hear a lot of people are running Chicago.  I'm working on the plan now.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Mile of tempo, then 3 x 300 with an 80wr and 20 jr at mile pace, 3 x 200 w/100 wr and 100jr at 800 pace.

Friday-Race.
Saturday-Race, or run one of the races or 5-10 miles.

See you on Friday,

Kevin

Hot weather

All,

What a scorching last 3 days!!  I was at the District 1 Championships on Friday and Saturday.  It was brutal. Looks like we'll get a little break this week.

I've been getting some reports from the workouts.  People are getting fit.  Get signed up for the Distance Fest.  800, mile or 5k are the 3 best options.  Pick one and let it rip.

Workouts for the week:
Tuesday-Mile of tempo, mile at 10k pace, mile at 5k pace, 800 at 3k pace all with a 400 jr.

Friday-1200 of tempo, 400jr, 8 x 300 w/80 wr, 20jr at mile pace.

Saturday-8-14 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

New Hill WO

All,

We're going to do a little longer version of the hill workout as Marathon Prep this Tuesday.  We'll also have the regular hill workout.  The Marathon prep wo comes from Andy via the BAA.

Basically, it's 1.5 miles of rolling tempo, then 6 hills at MP up and down the hills and then 1.5 miles of tempo.  So, 6 miles of total work.  Not a bad Tuesday morning.  Here is Andy's explanation of the route:
This way all groups can at least start together.
Tempo 1.5mi - from High and Biddle: Biddle to Lincoln, Schramm Loop back to Biddle (4min recovery jog to Franklin and Goshen
6x Uphill AND Downhill Continuous 3mi @MP - bottom of Franklin & Goshen up to Elizabeth St (.25mi) and back down, no rec in between. After 3mi, 4-5min JR
Tempo 1.5mi - Fern Hill or other rolling route
Hill
If you're not training for a marathon, you have 2 options:
1-Do 6 x 3 block hill on Biddle from High to Franklin
2-Do the 1.5 of tempo of tempo and then do 4-6 x the Franklin St. hill.  
Either is a good option.

Wednesday-7-10 miles
Thursday-5-8 miles
Fri-60:00 with 12 x :30 pus at 3k pace with a 1:00 rest or on the track, 12 x 200 w/200 jr at 3k pace.

Sat-B-18 w/6 at MP
      JT-16 w/6 at MP
      1/2-12 w/4 at MP
      BS  8/w2 at MP
You should work it out so you finish your MP with about a mile to go.

Sunday-Off or easy.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Distance Festival

All,

The John Hay PA Distance Festival is Friday, June 3 starting at 5:30 at Henderson.  It's an open meet that has seen some great performances over the years.  It really is a meet for all ability levels though.  It started as just a low key meet and has turned into a great meet.  Here is the meet information.

Getting on the track is a great way to judge your fitness.  The events are 200m through 5000m.  It should be fun.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-12 x 400 w/200jr at 3k pace plus 1 second.  So, if you're in 8:45 pace for 3k(70 second per lap).  You would run these in 71.  

Friday-Mile of tempo and then 4 x 300, 200 w/a 200 jr after the 300 and a 700 jog between sets.  The 300s should be at 800 pace and the 200s at 400 pace.  

Have a good week.

Kevin

Happy Mother's Day

All,

Happy Mother's Day!!  I hope all of the moms and grandmoms out there had a great day.  

We had a nice Hendy Invite on Friday.  Gary Martin of Archbishop Wood set a state record in the 3200.  He ran 8:41.  That's the 3rd time in the 17 year history of the meet that the state record has been set in that race.  There were a lot of other great races and performances.

The next big meet at Henderson is the John Hay PA Distance Festival on Friday, June 3.  It's an open meet so anyone can run.

Here is the week's training:

Tuesday-6 x 600 w/400 jr at 3k pace.

Friday-Mile of tempo and then 4 x 400 w/400jr at 800 pace.

Saturday-8-14 miles.  

Have a good week..

Kevin

Focus on the short stuff

All,

With Broad Street over(BTW, good job by everyone who got out there), now is a good time to work on your speed and strength before training for something longer in the fall.  We'll have some good opportunities over the next couple of months to run some shorter races.  There are a bunch of local 5ks coming up and we have 5 track meets this summer.  I'll fill you in on the details of those next week.  

Improving your speed takes some work, but it has some great long term benefits.  It's important to not try to progress too quickly.  You don't want to get injured.  Running faster improves your efficiency.  That will make the longer race paces feel easier.

Here is what I would propose:  Normal or 10% lower mileage than normal.  Keep the long run going.  We'll mix in some more shorter work with more recovery.  If done properly, it should not be easier than the longer workouts.  It will just be a different type of discomfort.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-Mile of tempo, 400 jr, mile at a full effort, 600 jr, 6 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace.
Thursday-Bournelyf 5k
or
Friday-1200 of tempo, 400 jr, 800 at 3k pace, 400 jr, 600 at mile pace, 400 jr, 400 at 800 pace, 400 jr  200 at race pace.  rest 4:00 then 4 x 150 w/250 jr.  Float through the turn and then get rolling on the straight.  The 150 starts at the goal post.  There is also a white hurdle mark there.

Saturday-8-13 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin
PS-Hendy Invite this Friday.  The joint will be jumping.

Countdown to Broad Street

All,

Thanks for the kind words about the blog.  We had the first of our Friday night Invitationals this past Friday.  It was great to get back to Henderson and to see some great racing.  The big one is in 2 weeks.

Looking for a fun way to spend Thursday evening, May 5.  Jump in the Bournelyf 5k on the Downtown Loop.  Here is the registration link.

Broad Street is next Sunday.  I expect a big WC crowd down there.  I know the Knights have about 30 running.  Good luck to all.

Here is the workout schedule:
Tuesday-BS 5 x 1000 at 10 mile pace with a 200jr
Others-5 x 1000 at 10k pace w/a 200 jr.

Friday-BS-Easy jog.
Others-3 x 5 x 200 w/100 jr between each on and a 600 jr between sets.  1st set 3k pace, 2nd set mile pace.  3rd set, 1 second faster than mile pace.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Broad Street

All,

Nice job by the Boston crew today!!  It looked like a pretty nice day to race. Next up, lots of small races and Broad Street in less then 2 weeks.  

I'm never sure if it's worth it to keep the blog going.  We don't have a counter so you don't know if anyone is actually looking at it.  I ran into an old friend from college the other night(she lives in North Central PA).  She told me she follows the workouts with some with some slight modifications as needed.  She's running great so that will keep me going for awhile.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tue-4-5 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace.
Fri-2 miles of tempo, 400 jr and then 400(mile pace), 300(800 pace), 200(400 pace) and 100(100 pace) all with a 100 walk recovery.  
Sat-Broad Street-9 with 2 miles at target pace.

Have a good week,

Kevin

Boston Countdown

All,

Last week of training for the Boston Crew.  Take advantage of your fitness and don't overdo it this week.  One of the keys to running well at Boston(or any marathon) is staying calm the first 15 and then get it rolling after that.  Boston has some hills but nothing worse than anything around here.  Enjoy the experience, but don't be afraid to mix it up the last 10-12 miles.

Workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-Boston-3 x 1600 w/100 jr at MP +5, MP and MP minus 5.
               Others-3 x 1600 at 5k pace w/400 jr, plus 3 x 200 at mile pace wi200 jr.
Friday-Boston 2 miles of mp-1 mile wu, 1 mile cd
               Others-3 miles at 1/2 mp, rest for 5:00 and then run a hard mile.
Saturday-Boston-off
                Broad St-13 miles
                 Others 7-10 miles
Sunday-Boston-2-3 mile shakeout.

Have a great week.

Kevin

SA Wrapup

All,

Great job to everyone who came out to support the cause and more importantly to get back to racing on the Downtown Loop.  Thanks also to those who volunteered.  It was a nice morning to race.  Check out our race calendar for upcoming races.  We have 3 good ones this weekend.

Boston Marathoners:  It's crunch time.  It's time to start lightening the training.  Have a decent week this week.  You should be at about 60-65% of your average mileage.  Stay healthy but don't deviate from your normal schedule as you head towards the race.  You should be practicing taking gels and water during your workouts.

Workout schedule:
Tuesday-All 4-5 x 1200 w/a 400jr at 5k pace.

Friday-Boston-cutdown 5 miles.  Start at MP plus :10 and take off 10-12 seconds per mile.  IF you can do this on the track, great.  If not, take it more by effort on the roads.
Others-same or 3 miles of cutdown starting at 1/2 marathon pace.

Saturday-Boston 12-13.  Others-7-13.

Have a good week.

Kevin

LOVE Run

All,

Nice job by the LOVE Runners this morning.  We had some WC performances.  It was a little windy, but a great temperature to run.  

Let's keep it rolling at the St. Agnes Run on Saturday.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-Boston-4 x 2400 w/400 jr at 10k pace.
                5k/Broad St-2-3 x 2400 w/400jr at 10k pace.

Friday-Pre race-40:00 w/8 x striders.

Saturday-St. Agnes 5k
                Boston people-7 mile warmup, race and then 4 mile cool down.
               Others-Normal warmup and then race.

See you on Saturday.

Kevin

March Madness

All,

There was some crazy basketball.  Also, it was nice to see Ajee Wilson win the 800 at the World Indoor Championships today.  Maybe, we'll see her at Henderson again this spring or summer.  It was also cool to see the Ukrainian woman win the High Jump there.

We have some nice races coming up.  You miss the Downtown Loop, right?  On April 2, it's back for the St. Agnes 5k. Get signed up soon.

On April 9, Tatnall is putting on the Delaware Mile. The have a middle school, high school, masters, open and Elite races.  It should be a blast.

Here is the week's training.
Tue-Love Run and 5k runners-5 x 1000 w/200 jr at 1/2 pace or slightly faster.
       Marathoners-10 x 1000 w/200jr at 10k pace.

Fri-Love Runners-Easy
     Boston-8-10 miles of tempo w/3-4 mile wu and 3-4 mile cooldown.  This could be moved to Saturday if it works better.
      5k-2400 of tempo and then 12 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace.

Saturday-7-12 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Beautiful Week

All,

I hope everyone got through yesterday's bad weather in one piece.  I was in Staten Island at NIN.  It was pretty nasty and not a fun ride home.  It was a great meet and really got me motivated for the spring.  This week looks outstanding.

Big week this week.  The Love Run is in two weeks.  The St. Agnes 5k is in 3 weeks.  Let's keep it rolling.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-Boston, Broad St and Love run-2-3 x 3200 w/400 jr at 10k pace.
               5k-3200, 1600 w/400 jr at 10k pace.

Fri-Long Racers-4-6 miles of tempo.
      Others-1600 of tempo and 300, 200, 100 x 3 w/100jr between each one and a 600 jog between sets.  300s at 800 pace, 200s at 400 pace and 100s at 200 pace.

Saturday-Long racers-12-15 miles
                Others-7-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Spring Track

All.

I hope everyone is enjoying the warm day.  As many of you know, spring high school sports start tomorrow.  It's a sure sign that we'll have some nice weather coming(and maybe one more snowstorm).  Spring track is exciting because it's the culmination of a year of hard work for a lot of these kids.  It's also a fast season with a lot of great meets.  Let's get after it!!

Great job on Friday at the Polar Bear Champs.  Congrats to Scott and Ed for big PRs in the 5k.  They ran great.  We also had a another State record set at Henderson.  Gary Martin of Archbishop Wood ran 8:16.40 for 3k to run faster than the indoor and outdoor state records.  That's the 4th State record we've had at Henderson in the last 10 months and number 7 all time.  It was really a fun meet.  We had a lot of our kids set PRs.

Boston Marathoners(or any spring marathoners)-You should look at running the LOVE Run as a tuneup/race simulator on March 28.  Run the first 10 miles at marathon pace and the last 5k fast.  It's a good situation to practice taking water and fuel.  I would do a 5 mile warmup and 2 mile cd to get to 20.

Workouts:  

Tuesday-Marathoners-6-8 x 1600 at 10k pace w/200jr
               1/2 and 5k people-4-6 x 1600 at 10k pace w/200jr

Friday-Marathoners/1/2 marathoners easy hour
            5k-mile of tempo, 400 jr, 3 x 5 x 200 w/100jr(in 40 seconds or less) at 3k pace(set 1), mile pace(set 2) and 1 second faster per 200 than mile pace for set 3.

Saturday-Boston-20 w/ 4 x 2 miles at mp and 1 x 2 miles at 1/2 pace with a 2:00 recovery starting at 7 miles.
                Love-18 w/2 x 2 miles at mp and 2 x 2 miles at 1/2 pace with a 2:00 recovery starting at 7 miles.
                 5k-7-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Late Workout

All,

Busy weekend with swim districts and Indoor States.

Polar Bear 3k and 5k on Friday.

Tuesday-1600, 800, 1600, 800, 1600 w/200 jr after the 1600s and a 400 jr after the 800s.  1600s-at 10k pace.  800s at 5k pace.

Friday-Race the 5k on the track at Henderson.  The race will be around 5.

Saturday-Boston-20
                Love Run-15
               Others-8

Have a good week.

Kevin

Week of 2/20

All,

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  It was a decent week.  Mogck and I have the new Saturday morning workout group rolling.  It's 2 steps in the right direction.

Great job by everyone who went our and raced this morning.  There were some nice performances.

Here is the week's workout schedule:

Tuesday-3-4 x 2000m with a 200 jr at 10k pace.

Friday-Marathoners and Love Run 5 mile tempo run.
Others-1 mile of tempo and then 8 x 400 at mile pace with a 400 jr.

Saturday-Boston-15
Love Run 12
Others-8.

Have a great week.

Kevin

SB Sunday

All,

I hope you're having a good weekend.  Enjoy the Super Bowl.  

Here is the week's training:
Tue-6-8 x 800 w/400 jr at 5k pace.
Fri-5 x 5:00 of tempo with a 1:00 jr.
Sat-Boston-18 w/8 at MP starting at 9.
       Love-15 w/4 at MP starting at 10.
        Others-7-11 with 2 at MP starting with 2.5 miles to go.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Better Weather

All,

After a bit of a cold patch, it looks like we'll have a decent week this week.  Take advantage of it and get out for some runs.  Also, maybe, jump in the 5k or 10k at the Chesco Winter Series next Sunday.  It's a great test of your fitness.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-4-6 x 1200 w/200 jr at 10k pace.  People getting ready for Boston or the Love Run should do 6.

Friday-Longer group-4 mile tempo run.
           Shorter group-Mile of tempo and then 4 x 600 w/400 jr at mile pace,  Then 800 of tempo.

Saturday-Boston 16
                Love 13
                Others 7-8

Have a good week.

Kevin

Snow

All,

With this weekend's snow, the roads are a mess.  Plus, it's going to be plenty cold in the morning.  Be smart out there.  If you can get out when it's light, go for it.  Remember, the sidewalks in WC are miserable.

It's about 8 weeks until the LOVE Run.  If you're doing that, it's time to ramp up the training a bit.  Cycle up your training in an intelligent fashion.  Don't up the mileage too fast, but make sure you're running enough to run a good race.

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-The track is covered.  So, let's do this-Start in front of Henderson, run the Fern Hill loop.  When you get to 2 miles(I believe it's around the tennis courts), jog back to the start and repeat.  The effort should be 10k pace on the way to Fern Hill and 5k pace on the way back to Henderson.  

Friday-8 x 2:00 w/2:00 rest at 5k pace. If the track is clear, you can do 8 x 600 w/100wr, 100jr. 

Saturday-Love crew-8-15 miles depending on your fitness level.  No real pick up but get moving the last couple of miles.  Feel like you're running but not racing.
Others-6-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Yoga/Winter Races

All,

I hope everyone is doing well.  I started taking a yoga class at the Y on Sunday mornings.  This was my 3rd week.  It seems to be helping.  Try out some new things to help your running this winter.

Looking to test your fitness in February.  We have 3 races coming up, 2 at Downingtown West and 1 at Rustin.

February 6-Chesco Winter Series #3 at Downingtown West.  The race starts at 9AM.

February 13-Chesco Winter Series #4 at Downingtown West.  The race starts at 9AM.

February 13-Rustin Super 5k Bowl at Rustin.  The race starts at 11AM.

Both courses are pretty solid.  Get out there and mix it up with your friends and running partners.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-Last hill workout- 8-10 x Biddle Street from High to Matlack Streets starting at 5:45.  The turnout has been solid.  Let's keep it up.  

Friday-Pickup workout.  Each interval should get a little quicker.  6:00, 5:00, 4:00, 3:00, 2:00, 1:00 all with a minute jog recovery.

Saturday-10-15 miles.  If you're running the Love Run, toss in 2 miles at MP with 3 miles to go in your run(no matter how far you go).

Have a great week.

Kevin

Late Workout

All,

Sorry for getting this out after the hill workout.  I hope the hills went well.

Friday-3-3.5 mile tempo run.
Saturday7-12 miles.  We'll starting dialing in some of the workouts for the Love Run starting next week.

Kevin

Hills

All,

I hope you had a good week.  The flexibility work is going pretty well.  I took my first yoga class ever at the Y this morning.  It was tough, but well taught.  Thanks to Ann for getting me out there.  I'll be back again next week.  I forgot one resolution last week.  I want to Snapchat my daughters and wife everyday.  So far, so good.  Hopefully, I can keep it up.

We had a solid turnout for hills last week, about 25.  Not 80 like we had at our biggest, but that's still solid in this environment.  There are a lot of benefits to running hills:

• Increases ankle flexibility.
• Strengthens leg muscles.
• Improves flexibility.
• Increases speed.
• Builds stamina.
• Speed work without getting on the track.

Happy New Year!!

All,

I hope everyone had a happy, healthy holiday and got to spend a lot of times with your family and friends.  Also, I hope you're handling the latest Covid outbreak well.  I know we've had a lot of kids test positive, but, so far, everyone who is vaccinated is just showing mild symptoms.  I feel like it's going to be a hectic month.  

Thanks to everyone who filled out the survey on what events they're training for this winter/spring.  It looks like a good crowd for the LOVE 1/2. Broad Street and some 5ks.  We do have a couple of Boston people.  I look forward to setting up the training for those events.  

I'm sure you all have some good resolutions/goals for 2022.  For me personally, I'd like to work on my flexibility and strength, lose 8 lbs and have a good mile matchup with Mogcka9sub 5:40) sometime this spring.  The mile matchup might be the hardest to attain.  I'll work at it though.

Anyway, we're going to run hills on Tuesdays in January and alternate tempo and short pickups on Fridays.

This week's training:
Tuesday-6-10 x 2 blocks on Biddle Street(from High to Matlack).  Run hard up, jog to the bottom. Let's plan on meeting at High and Biddle and starting the first one at 5:45.  Let's get a good crowd out there.

Friday-3 mile tempo run.  Do a good warmup and then start in front of Henderson and run the Fern Hill Loop plus.  If someone texts or emails me a good start time, I'll post that here.

Saturday-Long Run-Start at the level that you're ready for.  6-12 miles.  Email me if you want to get on the long run email list.  I'll get your email to the appropriate person.

Have a good week.

Kevin

End of Season

All,

Some of you have had a great year.  Some of us haven't.  That's the ebb and flow of the sport.  The beauty of it is that you can always come back to it. 

This week, we'll have the traditional 2 mile time trial on Christmas Eve morning.  For those of you who want to race something shorter, we'll be doing a 600 time trial at Henderson on Christmas Eve also.  Warmup will start at 8:00 with the first heat starting around 8:35.

Tuesday's workout will be 8 x 400 w/200jr at 5k pace. 

Please fill out this training survey if you can.  It should take about 1:00. 

Also, sign up for Stanley's Dream.  It's a great, healthy way to start your year.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Kevin

Workouts this week

All,

I'm going to send out a survey next week about people's spring races.  

Here we go for this week:
Tue-Houston:  3 @ MP, 2 @ HMP, 1 @ 10k w/400jr
Others-6-8 x 800 w/400jr at 5k pace.

Fri-Houston-6 Mile Tempo (starting at MP and working down to HMP)
4 x 45s Hills 
Others- 12 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace

Sat-Houston-18 w/1.5 Miles @ MP at End 
Others-7-15 run how you feel.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Week of 12/6

All,

I hope everyone is doing well as the busyness of the holiday season begins. Carve time out of your schedule to stay active.  it will make things less stressful.  While doing that, remember that family comes first.  Just have some balance.

When I was first married(before we had kids), we would spend Christmas Eve at my wife's parents' house in Bala Cynwyd. Mike Halpern, you might remember him as Mike the Drummer from Brian's Run and other local race, found out that I was going to be near where he lived on Christmas.  He talked me into meeting him for a run at 6:30 on Christmas morning.  He was so wound up about it that he mapped out a course and ranked the 9 hills on the course.  Anyway, it was a great way to start the day and I was back before anyone else was up.  

Getting out to run on a holiday may seem maniacal to some, but it's a great way to detress and to get an edge on your opponents(whether that's a real person, father time or your waistline).

As some of you know, Danielle is running Houston in January.  I don't think anyone else is.  We'll have some workouts for her and will modify them so some people may be able to jump in and help her out.

Here are the workouts:
Tuesday-DB-4 x 2k at 10k pace with a 200 jr.  
Others-Either 3 x 2k or 2k, 1k, 2k with a 200jr at 10k pace.
Friday-1200 of tempo and then 8 x 300 w/80 wr, 20jr at Mile pace then 800 of tempo.
Saturday-DB 20 with 3 sets of 2 mile at MP-5, 1 mile of MP +30 starting at 10 miles.  Take water and gel at the end of the first mile of each pickup segment.
Others 8-15 with something similar to what Danielle is doing for a pickup.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Maintenance Time/Base Bulding

All,

Some more great racing on Thanksgiving.  There were a lot of people out. 

Here is what I would suggest for the next couple of weeks:

• Do some easy runs.  Start to build a base for the spring.
• Still keep a longish run on the weekend.
• Keep up with the workouts.  They won't be super intense but will get tough by the end.
• Have fun and keep things rolling. Some of you have some great momentum going.  Keep it going.

Weekend Wrapup

All,

Great job by the marathoners and 1/2 marathoners and the 5k runners on Thursday night.  We had a ton of PRs and great efforts at all 3 races. What perfect weather for the 1/2 and full!  Keep up the good work.  If you add great training to great weather, you're going to run fast. 

If you ran the 1/2 on Saturday, definitely come out and run a Turkey Trot.  Maybe, you'll take home a pie.  If you ran the full, just use the TT as a recovery run.  Celebrate the holiday with your friends.  There is no resting on your laurels.  It looks like we'll have 3500+ people between the 3 races.  

If you're racing, just come out on Tuesday and do 2 miles of tempo.  If you're not racing come out and do 12 1/2 laps at 5k pace.

See you on Thursday.

Kevin

Final preparations

All,

I hope everyone is feeling good going into the 1/2 and the marathon this weekend.  Also, I know some people are running the 5k on the track on Thursday night at Henderson.  All 3 should be good races,  Good luck to all.

Tuesday-3 x 1600 at MP to MP minus 5 w/100 jr for the marathoners and Thursday night 5k runners.  
               1/2 marathoners 3 x 1600 at 1/2 pace w/200jr.  The last one could be slightly faster.

Remember, you've put in all of the work, don't go crazy and leave your race in WC(unless you're racing on Thursday night).

If you're not racing Thursday and not racing this weekend, run a hard mile and 8 200s on Friday and 7 miles on Saturday.

Next week will just be a workout on Monday in preparation for a Turkey Trot. 

Also, Running of the Turkeys is on Sunday at 11am.  Race one mile while carrying a frozen turkey.  Registration is your Turkey and at KIldare's starting at 10.

Kevin

Rehoboth

All,

Good luck to the Rehoboth Marathoners who race this weekend.  Hopefully, it cools back down.

As the fall training winds down, what is your end of fall race/races going to be?  5k on the track(11/18), This Run's Personal(11/13), Turkey Trots, Philly 1/2 or full, Xmas Eve 2 miler?  Take advantage of your fitness and race.

Here is the training for the week:
Tue-Rehoboth 3 x 1600 w/100jr at MP.
        Philly Full and 1/2-6 x 1000 at 10k pace with a 200jr.
         5k-5 x 1000 at 5k pace w/a 400 jr.
Friday-5k-Mile at 3k pace, 600jr, 800(5k), 600(3k), 400(mile) all w/a 400jr, 3 x 200 w/200jr at 800 pace.

Saturday-Philly Full-13 w/3 at MP with 4 to go.
                Philly 1/2-10 w/3 at 1/2 pace with 4 to go.  
                5k-6-8 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Last week of training

All,

I hope you're having a good weekend.  This is the last hard training week for Philly marathoners and 1/2 marathoners.  Nice job by those who came out this morning.  The course was a little messy from the rain.  The common sentiment was that it was hard, as a race should be.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-Marathoners-6-8 x 1200 at 10k pace with a 200jr
               1/2-5-6 x 1200 at 10k pace with a 200jr
                5k-4 x 1200 at 10k pace with a 200jr

Friday-All-5 mile cutdown.  MP for the first mile and then 12-15 faster per mile after that. So, if MP is 7:00, it would go 7:00, 6:48, 6:36, 6:24, 6:12.  Try to do it properly, not to average that total pace.  
Saturday-Marathoners-13-15
                1/2-10-12
                 5k-6-10

Have a good week.

Kevin

Training 10/25

All,

The Philly 1/2 is 4 weeks from yesterday and the full is 4 weeks from today.  The last two weeks of hard training is coming up.

Tuesday-Marathoners-3 x 3200 w/400 jr at 10k pace.
              1/2-3200, 1600, 3200 w/400jr at 10 k pace.
               5k-2 x 3200 w/400jr at 10k pace.

Thursday-5k-8 x 400 w/200jr at 5k pace.

Sat-Marathoners-20-22 w/10 at MP starting with 11 to go.
       1/2 13 with 5 at MP or run the xc race on Sunday and get a 4 mile warmup and 6 mile cool down.

Sun-5k XC Race at DTW.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Marathon Wrap Up

All,

Tough weather for marathoning last weekend.  We had some solid, tough performances.  At the end of the day, committing yourself to the training and hanging in there on a tough day are pretty valuable.  If you don't have a great day, be bummed out for a couple of hours and then move on to the next challenge.  

Speaking of the next challenge, we're putting on the District 1 JV XC Champs at DTW on October 31 and have an open race at 8:30am.  Running XC is good for what ails you and the course is great.  It's flat and fast and a great spectator course.  It's going to become the Henderson track of loacl XC.  Here is the registration link.  

I think that one thing that we're not doing enough of is racing.  We get into a race and forget how it feels.  It's hard to suffer that much in training.

I wanted to start highlighting some of our great sponsors. We want them to get some return on their investment.

The first is Dan Zajac and the Zajac Group.  Dan is a dedicated member of the Wednesday Knights and the Tuesday Morning Group.  He just ran 3:05 on Monday at Boston.  He has sponsored the West Chester Mile since the 2nd year.  Dan's Company specializes in wealth management and equity compensation.  He's also got a great blog.  Check out and the site and see what you think.  He'd love to help you out.  

This is week 10 of Philly Training.  It's getting to be crunch time.  If you ran Broad Street, no need to do Friday's Tempo.

Tuesday-Mar-6 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr
               1/2-5-6 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr
                5k-3-4 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr
Friday-Mar-10 mile tempo run
            1/2-6 mile tempo run
              5k-2 mile tempo run, 400 jr, 800 at 3k pace, 400jr, 600 at mile pace, 400jr, 400 at 800 pace, 400jr, 200 at 400 pace.
Saturday-Mar-13 miles
                1/2 10 miles
                 5k-6-9 miles

Have a good week.

Kevin

Marathon Results

All,

I haven't seen all of the results from this weekend's marathons, but we had some disappointing results early.  The good news is you got to run a big city, marathon.  The bad news is that it's a little warmer than what is preferable.  The marathon is a tricky bed fellow.  If one thing goes wrong, you can be in trouble and then it's a long way home.  Win or lose, enjoy the ride and have a cold beverage or two.  You earned it.

We had some nice Broad Street results.  Mark and Elliot both dropped huge 4:00+ PRs.  Good job by them or anyone else who ran well there.  We worked out yesterday morning.  It would have been a good time to race.

Here is the workout schedule for the week.  If you ran Broad Street, you should wait to workout until Saturday.
Tuesday-3-5 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr.
Friday-1200 of tempo and then 8 x 400 w/400 jr at mile pace.
Sat-Philly 1/2-12 with 10 and 11 at 1/2 pace
Shorter crew-6-10.
Philly Full-16-18 w/4 at MP starting with 5 to go.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Race Time

All,

I hope everyone is feeling good.  Keep a positive mental outlook going into your races.  A lot of self talk goes on this week.  Just think about the things that you can control like your fitness, your nutrition and your rest.  It's going to be a great weekend of racing.

Here is the training for this week:
Tuesday-Marathoners-3 x 1600 w/100jr at MP +5, MP, MP-5.  Take fluids and a gel during the workout(not on the jog).  
Others 6-8 x 800m w/400jr at 5k pace.
Friday-Sunday marathoners-4 miles with the middle 2 at mp.
1/2 4 mile tempo run
5k-2 miles of tempo and then 5 x 300 w/500jr at mile pace or slightly faster.
Saturday-Boston crew-4 miles with middle 2 at mp.
1/2-15-20(I always liked to get in 1-2 20 milers before a 1/2 when I was super fit) with the last couple of miles moving.  Play that by feel.
Sunday marathoners-2 miles easy.
5k-6-12 miles.
Sunday-Racers-Run smart, follow your race plan and have fun.
Monday-Boston crew.  Be smart, enjoy the first 1/2 and then get after it.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Kevin

Taper Time

All,

It looks like a great week to train.  Enjoy the weather.  I hope everyone is staying healthy.  Make sure you practice taking fluids and nutrition during Tuesday's workout and Saturday's workout.

For your planning purposes, we're having a 5k on the track under the lights on Thursday, November 18.  Here is the entry link.

Here are the week's workouts:
Tuesday-Everyone 6 x 1000m at 10k pace w/200jr.

Friday-Milers/5k people.  800 of tempo and then 5 x 600 w/400jr at 3k pace.

Saturday-Marathoners/1/2 marathoners-13 w/3 at mp at 9 miles.
 5k/milers 6-10 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin 

WK of 9/20

All,

Great job by everyone who ran the Philly Distance Run today.  Nice morning for it.  It's good to see it back to being PDR.

The Boston and Chicago training is winding down.  Philly 1/2 and full are ramping up.

Here is the training for the week:
Tue-Mar and 1/2-6-8 x 1200 w/200 jr at 10k pace.
5k/mile crew-4-5 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace.

Fri-All cutdown 5 miler.  Start at marathon pace and take off 7 seconds per mile.  It's a fun wo on the track.

Sat-Mar-15 easy
       1/2  10-12
       5k/mi-6-8

Have a great week.

Kevin

Weather

All,

I heard we had some nice tempo runs on Friday.  The weather broke just in time for that.  It's back to being humid this week which is not a bad thing as long as it breaks for marathons.  It's like altitude training.  You train with less oxygen in the air.  Then you come down from altitude to race. The humidity is the same concept except we have less control over it.  

Anyway, this is just my way of saying to get ready for a humid week.

Here are the workouts:
Tue- Mar-3 x 3200 w/400jr at 10k pace.
1/2 2 x 3200 w/400jr at 10k pace
5k/milers-2 x 3200 at 10k pace w/400jr
PDR runners-taper wo 5 x 1k w/200jr at 1/2 marathon pace.

Fri-5k/milers  3 x 3 x 400 w/100jr after each one and a 600jr after each set at 3k pace.

Sat-Mar-20-22 w/10 at Mp starting with 11 miles to go.
1/2 mar-13-18 w/6-8 at MP starting w7-9 miles to go.
5k/milers 6-10.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Happy Labor Day

All,

I hope everyone is having a great long weekend.  This is a big week for the Chicago and Boston crew.  Sad to hear about Steamtown getting cancelled.

Tuesday
All 5-6 x 1000 at 10k pace with a 200jr

Friday-Marathoners-10 miles of tempo.  Have a good target in mind going into the run.
Philly 1/2 4 miles of tempo.
5k/Milers  3 miles of tempo plus 4 x 300 at 5k pace w/100jr

Saturday-Marathoners-13
philly 1/2 8-10
5k/milers-6-8

Have a great week.

Kevin

Back to School

All,

Another Back to School starts tomorrow for a lot of us.  I'm always excited to start the new year.  Also, a little anxious as you have to get to know 140+ new kids.  It's also a chance for the teachers in this group to, hopefully, make a lasting impression on a new group of students.  It also means that the end of the heat is near(but not quite near enough for some of us).  

Personally, as the girls enter their senior year in high school, it will be our last in person back to school picture.  I'm tearing up just thinking about it.  I'm sure you'll be able to check it out on Ann's social media sites and, maybe, on mine also.

Enjoy the new beginning that going back to school brings.  I hope you and your kids have a great first day.  

Here is the workouts for the week:
Wow.  It's already week 9 of the Boston/Chicago/Steamtown training.
Tue Marathoners- 3 x 2400 w/400jr.  1st at tempo, 2nd at 10k, 3rd at 5k. This will be hard to get through if the first one is faster then tempo. Let's bring some water to practice taking during the first two.  The wooden scorers tables are out now.  Use them.

Philly 1/2 2 x 2400(first 2)
5k/milers 2 x 2400(1 and 3)
Friday-Marathoners and 1/2 marathoners easy.
5k/milers 1200 of tempo and then 8 x 300 w/300 jr at mile pace.

Saturday-Marathoners- 18-20 w/ 3 x 3 miles at MP w/a 400 recovery at easy run pace starting at 7-8 miles.
Philly 1/2 12-15 w/ 2 x 3 miles at MP w/a 400 jr starting at 7-8.
5k/milers 7-11 miles.

Sunday- 5k/milers 8 x100 w/300jr quick with good form.

Have a great week.

Kevin

WK of 8/23

All,

I hope everyone is getting through the humidity.  It's been a rough patch.  We had some nice performances at Daybreak on Saturday.  It was a fun crowd.

Sorry for getting this posted a little late.
Tue
Marathoners:  3200(tempo), 2400(10k), 1600(5k), 800(3k) all with a 400jr
1/2-3200(tempo), 2400(10k) w/400 jr
5k/milers-3200(tempo), 1600(5k) w/400jr

Friday-Mar-6 miles of tempo
            1/2  3-4 miles of tempo
            5k/milers-2-3 miles of tempo, 400jr and then 3 x 200 w/200 jr  at mile, 800, 400 pace.

Sat-Mar-11-13
       1/2   8-11
        5k/milers-6-9

Have a good week.

Kevin

Last Daybreak

All,

Great job by those who ran and attended Thursday's mile.  It was a lot of fun.  We had some nice races from this group.  Special thanks to all who sponsored.  Without you, there would be no WC Mile.  It's the site of at least the 10 fastest miles in Chesco history.  I'm going to put out something about the sponsors next week.  

This Saturday, we have the last of the Daybreak Races.  We thought it was a great idea.  It's Saturday morning at 6AM.  The course is definitely fast.
End of Summer Daybreak Registration.   We hope to see you out there.

Here is the training.  The 12 week cycle to the Philly 1/2 starts this week.  I'll try to note the changes with PH.  We'll just modify the workouts so you're doing similar workouts as the Boston/Chicago crew.

Milers-Recovery week.
Tuesday-2400 of tempo, 1600 of 10k pace with a 200 jr and then 4 x 150 w/250 jog recovery.
Friday-Pre race.
Saturday-Daybreak 5k.  2 mile wu, 2 mile cd.

Marathoners-
Tue-5 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr(PH-4)
Saturday-18-20 with 3 x 2 miles at MP w/1:00 jr starting around 12.  If you're doing Daybreak as part of it, do a 5 mile warmup and then Daybreak, 5:00 rest and then 6-7 miles easy then 2 mile, 1 mile at MP with a 1:00 rest.  If you do a longer warmup, run less in the middle.  PH-13 w/3 at mp(or race).

Have a good week.

Kevin

The Mile is here!!!

All,

The mile is finally here.  I hope to see all of you out there on Thursday.  Some great races are shaping up.  The weather looks warm but fast.  If you watched the Olympics, you saw that milers can run fast when it's hot.  So, let's get after it.  Here is the link to the meet page.  Brian McFadden is hosting the post-race barbecue at the Marquee(the Hotel Warner's Bar).  We'll have hot dogs and hamburgers and a cash bar.  The whole night should be a blast.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Marathoners:
Tuesday-1000(10k pace), 600(5k pace) x 4 with a 200 jr after the 1000s and a 400 jr after the 600s.
Thursday-Run the mile hard, rest for 10:00 and then do 3 miles of tempo(Fern Hill Loop)
or
Friday-5 miles of tempo.
Saturday-13 miles.

Milers-
Monday-off
Tuesday-30-40:00 easy
Wednesday-Premeet-20:00 wu and then 6-8 x striders.  5:00 cool down.
Thursday-Race
Saturday-7 and we'll talk about what's up next.

See you on Thursday.

Kevin

Racing

All,

I talked to some people this week about how important racing is to complement your training, especially if you're training for a big race.  You have to prepare for the nervousness and pre race anxiety that happens in races but doesn't happen in training.  Nothing prepares you to race like racing.  Also, while it's possible, it's hard to push yourself as hard in training as you do when you race. 

The one issue with racing is finding good races.  Luckily, we've had some great racing opportunities here.  Some of you have taken advantage of that and it's paying off with confidence and nice performances. 

I would strongly recommend that the marathon crew race the mile on August 12.  Now, you're not going to peak for it like the milers will be doing.  You might say, "why race a mile when I'm training for a marathon?"  Along with the reasons above, racing a mile really hones your racing instincts.  It forces you to be competitive.  Seed yourself accordingly and get out there.

Here is the week's training:
Marathoners(week 5)-we'll add some Broad Street specific workouts next week.
Tuesday-5 x 1200 at 10k pace with a 200jr.
Fri-No workout-easy hour
Sat-16-18 miles with 5 at marathon pace starting at 6 miles before you finish.

Milers-Tuesday is a big workout 9 days out from the race.  Don't do anything extra the rest of the time.  You can cut your other runs by 70% and keep your days off where they are.
Tuesday-1200 of tempo, spike up, 1000m at mile pace, 6:00 rest 400, 300, 200, 100 at 800 pace with a 2:30 jog recovery.
Fri-800 of tempo and then 3 x 3 x 200 at mile pace(should feel pretty comfortable-don't run faster).
Sat-6 miles(no more)
Sun-Good warmup  6 x 150 w/250 jr.  Take them as sets of two.  1st two-quick, 2nd 2 a little quicker, last 2 fast but relaxed.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Week of 7/26

All,

We're already on Week 4 of Boston, Chicago, Steamtown(and mix in Broad Street-just adjust down a little).  WC Mile only 2 1/2 weeks away.  It's coming up quick.  We had some nice running at the all comers meet on Thursday from Eric, John and Maddy and then a nice PR from Mark at the Daybreak race on Saturday morning.  Let's keep it rolling as the humidity slips back into town.

Here is the workout schedule this week:
Marathoners-wk 4
Tuesday-2400 at tempo pace and then 800 at 5k pace x 2 with a 200 jr after the 2400 and a 400 jr after each set.  That's a big drop in pace from the 2400 to the 800.  
Friday- 4 miles of tempo.
Saturday-13 miles

Milers-
Tuesday-1600 of tempo, 600 at 3k pace x 3 with a 200jr after the 1600 and a 400 after each set.  Some of you may just want to do 2 sets.
Friday-1200 of tempo and then 4 x 400 w/a 400 jr at 800 pace.
Sat-6-7 miles.
Sun-8 x 80 w/320jr.  Make them quick but focus on good form.

Have a great week.

Kevin

Races this week

All,

Great job by Maddy this morning at the Summer Meet at Penn.  She took third in the women's mile in 4:55.  The winner was Olympian Ajee Wilson.

We have 2 good racing options this week in West Chester:
1-All Comers Track meet at Henderson on Thursday, 7/22 starting at 5:45pm.  Meet info here.  This is a great opportunity to run fast and take advantage of all of the workouts you've been doing.  I'll build it into the week's training for the milers.  
2-Mid-Summer Daybreak-This is a great way to beat the heat.  I'll incorporate it as an option for the marathoners. It's Saturday morning at 5:50am.   Race info here.  

Workouts for the week:
Marathoners(week 3 of the training program).
Tuesday-3 x 2000m at 10k pace w/200jr
Saturday-16-18 w/4 at MP or 5 mile warmup, Race the 5k, and 8-10 mile cool down.

Milers:
Tuesday-2 miles of tempo.  Should feel pretty easy.
Wed-Pre meet-35:00 w/6-8 x striders.
Thursday-Race 800, race 400, run the 3k as a tempo effort.  Enter all 3.  Really get after it in the 800.
Sat-6-8 miles.
Sun-6 x 150 w/250jr.

Have a good week.

Kevin

All Comers Meet

All,

Another tough week of humidity.  It will feel great once we get to some nice fall days.  As you know, we have the All Comers at Henderson on Thursday, August 22 in the evening at Henderson.  If you're running the WC Mile on August 12, you should enter the 800, 400 and 3000.  The 800 will be a race.  You'll run the 400 hard and then the 3k will be a build to tempo effort in training shoes.  The meet is pay per athlete, not per event so it's the same cost if you do one event or multiple events.  I can talk to you individually about pace for the 3k. 

Here is the meet registration link:  Henderson Open Track Meet.  Try to get entered soon so we can start adjusting the time schedule as need.  

Remember, we also have the next Daybreak 5k on the 24th.  This would be a good opportunity for the longer racers to really test their fitness.

Here is the week's training:
Milers:
Tue-600, 200 x 5 w/the 600 at mile pace and the 200 at 800 pace, 200 jr after the 600 and a 600 jr after the 200.  Really try to change pace in the 200s.
Fri-300, 200 x 4 w/the 300s at 800 pace and the 200s at 800 pace minus 2-3 seconds.  100 wr, 100 jr after the 300s and a 3:00 recovery between sets.
Sat-7-10 miles.
Sun-8 x 100 w/300jr.

Long crew-Week 2 of the Boston/Chicago/Steamtown Training.  Others can adjust the mileage down accordingly.
Tuesday-6 x 1000 at 5k pace w/400 jr.
Friday-3 mile tempo run(preferably on the roads).
Saturday-13.

Have a good week.  I'll see you out there.

Kevin

Summer Events/Fall training

All,

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend.  We have some great events coming up over the next 6 weeks to help eliminate to doldrums of summer training.  Let's take advantage of them.

1- All Comers meet at Henderson on July 22.  It's set up so that if you're racing the WC mile, you would race the 800 and 400 here.  Meet details.

2-Mid Summer Day Break.  Beat the heat and get after it on this very fair course.  Details here.

3-Asics' Chester County XC Camp.  This is the 18th year of one of the premier xc camps in the State.  More state champions have attended this camp then any other.  It's a great training and learning week.  Details here.

4-Hotel Warner WC Mile presented by CTDI on August 12.  Thanks to this group, we have almost $7k in prize money.  This might be our best event.  The track is smoking fast(We had 3 state records set on the track this spring).  Sign up now.

5-End of Summer Daybreak-  August 21 in the AM.  Details.

I just finished the Fall Marathon Plan.  I did things a little differently this year.  I set it up based on the week of the program.  It's 14 weeks, 12 training weeks and a 2 week taper.  You can apply it to whatever marathon or 1/2 you're doing in the fall.  Just plug in the week starting whenever for week number 1, etc.  In the blog, the weekly workouts will be for Boston first and then for Philly.  I'm also putting the whole thing out there for you to check out.  Any good plan may have to be adjusted as you go.  Feel free to ask questions.  Here it is.  If you're doing a later fall marathon, just jump in the group that fits your training.

I would ask this.  If you're following a completely different program, do it on your time.  We have some great groups continuing to train well with what has worked well over the years.  Let's keep the integrity of the group strong. 

Training for the week.  5 weeks until the Mile and 14 weeks until Boston.
Milers: Tuesday  6 x 800 at 5k pace w/1 400jr
            Friday     800 of tempo.  5 x 600 at mile pace with a 400jr.  
            Saturday  7-8 miles
            Sunday   8 x 80m with a 320 jr.
Long Group:  Tuesday  8 x 800 @10k pace with a 200jr
                       Fri-Easy run
                       Sat-14-16 with 3 miles at MP starting with 4 miles to go.

I've enjoyed seeing people at the track on Tuesday again.  Keep up the good work.

Kevin

Olympic Trials

All,

Hopefully, you've been catching the Trials this week.  There have been some great races.  It's very inspirational.  Go back and watch some of the races. You'll be glad you did. 

They did postpone tonight's races for 5 hours due to the heat.  Track temps are 140+.  That's dangerous. That heat is coming our way(although it won't be that bad).

Here is the week's training:
Milers-Tuesday-10 x 400 w/a 300jr at Mile pace.
            Friday-800 of tempo, then 4 x 3 x 200 w/100jr and 800 jr between sets at 800 pace -1.  So, if you're in 2:10 800 shape, your 200s would be in 31.5.  The 100 jr should take the same amount of time as the 200.  
            Saturday 7-8 miles
             Sunday-6 x 150 w/250 jr.  Smooth but fast.
Be smart about your training.  The Sunday workout might be too much for some of you.

Distance crew:  
Tuesday-1600(tempo), 3200(10k), 800(5k) all with a 400jr
Friday-3 miles of Tempo-Fern hill loop+.
Saturday-12-15 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Thanks

All,

Thanks for all of those who are supporting the Hotel Warner WC Mile through your donations.  It's really appreciated.  It's going to be a great event.

Even though the Boston Training isn't starting quite yet, I am going to start giving 2 options for workouts.  If you're in a good training group, I would try to keep it together as much as possible.  

BTW, hot one this morning.  i can feel the RBCs building up.

Workouts for the week:
Tue-Shorter-1200 of tempo, then 600, 400, 300 x 3 w/200 jr and a 700 jr between sets.  600s at mile pace, 400s at 800 pace, 300s a little faster than 800 pace.
Longer-4 x 1600 at 10k pace w/200jr

Friday-Shorter  Mile of tempo and then 8 x 300 w/80wr, 20 jr at Mile pace down to 800 pace for the last 2.
Longer-2 miles of tempo and then 6 x 300 w/100jr at 5k pace.

Sat-7-13 miles.

Sun-Shorter-6 x 150 w/250jr.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Upcoming Training

All,

I hope everyone is having a good week.  As we start to get into the summer, I wanted to let you where our training focus might be.  The way I see it, we have 3 groups.  There may be some overlap between groups.
1-Hotel Warner WC Mile.  This race is on August 12 and will be outstanding as always.
2-Fall marathon and 1/2 marathon groups.  I think Boston is October 11.  Chicago is probably the following week and Philly is the weekend of November 20th.
3-No racing.  Just training.
Groups 1 and 2 will have a specific workout plan starting next week.  Group 3 can pick and choose.

Here is this week's training:
Tuesday-1600(5k pace), 800(3k), 400(mile), 800(3k), 1600(5k) all with a 400jr.
Friday-400, 200 x 5 with a 100jr between each one and a 700 jr between sets at 800 pace.
Saturday-7-12.  If no workout on Friday, throw in 2 miles of tempo during your long run.
Sunday-milers-8 x 100 w/300jr/

Have a good week.

Kevin

No track this Tuesday

All,

Great job at the John Hay PA Distance Festival on Friday.  It was nice to see Maddy and Jeff break 5:00 and a bunch of other great performances.  The meet featured the breaking of the state Mile and 1600 state records by Archbishop Wood junior Gary Martin.  The mile record was from 1982 and the 1600 from 1987.  Here are race videos and some interviews.  Those records were the 5th and 6th state records set at Henderson.  I can't think of another high school track that has more.  I'll have to do some research over the summer.

We have graduation on Tuesday so the administration asked me to ask the group to not workout on the track this Tuesday.  They allow us to do a lot so I'd appreciate it if you don't go to the track this Tuesday.  We'll be back for Friday.

Here are the week's workouts:
Tuesday-On the roads.  8 x 2:00 at 5k pace with a 2:00 jog recovery.

Friday-3 x 3 x 400 w/200 jr and an 800 between sets at mile pace.

Saturday 7-11

Sunday-8 x 100 w/300jr.

I think we're going to have an open track meet on June 24.

See you soon.

Kevin

Tomorrow's workout.

All,

The John Hay Pa Distance Festival is really shaping up nicely.  We're at 335 entries(the record for this meet is 347).  There are going to some really good races.  This group will have some great representation.  This is one of the fruits are your track labors over the last year.  Let's get after it!!

PADF Meet Info

Make sure you enter on Milesplit and pay on RSU(or you can pay on Friday at the meet).

Here is the training schedule for the week:
Tue-If you're racing the 800 on Friday-8 x 300 w/300 jr at mile pace.
        If you're racing the mile on Friday-5 x 600 w/400 jr at 3k pace.
        If you're racing the 3k/5k on Friday-4 x 1000 w/400jr at 10k pace.  The last can be a little drop down to 5k pace.

Thursday-Pre meet.  Warmup and then do 6-8 striders.
Friday-Race
Saturday-Easy recovery run.

See you on Friday.

Kevin

Distance Festival

All,

I heard about some great 1200s on Friday. That's a great tune up for the Distance Festival on June 4.  Details are here.
We'll set the workouts up to have you ready to run fast.  Then, we'll have a couple of Daybreak 5ks over the summer and definitely the WC Mile in August.  I also heard that the Philly Marathon is on.  I'm sure we'll have a group getting ready for that.

We saw some great running at the District 1 Track Championships this weekend and look forward to some more great efforts at the State Champs at Shippensburg next weekend.  It should be a lot of fun.

Here is the training schedule:

Tue 3 x 1600 w/a 400 jr.  Each one broken down this way.  1st 400 at mile pace, next 800 at tempo, last 400 at 3k pace.

Friday-3 x 5 x 200 w/100jr and 5:00 between sets at the following paces.  1st set at mile pace plus 1 second per 200.  So, if you're in 5:00 shape, run them in 38.5.  2nd set at mile pace.  3rd set at mile pace minus 1.  So, a 5:00 miler would run that set in 36.5.  The key to this workout is the 100 jog.  It should take the amount of time it takes you to run the 200.  So, for a 5:00 miler, the recovery jog should be 36-38 seconds.  Don't lag on the recovery.

Sat-7-10 miles.

Sun-6 x 150 w/250 jr.  

Keep up the good work.

Kevin

Training 5/17

All,

I hope everyone is feeling good.  Looks like we're going to get some warm weather at the end of the week.  Embrace it for what it is.  

Remember, the John Hay PA Distance Festival is June 4 at Henderson.  It's going to be a blast.  

With that in mind, here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-1600(tempo), 1200(10k), 1000(5k), 600(3k), 400(mile), 300(800), 200(400) all with a 400 jr.  (= the pace).  For example, the 1000 is at 5k pace.  Hit your paces early.

Friday-800 of tempo.  Spike up.  1200m time trial.  Get dialed into what your mile pace would be and run 1-2 seconds faster per lap.  Take 8:00 rest and then do 6 x 200 w/200 jr at Mile pace or slightly faster.

Saturday-7-12 miles.

Sunday-6 x 150 w/250 JR.

Have a great week!

Kevin

MD 5k

All,

There is a new Mother's Day race in town, Mom, This Run's for You at Rustin on Sunday morning.  It's a great way to start your day.  Here is the registration link.  You have a 5k or 5 mile option.  Our own Jeff Long is running the race.

Here is the PADF Link.  Get signing up.  It's going to be a blast.

The 16th Annual Hendy Invite is Friday and Saturday.  Check out the Livestream on Instagram @Hendytrackxc.
There will be some great races.

Here is the training plan for the week.  
Tuesday-3-4 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr.
Friday-Long group 4 miles of tempo.
            Short group-Mile of tempo, change into spikes, 3 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace.  2:00 rest.  1 x 600 fast. 3 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace.  change out of spikes.  Mile of tempo.
Saturday-7-14.  
Sunday- 8 x 100 w/300 jr.  Quick.

Good luck to Mark at the Lewes 1/2 on Saturday.


Kevin

Hang in there!

All,

Let's keep up the good work.  We have some great groups working hard.  I know there have been some setbacks with Covid.  Make good choices and be smart.  It looks like there may be some real races coming up,  Put June 4 on your calendars for the PA Distance Festival.  You can go 800, mile or 5k. It's a Friday night at Henderson.

PA Distance Festival Information Link.

Here are the workouts for the week:
Tuesday-4 x 1200 w/400jr at 5k pace.

Friday-Either mile of tempo, 400jr and then 3 x 3 x 300 at mile pace with a 100jr and a 500 jr between sets.
Or, 4 mile tempo run.

Saturday-7-15 miles.

Sunday-8 x 100 w/300jr.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Late Workout

All,

Sorry for the delay with this.

Tuesday-2 miles of tempo, 400 jr, 1600 at 10k pace, 200 jr, 800 at 5k pace

Friday-1200 of tempo, then 6 x 500 w/300jr at Mile pace.

Saturday-7-14 depending on your fitness.

Sunday-6 x150 w/250 jr.  Get going petty quickly by the end.

Have a good week.

Kevin

WO week of 4/12

All,

We had some really nice performances at the April Daybreak.  Nice win by Andy Evans.  Also, I forgot to mention, nice PR by him in 1/2 2 weeks ago.  He's on fire.  He's not the only one in that group running well.  It just goes to show you that if you stay healthy and do the training, you'll run fast.  Let's keep the workouts rolling.

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-1600, 2400, 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr.
Friday-2400 of tempo, 400jr, then 3 x 3 x 200 at 800 pace w/ a 200jr and an 800 jr between sets.
Saturday-8-13 depending on what you're raining for.
Sunday-Shorter trainers-8 x 150 w/250 jr.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Happy Easter

All,

I hope everyone had a good holiday and is being smart and staying healthy.  With the numbers going back up, we can't let our guard down.  Don't over expand your group too quickly. Hopefully, as more and more people get vaccinated, the numbers will head back down.

Anyway, enjoy the great weather this week.  It looks like we have some really nice days coming up.

We have our 2nd Daybreak of the spring this Saturday.  The weather looks awesome to race.  Mid to upper 40s at the start with little or no wind.  There is not many better feelings then to go out and really test yourself in a race.  However, you do, the satisfaction of competing and doing your best feels great.  Here is the race link.

Training this week:
Tuesday-5-7 x1000m w/200m jr at 5k pace.  This is a great workout to build into.
Fri-If racing, good warmup and then 8 x striders.
If not racing, 2 miles of tempo and then 600(3k), 400(mile), 200(800) x 2 with a 200 jr after each one and a 400jr between sets.
Sat-Race or 7-13 miles.
Sun-8 x 100 w/300jr.

See you soon.

Kevin

 

Spring

Runners,

What a great day for a race last Saturday in the first Daybreak race of the year.  We had a bunch of PRs and some really good efforts. The next Daybreak is April 10.  Put it on your calendar.

With spring, we have some unsettled weather.  We have a 60 degree day tomorrow and then a chance of snow on Thursday morning.  Crazy, but it's the ebb and flow of weather in the Northeast.  Take advantage of the good days and muddle through the bad days.

Here is the week's schedule:
Tuesday-1200 of tempo, 400jr, 1600 fast, 600 jr, then 4 x 600 w/200jr at 5k pace.
Friday-2 miles of tempo 400jr then 6 x 300 w/300 jr at mile pace.
Saturday-7-14 miles depending what you're shooting for this spring.
Sunday-Short racers-8 x 100 w/300 jr.  Pretty quick.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Daybreak is back!!

All,

We're back to racing.  We'll have a Daybreak 5k this Saturday starting at 6:45.  Register here.  The weather looks great.  Let's get after it.  It's been awhile since most of you have raced.

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-5-8 x 1000 w/a 200jr at 10k pace
Friday-Pre meet or 3 miles of tempo.
Saturday-Race, or 10-12 miles, or 5 mile warmup, race and then 2-4 mile cooldown.  
Sunday-Good warmup and then 6 x 150 with a 250 jog recovery, pretty quick.

Have a good week.

Kevin

HMD

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there.  I hope you had a great day.

What a weekend!  We had the deepest boys' 3200 in PA history and one of the best girls 3200s also(I think the top 8 girls broke their school records.  The boys race featured the all time state record, the all time state #3 and #5 and #6.  It was great running on your track.  

We also had a nice turnout at the MD Race at Rustin this morning.  They had about 250 total with some nice performances.

Let's continue to get after it.

Tuesday-6-8 x 800 w/400jr at 5k pace.

Friday-Mile of tempo and then 3 x 3 x 300 at mile pace with a 300 jr and then an 800 jr after each set.

Saturday-7-12 miles.

Sun-8 x150 w/250jr

Have a great week.

Kevin 

Teaser

All,

What a great week of weather.  It was great to get out and really sweat.  Unfortunately, we're back to real March weather this week.  Tomorrow morning at 7, the real feel is 5.  Hang in there.  I think next week looks pretty good.  The group has some good momentum going.  Let's keep it up.

Look for a Daybreak 5k coming up soon. Maybe, March 27.  We need something.

Here is the week's training schedule:
Tuesday- 8 x 600 with a 200jr at 5k pace.
Friday-Longer race people.  3.5 miles of tempo
Shorter race people.  Mile of tempo and then 5 x 500 w/200jr at Mile pace.
Saturday-Longer-9-13 miles.
Shorter-7-8 miles.
Sunday-Shorter crew-8 x 100 w/300 jr.  Pretty fast.  Concentrate on good form.

See you out there.

Kevin

PB Champs

All,

We had some nice racing on Friday and Saturday.  Despite wind chills in the teens and low 2s on Friday night and Saturday, we had some great performances.  This group had a nice run on Saturday morning before the meet in the mile.  When I left the house, I thought it was going to be 3-4 people and 8 ended up running.  I'll put those results in here on Monday or Tuesday.  Great job by those who got out there and got after it.  My question backs up Mark's thoughts, why weren't more people racing?  We'll never know.

Anyway, keep working hard and getting out there. I heard we had a nice crowd on Tuesday.  Let's still be smart about things.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:

Tuesday-8-12 x 400 with a 100jr at 5k pace.  Keep the recovery honest(the 100jr should be 35-45 seconds).  Don't go out too fast.  With 4-5 people in a group, this workout will fly by.  Take turns leading and don't panic on the lead.

Friday-Mile of tempo and then 8 x 300 w/300 jr at 800 pace.  So, about your mile pace minus :25-30.  So, if you are in 5:16 mile, you're probably in 2:23-2:25 800 shape so your 300s would be in 54. That's a little conservative so start at 54 and work down to 52.

Saturday-Depending on what you're training for 8-14.  

Let's look at a 5k on the track on April 17.  Let me know what you think about that.

PB Open Mile Results:
1. M. Evans       5:16.1
1. L. Peacock     5:16.1
3. J. Manion       5:19.5
4. J. Long          5:20.9
5. M. McCaffrey  5:33.2
6. B. Forgue       5:43.8
7. S. McCaffrey  5:46.9
8.  J. Rotramel   5:59.1

Kevin

Race

All,

We have an opportunity to race a mile this Saturday morning before the Polar Bear Champs.  We'll have a couple of heats starting between 7:15 and 7:30(depending on the turnout).  I'll send an email with details soon, but it will be fun to really race again.  We'll keep the heats small and everyone will have to be gone by 8:00 when people start showing up for the meet.

More racing info for the spring will be coming up soon.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday(the track is finally clear) 3 -4 x 1600 w/a 200jr at 10k pace.
Friday-If racing on Saturday, good warmup and then 8 x striders.  
            If not racing on Saturday, mile of tempo and then 12 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace.
Saturdays-Milers-Race and then run 6 x 200 w/200jr
Others-12-15 miles
Sunday-Milers-7-10 easy.

Have a good week.

Kevin

This winter

All,

This winter officially sucks! Give me a break with all of the snow.  

The good news is that it looks like we might see the track by Friday.  I'm going to put a track workout in just in case.  We had two lanes clear on Wednesday afternoon and now we're back to ground zero.  We did have a Polar Bear Parking Lot meet on Saturday.  It was quite interesting.

Here are the workouts:
Tuesday-Biddle street hills x 8-10 or good warmup and then 3 miles of tempo.  Be careful out there.

Friday-Mile of tempo, then 3 sets of 4 x 300 w/a 200 jr and 5:00 between sets.  1st set at 5k pace, 2nd set at 3k pace, 3rd set at mile pace.

Saturday-10-12 miles.

Be smart.

Kevin

Workouts 2/15

All,

Sorry for the lateness of this.

Tuesday-8-10 x Biddle hills or,
                Ladder workout in minutes, all with a 2:00 recovery at 5k pace, 1,2,3,4,4,3,2,1.  That's 20:00 of hard running.

Friday-2 miles of tempo and and then 8 x :45 with 1:15 recovery at 3k pace.

Sat-10-12 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Hidden Gems

All,

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.  So, we go 2 years with almost no snow.  The year that we're stuck in a pandemic, they're calling for snow every couple of days.  I've had enough.  Give me some rain and sun to get some melting going.

With that being said, I have a couple of new workout places.  
1-I drove Rylee to swim practice at the Y on Tuesday and decided to run in the parking lot at WCE.  It wasn't bad.  The loop is a little less than a mile.  There is plenty of parking if you're gone before school starts.  It's East, but it's not terrible.  
2-We came up with a little workout loop in the parking lot at Henderson.  You start at spot 234 and head north towards the Lincoln exit.  Stay to the right of the speed bumps.  Do the jug handle around the tennis court parking area and then head south keeping to the right of the speed bump to the end of that row.  It's almost exactly a 1/4 mile.  

The beauty of both spots is that you don't have to worry about traffic. Looks like the tracks will be covered for at least 2 more weeks.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Hills 8-10 x biddle.  Be smart with traffic.
Non Hills-12;00, 6:00, 4:00, 2:00 at 10k pace with a 1:30 jog recovery.

Friday-Mile of tempo and then 15 x :30 with 1:00 jr at 3k pace.  

Saturday-10-14 with 3 miles at MP with 4 miles to go.

Stay well.

Kevin

Snow Day

All,

Enjoy the snow day tomorrow.  As much as I'll enjoy the day with the girls and Bode, I really hate the snow at this point.  It makes training more dangerous and the clean up is no fun.  

We had a nice meet at Henderson on Saturday.  You know it's a strange year when it's 25, and you're like, "Wow! It's so much nicer than last week!"  And it was.  We're working on something for the group on the track for March 6.  Let's keep our fingers crossed.

With the snow day, you have a little time for reflection.  We're a month into the year.  It's a good time to evaluate where you are and set some goals for the year.  At my age, I just want to stay healthy.  But, I also feel that I was on my way to getting fit in the fall when I tweaked my hamstring.  I still feel like I can get down close to 18:00.  Even if it's just Mogck and I hitting the track some Saturday morning.  We'll see how things shake out.  I will say that I'm a long way from there right now.  

It looks like no track and some icy hills on Tuesday.  Here is what I'll suggest:
Monday and Tuesday-Run easy, indoors or take off.   While I love a good snow run, it's not worth getting injured over.  
Friday-On the roads, good warmup and then 1 mile of tempo and then 12 x 1:00 at 5k pace with a 1:00 jr.
Saturday-8-12 miles with 2 miles of tempo ending with a mile to go.  

Hopefully, we're finished with the snow and can get back to normal training next week.

Polar Bear Races

All,

We had our first Polar Bear meet on Saturday at Henderson.  It was true to polar Bear weather.  It was good for the kids to deal with the anxiety of racing.  We hope to be able to offer a couple of open races.  We'll see what the District allows.

I hear the workouts are going great.  Keep up the good work.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-16 x 1 block hills.  Let's go Walnut to Matlack on Biddle.  Really sprint up the hill.
Track-800 of tempo and then 12 x 400 at 3k pace with a 400 jr.
Friday-Mile of tempo and then 3 x 5 x 200 at mile pace w/100jr and 5:00 between sets.  The 100 jr time should equal your 200 time.

Saturday-10-12 miles(or less depending where you are in your training.

Be safe.

Kevin

Testing

All,

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.  A runner in one of our groups tested positive for Covid-19.  She emailed people who she may have come in contact with during a run in the last 10 days.  I have a few comments on this:
1-I hope she feels better soon and that her family stays healthy.
2-If you have any symptoms, please stay away from the group.  This person felt bad after the hill workout on Tuesday.  She got a test on Tuesday which was negative.  She still felt bad so she go tested again on Friday and tested positive. She showed great determination and integrity in following through on this.
3-Try to keep your groups consistent and small.  Don't mix runs with other groups.  When running easy, maybe mask up.  

Just make smart choices.  If you think a choice is bad, it probably is.  We'll get through this.  We just don't want to lose anyone.

Here is the week's workouts:
Tuesday-Hills-8 x biddle.  Really take the recovery easy and the hill hard.
                Track-3200 at tempo, 1600 at 5k pace, 2 x 400 at mile pace.  All with a 400 jr.
Friday-Mile of tempo and then 5 x 500 with a 300 jr at 3k pace.
Saturday-9-11 miles.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Workouts 1/11

All,

Sorry for the delay.  I'm out of rhythm.

Tuesday-Hills 6-9 x Biddle Street starting at High and ending at Matlack.  Jog down for the recovery.  Someone in this group let me know what the numbers look like.

or,

Track workout-1600(10k), 800(5k), 400(3k), 400(3k), 800(5k), 1600(10k).  All with a 200jr.  This is a good workout to negative split.  Going out too fast on the first 1/2 will make the 2nd 800 and 1600 ugly.

Friday-Mile of tempo and then 8 x 300 w/300 jr at current mile pace.

Saturday-8-10 with a steady mile at 8(or 6 if you're doing 8).

Have fun.

Kevin

Hills vs. Track

All,

Happy New Year!  Looking back, some of you had some great training cycles this spring, summer and fall.  Ideally, we'll get back to some kind of normalcy by the fall.  I don't know though.  There are still a lot of people making bad choices.  All we can do is control ourselves though.

Sorry for the delay in getting this out.  We're having some high school meets at Henderson and we were hoping to add some open races, but it got shot down for now.  I'll keep you posted.  We may look at the weather on a Saturday late in January or early in February to have a Daybreak race.  I really like the course and it's worked out well so far.  We're also planning a 5 and 10 miler in March.  

With the start of the year comes our hill cycle.  Some people want to stay on the track which I get.  There are huge benefits to both.  A break from the track is good for your health, but I'm sure we'll have some mornings where the track is icy so that will force a break.  Anyway, I'm going to include some track stuff and hill workouts every week moving forward.  We'll continue to try to stay in touch with our speed on a weekly basis also.  I feel that we got away from the long run as we gt deeper into the fall.  Let's bring that back as a staple of your training program.

Here is the week's training:

Tue-Hills-6-8 x Biddle Street from High to Matlack.  Run hard up, jog to the bottom.
Track, 2400(10k), 1600(5k), 800(3k), 400(mile) all with a 400jr
Friday-Good warmup and then 12 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace.
Saturday-Long Run=70-80:00 depending where you are in your training.  Don't bump that up too quickly.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Happy Holidays!

All,

I hope everyone is staying healthy!  Please enjoy the holidays and time with your family.  Be smart about travel and if you're not sure if you're in a situation that deserves wearing a mask, wear one.  

Use your running as a stress reliever now more then ever.  Just get out and run some easy miles or, one of my favorites, do some fartlek.  Throw some pickups of varying lengths into your run.  I almost always feel terrible when I start that but usually end up rolling by the end.  Another fun one is to just get a little progression run going where each mile gets a little faster.  You can get rolling by the end.  One more option(this is from my Westtown days when I would be stuck on campus one day a week) is to run for 15-20:00, do a hard 400 and then run for 15-20:00 after.  Everything doesn't have to be super structured.

I'll get you more details next week, but Stanley's Dream is going virtual this year.  It's been a great tradition on New Year's Day for 13 years.

Be safe!

Kevin

Being Smart

All,

Great job by those of you who participated in Brian's Run.  We ended up raising over $2800 for Ronnie Pernsley's Family.  You're good people.  I really appreciate the support.  Ronnie was a great guy.

We, of course, scored the race.  Remember, low score wins:
1-WCRC-28 with 14 finishers.
2-Henderson-72 with 16 finishers.
3-WKs-109 with 11 finishers.  Jeremy Hoffman was the overall winner.
I didn't go through and add people to teams unless they asked.  I'm sure there were people in all 3 groups who didn't add themselves to a team.  Anyway, in this environment, that is a great job by all 3 groups.

I like what Colleen said in last week's email about running in small groups and keeping in your comfort level.  With the way that things are going, I wouldn't mix groups at all at this point.  I've been a little banged up, but still running some, but I haven't run with anyone in about 6 weeks.  I didn't really start it on purpose, it just kind of evolved from being banged up.  I'm still surviving.  Just do what you think is right for you and your family.  

This is a dangerous for our country and this running community.  If we can get through the next 3-4 weeks, I think things will start to head in the right direction.  Be smart and make good choices.  Don't get complacent now.

With that being said, and with the weather that it looks like we're going to get from Wednesday on, I think we should lay a little low after Tuesday's workout.  It looks like some significant snow and then cold.  So, while I think running on Wednesday in the snow will be great.  The ice and lack of running space the rest of the week might be bad.  

Let's do this.  Workout Tuesday.  Then, run easy 30-60:00 per day for the next 2 weeks.  Just run for your sanity.  If it makes sense to you, take some time off now.  Then, we can ease back the week after Christmas and then build.  Let me know if you think this is a terrible idea.  

Here is Tuesday's workout.
1200 of tempo-400 jr, spike up,  3 x 200 at 3k pace with a 200 jr., Mile at mile pace, 10:00 rest, 3 x 200 w/100wr, 100 jr at 400 pace(or faster).

Have fun and let me know how it goes.

Kevin

Week of 12/7

All,

We've had a nice response to Brian's Run.  Let's shoot for doing something on Thursday as a group.  I'll get details on here tomorrow or Tuesday.  

So, here is the week if you do Brian's Run on Thursday.

Tuesday-1200(10k pace) 200jr, 400(5k pace) 400 jr x 3

Thursday-Brian's Run

Saturday-7-10 miles w/12 x :45 at 3k pace with a 1:15 jr.

Hope to see some of you on Thursday.  BTW, great job by Chris Howe in running 3:53 by running 5 loops around WC.  That takes some mental toughness.  Thanks to everyone who jumped in with him. 

Be safe.

Kevin

Marathon

All,

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe.  These really are trying times.  Despite all that's going on, Chris Howe is running a marathon virtually this Saturday.  He's going to come up with a route and some details.  Let's get out and jump in with him for a stretch if you can work it out.  I'm sure it will be hillier than Rehoboth.

It looks like we'll try to run Brian's Run, the 11th or 12th.  Col and I were talking and we think starting on the track, running to Fern Hill and finishing on the track would be good.  Definitely faster than the regular course.  Sign up here.  The two main teams to sign up for are the Wednesday Knights or WCRC(TMC).  I know there is some mixing so choose the team that you're most affiliated.  For example, Charlie Young has been training with the Tuesday crew a lot, but he is still really a Knight.  Does that make sense?  We're not stealing any Knights and the Knights aren't stealing any WCRC people.  

We also had a couple of people bang out 100 miles this week.  That's always a notable accomplishment.

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-2k at 10k pace, 200 jr, 1600 at 5k pace, 400 jr, 800 at 3k  pace, 400 jr, 400 at mile pace, 400 jr, 3 x 200 with a 200jr at 800 pace.

Fri-4 miles of broken tempo, 4:00 on, 1:00 easy until you get to 4 miles.

Saturday-8-12 with Chris if it works out.

See you soon.

Kevin

BMRC

Everyone,

Great job by everyone who raced at the Boundary Battle on Saturday.  It ended up being a lot of fun with some super fast races.  Also, all ends of the spectrum were covered as we had the future racing in the form of the Hillsdale Running Club.  Racing on the track really tells you where you are.  

The Bryn Mawr Running Company of West Chester is still the place to go to get your shoes and other running gear.  I know it's easier to just get your shoes online, but the store is the heart and soul of the running community in West Chester.  They support the local running community in many ways.  Ed, Bob and their staff do a great job of getting you in the proper shoe. 

With all the Covid stuff going on, they've remained loyal to the running community.  As we get through the holidays, remember that BMRC and local shops like it are we keep communities like West Chester strong.  Please continue to support them.

The Turkey Trot on Thursday morning is shaping up nicely.  It's going to end up being like the other Daybreak Races with 80-100 runners.  As always, safety is our top priority.  With that being said, the primal need to race is still there for most of us.  Let's fuel that fire by showing up to race and racing.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-5 x 1000 of broken tempo with 100jr(if you're not racing on Thursday, run them at 10k pace with a 200jr)
Wed-Pre meet 40:00 with 6 striders.
Thursday-Race
Saturday-8 miles with a hard mile from 6-7.  

Great turnout by this group last week.  I heard that we had about 35 people out for the workout.  Also, some nice PRs on Friday morning and Saturday at the meet.

See you on Thursday.

Kevin

Boundary Battle

All,

Saturday's Boundary Battle is shaping up nicely for Saturday.  It looks like one pretty solid heat of 3200.  1 Hillsdale mile and 1 Hillsdale 3200.  Then, 4 heats of the 5k.  Heat 1-18:30+.  Heat 2-17:00-18:29.  Heat 3-15:01-16:59 and Heat 4-Sub 15.  The range of entries right now is 13:45 to 27:00.  So, as always at Henderson, there really is something for everyone.  It should be fun.  We have a nice crew signed up.  

I will say this, "There is no hiding on the track."

Week's workouts-
Tuesday-4000 of tempo, then 80 wr, 20 jr and then a hard 300.  
Friday-30:00 plus 8 x striders plus 10:00 cool down.
Saturday-Race
Sunday-6-10 miles.

See you on Saturday.  Stay safe!

Kevin

Border Battle

All,

Keep up the good training.  Remember, the Border Battle 5k or 3200 is on the track at Henderson on November 21.  Register here.
Racing on the track is fun.  It's a true test of your fitness.  The long term forecast looks good.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tue-5 x 1000 at 5k pace with a 400 jr.  Get dialed into the pace right away.

Friday-3 x 5 x 200 w/100jr between each one and 5:00 between sets.  These are at cruise pace.  Fast but controlled.  The 100 jog should take the same amount of time as your 200s.  If you're running your 200s in the 35, the 100 jr should be in 35.  This is a great workout if you don't go out too fast.  They should be mile ish pace.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Workouts 11/2

All,

Sorry for the delay with this:
Tuesday-1600 @ 5k pace, 200 jr, 600 @ 3k pace x 3 with a 400 jr between sets.
Friday-Mile of tempo, then 600, 200 x4 with a 200 jr after the 600 and a 600 jr between sets.  600s at mile pace, 200s at 800 pace.  
Saturday-7-12 miles.
Sunday-30:00 warmup, 400 fast, 20:00 cool down.

kevin

PA Open XC Champs

All,

We have a nice group going for the WCRC team for Sunday's race.  It's fun to race xc with your teammates.  We have 90 people signed up already.  I think we're going to end up in the 200 range.  It should be fun.  The course looked great this morning.  Get signed up.  PA Open XC Champs
Your friends can watch you race on Instagram @Hendytrackxc.

Also, we have a 5k or 3200 setup for November 21 at Henderson.  Heats will start at Noon. We'll have registration set up tomorrow,  As with most meets at Henderson, it's getting hot already.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-2400 cutdown by 800.  Tempo, 10k, 5k.  400 JR and then 3 x 600 at 3k pace with a 400jr.

Thursday-Mile of tempo and 3 x 500 with a 300 jr at 5k pace.
Saturday-Pre meet.  20:00, 8 x striders, 5:00 cool down.
Sunday race.

It was good seeing some of you at the track on Friday.  That's a strong group.

Kevin

Team Race

Runners,

We have a nice team race going on November 1.  We'll be hosting the PA Open XC Championships at Exton Park.  It's fun going to a race as part of a team.  We're expecting a pretty big crowd.  It should be fun.  Sign up for your heat and wave and then be ready to roll.
PA Open XC Champs Registration Link
Also, nice job by Andy Eric this morning.  Great work getting out there and mixing it up. 

We're also going to host a 5k on the track on Saturday, November 21.  Put that on your calendar.  A track 5k is the truth.  We're setting up some good races.  We'll get details up this week.

This week's training:
Tuesday:  3200 cut down-1st 1200 tempo, 2nd 1200 10k, last 800 5k.  400 jr, then 6 x 400 at mile pace with a 400jr
Friday:  Mile of tempo, 5:00 rest and spike up, Mile time trial, 8:00 rest, then 6 x 200 at 800 pace w/200jr.
Sat-7-11 miles.

See you soon.

Kevin

Live streaming

All,

Nice job by those who ran today.  We had a nice opening weekend of official XC meets.  We ran the Deuce at Singer Farm on Saturday morning.  It was 3rd time we've had a race there.  Although it was the slowest winning time in race history, it was fun for the kids to get out there and compete.  We also had some 5ks on the track by the DTW and WCH kids on Saturday night at the GSTC elite meet.  It's always fun to PR.

Anyway, we've been live streaming our meets on Instagram live @hendytrackxc and DTW has been doing it @Whippetsxc.  Our kids, led by Alex Hughes, have been doing a great job.  We're up to 250 followers.  It's a great way to follow your favorite runners.  We usually have 2 cameras out there with a split screen.  It's been a good way for parents to follow the kids with the no spectator rules in place.

Here is the week's wo schedule:
Tuesday-Mile of Tempo, 200jr, 600 at mile pace, 300 jr, mile of tempo, 1000 at 3k pace, 200jr, mile of tempo, 200jr, 400 at 800 pace.
Keys=Do your tempo at tempo, not faster.
Thursday(or Friday if you're not racing on Sunday)-on Roads-6 x 3:00 w/1:00 rest.  1st two at tempo, next two at 10k pace, last 2 at 5k pace.
Saturday-7-10 miles.
Sunday-XC Series #5 
Discount code for 20% off is XC.

See you out there.

Kevin

Getting the Group Back Together

All,

Nice job by all of those who ran this morning.  The races are going well.  The weather looks great again next week.  XC is tough but good.  Chesco XC Series # 4  Remember, we're live streaming the races on Instagram @Hendytrackxc.

If you feel comfortable with it, let's start getting some groups back together. We have some people who have been training hard.  Let's take advantage of that and get those groups going again.  I know we had some great things going in February and early March. Be smart, but let's get after it. 

Remember, if you're walking into or out of the track at Henderson, please wear a mask.  Also, if a team is practicing, you can't be in the stadium.  

If you're into it, remember, we have a little 800 time trial at the end of the week.  I'll set it up for Thursday.

Tuesday-5 x 1000w/200 jr, 1st at tempo, 2 and 3 at 10k pace, 4 and 5 at 5k pace.
Thursday-Mile of tempo for a warmup, 5:00 rest with a couple of striders and then run the 800 time trial.  Recover(8-10:00), then do 4 x 300 w/90 wr, 10 jr at mile pace.  
Saturday-7-10 miles
Sunday-XC Series.

See you out there.

Kevin

XC Follow Up

All,

Nice turn out this morning.  I think there were about 110 in the 5k and 20+ in the 2 mile.  Running a 5k of XC is tough.  It gets out fast and hurts the whole time(if you run it right).  It's one of the best things for you.  If I was in any kind of shape, I would race every one of these.

In the mid 90s, I hadn't raced a real xc race in awhile.  I ran a poor marathon and then decided to run the Mayor's Cup in Boston at Franklin Park.  It's a great course.  Anyway, I was out in 4:25(about 25th place), went through 5k in a little under 15:00.  I kicked like crazy and ended up breaking 24:00 for 8k for about 13th or 14th.  I just had to battle the whole race.  If you let up for 5 seconds, you'd lose 2-3 places.  It just sets you up to have some great races.  

I'm also liking the livestream of events @Hendytrackxc.  The commentary wasn't great today, but we'll have the A crew back next week.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-2400 of tempo, then 4 x 600 at mile pace with a 400jr.
Thursday-1600 of tempo, then 500, 300, 100 x 2 at Mile pace, 800 pace, 400 pace with =jog recovery(500 after the 500, 300 after the 300, 100 after the 100-so the 2nd 500 should be pretty tough)
Saturday-7-11
Sunday-XC Series 5k or 2 mile  

See you out there.

Kevin

XC is back!!!

All,

Great job by everyone who ran this morning!  What a great morning to race XC.  We add a 5k to next week's races so you have a 5k/2 mile option.  Chesco XC Series #2


Even better news.  High school xc is back and it looks like we're going to be able to have a post-season.  After another terrible Eagles' performance, I need some real sports to sustain me.  High School XC is it for now.  Chester County has a great XC tradition on the State and National level.  We're trying to do a lot of live streaming on Instagram @Hendytrackxc.  Then, I think, we're saving the videos to our you tube channel at the same address.  

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-1000, 800,600 x 2 w/a 400 jr after each one and an 800jr between sets.  The 1000s at 10k pace, 800s at 5k pace and the 600s at 3k pace.  Practice dropping the pace.  
Thursday-Mile of tempo and then 400, 300, 200 x 2 w/200jr between each one and 4:00 between sets.  
Saturday-Pre meet or 7-11
Sunday-Race at Exton Park

See you out there.

Kevin

Congrats

Runners,

Congrats to Eric Smith for not only going to Grand Rapids, Michigan to run a marathon but also posting a BQ in his first marathon.  Great job by him in going for it and making things happen.  Congrats also to the Virtual Boston Marathoners who ran this weekend.  

Registration is open for this Sunday's 2 Mile XC Race at Exton Park.  It's going to be fun to get in a race mix it up a little.  Chester County XC Series

We had a mile time trial for the high schoolers on Wednesday.  It was fun to see them compete.  We have a 3200m this Thursday.  We're going to live stream it on Instagram starting at 6:45 @hendytrackxc.  Check it out.  Our goal is to start doing more live streams.  
Follow us.

Here is the training schedule for the week:
Tuesday-800, 300 x 4 w/a 200 jr after the 800 and a 500 jr after the 300.  The 800s should be at 5k pace and the 300s at mile pace.  It's tough dropping the pace.
Thursday-mile of tempo, then 3 x 3 x 200 at 3k pace w/200 jr and 3:00 between sets.  Just cruising.
Friday-7-10 miles.
Saturday-30:00 plus 8 x striders plus 5:00 cooldown(pre meet)
Sunday-Race

See you out there.

Kevin

Fall Races

All,

I hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend.  We're going to put on some xc races(2 miles and 5k) at Exton Park.  Here is the link to the first one.  The rest will be on our web-site by tomorrow.  Chesco XC Series.

Good luck to Eric at the Grand Rapids Marathon and to anyone running the virtual version of Boston.

Tying into last week's focus on some shorter races, I wanted to set up a decent race schedule for the fall.  Some will be real races.  Some will just be time trials.  Let's focus on getting fast.
9/20-XC 2 Mile
9/26-800m time trial
10/4-XC 5k
10/9-800 time trial
10/25-XC 2 mile
11/1-XC 5k
11/6 or 11/7-Mile time trial
11/20-Mile time trial
11/26-Turkey Trot in WC on the Daybreak loop.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-800(tempo), mile at 10k pace, 1200 at 5k pace, 800 at 3k pace, 400 at mile pace all with a 400jr
Fri-1200 of tempo and then 3 x 3 x 300 with an 80 walk, 20jr between each one and 5:00 between sets.at mile pace 1st set, 800 pace, 2nd set and 800 pace -2 3rd set.  So, if you're in 2:00 800 shape.  1st set would be 49-50(assuming 4:25 shape for a 2:00 person).  2nd set would be 45.  3rd set would be 43.  Does that make sense?
Sat-7-11.
Sun-Nice warmup, then 6 x 150 with 250 jr.  Just float the 150s, fast but relaxed.

Have a good week.

Kevin


 

Regaining your speed

All,

I've been thinking about this a lot.  With no real long races on the horizon, I really think it's time to get back to the basics of getting faster, not just stronger.  One of the things that separated me from my peers when I was younger was that I would always stay in touch with my speed.  It might be a 400, 300, 200 workout on the track or minute or 90 second pickups on the roads or trails.  

I was looking back at some of my old training logs and that(along with the long run and the longer intervals) was something that was always there.  Although I never really ran a great marathon, it played out pretty well from the 1/2 on down.

So, here's the plan for the next couple of months:
-Longer Intervals on Tuesday.
-Shorter intervals on Thursday or Friday
-Long run or race on Saturdays or Sundays.
-We'll try to set up a race every 2 weeks or so starting in late September or early October.
-We'll race from the mile to 5 miles.  Maybe, it will be a Daybreak type race.  Maybe, we'll just get in small group and go out and race 2 miles with your friends.  

It will be good for your running to focus on some shorter races or intervals.  When we get back to the longer stuff, everything will feel a lot easier. 

It's also easier and safer to put on a short race.  I'm hesitant about putting on a 1/2 marathon with no water stations or bathrooms.  Let me know if you're opposed to this idea.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-4-6 x 1000 w/400 jr at 5k pace
Friday-Eric-5 mile cutdown-Starting at 7:05 and taking off 15 seconds per mile.  Others-3 x 5 x 200 w/100JR after each one and a 5:00 jr between sets at 3k pace down to mile pace for the last set.  Should be quick but relaxed.
Saturday-Eric-13.  Others-7-12.

See you out there.

Kevin

Happy New Year!!

All,

I hope everyone had a happy, healthy holiday and got to spend a lot of times with your family and friends.  Also, I hope you're handling the latest Covid outbreak well.  I know we've had a lot of kids test positive, but, so far, everyone who is vaccinated is just showing mild symptoms.  I feel like it's going to be a hectic month.  

Thanks to everyone who filled out the survey on what events they're training for this winter/spring.  It looks like a good crowd for the LOVE 1/2. Broad Street and some 5ks.  We do have a couple of Boston people.  I look forward to setting up the training for those events.  

I'm sure you all have some good resolutions/goals for 2022.  For me personally, I'd like to work on my flexibility and strength, lose 8 lbs and have a good mile matchup with Mogcka9sub 5:40) sometime this spring.  The mile matchup might be the hardest to attain.  I'll work at it though.

Anyway, we're going to run hills on Tuesdays in January and alternate tempo and short pickups on Fridays.

This week's training:
Tuesday-6-10 x 2 blocks on Biddle Street(from High to Matlack).  Run hard up, jog to the bottom. Let's plan on meeting at High and Biddle and starting the first one at 5:45.  Let's get a good crowd out there.

Friday-3 mile tempo run.  Do a good warmup and then start in front of Henderson and run the Fern Hill Loop plus.  If someone texts or emails me a good start time, I'll post that here.

Saturday-Long Run-Start at the level that you're ready for.  6-12 miles.  Email me if you want to get on the long run email list.  I'll get your email to the appropriate person.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Back to School

All,

After a long time away, teachers go back to school this week.  The kids have another week of no classes.  It will be a highly stressful start to the school year for all involved, parents, students and teachers.  I'm a big believer in education being about making connections.  Those connections are always more solid in person than online.  With that being said, I'm ready to get after it.

Let's keep training as we move through the fall.  Don't be afraid to test yourself occasionally with a race(if you can find one), a time trial or a particularly tough workout/run.  Above, use your training as a time to relieve some stress.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
5k/Milers
Tue-3-4 x mile at 10k pace with a 200jr
Fri-Mile of tempo, 400jr and then 8 x 400 w/a 200jr at Mile pace
Sat-7-11 miles.

Long racers
Tue-6-8 x mile at 10k pace with a 200jr
Sat-14 w/3 of tempo at 10 miles.  Grand Rapids-20 w/2 x 4 miles at MP w/1 mile easy between starting at 10.

See you soon,

Kevin 

Great week of racing

Runners,

Last week was a great week.  We had awesome speakers and had some outstanding training.  I got home from walking Bode on Friday afternoon and my wife and daughter were watching the Monaco Grand Prix.  I sat down and saw 3 guys break 3:30 for 1500m.  Then, a little while later, a guy broke the world record for 5000m by running 12:35.  That's about 60.4 per lap.  Saturday morning, we had about 77 people race the Fern Hill Mile, which was a blast.  We had some really good performances.  Saturday, the Music City Distance Festival in Memphis was a huge success with a lot of great performances.  It was a great weekend for the sport.  

Despite all of the gloom and doom, people are really training hard.  It's paying off with a lot of good performances.

Here is the week's training:
Milers/5k
Tue-4 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace
Th-2400 of tempo and then 6 x 300 w/300jr at 3k pace
Sat-7-10

Marathoners
Tue-6 x 1200 at 10k pace with a 200jr
Fri-4-6 miles of tempo
Sat-10-12 miles

See you out there.

Kevin

Dog Days of Summer

All,

This has been an historically hot and humid stretch.  I feel like it's been humid since the beginning of July and it looks to stay that way for the at least the next two weeks.  That's OK.  Let's take advantage of it and get super fit and then when we get some nice weather, we'll be ready to go.

We have early morning races going on the next two Saturdays.  Both should be fun with the same format that we've been using..  On the 15th, we have the Fern Hill Mile.  This starts on Old Fern Hill Road and finishes by Jane Latta's vet office.  I'm going to wheel measure it so it will be accurate.  Here are the details:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/FernHillMile

On the 22nd, we have the 3rd(and probably last-due to light) Daybreak 5k.  These have been going really well.  People have been very respectful of their fellow runners and have kept a good social distance and headed away from the finish as soon as they could.  We've had some nice performances.  I really like the course.  Here are the details:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/Daybreak5k


We look forward to seeing you out for either or both of those raes.  Here is the week's training:
Milers-
Tuesday-Mile, 2400, Mile at 10k pace with a 200 jr
Thursday-2 miles of tempo and then 6 x 200 at mile pace with a 200jr
Saturday-Fern Hill Mile
Sun-7-10
Marathoners
Tuesday-Mile, 2400, mile, 2400 at 10k pace with a 200jr
Th-14 with 2 miles of tempo and then 6 x :45 pickups with 1:15 jr starting the tempo at 9.
Sat-Fern Hill Mile-4 mile warmup, 3 mile cool down.

See you out there.

Kevin

Wk of 8/3

All,

I had a nice week of vacation at the beach.  I actually had a decent running week, thanks to Amanda, but it was hot and humid.  I'm glad to see the humidity is sticking around.  

We have a couple of socially distanced events coming up.
1-Fern Hill Mile on August 15.  Details to come this week.
2-Daybreak #3-Most likely 8/22.  Details soon.
3-Longer race.  We had talked about late August but it makes sense to move it to late September or early October.  We can expect some nicer weather then.

We'll continue to try to do things to make these events, very safe.  Your cooperation has been great in the first two Daybreaks.

Here is the week's training:
Milers
Tue-3 x 1600 at 5k pace with a 400 jr
Th-Mile of tempo 400, 300,200 x 3 with 3:00 rest after each one.  400s at mile pace, 300s at 800 pace and 200s at 400 pace. Spike up for the 400,300, 200..
Sat-6-10 miles
Sun-8 x 100 w/300jr.  good wu and cd

Marathoners
Tue-5 x mile with a 400jr at 5k pace.
Fri-8 x 4:00 w/ a :30 recovery of broken tempo(or do the miler's workout-a little short work is good for everyone)
Sat-16 miles.

See you soon.

Kevin

Old Times

All,

Great job this morning!! We had a nice turnout in a pretty competitive race.  I think we had about 30 people at 20:03 or faster.  It was super sticky also.  That was definitely good action. Here is a link to some pictures:  https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMkAjc41_1P69SanRpjJw7O4qno9_sCj1f9OOkmuW3mZoeNhqb2pY11Q9zbS6Mptg?key=TWJid1FFdTBPRTIwTVdqN0t0UmVIc25tM3dYS3R3

I had an interesting week of running into old athletes.  On Tuesday, I got a chance to run with Greg Williams who was on a couple of State Championship XC teams and was an individual State Champion indoors.  I hadn't seen him in quite a few years.  I was glad to not be completely destroyed by him.  Then, the next day I ran into a kid, Jimmy Norley, who ran for our State Runner Up team in 2006.  He passed 71 people in the last mile to move us from 4th to 2nd in the team standings.  It was good to catch up with both of them.  The odd part is that they both live in Los Angeles.  They're both still great guys.  

Here is the week's training:
Milers-(Looks like we might run a Fern Hill Mile on 8/15 and then sneak on the track for a mile the following week)
Tue-800, 600, 400 x 3 w/400 jr after each one and an 800 jog after each set.  800 at 5k pace, 600 at 3k pace, 400 at mile pace.
Th-1.5 miles of tempo and 6 x 300 w/an 80 wr and 20 jr at 800 pace.
Sat-7-10 miles
Sun-Good warmup and then 8 x 150 w/a 100 wr and a 150 jr.  They should be quick.

Marathoners:
Tue-3-4 x 2 miles at 10k pace with a 400 jr
Fri-5-6 miles of tempo and then 6 x :45 with a 1:15 jr
Sat-12-14 miles.

Stay hydrated.

Kevin

Here we go!

All,

I hope everyone is staying healthy.  Just be smart and do the right thing.  If you're in a compromised situation, don't put others at risk.

Plus, it's hot!  Make sure you're staying hydrated.  

We've got a lot working against us.  Brutal stretch of hot, humid weather.  Upsurge in the virus, which along with the physical risk is very depressing.  What can we do?  Stay upbeat.  Keep training(we know that gives us a huge boost physically and mentally).  Pick up our brothers and sisters who might be a little down.  You can make a big difference in someone's life.  It doesn't take much.  One of my goals for this week is to do a better job of reconnecting with people.  

I don't know if you saw this, but this 6 year old boy saved his 4 year old sister from a dog that was getting ready to attack her:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnjs5AyoRKA
Brave kid!

Here is the week's training:
Milers:
Tuesday-4 x 1000m at 5k pace with a 400 jr.
Thursday-Mile of tempo and then 6 x 200 at 3k pace with a 200jr
Saturday-Daybreak 5k(or 3 mile tempo run)  Here is the link:  Daybreak 5k Pt 2

Marathoners:
Tue-10 x 1000m at 10k pace with a 200jr
Saturday-3-4 mile warm up, Daybreak 5k, 8 mile cool down with miles 4-7 at MP
or 16-18 miles with 8 at MP.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Hope

All,

I hope everyone is hanging in there.  Brutal humidity last week and it looks like more of the same this week.  Just slow things down and take advantage.

For those of you using Henderson's track, our AD asked that we do the following:
1-If you're walking to and from the track or standing around at the track, please wear a mask.
2-Try to be off the track by 6:40AM.  They don't want any crossover with teams practicing. 
Thanks for following these guidelines.  

As we move forward, you hear a lot of talk about why do people want to bring back sports on the high school, college or professional levels.  Sport gives us hope. At whatever level, just getting out there and competing makes us feel good about life, win or lose.  And, maybe more importantly, training hard with a legitimate goal is uplifting.  I'll be honest, when WCU announced that they were going remote in the fall, it was a punch in the gut.  After hearing some other things today, I was a little more encouraged.  

I'm, obviously, intimately involved in the sport at a lot of levels.  On the high school level, our athletes want to desperately get back to real competition.  It's what drives us and motivates us.  It will be bad if we don't have some kind of a fall season.  I have been super encouraged since we started meeting with the team this week.  We just have to keep hoping that things happen.  As always, we're trying to think of ways to do something to make some kind of season if the PIAA cancels fall sports.

On the professional track level, the same thing is happening.  Those athletes want to race.  We're hoping to get at least one event going for these guys sometime soon.  We'll see what happens.

Anyway, keep pushing.  We are doing Daybreak Part 2 on July 25.  Daybreak Part 2 Info
The first one went well.

Here is the week's training:
Milers:
Tuesday-1200, 400 x 3 with a 200 jr after the 1200 and an 800 jr after the 400.  1200s at 5k pace, 400s at 3k pace.
Th-Mile of tempo, 400 jr, 8 x 200 w/100 wr, 100 jr at 800 pace
Sat-7-10 miles
Sun-8 x 100 w/100wr, 200 jr.  Fast

Marathoners-Tough run this morning.
Tue-2 mile, Mile, 2 mile w/400 jr.  2 miles at 10k pace, Mile at 5k pace.  
Fri-4 mile tempo run, 2:00 recovery and then 8 x :30 quick with a 1:00 jr.
Sat-12-14

Have a good week.  See you soon.

Kevin

.

Track/Racing

All,

Solid turnout on Saturday for the Daybreak 5k.  It went really smoothly and safely.  I really liked the course and the time of day. We're definitely thinking about doing one on the 25th.  I'll decide this week.  It was a lot of fun for people to get out and race in small clusters.  Everyone who ran was very responsible.  

As a lot of you know the tracks in the school district are now open from dawn to dusk during the week.  I was on Henderson's track for a couple of laps on Friday.  It's really nice.  If you're down there and someone is using the track irresponsibly, please say something to them.  We're still not going to meet as a large group but I would say that groups of 2-10 would be OK. Just make good choices as far as social distancing when you're not running.  If you bring a water bottle or gel, please throw it in the trash when you're finished with it.  I know it's almost impossible, but try not to spit too much.  If a team is practicing, you won't be allowed to be on the track.  I'm not sure what everyone's practice schedule is.

The heat is here for an extended stretch(a lot of high 80s and low 90s with pretty high humidity for at least the next 2 weeks).  Take advantage of the heat to get fit, but be smart about things.  I didn't get out until 11:20 today which was incredibly stupid.  Luckily, I wasn't running far.  

Here is the week's training schedule:
Milers-
Tuesday-800, 300 x 3 with the 800 at 5k pace and the 300 at mile pace.  100 jr after the 800 and 5:00 between sets.  This will be tough if you overestimate your 5k fitness.
Thursday-1.5 miles of tempo and 6 x 200 w/200jr at 3k pace.
Sat-Mile time trial.  
Sun-Easy 5-7
Marathoners-
Tuesday-3-4 x 1.5 miles(or 2400m on the track) at 10k pace with a 400jr.
Sat-17-20 with 4 x 2 miles at marathon pace with a 3:00 jog recovery ending with a mile left in your run.

Have a good week.  See you soon.

Kevin

Back to the Races

All,

I hope everyone is feeling good and staying healthy.  We had some solid 800s this week.  It's tough going solo or in small groups and not getting on the track.  

We're going to try to bring back racing this Saturday.  We've thought a lot about how to keep things safe and bring back a competitive racing environment.  We came up with the idea of running heats fo 10-15 with 3:00 between the start of each heat.  You get in with a small group, but you also have some good social distancing going on.  This is going to absolutely no frills.  It will be chip timed with a start and finish mat.  It's going to be a good experiment in seeing if we can bring back some races.  Hopefully, we get a good turnout.  It's going to be early on the 4th of July.  We're calling it the Daybreak 5k.  It should be fun.  Here are the details: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/Daybreak5k

Here is the training for the week:
Milers:
Tuesday-3 x 5 x 200 w/100 jog recovery and 5:00 between sets.  1st set at 3k pace, 2nd set at mile pace, 3rd set at slightly faster than mile pace.
Thursday-Mile of Tempo and then 5 x 400 at mile pace with a 400 jog recovery. 
Saturday-Daybreak 5k and then 4 x 100 with a 3:00 jog recovery.
Sunday-7 miles
Marathoners:
Tuesday-10 x 800 at 10k pace with a 200 jog recovery.
Saturday-Daybreak 5k with 4 mile warmup and 7 mile cool down(14 total)

See you soon.

Kevin

Happy Father's Day

All,

I hope all of the Dads out there had a great day!  You deserve it.

The heat is starting to come in nicely.  I'm not going to give you a whole rant about how great the heat is for your training.  I'll just say welcome it and enjoy the excess natural production of red blood cells.  You'll thank the Summer when we get those nice fall days.  

I'm working on some ways to have a real, timed race.  Look on for some info around Wednesday.  I have to run some ideas by a couple of people.  I have a good, safe concept in mind.  If it happens, it will be early morning.  Think, the old Daybreak 5k.

Here is the week's training:
Milers
Tuesday-3 x 4 x 300 at 3k pace with a 100 jog recovery after each one and 5:00 between sets.
Thursday-1.5 of tempo and then 4 x 200 at mile pace with a 200jr.
Sat-800 time trial.  Make sure to get a really good warmup.
Sunday-Easy 7.
Marathoners
Tue-3 miles of tempo, 3:00 rest, 2 miles at 10k pace, 3:00 rest, 1 mile at 5k pace.
Saturday-16 with 6 at MP starting at 9.
Try to get in a good mileage routine.  Maybe, 2 weeks up and then one down.  Take care of that on your other runs throughout the week.  Those 2 runs should account for at least 27 miles by themselves.

See you soon.

Kevin

WK of 6/15

All,

I hope everyone had a good week.  What a beautiful last 2 days!  Take advantage of it.  You know the heat is going to come and stay for awhile.

Let's start to hunker down a little.  I know some of you were a little unmotivated this spring, but now, we might get some races back in the early fall.  So, don't go crazy, but let's start to get after it a little.  

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Milers:
Tuesday-Mile at 5k pace, 800 at 3k pace, 600 at mile pace, 400 at 800 pace, 200 at 400 pace all with a 400 jog recovery.  So, each one gets a little faster.  This should be a fun workout.
Thursday-3 miles of tempo.  Tempo should be the pace that you can hold for an hour(so basically your Broad Street Pace).
Saturday-7-10 miles
Sunday-8 x 100 w/100 wr, 200jr.  
Marathoners
Tuesday-6 x 1200 with a 200jr at 10k pace.
Friday-3 x 10:00 of broken tempo w/2:00 recovery and then 6 x :45 quick with 2:15 recovery.
Sat-16-18.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Groups

All,

I hope everyone is doing well.  We had our first taste of humid days last week.  It was nice to get a real sweat.

Still no real group runs yet, but with us in the yellow, you would be able to, based on your comfort levels, expand your groups a little.  Just be smart and stay safe.  Still no track for awhile, but we're working on it.  

Just got word that we have some people running the virtual Boston Marathon.  They'll probably do it September 12 or 13.  Probably, just as a solid training run and probably on the CVT.  It should be fun.

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday
Milers-5 x 600 with a 400 jog recovery at Mile pace
Distance-4 x Mile at 5k pace with a 400JR

Th-Milers-1.5 miles of tempo , 400jr and then 6 x 200 at 3k pace with a 200jr
Fri-Long group-3 mile tempo run, 3:00 recovery and then 8 x :30 with 1:30 jr pretty quick.
Sat-Milers-3200m time trial
Long group-13 miles
Sun-Milers-Easy

Have a good week.

Kevin

Upcoming Training

All,

I hope you are doing well and staying healthy.  Hopefully, we have little relief as we go into the yellow phase and can have some small improvements in interactions with others.  I know it's all been somewhat depressing at times and hard to stay motivated.  It will help greatly if you set some goals along the way and look short term with those goals with the hopes of having some long term goals happen because of those short term goals that you reach along the way.

With the Boston Marathon being cancelled last week, it makes me wonder if any big races are going to happen in the near future.  We had a good group that was getting ready to really get after it in their training for Boston. 

That's not going to happen and who wants to really run 26.2 miles around WC in the heat of early fall.  Maybe, a few people, but not many.

We've decided to have two training options for the summer.  You can choose one or kind of mix and match to fit your goals.

One is going to be an 8 week program for milers.  We're going to run some faster workouts and then race a 2 mile in 2 weeks, an 800 in 4 weeks, a mile in 6 weeks and then a 2nd mile or 5k in 8 weeks.

The 2nd is going to be a longer training based program that will end with a 10 miler or 1/2 marathon in late August(we haven't picked a date yet).

So, pick your poison and good luck with the training.  BTW, it doesn't look like we'll have access to the track this summer.  They should be finished resurfacing it soon, but I don't think the school district will be allowing people on their campuses anytime soon.  I'll keep you posted.

Here is the week's workouts:
Tue-
Milers-5 x 800 at 3k pace with a 400 jr
Distance-8 x 800 at 10k pace.

Friday
Milers-2 miles of tempo and then 4 x 300 at mile pace
Distance-3 mile tempo run

Saturday-
Milers-6-10 miles
Distance-20 miles

Sunday-
Milers-10 x 60m fast with a 100 wr and 240 jog recovery(about 3:00 in between each one)

Good luck and I hope to see you soon.

Kevin

PA Distance Festival

All,

I hope everyone is doing well.  Let's keep up the good work.  

Probably, our last virtual race option for a little while is coming up this week.  The Virtual PA Distance Festival is available from Thursday to Sunday.  The race options are 200, 800, Mile and 3200m.  Pick your race or races and get after it.  Here is the registration link:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/PADistanceFestivalVirtual200800Mileand3200

Here is the workout schedule:
Tuesday-5-7 x 1000m w/200 jr at 10k pace.
Th, Fri-Race
Sat-Fall marathoners-12
Others-7-10

It looks like it's going to heat up this week.  Let's prepare for that.

See you soon.

Kevin

Late

All,

Sorry about the lateness of the blog this week.  I started to work on it on Sunday and then got distracted and forgot about it yesterday.

Anyway, we've had some mile performances and some people are really training pretty well.  As it looks like things are starting to shift a little bit, we're hoping for some small group gatherings in the near future.  Real races could be on the shelf until the fall and getting on the track for workouts might not happen until the fall either.  We can get in great shape with out the track though.  

Let's keep getting after it.  I'm working on the Boston training plan.  If that doesn't happen, we may set up a 1/2 marathon for that weekend.  If we do that , we'll set up a course for people to run.  

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday or Wednesday workout:  2 mile of tempo, 1 1/2 miles of 10k, 1 mile at 5k pace all with a 400 jr
Friday-Mile of tempo and then 6 x 400 with 400 jr at mile pace.
Saturday-Fall Marathoners-15 miles
All others-7-12 miles

See you soon.

Kevin

Keep it rolling!

All,

We have some people who are really training well.  We had some nice 5ks this past weekend.  Remember, we can only control ourselves.  Keep training and stay motivated.  Don't be afraid to test yourself.  More importantly, stay healthy and be consistent.

We have another free Hendy Invite this week with the options of 200, 800 and mile.  Get after it:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/HendyInviteVirtual200800and1600

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-3 miles of tempo, 5:00 jog recovery and then 4 x 1:00 w/2:00 jog recovery at mile pace.  
Friday-800 or Mile.  Or Mile of tempo and then 8 x 400 at 3k pace with a 400 jog recovery.
Sat-Fall marathoners-14 miles.
Others-7-12 miles.

Keep up the good work.

Kevin

"Racing"

All,

Sorry this is so late.  I meant to get it out yesterday, but got busy with some things.

Great job by everyone who ran the 3200 this weekend.  We had a lot of nice performances.  WCRC's men finished 4th and the Knights finished 12th.  On the women's side, WCRC finished in 3rd behind Henderson and DTW and the Knights finished 4th. The Mighty Hillsdale team finished 18th on the men's side and 10th on the women's side.  We had 536 people submit their times.  For me personally, I ran under 6:00 for the first time in awhile and I did it twice. So, a little bit of progress which is good.  Post your pictures or videos on Twitter and tag me @Hendytrackxc1.

We have some more opportunities coming up to race.
1-Mother's Day Virtual 5k.  I'm going to do it on Friday on the downtown loop.  Here is the link:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/5kforMothersDay
I miss that course.  
2-Hendy Virtual Invite(Part 2) 200, 800 and Mile.  Do one of the races or all 3.  That's May 15-19.  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/HendyInviteVirtual200800and1600
3-PA Distance Festival Virtual 200, 800, Mile and 3200.  Pick your poison.  I'll have that set up tomorrow.

Take advantage and, hopefully, by the Distance Fest, we'll be able to run in small groups.

Here is the training for the week:
Tue-3-4 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace
Fri-30:00 wu-MD 5k and then 20:00cd
Sat-Fall marathoners-14
Others-7-12.

Keep up the good work.

Kevin

3200 Time Trial

All,

I hope everyone is doing well.  A lot of people are really getting after it.  

As you know, we have the Hendy Invite Virtual 3200 to make this week a little more interesting.  You should take this as a race effort.  If you're doing it on Thursday, workout on Monday.  If you're doing it on Friday, workout on Tuesday and if you're doing it on Saturday, workout on Wednesday.  If you're already signed up, you'll get an email telling you how to report your time on Wednesday.  We already have 285 people signed up.  There are some notables missing.  Here is the registration link:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/HendersonInvitationalVirtual3200Meters#

I came up with a decent course that starts on Old Fernhill Road at the 2nd telephone pole south of Fernhill road.  It goes down through the front of Henderson to Penn to Chestnut to Montgomery to Washington to Garfield to left on Lincoln and finishes by the student lot.  It's a nice little downhill finish.  On the map, it's 2.10 miles.  On my GPS, it's 1.99.  I'll mark it on Friday morning, but not super early.  Here is the link to map:  https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/3039570172

Good luck.  I feel like we'll have some nice virtual matchups!  

Here is the week's workout schedule:
M, T or W-4 x 4:00 of broken tempo with 1:00 between.
Day before 3200-Pre race-25:00 wu and then 6 x striders and then 10:00cd

Saturday-Long run-Veteran fall marathoners-20 miles
Others 7-15 miles.

Can't wait to see the results from the 3200!

Kevin

The misses

All,

I hope everyone is hanging in there and staying in decent shape.  I talked to one of our nurse friends today and she said to stay smart, but keep moving.  

All of the things that we're missing now are starting to hit home.  Last Friday, ideal conditions for what would have been our first big meet, the Warrior Invite.  Tomorrow, pretty good conditions for Boston and Rehoboth.  As someone said to me yesterday, we have a lot of big milestones coming up.

The beauty of the sport is that you don't have to have the feedback of 30,000 runners and a million spectators to validate your training and racing.  Scott Burns ran a marathon with a friend 2 weeks ago.  We had an 800 meter "race" last week.  We have the Hendy Invite virtual 3200 and elementary and middle school miles in two weeks.  Or, you can just do your own thing and keep it to yourself.  It's fun to really test your limits if it's in a public or private situation.  Ultimately, that's why we do it to push back the self imposed limits that we place on ourselves.  If it's at Boston or around town, challenge yourself in this difficult time.

Here is the link to the Hendy Invite Virtual races:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/HendersonInvitationalVirtual3200Meters?remMeAttempt=

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-2 mile at tempo, mile at 10k, 1/2 mile at 5k and 1/4 mile at 3k all with ninety seconds rest.
Friday-Good warmup and then 10 x :45 with 1:45 rest at mile pace.
Saturday-Fall marathoners-15
Others-7-12

Have a good week and stay well.

Kevin 

800m

All,

Happy Passover and Easter and I hope everyone is staying safe.  

We had a fun virtual 800 this weekend.  It started as a HS thing.  I just texted a couple of people and I think we ended up with 9 WCRC people running.  I'll give a bigger head's up next time.  Here are the results:  https://chestercountyrunningstore.rsupartner.com/results

It seems like a lot of people are getting in some good training.  Can't wait to get back together with the group.  

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-2400, 1600, 800, 1600 at 10k pace with a 200 jr
Friday-5 x 5:00 with 1:00 rest at tempo pace-Broken tempo
Sat-Fall marathoners-14.  Others 7-12.

Have a good week.

Kevin

Motivation

All,

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.  #1-Here is how you make your face mask:  Make your own Face Mask
Thanks Admiral.  Save the medical grade face masks for the nurses and doctors who need them.

If you're getting ready for a big fall race, the next few weeks can be helpful or they can start you in a hole.  If you take advantage of your time, you can be in great shape going into the real training.  If you sit around and do nothing, you'll be behind the 8 ball.  We had some really good long runs today and yesterday led by Andy's crew who went 38.

I've been able to run more than I have in a couple of years.  I've lost a few pounds and I'm doing core on Zoom with the team 5 times per week.  I'm also stretching more that I have in a long time(maybe ever).  I'll run with my daughters once or twice a week and with Mogck a couple of times per week.  I'm not happy with our situation, but I'm trying to take advantage of the situation and trying to get out everyday.  I'm also getting 8 hours of sleep a night for the first time in a long time.  I'm also getting 2+ hours of walking Bode per day.

As I've said, if you're healthy, cardiovascular exercise and fresh air will boost your immune system and keep you sane. 

Here is the week's training.
Tuesday-Mile of tempo and then 6 x 2:00 w/2:00 jr at 5k pace.
Friday-Mile of tempo and then 16 x:30 at mile pace with a 1:00 jr.
Saturday-Fall marathon crew-13-15 with your 2nd to last mile fast(5k-10k pace, but more importantly, just try to blast it).
Others-7-12.

Keep in touch.

Kevin

This too will end!

All,

We got a great email from Andy Evans this week.  The message was that we had some great training groups going before the Coronavirus crisis hit.  We'll have some great groups when we get back together.  Hang in there.  Keep your friends motivated.  Be smart and safe.

We've been doing this for a long time.  I think this might be 12-13 years with this group.  Back in the late 90s, we had a small, but solid Tuesday night crew.  When this runs it's course, we'll be back again.  We'll lose some people.  We'll get some people back who've been away and we'll get some new people back. 

It's funny how the group has evolved over the years.  When we first started, we had a nice "fast" group and then a bunch of stragglers.  We had some women, but not a lot.  We went through a short time period with no fast group, but pretty good other groups.  Now, we have a legit, big fast group and 5-7 other medium to large groups at other paces.  It's pretty cool to watch the ebb and flow of the group.  I feel like we have some nice young blood in the group now which will help to keep it strong.

Here is the workout schedule(remember, Henderson is not open):
Tuesday-4 x 1200 w/400 jog at 5k pace.
Friday-Long warmup and then 8 x :45 with 2:15 rest at mile pace or faster.
Saturday-If you're doing a fall marathon, we're going to start adding a 20 miler once a month until we start really training for Boston, etc.  
Fall marathoners-20 at 1:00 slower than MP.  Just get it in.
Others-8-15 depending on where you are in your training.

Have a good week and let me know if you have any questions.

Kevin

The Team

Runners,

As we get through this crisis, we're reminded of how much we miss our running teammates and the great interactions that we have with them.  Hang in there and be smart.  We'll be back together again eventually.

Let's make sure we stay in small groups.  I would suggest 4 at the max, but even better is running with a partner or solo. Try to keep the same partner and not mix it up too much.  If you introduce someone new into your group, be careful.  As safe as we're all being, you never know what might happen.  You don't want to put your family at risk.

Mr. McCormick(the AD at Henderson) asked me to remind everyone that the track is not open to the public until school reopens.  We had some of our sprinters get reprimanded the other day for sneaking under the gate.  It didn't help that there were 7 of them.

We have a couple of virtual "racing" situations set up moving forward over the rest of the spring.  We want to support two of our favorite charities and give you the chance to share your hard runs with everyone. 

One is the Mother's Day 5k which is open to men and women this year.  This benefits TeamCMMD.  You can sign up anytime and run a 5k between now and May 11..   You then add your result to the file.  It's kind of cool.  Here is the registration link:  MD Registration

The other is the CCRS Virtual Race Series.  This is a 3 race series(5k, 5 mile, 10 Mile) which benefits Bringing Hope Home.  It is a pretty cool concept with great "prizes" for finishing 2 or all 3 of the races.  Each race has a 2 weekend window to complete that distance.  The ten miler deadline is May 3 which, as most of you know, is when Broad Street is scheduled.  Here is the link:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/CCRSVirtualRaceSeries

We're going to lower the intensity of the workouts each week, but still do something strength oriented on Tuesday, something shorter on Friday and a long run on Saturday.  Please let me know if you have a favorite Tuesday workout to add to the schedule.

Here is the week's schedule:
Tuesday-Up and down 3.5 miler.  First 800 at MP, 2nd 800 at tempo, 3rd 800 at MP, 4th 800 at 10k, 5th 800 at MP, 6th 800 at 5k and 7th 800 at MP.  It's a fun, surprisingly hard workout.

Friday-35:00 easy, go right into a hard 400(I would pick a flat or downhill stretch) and then an easy 25:00.
Saturday-8-15.

Be safe!

Kevin

Cluster

Team,

We are not in a great situation as far as racing goes.  Almost everything has been cancelled or is about to be.  There may not be a real race for awhile.  While, it's not a priority, we don't want to waste everyone's fitness level so we're going to try some things virtually and build that into the training.

Before I get to that, I wanted to make a couple of comments about the corona virus situation:
1-Be smart and stay healthy.  Don't compromise your family and/or your training partners just to get a run in.
2-Keep the group numbers small.  I would just meet in small groups.  The more people are at a particular spot, the more risk there is.  I would just stick to your usual training group at most.  Sometimes, just doing things with a single person is the best bet.
3-I know a lot of people are working from home.  Take advantage of your time off and do the little things that you may not ordinarily have time for like stretching and core work.  Make yourself strong during this time.  
4-It's great for your immune system to get some fresh air and cardiovascular exercise.
5-If it get's to the point of being restricted to your house, be creative.  Run up and down the stairs 100 times.  Do laps in the living room.  Just keep moving.
6-We are not going to meet as a large group for a little while.  The track may or may not be available.  
Here is the training for the week:

WCRC Virtual 5k.  You'll sign up and then run a hard 5k on Tuesday or Wednesday.  You'll submit the results via a GPS file(I believe).  We'll compile and post the results.  It should be fun.  If no track, I would start in front of Henderson-run Fern Hill and then add on Penn to Chestnut to Montgomery until you get to 5k, but you can really go anywhere.  Here is the link:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/WCRC5kVirtualRace

Friday-8 x 2:00 at 10k pace with 1:00 jr.

Saturday-8-15 miles.

Good luck and stay healthy.

Kevin 

Paces

Runners,

We've had some great workouts the past couple of weeks.  We've had in the 50 person range on Tuesdays and 20-25 on Fridays.  The Saturday long run has been going well.

I just wanted to send out a reminder about what some of the paces are.  They're mostly pretty self explanatory.  You want to be realistic with your times.  Running too fast or too slow can be a mistake.  They should be on the pace that you think you're in. Like, if you're trying to run 3:00 in the marathon, MP pace should be 6:53.   There can, obviously, be a little leeway, but if that's the realistic target, you should not be running MP at 6:45 or 7:05.

Mile pace-would be how fast you can run a mile. 
All of the others are pretty self-explanatory like that except tempo should be basically 10 mile race pace.

Your easy run pace for your long run should be about a minute slower that marathon pace.  A lot of people get caught up in running your easy days too fast.  While it gets you fit, it also leads to stale legs and poor performance long term.  You have to recover from the harder sessions.

Here is the week's training schedule:
Tuesday-Veteran Marathoners 8 x 1200 w/200 jr at 10k pace.  Newer marathoners-6 x 1200.  Broad Street 5 x 1200.  Others-3-4 x 1200.

Friday-Marathoners-Easy 60.  5k-Mile of tempo and then 5 x 400 w/400jr at mile pace.  I may not be there on Friday.  I'll be getting back late from swimming states.

Saturday-Veteran Marathoners-20 w/6 at MP, then a downhill mile at 10k pace then 5 at MP.  All continuous no break.  It will teach your body when you get carried in Boston, to recover.  This should start at 7.  New marathoners-18 with 8 at MP starting at 9.
Broad Street Vets-12 with 3 at MP starting at 8.  Broad Street New-7-9.  Others 7-10.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Training 3/2

Runners,

Sorry for the short post.  Busy weekend coming up.

Tuesday-Marathoners-2400 at 10k pace, 800 at 5k pace x 3 w/a 200 jr after the 2400 and a 400 jr after the 800
                Broad Street and 5k runners- 2400, 800, 2400 with the same paces and rest.

Friday-Marathoners-5 miles of tempo
            BS and 5k 2 miles of tempo and then 3 x 600 w/a 400jr at 5k pace.

Saturday-Beginning BS runners-5-6 miles
                Others-6-10 miles
                New marathoners-13
                Veteran Marathoners-15

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

the 3rd 1/4

Runners,

I hope everyone enjoyed this weekend's great weather.  Let's keep the training rolling.  Remember, the hills are over and we're back on the track this Tuesday.

I was reminded on my run this morning of how important the 3rd 1/4 of a race can be.  At that point, we're pretty uncomfortable and it's too far away from the finish to really start thinking about that.  Often, people will rest a little in that 3rd 1/4 of a race to help their finish.  This can work sometimes but won't lead to your best outcome.

The 3rd 1/4 of the race, no matter the distance, is a time to push to set yourself up for a good finish.  If it's a shorter race, like an 800 or a mile, this can make or break your race.  You can lose several seconds that you won't be able to make up for, even if you're a great closer.  In a longer race, like miles from the 1/2 to 19+ miles in the marathon, it can be the difference between a big PR and adding time.

I know it's tough, but if you go in with a plan for that 3rd 1/4 of the race, it can be helpful.  My attitude always was to really start pushing at that point and really make a race of it.  Sometimes, often times, it worked out really well.  I don't ever remember ever pushing that part of the race and dying.  One of the things that always kept me going was the thought that if I was really hurting, the guy trying to hang with me must really be hurting.  

The thing about pushing this part of your race is that you'll always finish the race feeling like you left everything on the course.  Isn't that what this is all about?  If you "save" yourself for the finish, you might pass a couple of people in the homestretch, but that's more likely to leave you unsatisfied.

Here are the workouts for the week:
Tuesday-Marathoners-3200, 1600, 3200, 1600 with a 400JR with the 3200s at 10k pace and the 1600s at 5k pace.
Broad Street and 5k runners-3200, 1600 with the same paces.

Friday-Marathoners-Easy Run
Others-Mile of tempo and then 400, 300, 200 x 3 w/100wr, 100jr after each one and a 600jr between sets.  At Mile pace, 800 pace and 400 pace.

Saturday-Veteran marathoners-21 with 5 miles, 4 miles and 2 miles at MP w/2:00 easy in between starting at Mile 9.  Try to find a hilly route so you get some uphill and downhill running in during the MP efforts.
Newer marathoners-18 miles with 5 miles at MP starting at 12 miles.
Others-7-12 miles.

See you on Tuesday.  Some people will still be starting early.  I would suggest finding your group and getting rolling when you get together with them.

Kevin

Mileage Makes Champions

Runners,

Great turnout by the group in Downingtown today.  We really dominated the 10k.  We had some nice negative splits.

As we move forward in our training, we want to remember that if you're an endurance athlete, the more running you are able to do, the better you're going to be able to perform.  You have to balance it with your life of course.  I'm reminded of this by my daughter who swims in college.  She got a new coach this year who believed in a lower mileage plan.  She's a distance swimmer and it didn't really work out that well for hear and her teammates.  

Running more not only gives you more endurance, it also gives you more confidence.  When I'm training well and my mileage is pretty high, I usually feel a lot better.  For me, I know that my mileage is getting better and I'm getting more fit if I feel crappy the first part of the run and then start feeling good around 30:00 or so.  

Anyway, don't increase your mileage too quickly.  Increase it in an intelligent manner.  Also, as you increase your mileage, don't be surprised f you're a little more fatigued.  As you increase, make sure you keep getting enough sleep, keep eating well and hydrate.  

Find a level that's good for you and works for you.  If it's 30 miles a week, awesome.  If it's 65-70 miles/week and your body can handle that, great.  You'll reap the benefits.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Marathoners-no workout, just run easy with 8 x striders on the track.
                Others-Hills, 8-10 x 2 block hill.
Friday-30:30 of broken tempo-3:00 on :30 off.  We'll start on the track and then head to Fern Hill.  That's for all of the groups.
Saturday-Marathoners-11-13
                 Others-7-10.

Kevin

Time for a Race

Runners,

I can't believe that we're almost finished with the first cycle of training for Boston/Rehoboth.  It's flying by.  We really have some good things going on at the track and on the hills of Biddle Street.  We're going to do about 2 more weeks of hills and then we'll get everyone to the track.  

This Sunday, we'll race at the Chester County Winter Series in Downingtown.  Marathoners and 1/2 marathoners should run the 10k and others should run the 5k.  The race is a great rhythm race.  It's a pig tail start and then 1 mile loops.  It's a good race to negative split.  You can go out conservatively and then get rolling the 2nd 1/2.  So, maybe the first mile is 5 seconds slower than your goal, then get right on 10k pace and try to drop it down the last 2 laps.  Just be realistic about what 10k pace is.

Here is the link to race information:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Downingtown/Race35kChesterCountyWinterSeries

It will be fun to have a lot of the training group out there racing.  Remember, next week will be a recovery week so really get after it on race day.

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-8 x 800 at 5k pace with a 400 jr  or 6 x long hill, 6 x short hill.
Friday-Just and hour.  No workout.
Saturday-Marathoners-10-12 easy with 8 x striders with 2 miles to go and an easy last mile.  Non marathoners-5-7 w/striders.
Sunday-Marathoners-4 mile warmup and 3 mile cool down.  Others, 3 and 2.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

WK of 2/3

All,

We had some great runs and workouts last week.  Let's keep up the good work and take advantage of the mild weather in the early part of the week.

Tuesday(I won't be at the track so the workout will be done on the Fern Hill Loop)  3 x 2 miles with a 400 jr.  The first one at tempo, the 2nd one at 10k pace and the 3rd one at 5k pace.  I would just loop around the outside of the Stadium as you come back from Fern Hill.  That may allow you to avoid going up to Fern Hill a 3rd time.  Your call though.
Hill workout-8-10 x 2 blocks with a jog down recovery.

Friday-Marathoners-5 miles of tempo.  Let's go 2 miles on the track and then to Fern Hill and then finish on the track.  
Non marathoners- 2400 of tempo and then 600, 500, 400 300, 200 with an equal distance jog recovery.  The first 3 at mile pace and the last 2 at 800 pace.  

Saturday-Veteran marathoners-15 at 1:00+ slower than MP.  Newer people 12-13.  Non-marathoners-7-12.

See you on Friday.

Kevin

WO week of 1/27

All,

Sorry for the delay.  Busy weekend.

Tuesday-Marathoners-  3 miles of tempo, 2 miles at 10k pace, 1 mile at 5k pace.  All with a 400 JR.
                                       Hill runners-5 x 2 blocks, 5 x 1 block.

Friday-  Marathoners-No workout
               Others- mile of tempo and then 400, 300, 200 at mile, 800 and 400 pace x 2 with a 400 JR and 5:00 between sets.

Saturday-Veteran marathoners-20 with 3 x 4 miles at MP with 1 mile easy in between starting at 5 miles.  
                 Newer people  18 with 3 x 3 miles at MP with 1 mile easy in between starting at 5 miles.
                 Others-7-11.

See you in the morning.

Kevin

Teamwork

All,

We had another great week of training.  Let's keep it up as we get some cold weather early this week.

Congrats to Colleen on PRing by 94 seconds at the Houston Marathon.  To continue to PR is an amazing accomplishment.  She's done a ton of work to get ready for her races.

That leads to the point of today's blog.  This group has shown great teamwork over the years in areas concerning running and other things.  The Dave Brice situation shows the heart of this group.  Col's training for Houston points to how willing the group is to help each other with their training. 

Col was taking on a race that nobody else was training for at a hectic time of the year to train.  We had people running 20 milers with her.  We had people meeting her 1/2 way through her long runs.  Others did all or part of her workouts.  I'm impressed by the character of this group.  Doing good things always pays off in the long run.  Keep up the good work.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Marathoners-3x 2400 w/400jr at 5k pace.  
              Others-Hills-6-8 x 2 blocks with 2 block jog back to the bottom.
Friday-6 miles of broken tempo.  5:00 at tempo, 1:00 easy.  Get 6 miles total in.  I think we'll do the 1st one on the track and then up to Fern Hill and then finish on the track.
Non marathoners-3 miles of broken tempo as above.  When you get back to the track, 4 x 200 w/200jr at mile pace.
Saturday-Veteran marathoners-16 miles.  New marathoners-13-14 miles.  Others 7-11 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Training 1/13

All,

We had 2 great training groups going last week.  We had over 20 at the hill workout and over 20 at the track.  Good work was being done by both groups.  Friday was solid also.  

Good luck to Col on Sunday in Houston.  She's had a really good training cycle.  It flew by.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-Hills-5 x Regular, short.  Regular is the two blocks to Matlack street.  Short is the one block hill to Walnut.  Alternate 2 blocks and 1 block.
Marathon crew-5 x 1600 w/200 jr at 10k pace.

Friday-Marathon crew-4 mile tempo run.  1 mile on track, then up to Fernhill and finish on the track.  Non marathoners-2 miles of tempo and then 8 x 200 at mile with a 200 jr.

Saturday-If you're new to the marathon, do 13-15.  If you're more of a veteran, run 17.  1/2 marathoners should run 13.  Others should run 7-10.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Spring Marathon Plan

Runners,

Happy New Year!  This is a busy week.  We have the end of Houston training and the beginning of the hill workouts and Boston/Rehoboth Training.  

We'll need someone to start the hill workouts.  I'll be at the track with the Boston/Houston crew.  It's just a matter of welcoming any newcomers, maybe explaining the workout and saying ready, go at 5:50.

Here is how the Boston/Rehoboth plan is set up.  We'll have two 6 week training blocks.  The first one will end with a 10k at Downingtown West on February 16.  We'll take a recovery week and then the 2nd cycle will lead us to Boston and Rehoboth.  I think we have a big group going to both.  Rehoboth has a 1/2 marathon option.  Rehoboth is April 20(the day before Boston).  That works out great for the group and for having bigger training groups.  

As you look at the training and get into the training, please be smart and realistic about where you are as far as fitness level.  Don't be afraid to adjust your training according to your fitness level.  You're better be a little under trained and healthy then overdoing it and getting injured.  

One of the things we want to emphasize during the workouts and long runs is hydrating and fueling during those runs.  The more you practice this during training, the better you become at it for race day.  I know that it's not really fun taking gels and drinking during workouts in the cold, but it's going to pay off in April.

Let's make sure that our recovery days are true recovery days.  For example, don't get baited into racing the Thursday loop.  You'll prove yourself on workout days and race day.  

Here are the big days so you can mark your calendar:
1/11 15 w/4 at MP
1/18-18
2/1-20 w/3 x 4 miles @MP with 1 mile in between.
 2/16-10k at DTW-9AM.
2/29-21 with 5,4,2 at MP with 2:00 easy between each segment
3/13-20 with 12 at MP.
3/27-20-22 w/3 x 4 of MP -5 with 3:00 rest

Every Tuesday will be fairly significant.  In most cases, the Fridays of non workout long runs will be something tempoish.  We maytinker with these workouts depending on how things are going, especially after the 10k.  We'll plan on getting on the track but we'll probably end up on the Fern Hill loop fairly often depending on the weather.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is this week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Hills starting at 5:50 at High and Biddle Streets- 6-8 x 2 blocks.  Run hard up the hill to Matlack Street, jog back down.  
Houston 7 x 1200 w/200 JR at 10k pace.  
Boston/Rehoboth-4-6 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace.
Friday-5 mile cutdown starting at marathon pace and taking off 12 seconds per mile.  Non marathoners-Mile of tempo 400 jr, then 800 at Mile pace, 400 JR then 300, 200, 100  x 2 with a 300 jr after each one at 800 pace.  
Saturday-Houston-13 w/3 at MP starting at 9.  Boston/Rehoboth-15 with 4 at MP starting at 9.  Others 7-11.  If you're running Rehoboth and haven't been running much, your long run should be 10-11 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

EOY

Runners,

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and has time to relax and enjoy some time with your families.  Use your runs as a way to relieve some stress and stay connected with your running friends.  With that being said, we'll still have some workouts going over the next two weeks.

This Tuesday, 12/24-  Starting at 5:45AM-3200 hard(time trial pace), 7:00 recovery and then Houston 3 miles of tempo, others-6 x 200 w/200 jr at Mile pace.

Friday-I will be at the track at 8:30, not 5:30.  You can slide under the Chestnut Street gate if you come early.  If you come at 8:30, you can join the team for a Cemetery Hill workout.  We'll run to South Campus for that.  

Saturday-Houston-20 with 3 x 5 at Marathon pace with a mile recovery in between starting at 2 miles.  All others, 8-12 miles.

Next Tuesday-12/31- Houston- 4 x 3200 w/400jr at 10k pace.  All others 2 x 2400 at 10k pace or race Stanley's Dream on New Year's Day.

Friday- 1200 of tempo and then 3 x 3 x 200 w/200 jr at mile-1st set, 1 second faster per 200 for 2nd set and 800 pace for 3rd set. 

Saturday-Houston 18 with 8 at MP minus 5 seconds.

See you on Tuesday!

Kevin 

Workout plan

Runners,

Pretty low key week.  I'm planning on revealing the Boston/Rehoboth plan around January 1.  It seems like we have a big crew doing one of those races.

Here is the workout schedule for this week:

Tuesday-Houston-4 x 2400 w/200 jr at 10k pace.  All others-2400 at 10k pace and then 4 x 400 w/400 jr at mile pace.

Friday-Houston 16 with the following 7 mile segment.  MP. Tempo, MP, 10k, MP, 5k, MP.  It should be fairly challenging.  All others 1st two miles with Col and then 4 x 300 w/500 jr fast.  

Saturday-6-11 based on where you are in your training.

See you on Tuesday,

Kevin

Brian's Wrap Up

Runners,

Great job at Brian's Run today!  There was a great Tuesday morning crowd and a nice turnout by the Knights.  I know there is some skewing of those lines but it was good to see so many people from the workout crews there.  Also, great job by John putting the race on.  Thanks to everyone who didn't run but volunteered to help.  Without you, there would be no race.  Also, great job by Liesl Scherrer for singing the National Anthem.  That was outstanding.

For most of us, it's time to regroup and reset for 2020.  For some of you, it's full speed ahead with the training.  We have a great crew going to Boston so we'll detail that training soon.

Here is the week's workout schedule:

Tuesday-Just striders.  You should be sore from today.  Let's try and get everyone to start the striders at 5:50.

Friday- 3 x 5 x 200 w/100jr and 5:00 between sets.  1st set at 3k pace, 2nd set 2 seconds faster per 200 and 3rd set 2 seconds faster than that.  The 100 jog should be the same time as your 200. It's a fun workout in a group.  You can take turns leading.  It's not a fun workout if the first set is too fast.  The recovery time is key to making it valuable.

Saturday-5-10 miles.  Houston-21 with some pickups.  

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

BR

Runners,

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend.  We had some great Turkey Trots.  It was a little windy, but nice to run.

Brian's Run is this Sunday.  You've seen the info on a previous blog post.  A lot of people who read this have signed up already.  A lot haven't.  Get signed up.  The weather looks great.  You won't be sorry.  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/BriansRun

We're going to dial the workouts back a little(for some) after this week:

Tuesday-5 x 1000 w/400 JR at 5k pace.  Houston-8 at 10k pace.
Friday-No workout.
Saturday-30:00 w/6 x striders.
Sunday-Brian's Run

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Philly Wrapup

Runners,

Great job at the 1/2 and full this weekend.  Both days ended up being pretty nice to run.  We had a bunch of PRs, a lot of really good, hard runs and no real clunkers.  Between the Knights and the Tuesday Morning Crew, we had over 25 people race this weekend.  I was following 22 and I know I missed at least a couple.

There were too many good performances to highlight them all, but how about Ed Brittingham dropping a 14:00 PR  in the marathon.  We had 3 guys break 2:40 in November(Ed, JT and Jeff).  I also wanted to mention Andy Evans.  He dropped a big PR to break 3 hours for the first time.  He comes back 6 weeks later with the goal of breaking 2:50.  He completely goes for it and suffers a bit the last ten miles.  I was completely impressed that he got after, made no excuses and is ready to get after it again.  

I talked to a couple of people about my post-marathon racing back in the day.  The bottom line is take advantage of your fitness.  If you're not injured, you should absolutely run the Turkey Trot on Thursday.  You'll feel like crap but run pretty fast due to your fitness.  I mean listen to your body, but don't listen too much.  Don't talk yourself out of a PR.  The beauty of it is, if it's not happening, you just cruise in and enjoy the rest of your day.  With that being said, I was a terrible marathoner, but I recovered really well. Everyone is different, so don't let me bully you into running on Thursday.

Absolutely, everyone reading this should be signed up for Brian's Run.  I ran it this morning with an old friend.  It feels pretty good at 7:30 pace.  It's a tough course, but why are doing all of this training if we're not going to be ready for a tough course.  Here is the registration link:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/BriansRun

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-2400, 1600, 800 w/200 jr at tempo, 10k, 5k.  If you're racing on Thursday, just do the first two or just the first one.  If you raced this weekend, just  come out and run easy.  It's always nice to get a cheer from the Tuesday morning crowd.
Thursday-Race
Friday-If no race, do Tuesday's workout or if you did Tuesday's workout, 800 of tempo and then 8 x 300 w/300jr at 3k pace.  I won't be there so the track will probably be locked so it will look like, 3:00 of tempo, jog for 3:00 and then 8 x 1:00 w/2:00 jog recovery.  
Saturday-7-10.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin


  

Philly Marathon and 1/2

Runners,

We have a great crew doing the 1/2 and full at Philly this weekend.  Both days look pretty good.  Saturday is ideal.  Take advantage of your fitness.  Run smart and get it done.  We'll be following on line.

Get signed up for Brian's Run.  The numbers look great so far.  Also, the Turkey Trot.  Also, Running of the Turkeys is this Sunday at Noon if you're not running Philly.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-Marathon-3 x 1600 w/100 jr at MP, MP -5, MP -10.  Take a gel while you're running.
               1/2-5 x 1000 w/200 jr at target 1/2 pace.
                 5k runners-5 x 1000 w/200 jr at 5k pace.  
Friday-Non weekend racers-10 x 400 w/400jr at 3k pace.
Saturday-7-10 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Getting lost

Runners,

Great racing this weekend.  We had a great crew at This Run's Personal in Downingtown.  It was a fun race.  

We always have some races where the course isn't well marked or the course marshals get confused and send people the wrong way. I ran a race in Drexel Hill one time where we the police were the lead vehicle.  It turns out that he was just going to a spot on the course.  We followed him and led the whole race the wrong way.  We made it back in about the right amount of time.  The whole race went that way so what could the race director do.

It's the responsibility of the race director to mark the course and have good, competent course marshals.  As we all know, that's easier said then done sometimes.  Most course marshals are just volunteers either trying to get some volunteer hours or trying to help a good cause.  Often, they don't even know the course.  It's ultimately, the runner's responsibility to know the course.  Most people don't take that responsibility.  A lot of races have course maps.  I always like to run over the course as a warmup if I'm not sure of the course. 

Even knowing the course doesn't guarantee that you won't make a mistake in the heat of the battle.  One of our top llocal runners, made a wrong turn on the downtown loop one time.  It's easy to miss turns or make a mistake when you're tired.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-If you're racing the 3200 on Thursday, cut your workout by 2/3 today.
  Philly full-6 x 1200 w/200 jr at 10k pace.
  Philly 1/2-5 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace.
   Others-4 x 1200 w/200 jr at 10k pace.
**Just a note on Tuesday/Thursday.  If the weather is bad in the morning and you want to opt for just the race on Thursday, we'll add a little workout after you race.  It will be 12 x 200 with a jog across the field for a recovery at 5k pace.  You'll have to do it in lane 5 and 6.  You'll start on the backstretch where we start a 300.  I'll explain it more when you get there.  

Thursday-Warrior Classic at Henderson.  3-4 sections-1st section starts at 6.  It looks pretty ideal to race.  35 with no wind.  Similar to Saturday morning.  It's going to be a PR situation.

Friday-No workout if you raced.  Non-racers on Fern Hill loop.  6 x 2:00 with 2:00 rest.
Long racers-Easy

Saturday-Full-13 with 4 x 5:00 of tempo with 1:00 rest.  Start at 7 miles.
                1/2-11 with 3 x 5:00 of tempo with 1:00 rest.  Start at 6 miles.
                 Others-8  miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

RIP Brian Bratcher

Runners,

As many of you have heard, Brian Bratcher passed away last week surrounded by his family.  Brian was a 15 year old cornerback in 1978 when he was paralyzed while making a tackle during a scrimmage at Henderson.  The community came to together to support him.  They started Brian's Run in his honor.  The first year, they were hoping to get 500 people and raise a couple of thousand dollars.  2000 people showed up and they raised over $20k for Brian.  Eventually, Brian felt that he didn't need the financial support and had the race benefit other people over the years.  

Brian was a true gentleman. There was a symbiotic relationship between him and the West Chester Community.  Their support and kindness helped get him through some tough times.  His kindness, generosity and spirit helped us all feel better about ourselves.  He was a true inspiration to the running community and to the community at large.  Even in his darkest times, he would show up at Brian's Run and stay and cheer until the last person finished.  

Imagine, being 15 and being in the prime of your life when all of sudden, everything changes in an instant.  It makes you appreciate what you have.  

Brian's step mom would like this year's race to be a celebration of Brian's life.  We'll get more details out soon, but consider signing up.  I know it's a tough race, but he was a tough man.
https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/BriansRun

Here are the funeral arrangements:
Final Arrangements for Brian Bratcher Services Thursday 10/31/19 @ Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Church.  426 West Gay Street  West Chester Pa. 19380. Viewing 9 am to 11am.  Service starting at 11am.  
Interment at Rolling Green Memorial Park West Chester Pa. 19380.Repast open to visitors also at Cornerstone Christian fellowship church. 
Superhero attire is welcomed!

Byrin(Brian's Brother)

Here is an article from the Daily Local:
https://www.dailylocal.com/news/local/community-mourns-brian-bratcher-run-in-his-honor-will-continue/article_637cfabe-f733-11e9-a223-df70aa30b7b7.html
As with anything from the Daily Local, not completely factual, but it gets the point across.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday- Philly full 3200, 1600, 3200, 800 w/400jr.  3200s at 10k pace, 1600 and 800 at 5k pace
                NYC-3 x 1600 at MP and a little faster with a 100jr
                 Philly 1/2 3200, 800, 1600, 800-w/400jr  3200 and 1600 at 10k pace, 800s at 5k pace.
                 5k runners-800, 1600, 800, 1600 w/400jr.  All at 5k pace
Friday-Philly-No wo
            5k-1200 of tempo then 3 x 4 x 200 w/200jr with 5:00 between sets at mile pace.
Saturday-Philly 1/2-16 w/2 x 3 miles of tempo with 2:00 jr.  starting around 8.
                Philly full-20 w/3 x 3 miles of tempo with 2:00 JR starting around 10.
                 5k-7-10 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

This week's training-10/21

Runners,

I hope everyone is doing well.  Here is the week's training:

Tuesday-
NYC and Philly 1/2-8 x 1000 w/200 jr at 10k pace
Philly full-12 x 1000 w/200 jr at 10k pace
5k group-4-6 x 1000 w/200 jr at 10k pace

Friday-No track access-We're leaving early for Districts.  
The workout will be over the Fern Hill Loop.  Start in front of Henderson.
Philly full-7 miles of tempo
NYC-5 mile cutdown-start at MP and then take :10 off per mile.
Philly 1/2 and 5k-8 x 2:00 w/2:00 jr.  

Saturday-NYC-13 w/2 at MP
                Philly 16
                Philly 1/2-11-12
                5k-7-10

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Setting up the rest of the fall.

Runners,

Great job by today's marathoners.  Special shout out to Andy Evans for joining the sub 3 club by going 2:55:26.  Awesome race by him. He's done a ton of work and it has paid off.  It's no surprise that he dropped a massive PR.

Let's start really thinking about some race planning for the rest of your fall.  There are a lot of good races.  Here is the 4 race plan that I'm going to suggest.  You can pick and choose as you please:  Links to all of these races and more are here:  https://chestercountyrunningstore.rsupartner.com/upcoming-races

October 20-Monster Mash 5k in Kennett
November 9-this Run's Personal in Downingtown(Fast course)
November 14-Warrior Classic-2 miles on the track.  This is fast and completely accurate.
November 24-27-Either Philly 1/2, Philly full or Chesco TT.  Just 1 of those, not all 3.
December 8-Brian's Run-If you're reading this, you have to run Brian's Run.
That's a great way to end a great year of running for this group.  Don't be afraid to race!!  Live in the moment.  Don't race to get ready for something else.  Race for the sake of racing!!  

Here is the week's training schedule:
Tuesday-NYC-5 x 3200 w/200JR at tempo minus 5 seconds.
               Philly full 4 x 3200 w/200 JR at tempo minus 5 seconds.
                Philly 1/2 3 x 3200 w/200jr at tempo minus 10 seconds.
                5k group-3200(10k), 1600(10k minus 5), 800(5k) w/a 200 jr
Friday-Cape May 1/2-4 mile cutdown-1/2 pace for 1, then -15 per mile after that.
                 Other long racers-Run easy w/8 x striders
                  5k- 800 of tempo and then 2 x 600(Mile), 400(800), 300(800-2), 200(400) all with a 300 JR and 5:00 between sets.
Saturday-NYC-18 w/3 x 3 miles at MP w/1 mile in between starting at 6 miles.
                Philly full-18 w/3 x 2 miles of tempo with 1 Mile in between starting at 9.
                 Philly 1/2-16 w/3 x 2 miles of tempo with 1 mile in between starting at 7.
                5k-7-10 miles or race.

See you on Tuesday.  BTW, if you're in the Unionville area tomorrow mid day, check out the Ches Mont XC Champs.  There will be some great running.  Boys' Varsity is at 9:45, Girls' Varsity is 10:25.  The JV races follow that.

Kevin
              

Time to Race

Runners,

Congrats to JT Newton for going sub 2:40(2:39:30) at NY today. He had a great last 1/2 of his training cycle.  I think that's a 4:00 PR.  Next stop, 6:00 pace!

We have some good races going on this weekend.  They're all on our race calendar.  This Run's Personal is going to be fast.  I would say 5k this weekend and then 2 miles on the track at the Warrior Classic on Thursday, the 14th at Henderson.  Then, as I mentioned before, Philly 1/2 or Turkey Trot and then Brian's Run.  Let's get after it!!

Here is the training for this week:
Tuesday-Philly full-8 x 1600 w/100 jr at 10k plus 5 seconds per mile
               Philly 1/2-4-6 x 1600 w/100jr at 10k plus 5 seconds per mile
                5k/5 milers-3-4 x 1600 w/100jr at 10k plus 5 seconds per mile
Friday-Philly full-5 mile cut down or race on Saturday
            Philly 1/2 4 mile cutdown or race on Saturday
             5k/5 milers-3 mile cutdown or race on Saturday
Saturday-Philly full-if you race-5 mile wu, 7 mile cd.  If not, just straight 15.
                Philly 1/2 if you race-5 mile wu, 3 mile cd.  If not, just straight 12.
                 Others-if no race, 7-10.

See you on Tuesday.   Get signed up to race.

Kevin
                 

Training this week.

All,

sorry for the shortness. I’m having some internet issues. Hendy invite community mile is Monday. Heat 1 at 745 and heat 2 at 8:00. It’s always good action. Just show up and sign up. 

We had had some good racing this weekend. Let’s keep it up. 

Workouts:
Tuesday. Chicago/Steamtown. 3 x 1600 w/100jr at mp or s little faster. 
Nyc/ Philly 4-5 x 2400 w/200 jr at 10k pace.
5k. 2 x 2400 at 10k pace 
cape may 1/2. 4 miles 1-1/2 pace, 2 10k, 3 1/2 4 5k. 

Friday-Philly 1/2-4-5 miles of tempo.  
            NYC-7 Miles of tempo
             Philly Full-6 miles of tempo
             5k-3 miles of tempo or race on the weekend.
Saturday- Philly 1/2-9-11 miles
                  NYC and Philly-15 miles.
                   5k-7-9 miles.
Ill update for Friday and the long run on Tuesday. 

Kevin

Track Use/Safety

Runners,

It looks like the end of the heat may be getting here by Wednesday.  It could be a rough Wednesday.  It's time for nice fall weather as we start gearing up for some nice race weekends.  We have a bunch of great races this weekend.  Take advantage of the good weather and get out there.

We really want everyone to stay safe as we get less light during the day.  Try to wear reflective gear and run with someone, especially in the morning.  Also, it really is dangerous to run while wearing headphones.  Remember, a lot of drivers aren't paying attention in the morning.  You'd be shocked at how many are on their phones while driving.  It's disturbing.

We had an incident at the track one morning last week.  Nobody was hurt but it was kind of creepy.  I had to let the administration know.  They have a policy of the track being open from dawn to dusk and that it can't be used when classes are there or when there is a practice or a game going on.  They're going to start adhering to that policy.  I'll be there on Tuesday and Friday to open the track but it won't be open on the other mornings like it has been.  

Here is the workout schedule:
Tuesday-WG-3 x 1600 w/100 jr at MP, Mp-5, MP -10.
               Chicago/Steamtown-5 x 2k w/200jr at 10k pace.
                Philly/NYC marathon-6 x 2k w/200jr at 10k pace
                Philly 1/2-4 x 2k at 10k pace w/200 jr.
                5k crew-3 x 2k at 10k pace w/200jr
Friday-Anyone racing would not workout
                Chicago/Steamtown-4 mile cutdown.  MP, MP-15, MP-30, MP-45
                 5k-3 x 3 x 300 w/200 jr and 5:00 between sets at Mile pace, 800 pace, faster for each set.
 Saturday-Philly 1/2-15 -6 mile warmup 5k at 5k pace and 6 mile cool down.
                  NYC/Philly full-20 w/5k at 5k pace.  10 mile wu, 7 mile cd.
                    5k-7-9 miles.

See you Tuesday.

Kevin

UFH Wrap Up

Runners,

Great job by those who came out to Unite For Her on Saturday.  I think the total ended up being 1927 people.  That's a lot of people for that loop.  We still had some people rolling.  Good work racing and helping a great cause.  It's fun being part of something that big.  They're going to keep growing.  

My next point is that while we had a good crowd out there racing, we also had a lot of people not out there.  It is time to race.  Check out our race calendar and jump in a race.  That's why we train.  We have 4-5 races each of the next few weekends. It's fun to get out there and mix it up.  Even, if you're not in great shape, get out there and compete.  It's good for you.

Here are the workouts for the week:
Tuesday-Wineglass-7 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr.  ST/Chicago-8 x 1600 w/200jr at 10k pace.  Late fall marathoners and 1/2 marathoners-5-6 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr.  AC 1/2-4800m cutdown.  5k runers 3-4 x 1600 w/200 jr at 10k pace.  

Friday-Wineglass-4 mile cutdown.  Mp, MP -15, Tempo, 10k.  ST/Chi-Run easy.  Long Fall marathoners-6 miles of tempo-Track-2400-Fern Hill and then the rest on the track.  Philly 1/2 4 miles of tempo.  Or both of those groups race on the weekend.
5k-1200 of tempo and then 3 x 5 x 200 with a 100jr=to the 200 time and 5;00 between sets at Mile pace or race on the weekend.

Saturday-WG-13 with 11 and 12 at MP.  ST/Chi-17 w/10-16 at MP.  NYC-20 with 10-18 at MP.  Philly 1/2-12.  5k-7-11 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Races this weekend

Runners,

We had some great races this weekend.  The WC STOMP at 500+ on Friday with some good group representation.  The Highland Hustle had a great turnout on Saturday and the 9/11 Heroes Run had around 500 at Rustin today.  It was good to see TMC alums Treston and McGurk out there.  We also had a nice turnout at the Rock and Roll 1/2 on a hot morning.  It's always a good idea to race.  There is no better workout.  

This week, we'll have the biggest race ever on the downtown loop when Unite For Her goes off on Saturday morning.  They should end up with 2000+ people.  It's a lot of fun being part of an event like that.  There will be a ton of energy.  Get signed up now.  If you live on the course, get your family out to cheer.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-RNR-no workout.  Philly 1/2-1600, 3200, 1600 at 10k pace w/400 jr.  Fall marathoners-3200, 1600, 3200 at 10k pace w/400 jr.  5k-1600, 800, 1600, 800 at 5k pace w/400jr

Friday-Fall marathoners-easy.  5k-mile of tempo and then 3 x 3 x 200 at mile pace with a 200 jr between each one and 5:00 between sets(or race on Saturday).
Saturday-Philly 1/2-9-14 w/ 3-5 at marathon pace.  Fall marathoners-14 w/6 at MP starting at 7 or race and talk to me about adjusting the training.  Steamtowners-18 w/7 at MP starting at 10.

See you on Tuesday.  I may not be there on Friday.  See you on Tuesday. 

Go Birds!

Kevin

RNR 1/2

Runners,

Great job if you raced this weekend.  We had some nice performances.  There are some good 5ks plus the Rock and Roll 1/2(formerly PDR) this weekend.  

RNR is a great course.  One of the keys to running fast there is being calm early, settling into your pace and then blasting the last 5k.  Trust your training and get after it.  Obviously, the weather is a huge factor, but even when it's been warm, it's a fast course.  Your first mile is going to be a little fast.  Don't get worked up about that.  Settle in after the mile and then in the last 5k pick up all of those people who went out too hard.  A little momentum helps keep you motivated at the end of a long race.

Here is the week's training:

Tuesday-Everyone 5 x 1000 w/200 jr at 10k pace plus 5 seconds per mile.  RNRers, feel good coming out of that.  If you're not doing RNR and are running a long fall race, do 8-10 of those.
Friday-Non RNR.  Mile of tempo, 400 jr and then 8 x 300 with an 80 wr, 20 jr at mile pace.  
Saturday-Long group-16 miles.
                 5k-7-10 miles or race.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Guide to XC Spectating

Runners,

With XC season starting and some of you having kids running xc this year, I wanted to put out a little guide to spectating.  I've been meaning to do this for awhile.  This can also apply to watching your friends at a big road race.

1-When you get to the meet, a little small talk with your child is OK, but don't distract them too much.  They're probably a little nervous and a lot of pre race questions are ususally not helpful.  The beauty and the curse of xc is that parents and friends have a lot of access to the athletes.
2-Dress to move.  XC is a fluid sport.  One of the great things about it is that, you can get to a lot of places on most courses.  The more spots you can get to, the better. You can also get a great workout in yourself.
3-A good xc outfit would include the following:  Running shoes.  Shorts or athletic pants.  A tech T.  Maybe, a LS T or sweatshirt for before and after you run around the course.  No Nos would include jeans, sandals, dress, shoes, etc.  If you're coming straight from work, at least have your running shoes with you.  Don't be afraid to get muddy.  It's going to happen.
4-During the race, encourage your child and other athletes on the team.  Good things to say might be, "you're in(whatever place they're in) place."  "Go after the person in front of you".  "Relax your hands(if they're making a fist". "Shorten your stride(if they're going up hill)".  "Open your stride(if they're going downhill).
5-After the race, maybe tell them good job and ask how it went.  Some kids are talkers after they race.  Some like to be left alone.  Everyone is different.  Make sure you give them some time to cool down after the race.  

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Marathoners-4 x 3200 at 10k pace with a 400jr
                1/2 marathoners 3 x 3200 at 10k pace with a 400jr
                5k-1600, 3200, 1600 at 10k pace with a 400 jr.
Friday-Race Teri's Run Teri's Run Info  or
               Long racers  5 miles at 1/2 marathon pace.  Yeah, if you're running RnR, it's time to commit to a pace.
                5k-6 x 600 w/100wr, 100jr at 3k pace
Saturday-Marathoners-15 easy
                 1/2 marathoners-12 easy
                 5k-8-11 miles(less if you raced on Friday).

See you tomorrow.

Kevin

Track Etiquetts

Team,

Just a couple of reminders as school gets started and we start to get more people out to the track sessions:
1-Don't jog on the inside lanes.
2-When someone yells track, just step out one lane.  Check that it's clear before moving back in.
3-If you're finishing on the straight, don't yell track.  It's no extra distance to drift out and finish in an outer lane.
4-Don't wear head phones.  
5-Work together in your group.  Take turns leading and run single file.  When it's your turn to lead, keep it even.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Marathoners-6 x 2k at 10k pace with a 200JR
                1/2 marathoners-5 x 2k at 10k pace with a 200jr
                 5k-3 -4x 2k at 10k pace with a 200jr
Friday-Marathoners and 1/2 marathoners-easy
            5k 12 x 400 w/400 jr at 3k pace.
Long Run-5k-8-11 miles
                 1/2-16 w/5 at MP starting at 10
                  Full 20 w/8 @MP starting at 10 or 11.
If it fits your schedule, use RTL as your long run.  It's nice having water and support on the course.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin 

The heat is back

Runners,

After a couple of decent mornings last week, the heat is back in full force.  The last 2 days were brutal and the next 3 look worse.  I'm sure we'll get a couple of more bad stretches.  

Take advantage of it.  Hydrate, eat right and get some good runs and workouts in.  Adjust accordingly for the humidity.  

Thanks to everyone who came out this morning to Highland Orchards.  That was a tough effort.  The free beer afterwards was nice though.

Also, with Fall sports beginning, please don't move the mats that are on the track to protect it from the cleats.  If that keeps happening, we could lose our track privilege.  Remember, no other tracks in the District are open to the public.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-Long racers: 4k(at tempo), 3k(at 10k), 2k(at 5k), 1k(at 3k) all with a 400 jr.  Practice taking gel during the 4k.  Take water during the 3k and 2k.  
                  5k and Milers-The long workout without the 4k.  
Friday-Long racers-6 miles of tempo in and out starting at the track and heading to Fernhill.  
                  5k and Milers-1200 of tempo, then 400 jr, then 600, 200 x 3 with the 600 at mile pace and the 200 at 800 pace with a 200 jr and 800 jog between sets.  
Saturday-Long racers-14-16 miles.  
                5k and Milers-7-10 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Mile recap

Runners,

Great job at the Hotel Warner WC Mile presented by CTDI on Thursday. We had about 280 Citizen's milers, 20 kid's 400 runners and 20 elites.  What a fun night!  We had some huge PRs.  I really liked how we raced.  I think the rain delay helped set up some fast times.  The post-race party at the Marquee was a blast.  I would really encourage you to check that out the next time you're in town.

So, what's next?  A fun, 5k at Highland Orchards this Sunday:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/CloudyandCumbersome5katLevanteBrewingCompany
The discount code for this group is TMC.  That's for $5 off.

Or, Run the Loop:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Downingtown/RunTheLoopMarathon
Run however many laps fits your training schedule.

And/or-The thorncroft Trail Run-  This is another tough course with a cold beverage at the end:
https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Malvern/5kTrailRunforThorncroft

Plus, a ton of call races.  Check out our race calendar.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-Long Racers-5 x 1600 at 5k pace with a 400jr.
               Milers/5k-3 x 1600 at 5k pace with a 400jr
Friday-Long Racers-60:00 run
            5k/Milers-1200 of tempo, 400jr, 4 x 200 at mile pace with a 200 jr, 3:00 after the last one-All out 400.  5:00+ recovery, then 4 x 200 at mile pace with a 200 jr.
               
Saturday-5k/milers-7-10
                1/2 and full-12-17 depending on your fitness with 3-5 miles at marathon pace ending with 1 mile left in your run.  For example if you're ready for it, 11 easy and then 5 miles at MP, then 1 easy.  If you're still building, 8 easy, then 3 at MP and then 1 easy.  Be realistic and put yourself where you belong.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

The Mile

Runners,

This is a big week for us.  Xc Camp started today.  We had a great run and then Ajee Wilson gave a great talk.  Follow us on Twitter @Hendytrackxc or Instagram Chester County Racing Services for some great pics from today.  The Hotel Warner West Chester Mile presented by CTDI is on Thursday.

The Mile offers some great things.  You can to test yourself on Henderson's beautiful facility over the mile.  You can get to stick around and see the elite men try to break 4:00 and the elite women try to break 4:30.  Your kids can run the 400m and get a great shirt and a DQ ice cream cone.  Apply the discount code of WCRC for $5 off.  It's a great event, maybe the best we put on.  Here is the link to registration:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/TheWestChesterMile

Why the mile you might ask?  It's a great test of your fitness.  Just long enough to hurt, but not so long that you become disengaged.  When people find out that you run, they want to know how fast you can run a mile and if you run marathons.  You'll be able to honestly tell them.  On the elite level, it's a classic test of man vs. the clock.  See if you run under 1:00 per lap for 4 laps.  

Get out there!

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-Milers-Good warmup and then 6 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace.  No faster.
                5k-800, 3200, 800 w/400jr with the 800s at 5k pace and the 3200 at 10k pace
               Long racers-800,3200, 800, 3200 w/400JR with the 800s at 5k pace and the 3200s at 10k pace.
Wednesday-Milers-good warmup and then 6 x striders. Maybe, run with the Milers from the store at 6:30pm.
Thursday-Milers-race!
Friday-Milers-No workout-
            5k-800, 300 x 4 w/300jr after each.  at 5k and 3k pace
           Long-4 miles of tempo
Saturday-5k and milers-7-10
               1/2 and full-16 easy.
See you in the morning.

Kevin

Workouts 7/29

Runners,

i hope everyone is doing well. Get signed up for the WC Mile on August 8. I won’t be at the track this week so the bathrooms won’t be open. 

Here are the workouts:
tuesday
milers-3 x 1000 w/400 jr at 3k pace plus 3 x 400 at mile pace w/400 jr
5k 5 x 1000 w/400 jr at 5k pace
long group8 x 1000 at 10k pace w/200 jr
fri
mile/5k. Mile of tempo and then 12 x 200 w/200 jr at mile pace. 
llong. No wo
sat-milers-6 miles
5k-8-10
1:2/full-15 w/4 at mp starting at 10. 

Have a good week. 

Kevin

 

The heat

Runners,

The heat is here in full force.  Take advantage of it, but be smart.  Hydrate, run early, etc..  Also, welcome it as you would a visit from a relative.  You know that it's good to have them there, but you'll also be happy when the visit is over.  The heat can be unpleasant but beneficial.

Here is our 2nd installment of great sponsors.  Again, you patronizing them can go a long way towards them sticking with us as sponsors going forward and making some of your events so great.
1-Simone Zajac Wealth Management Group.  This is Dan Zajac's Company.  He is a regular on the workout circuit and a Wednesday Knight.  If you want your money managed wisely, Dan is the man to connect with.  Here is his web-site:  https://simonezajac.com/

2-The Hotel Warner-The title sponsor of the mile.  Now, most of us are local so we're not going to get a room there(although I here they're great).  We do however like to go out for an occasional adult beverage.  The Marquee Bar at the Hotel Warner.  They have great selections and prices in a low-key atmosphere.  Check it out the next time you're in town.  Here is there web-site:  https://www.hotelwarner.com/

We have the final all comers track meet of the summer on Wednesday.  It's a great tuneup for the Hotel Warner WC Mile presented by CTDI.  You can run an 800, mile or 5k or one of the sprints.  Last week's meet was a blast.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Milers-1600 of tempo, 400 jr, 1000 meters hard, 7:00  rest and then 600, 200 x 2 w/a 100 wr, 100 jr after the 600 and an 800 jr after the 200.  
Long fall races-5 x 1600 w/200 jr at 10k pace.  If you're racing on Wednesday, you should do 2 miles of tempo on the track.
Friday-Milers-1600 of tempo and then 6 x 500 at mile pace with a 500 jr.
           Longer group-1600 of tempo and then 5 x 600 at 5k pace w/400jr
Saturday-Milers-7-8 miles
                Longer group 11-15 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin  

Sponsors

Runners,

I hope everyone is enjoying the benefits of the hot weather training.  This morning was surprisingly nice.  I'm sure it will get thicker as the week progresses.  Make sure you're hydrating.  

We have some great sponsors for our events throughout the year.  I'm going to try to highlight one or two each week for the next couple of weeks.  You supporting them and letting them know that you heard about them through us is a great way for us to keep them as sponsors.

Our first one is Mark McCaffrey All State.  Mark is a member of the running group.  I switched my inusrance over to All State and he's saving me over $2000 for the year.  His number is 610-430-1600.  His email is MMccaffrey@allstate.com.  His service was great and the simplicity of changing insurance companies is very easy.

Our 2nd company is CTDI.  They are a great company based in West Chester that have been great supporters of the West Chester Mile.  Chris Howe and Elliot Parsons, 2 of our long time team members, work there.  Here is the link to their web-site:  https://www.ctdi.com/

Remember, all comers track meet tomorrow night starting at 5:45.  It looks like we're going to have 2 really good elite 800s starting at 7:50.  If you're a Tuesday morning person, let me know if you're racing and I'll get you entered.

Workouts this week:
Tuesday-(if no track meet)-Long early fall race-4 x 2000 w/200 jr at 10k pace.  Non long fall race-4 x 1200 w/400jr at 5k pace.
Friday-Long fall racers-4 miles of tempo.  Start on the track and go to Fern Hill.  Milers, etc.  Mile of tempo and then 300, 200 x 4 w/100 jr after the 300 and 5:00 between sets.  The 300s should be at 800 pace and the 200s should be at 3k pace.  So, if you're in 4:40 shape, you should be able to run 2:07 and 9:40.  Your 300s should be in 48-49 and your 200s in 39. 
Saturday-Long racers-12-14.  Others-7-10.

See you in the morning.

Kevin 

Happy 4th

Runners,

I hope everyone had a great holiday.  Thanks to all who came out to the Oakbourne Challenge on the 4th.  It was tough, but fun.  The heat and humidity look to be sticking around for awhile.  Take advantage of it.  Keep hitting the workouts and the long runs and it will pay off in the fall.  In the meantime, get ready to race on the track next Tuesday at Henderson.

Here is the week's workout schedule:

Tuesday-3200 at 10k pace, 1600 at 5k pace and 800 at 3k pace.  All with a 400 jog recovery.  Milers-1600 of tempo and then spike up.  3 x 500  plus 1 x 300 fast w/10:00 recovery.  The 500s should be at 800 pace.  The 300 should be at 400 pace or faster.

Friday-1600 of tempo and then 400, 300, 200, 100, 100, 200, 300, 400 with equal jog recovery.  So, a 400 after the 400, 300 after 300, etc.  5:00 after the 100.  They should start at 800 pace and work down.  Spikes, please.  

Saturday- Fall marathoners and 1/2 marathoners 12 miles with 2 miles at MP at 9 miles.  Others-7-10 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Staying Healthy

Runners,

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far. This is a great time to get into some healthy habits in order to maintain and improve your health and fitness.

Some of the main causes of injury are lack of strength, poor balance and flexibility issues.  Remember, when you're running, you're balancing on one leg.  So, increasing your balance and strength one leg at a time will be very beneficial.

Here are some easy suggestions:
1-Balance work-Do some single leg balance exercises.  Stand on one leg and lift your other leg parallel to the ground.  Hold for :30 and switch.  do 3 sets 3-4 times per week.  Better yet, get a foam slant board and do the same balance exercises at each angle(so facing each way and going up and down).  These should be single leg also.  Here is a link to foam slant boards:  Foam Slant Board

2-Strength work.  Single leg squats with little or no weight are awesome.  Using bands to activate your glutes.  Put the bands around your leg and step to the side while in a 1/4 squat is good.  Single leg bridges.  Do 3 sets of 8-12 2-3 times per week.  
Make sure with the strength work and the balance work that you use good form and stay tall.

3-Do some dynamic flexibility work.  Things like lunges, figure 4s, knee huggers, scoops and high knees.  Do this 3-5 times per week.

4-Do a little bit of barefoot running on the turf.  5-10:00 during your cool down twice a week would be beneficial.

Registration for the Cloudy and Cumbersome 5k at Levante opens Tuesday at 8:50AM.  This is going to fill up fast.  Here is the info:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/CloudyandCumbersome5katLevanteBrewingCompany

Start your 4th of July in style by running the Oakbourne Challenge.  You can choose between the Mile and the hour run.  It's going to be fun(but tough).  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/OakbourneChallenge

Here are the week's workouts:
Tuesday-2400, 1600, 800, 400 w/400JR at 10k pace, 5k pace, 3k pace, mile pace.
Thursday-Oakbourne Challenge
Friday-See how you feel after Thursday-1600 of Tempo, 12 x 200 w/200JR at mile pace.
Saturday-8-13.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Oakbourne Park

Runners,

Happy FD

Dads,

Happy Father's Day.  I hope everyone had a great day.  Thanks to all of the Moms for having our kids so we could be Dads.

Let me know if you're going to run an early fall marathon.  We'll adjust the training accordingly.  

Really great job by the Knights and the Tuesday Crew in the DMR on Tuesday.  That was a lot of fun.  The next track meet is July 16.  I'm going to recommend a mile and an 800 for most of the group.

I love how there is a lot of mixing of the groups at this point.  A lot of Knights get on the track and Wednesday is a good option for some of the morning crew.  If you haven't been out on Wednesday, put that on your bucket list for the summer.  It's on my list of things to do this summer.  

Here is the workout schedule:
Tuesday-1600, 800, 400, 800, 1600 at 5k pace with a 400 JR.  
Friday-1600 of tempo and then 6 x 400 w/400jr at Mile pace.
Saturday-8-12 miles.  It's time to slowly grind that long run up.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Gabe

Runners,

I'm sure many of you have been following the Gabe Grunewald story.  Her battle with cancer ended sadly yesterday.  Her story is very inspiring.  Read some of the articles and if you have time, watch the "Gabe" video.  As Maddy said, "It puts things in perspective."  I'll put the links below.

A lot of clubs/elite athletes are running a 5k in her honor tomorrow.  We're going to join them.  We'll do a 5k on the track tomorrow instead of the workout that was planned.  You can run it how you'd like:  hard 5k, 5k of tempo or mix in some bursts.  We'll start at 5:30 sharp.  #bravelikegabe

Links:
LR Obituary

Tim Layden Article

#Bravelikegabe site

Gab Video

See you in the morning.

BTW-Great turnout this morning.  That was fun.
Kevin

Just the workout

Runners,

Sorry for the late notice on the workout.  We still need one more person for the DMR tomorrow.  All are welcome.

Tuesday-Non DMR people, 3 x 1600 w/200 jr at 10k pace.
Friday-Mile of tempo and then 12 x 200 w/200JR at Mile pace.  
Saturday-7-11 miles.

See you tomorrow,

Kevin

DMR Details

Runners,

We've been track heavy with our topics lately.  We had some great performances on Friday night at the Distance Festival at Henderson.  Scott, Maddy, Ed and Lauren ran nice 800s(Maddy mixed it up with the pros).  JT Newton won his heat of the Mile and Andy Evans, Colleen and Lisa all ran great 5ks.  That brings us to our first all comers meet and the DMR Challenge on Tuesday, June 11.  

1st of all, get your team together.  If you're not a Tuesday morning track workout person, get your team together and enter through the link below.  If you're a WCRC person, I created a team on Milesplit.  We'll figure out the teams on Tuesday and other events that you're going to run and I'll enter them(Mac, I can create a team for the Knights but give you control of it).  You'll be able to pay on RSU or at the meet.  So, on Tuesday morning, try to have your team ready.  We can always add/change things up to race time.  You can always me e-mail changes/updates.  For your 2nd event, it would be after the DMR.  So, an 800, 200 or mile.

BTW, we'll have official FAT splits for the relay this year.  No guesstimates.  Each member of the relay will have to wear hip numbers.

It's fun to get out on the track and race.  No one is too fast or slow for Henderson.   Here is the link to meet information:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/HendersonSummerAllComersTrackMeetDMRChallenge

Also, this Friday is the Dub C 5k.  It's a chance to run fast on the Downtown Loop and get out for a great post-race party at Kildare's.  Sign up soon:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/DubC4Miler

Here is the week's training schedule:
Tuesday-Mile of tempo, 400jR and then 6 x 600 w/400 JR at 3k pace.  
Friday-Mile of tempo, 400 JR, then 3 x 400 w/800 1-2 seconds faster than 800 pace.
Saturday-6-8 miles.  Sunday-off.  Monday-Premeet.  25:00 warmup, 2 x 200 at 800 pace with a 600 jr(3:00).  10:00 cooldown.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin
  

PA Distance Festival

Runners,

This Friday's Distance Festival is looking outstanding.  The weather looks great and the fields look good.  If you're reading this, you should be running on Friday night.  Races start at 5:45 and there is something for everyone.  You can run anything from the 200-5000m.  It's always fun to see what you can do in a mile or a 800.  And, as I've said before, your true 5k fitness is determined on the track.  You never know about the distance of a particular road 5k.  We know that 12 1/2 laps on the track is 5000 meters.  You can bring the family and have the kids run a shorter race.  Then, hit DQ or the Square(depending on how old your kids are). It's a fun , tight meet.  Here is the link to information:  PA Distance Festival

That also sets you up for the DMR Challenge on June 11, also at Henderson.  The beauty of this is that you can run a leg in the DMR and come back and run an open race afterwards.  Again, racing on the track is always good for your racing instincts.  Here is the link to the All Comers meet:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/HendersonSummerAllComersTrackMeetDMRChallenge

Here is the week's training schedule:
Tuesday-800 on Friday-1000, 600, 400, 200 at 3k pace, mile pace, 800 pace and 400 all with a 400 jog.
              Mile on Friday-1200, 800, 400, 300 at 5k pace, 3k pace, mile pace and 800 pace all with a 400 jog
              5k on Friday-1600, 1200, 800, 400 at 10k pace, 5k pace, 3k pace, mile pace
People not racing on Friday-pick a group.
Thursday-Warmup and pre meet.  800-3 x 200 at 800 pace with a 400 JR.  No faster, no slower.
                                                        Mile-2 x 400 at Mile pace w/400 jr
                                                         5k-1 x 1600 at tempo.  2 x 400 at 5k pace w/200JR 

Saturday-7-11 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Training Cycles

Runners,

Thanks to all who showed up this morning for the Scott Elliott race at Rustin.  It was a hot one.  We have the Burkholder Brothers Triple Threat Relay and Levante 5k this Sunday.  Get a team of three together and each person runs 1.04 miles and/or run the 5k.  It's a fun event.  Everyone gets a T-shirt(while supplies last) and a free beer(if you're 21).  Here is the race registration link:  Levante 5k and Burkholder Triple Threat

We've had some great training cycles and some great performances to match them over the last couple of years.  People come and go, but the ones who have the most success are out regularly on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings.  When that happens, you stack training cycles on top of each other and build a great base of fitness.  That allows for some great performances.  

Here is what we're looking at with the group over the rest of the year:
Mile-We'll have some really specific mile training leading into the West Chester Mile on August 8.
rock and Roll 1/2/Chicago/Wineglass Marathon-I feel like we have a good group training for those races.
Philly Full and 1/2-I'm sure we'll have a good crew doing both.  
5k/5 mile training for everyone not doing a long race.  

It should be a fun summer/fall.

Here is the week's training:
Tuesday-6 x 600 at 3k pace with a 400 JR.
Friday-Milers-Mile of tempo-3 x 400, 200 with a 300 JR after each and 5:00 between sets. The 400s should be at 800 pace and the 200s should be at 400 pace.
5k group-2 miles of tempo and then 1000, 600, 400 with a 400JR at 5k pace, 3k pace, Mile pace.  

Saturday-8-11 miles unless your racing on Sunday.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

MD

Runners,

Great job by Melissa Bradley and her crew putting on the Mother's Day 5k!  Despite the dreary weather, it was a big success.  Kudos o everyone who volunteered, ran and walked.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-6 x 800 w/400JR at 5k pace.
Friday-Milers-3 x 3 x 200 w/200 JR and 5:00 between sets at Mile pace.  5k runners-3 x 4 x 300 w/200 JR and 5:00 between sets at 3k pace.
Saturday-7-11 miles depending on your fitness.

See you in the morning.

Kevin

Racing on the track

Runners,

Great job at Broad Street this morning!  We had some great runs.  It looked like, once you got warm, the conditions were pretty good to run fast.  I would take it easy for a few days and then get back out there by Friday.

We'll have some nice opportunities to run in some track meets at Henderson in the next few months.  Racing on the track is really good for you.  Running some shorter races can really sharpen your racing instincts.  It's fun to run fast and really get into a racing situation.  My best spring of racing after college was followed by a winter where I raced indoors 5-6 times.  I know the track is a little scary, but get out there when the opportunity presents itself.

Here are the Henderson open meet dates:
May 31-John Hay PA Distance Festival
June 11-DMR Challenge.  Distance Medley Relay and some other races.
July 16-All Comers Meet 
July 24-All Comers Meet 
August 8-West Chester Mile

BTW, thanks for those who came out to watch on Friday.  There were some really good performances.

Here is the workout schedule for the week:
Tuesday-4 x 1600 at 10k pace w/200 JR.  Milers-Mile of tempo, 400 JR then 300, 200, 100 x 2 w/3:00 after each one and 6:00 between sets.  300s at 800 pace, 200s and 100s at 400 pace.
Friday-5k-4 x 600 @ Mile pace with a 400 JR.  Milers-Mile of tempo then 4 x 300 w/a 300 JR at Mile pace.  
Saturday-5-10 miles.
Sunday-Milers-2 x 200 at 800 pace with a 400JR.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

The Pros

Runners,

Congrats if you had a good race this weekend!  

In West Chester, we have some unique opportunities to support the professional side of the sport.  Thanks to the great facility at Henderson, we are able to attract some type flight athletes to our meets.  The first chance to see these athletes in action is at the Hoka Henderson Invitational on Friday at Henderson.  Along with about 1500 high school athletes, we will have an elite men's and women's 800 meters.  The men will be shooting to break 1:48 and the women 2:01.  The elite races start at 7:50 and are surrounded by some great high school races.  

How can you support this?  Simple, come out, pay your $5 admission and make some noise.  Maybe, buy a Chik fil A sandwich and head to the Square Bar for a cold beverage afterwards.  Maybe, bring your kids and show them what can happen if you really commit yourself to something.

Why is this important to us?  Having a healthy pro circuit with exposure to these athletes is good for the "citizens" part of the sport.  Especially here, it's fun to see these men and women running on your track.  These athletes are down to earth guys just trying to make a living at something that they're good at.  After you watch them, don't be afraid to say hello to them or have your kids ask for an autograph.  You never know which ones will end up in the Olympics.

Speaking of running with the pros, our own Maddy Evan will be mixing it up with them on Monday, May 13 at Swarthmore College.  She's been tearing it up in workouts.  It will be fun to see her race an 800 there.  

Here is the week's workouts:
Tuesday-Broad Street Crew-Last workout before the race.  5 x 1000 w/200 jr at 5 seconds faster per mile than Broad Street pace.  You should feel good coming out of that.  Everyone will do that workout.
Friday-Milers-Mile of tempo 400/jr then 4 x 300 at 800 pace with a 500 jog recovery.  5k runners  Mile of tempo then 8 x 300 w//100 JR at 3k pace.

BTW, sign up for the Mother's Day 5k today.  What are you waiting for?

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Marathon Fitness

Runners,

Nice work by our group hanging tough in Boston.  It got warm which can happen at Boston.  That's the nature of the marathon.  You put months of prep work in for a race and then the weather has a huge outcome on your performance.  It's the nature of the beast. 

Now that you have a week of recovery, it's time to take advantage of your marathon fitness.  I was usually able to run really well at shorter races after running a marathon, no matter how poorly the marathon itself went.  In 1996, I fell apart at Wineglass.  I came back 6 days later and ran 14:52 at Shut Up and Run in Bryn Mawr and then 2 weeks after that, I ran 23:52 for 8k of XC in Boston.  I went on to have a great winter and spring of racing. 

You can't be afraid to get in some races now.  This is the time to set some PRs or at least have some really good efforts.  Give it 2 weeks of easy running and then start getting after it.  We have some great races this weekend and in May and June.

If you're not quite recovered, we are hosting a mile and a chocolate milk mile on Wednesday at Henderson starting at 6.  It should be fun.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-4 x 1200 w/200JR at 10k pace, jog a 400 and then 4 x 200 at mile pace with a 100 WR, 100 JR.
Friday-Broad Street-5 mile tempo run(at Broad street pace)-We'll do a 2400 on the track and then do the Fern Hill loop and then finish on the track.
Milers-Mile of tempo, then spike up.  400, 300, 200.  Each one fast with 6:00 between each one.

Saturday-8 miles.

See you on the morning.

Kevin

Boston

Runners,

As many of you know, the Boston Marathon.  We have a great group from of our crew running.  Here is the link to tracking them if you haven't found it yet:  Boston Tracking

Boston is a great race.  It's a challenging course, but the crowds are great.  It looks like this going to be one of the rare tailwind years.  If you're running and read this, take advantage of this by being conservative early and hydrating/fueling well early.  You can definitely negative split this course if you run smart.  It will be fun to follow our crew tomorrow.

Nice work in humid conditions this morning by the Rehoboth crew.  The times weren't great but it was less than great marathon weather.  Kudos to them for hanging in there.  

Here is the workouts for the week:
Tuesday- 2 miles of tempo and then 4 x 400 w/400JR at Mile pace.
Friday-3 x 3 x 300 w/200 JR and 5:00 between sets.  1st set at mile pace.  2nd set at 800 pace.  3rd set faster than 800 pace.
Saturday-BS-11-13 miles.  5k-7-10 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Time Trials

Runners,

Time trials can be an important part of any good training plan.  It can be a good test of your fitness and can be used in preparation for an early season race.  It has a lot of the benefits of a race without all of the extra stress that comes with a race.  Sometimes, it's really just a race in disguise.  We've thrown together some really fun, fast time trials over the years.  Some have been big, think Tuesday morning 5 miler or a number of mile time trials that we've done over the years.  Some, have been as small as 1 or 2 guys showing up at the track and testing themselves. 

You can learn a lot from a time trial.  Maybe, you need to add a little more speed to your training regimen.  Or, maybe, your speed is good, but you need a little more strength work.  Each person is different.  A time trial is also very useful at a distance a little shorter than your goal distance.  For example, a 600 is very useful for 800 meter runners and a 1200 is very good for milers.

How do we prepare for a time trial?  You should treat it as a race situation.  Do a good warm up.  Wear racing shoes.  Attack like you would in a race. 

If you're reading into this, you're probably thinking, "This sounds like a great idea.  When is our first time trial of the year?"   Great question.  The answer is this Friday.  I'll give the details in the workout schedule below.

Here is this week's workouts.  This is the last week of workouts for the Boston/Rehoboth crew.
Monday-Marathoners-5-7 miles.
Tuesday-Marathoners-3 x 1600 w/100 Jog recovery at MP + 5, MP and MP -5.  Take a gel on the 2nd one.  2 mile wu, 1-2 mile cool down.  5k/Broad Street-2400, 1600, 800 w/400 JR at 5k pace.  
Wed-Marathoners-Off
Thursday-Marathoners-Off or 3-4 miles.
Friday-Rehoboth-Off.  Boston-1.5 mile wu, 1 mile at MP, 1.5 mile cd.  All others 600 meter time trial starting at :5:45.  At 5:40, run 2 x 200 at mile pace with a 200 jr just to get loose and then do some final stretches.  We'll start the TT at 5:45.  After the time trial, take 10:00 and then do 4 x 300 w/300 JR at mile pace.  
Saturday-Rehoboth-3 mile shakeout.  Boston-Off.  BS-10-11 miles.  5k-6-8 miles.
Sunday-Rehoboth-Race.  Boston-3 mile shakeout.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin


  

Tapering

Runners,

We've had some great training.  As the marathoners get close to Boston and Rehoboth, I wanted to talk about tapering a little.
1-The idea is to make you feel better on race day.  If done properly, you probably won't feel that great early in the race and in the days leading up to the race.
2-You want to back down in steps.  This week, cut your mileage by about 80-85%.  While this is a general rule of thumb, everyone reacts differently to the drop in mileage. If you're not sure where you should be, let me know.
3-We'll keep the intensity pretty high this week and then back it down next week.  
4-Stay in your normal habits, eating and otherwise.  An example would be if you usually have a couple of beers before your long run, it's not going to kill you do the same thing before the race.  Eat normal foods that you usually eat.  Don't experiment in the couple of days before the race.Maybe, avoid any yard work until the 16th.    
5-Avoid getting sick.  For whatever reason, people get sick when they taper.  Get plenty of rest, wash your hands and drink some orange juice every day.
6-Enjoy spending some additional time with your family(although if they're reading this, realize that you might be a little grumpy leading into the race).  
7-Make sure you're staying hydrated.  

This week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Marathoners-8 x 800 w/200 JR at 5k pace.  5k/Broad Street-6 x 800 w/200 JR at 5k pace.
Friday-Marathoners-5 mile cut down on the track starting at Marathon pace and dropping 10 seconds per mile.  5k/Broad Street-3 x 3 x 400 w/200JR and 5:00 between sets at 2 mile pace.  
Saturday-Marathoners-13 w/3 at MP starting at 9.  Broad street-12 miles.  5k-7-9 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Gear

Runners,

Great turnout at the St. Agnes 5k on Saturday.  I think we went 1,3 on the men's side and 2-6(at least) on the women's side.  Great job by Col getting 375 people out there on a windy Saturday morning.  It's fun to get in there and mix it up.  If you missed it, you missed a good one.

We have some nice elite Nike gear that we're trying to get rid of.  It's mostly women's stuff.  We're just charging $5 per piece and it's going to a charity at school.  One of the teachers cousins committed suicide and they have a foundation that pays activity fees, etc. so that kids who can't afford to be involved in after school activities can get involved.  We've given them around $1100 so far.  Anyway, it's nice stuff.  I'll leave the track shed open on Tuesday and Friday so you can check it out after the workouts.  I'll leave a box in there for the money.  It will, obviously, be the honor system.  

As the Boston/Rehoboth crew starts to wind down there training and the Broad Street Crew continue to get in great shape, it's time to start dialing into your paces.  We decided to put the workouts in the blog so you can prepare yourself.  We have some really good workout groups going at the track right now.  If you're not in one yet, find your group.  Sometimes, you'll have a good day and help the group.  Sometimes, you'll be having a bad day and the group will help you.  Don't go crazy on your good days and don't give up on your bad days.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Marathoners-Big one-8-10 x 1600 with 100JR at Tempo minus 5 seconds.  The recovery should be about 40-45 seconds.  I've always found that this workout was more mentally than physically tough(believe me, it's plenty tough physically).  It's a grinder.  Let's make sure we're taking some gels while we're running fast.  Maybe during the 3rd and 8th miles.  Get into your pace by the 2nd one and just keep it rolling.  Some people are starting at 5:15.  BS-4-6 x 1600 w/100 JR at BS pace minus 5 seconds.  5k-3-4 x 1600 w/100 JR at Tempo minus 5 seconds.

Friday-Marathoners-60:00.  Others-3 x 5 x 200 w/100 JR and 5:00 between sets at 3kpace(so 5k pace minus 10 seconds per mile).  The recovery jog should be 35-40 seconds.  

Saturday-Marathoners-18 with 3 x 5k at MP with 2:00 recovery starting at the 7 mile mark. Again, gels during the 1st and 3rd 5ks.  BS-11 easy.  5k-7-8 miles easy.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Beginners

Runners,

We'd love to have more beginners out for the Tuesday morning workout.  It's a great opportunity to start exercising with a group.  You don't have to do the actual workouts.  Just doing some running and walking is a good way to start.  The track is a great surface to start running on. If you have some beginner friends, have them start coming out.  They/you won't regret it.  

We had some great runs this weekend.  The group is really starting to get fit.  Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Marathoners-10 x 1000m with a 200 JR at 10k pace.  BS/5k people-5-6 x 1000m w/200JR at 10k pace.  Get right on pace early.  this is not a cutdown workout.  

Friday-Remember, we really want everyone racing the St. Agnes 5k on Saturday morning.  Here is the link:  St. Agnes 5k Registration
If you are racing, 50:00 with 6 x striders on the track.  If you're not racing on Saturday, the wo is 25 x 200 with 0 jog recovery at 5k pace.  

Saturday-Marathoners-7 mile wu, race, 3 mile cool down.  BS-4 mile wu, race, 2 mile CD.  Everyone else 3 mile warmup, race and then mile cool down.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin 

Racing Season

Runners,

Nice job by those who came out to St. Pat's this morning.  It was a lot of fun.  

If you didn't race today, it's time.  We do all this training.  It's time to take advantage of it and race.  Like anything, it takes some experience to get good at it.  Racing once doesn't get you ready to race.  You have to do it pretty often.  I would set the goal for the next 3 months of trying to race twice a month.

Racing is scary.  You get that feeling of dread and anxiety before a race that makes you feel a little sick.  That's good for you.  There is nothing like the feeling of a good hard race. It's exhilarating.   If it doesn't go great, that's OK.  At least you got out there.  Rarely in life do you have the opportunity to really test yourself and lay it on the line.  Racing does that.

Now, some people go into a race with excuses ready.  "I'm doing it as a tempo run."  "I was out too late last night", etc. etc..  It's human nature to not want to take a risk and put yourself into discomfort.  Just lay it on the line.

One of my few talents as an athlete was having the ability to find that level of discomfort that was just right.  If I went any harder, I would blow up.  If I went any slower, it wasn't a good race.  Find that "red line" and enjoy the feeling, no matter your level.  

This week's workouts:
We're really starting to get after it now:
Tuesday-Marathoners-3 x 3200 at 10k pace with a 200JR.  Last mile of the 3rd 3200 at 5k pace.  5k/Broad Street-1600, 3200, 1600 w/200 JR at 10k pace.

Friday-Marathoners-60:00.  BS/5k-3 x 3 x 300 at mile pace with a 200 JR after each one and an 800 between sets.

Saturday-Marathoners-22 with 10 miles at MP minus 5-7 seconds starting at 11 miles.  Take a gel at the mile and 6 mile mark.  Here is the loop:  Boston 22 That will be a tough loop.  You'll have to run the downhills smart.  The first 11 should be at MP plus 1:00.  No faster.  
BS-11-12 miles easy.  5k-7-9 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Back to the Track!

Runners,

As most of you know, we're back on the track this Tuesday.  If the track is snow covered, we'll meet in front of the track and do the workouts over the Fern Hill loop.

As we get back onto the track for the next 9 months or so, I just wanted to remind people about track etiquette.
1-If someone yells track, just step out one lane.  Don't panic and jump out to lane 3 or 4.  Just slide out.  If you're finishing your interval and on the straightaway, don't yell track, finish in one of the outer lanes.
2-In relationship to #1, don't wear headphones for the track workouts.
3-To keep things running smoothly, try to run single file during your workout with your group.  There is no real need to run two or three across on the track.
4-Within your group, take turns leading.  If the group is too slow for you, move up a group.  If the group is too fast for you, move down.  Working with a group can lead to great progress.
5-Try to do the workout as prescribed.  If you want to do your own thing, go somewhere else.  That doesn't mean that if you're just coming back, you should necessarily do the whole workout.  Do what you can handle.
6-We have some great groups going.  If you're new to the group, you'll find that each group has a leader or leaders.  Take their advice.  They've probably been doing this for awhile.
7-NEVER jog or walk in lane 1.  When you finish your interval, don't stop in lane 1.  Many times, we have upwards of 50 people on the track.  Have a little awareness of the people around you.
8-When we do really hard marathon workouts, some people may start early.  Be aware of that when warming up.  We'll always try to start the main group at 5:50.

This week's workouts:
We had some really good hard long runs for the marathoners this week and some of them are racing on Sunday so the Tuesday workout will be a little bit of a back down this week(but still tough).
Tuesday-Everyone-3-4 x 1600 w/200 JR at 5k pace.  Hopefully, on the track but maybe on the Fern Hill Loop.
Friday/Saturday-People racing on Sunday-12 miles on Friday, easy 7-8 on Saturday.  Marathoners not racing.  10 w/striders on Friday and 13 on Saturday.  BS-Racing-8 on Friday, 4 with striders on Saturday.  BS-Not racing-8 w/striders on Friday and 10 on Saturday.  5k not racing-6-8 w/striders on Friday and 7-9 on Saturday.  5k racing-6 on Friday and 4 with striders on Saturday.  Remember, nothing prepares you to race like racing.  No matter the distance, it has great benefits.
Sunday- Marathoners-6-7 mile warmup, race and then 2 mile cool down.  BS-5 mile warmup, race and then 2 mile cooldown.  5k-3 mile warmup, race and then 1 mile cool down.  Enjoy the post-race festivities.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Finding your pace

Runners,

I hope everyone is having a good weekend.  Good luck with the wind tomorrow.

As we start to really get into the training cycle, it's time to start getting some focus on your goals and what your training paces should be.  Some of you are experienced and know the drill.  Some have to figure things out a little. And some are just out there running(which is OK).  The idea of any training program is to hit some training zones to force the body to adapt and become stronger.  Here are some guidelines to what we're talking about with the training:
5k pace=your 5k pace-If your not sure, jump in a race and run hard.
10k pace-5k pace plus :10 seconds per mile. 
Tempo-The pace you could run for an hour or 10k pace plus 12-15 seconds.
Marathon Pace=Marathon pace or tempo plus 30-35 seconds.  
Remember, it will be harder to hit these paces on the roads then on the track.  Adjust accordingly.

Here is the week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-Last day of hills-3 x short, 3 x regular, 2 x long.  this is the last hill workout.  Next week, everyone is on the track.  Marathon crew-4 x 2400 at 10k pace with a 200 jog recovery/
Friday-Broad Street/5k-12 x 400 w/200 jr at 5k pace.  Marathoners-60:00 w/8 x striders.
Saturday-Marathoners-Marathoners-20 w/3 x 4 miles at tempo pace w/1 mile easy in between.  Let's try to find a 5 mile warmup and then a 5 mile loop with some hills for the tempos.  Take Gu and water during the tempo/  Broad Street-13 miles easy.  5k-8-9 miles.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Workout schedule

Runners,

I wanted to get this out early this week. I'm not going to be around tomorrow.

Tuesday-Hills-8 x regular hills.  Good form.  Jog to the bottom.  Track workout-Start at 5:30.  7 x 1200 w/200jr at 10k pace.

Friday-Marathoners-5x 8:00 of broken tempo with a 1:00 jog recovery.  Broad Street-3 x 8:00 w/1:00 JR of broken tempo.  5k-2 x 8:00 w/1:00JR. We'll probably start on the track and head to FH.  

Saturday-Marathoners-15-16.  Broad Street-11-12.  5k-8-10.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Irreplaceable

Runners,

As I look this group, we have a lot of great people out here. I started thinking on my run today how much the group has changed over the years(I think we started the Tuesday morning runs about 10 years ago).  In the beginning, it was a small group and Manion was clearly the 2nd in command.  When John stepped out, Colleen has stepped up to organize the Saturday morning runs.  Others have stepped up in her absence.  I've been around the whole time, but won't always be around.  Due to life situations, every one comes and goes from the group in varying degrees.  Some go away and stay away.  Some go away and come back.  Some people are there all of the time(we've never had a better core group), and some people are there when it fits their schedule.  

My point is that nobody is irreplaceable.  As this group continues to evolve and we have more leaders within each group that it continues on for many years to come. 

I love that we have marathoners helping out milers and vice versa.
  
It looks like the weather is not going to cooperate for Tuesday.  We're going to workout on Wednesday this week.  If it ends up not being too bad, you can always get out there on Tuesday.  Here is the week's workouts:

Tuesday/Wednesday-Hill Group-4 x Long, short.  I won't be at the hills as the Boston crew is starting to workout on the track so someone start the wo at 5:50.  Track wo-let's start at 5:30.  If the track is covered, we'll use the FH loop.  4 x 2000m at 10k pace with a 200JR.  

Friday-60:00 w/8 x striders.

Saturday-Boston/Rehoboth-18 with 3 x 3 miles at MP with 2:00 rest.  Start the MP at 7 miles.  Broad Street-12 w/ 3 miles at MP.  5k/Mile-8-10.

See you on Wednesday.

Kevin  

Noise

Runners,

Great turnouts for both workouts last week.  It looks really nice for Tuesday's workout. 

As we get more and more people out on Tuesday mornings, let's remember that everyone is not up before 6.  Those people who are asleep on Biddle Street aren't super appreciate of a lot of noise outside of their houses.  The main issue is at the start of the workout.  So, let's just be aware of that and try not to make a lot of noise before the workout.  I get that everyone can't be completely quiet, but try to keep things calm.  We don't want to jeopardize the workout. 

Here is this week's workout schedule: 

Tuesday- Long hill, regular hill, short hill x 3.  Jog to bottom after each one.  Alternate workout-5 x 4:00 w/1:00 recovery at 10k pace. We have a meet at the Armory in NYC on Monday night so I won't be at the workout.  Just get together and get it going at 5:50.   

Friday-5k/Broad Street-4 mile tempo run.  Marathoners-6 mile tempo run. 

Saturday-Marathoners 16 at 1;00 slower than marathon pace.  BS-10 miles.  5k 8-10 miles.  See you on Friday.

Kevin

Winter Blues

Runners,

This week's cold flash getting you down.  Get something on your radar to help keep you motivated.  Commit to a training schedule and follow it.  Don't make excuses for the weather.  You'll be thankful come race day.  Remember, Broad Street sign up starts this Friday.   Get on it if you're running.  Here is this week's workout schedule: 

Tuesday-Regular hill, short hill x 5.  So, 5 regular hills to the light pole after Matlack Street and 5 short hills(one bloack), jog to the bottom for your recovery. 

Friday-60:00 w/8 x striders.  Striders at 5:30 on the track. 

Saturday-Boston/Rehoboth-16-17 miles with 5 miles at MP from 10-15.  BS-11 miles with 3 miles at MP from 7-10.  Others-10 miles. 

See you in morning,

Kevin

Cold Weather

Runners,

Hopefully, you took advantage of the weather from the last 2 days and got out.  It's getting nasty out now. As we face a couple of days of cold weather, be smart in your preparation and outlook.

I am not a treadmill/indoor person, but even we're having practice inside tomorrow.  At practice time, the real feel is supposed to be -10.  That's chilly.  Tuesday, the temperature will be around 13 with a real feel of 1 for the workout. That's cold but bearable.  Just layer up, wear wool socks and a good pair of gloves.   

My big concern is always the ice.  Hopefully, this afternoon's wind will dry things out enough so that there is not a lot of ice patches(especially on Biddle Street).  Just be careful.  The beauty of this weather is that it forces you to start a little slower.  That helps to keep you healthy.  I've put together the training plan for Boston and Broad Street.  The Boston crew will have 3 more weeks of hills and then start working out on the track on February 12.  Everyone else will run hills until March 5.  I'm excited about the training plan. 

We have some tuneup races built into both plans.  In March, we want everyone running the St. Pat's 5k at Levante on March 10 and the St. Agnes 5k in town on March 23.  For April, there are some many races to choose from, we'd just like to see everyone race twice in preparation for Broad Street.  St. Pat's Info St. Agnes Info

Here is the week's workout plan:
Tuesday-Short hills x 16.  Run 1 block hard, jog back down. 
Friday-4 Miles of of Tempo
Saturday-BM-15.  All others 8-12.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin  

Hills

Runners,

As you know, we've started the hill workout part of our training cycle.  The hills are a necessary part of the base building phase.  As we gear up for Boston, Broad Street or whatever other spring races you have planned, the hills do a great job of preparing our bodies for some of the hard workouts that we have planned going forward. 

The hills really help us focus on form.  They also help us increase our leg strength a little and increase our ankle flexibility and running efficiency.  If done properly, they can be very beneficial. 

When running the hills, focus on keeping your elbows in, relaxing and hands and driving your legs up.  Run hard up the hill and jog down the hill.  Here is the week's training: 

Tuesday-5 x long hills-Biddle to Matlack to Lafayette to Walnut.  Jog down Walnut to Biddle to the start.  So, it's 4 blocks hard and 2 blocks of jogging.   

Friday-3 miles of tempo at Henderson starting at 5:30AM.  If the track is snow covered, we'll do the Fern Hill loop. 

Saturday-8-12 miles.  Start practicing taking water and gels. 

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Changing of the Guard

Runners,

As many of you know, we're in the process of selling the store.  Bob Schwelm, who owns the Bryn Mawr Running Company and is a great guy, is buying the the store.  I ran for Bob's store team in the 90s and we did some great training together.  There won't be a ton of change.  Ed will still be the manager.  You'll still get the same great service that you've always gotten.  We'll still own the timing business so we'll continue to try and put on fun events.  I'll still be in charge of the training and the morning workouts.  The only real changes at the beginning will be that the store name will be the Bryn Mawr Running Company-West Chester and some cosmetic changes.  The "new" store will probably have a better rewards system.  I'll still be involved a little bit and having Bob make it out to some of the runs will be good for him and the runs. 

What really won't change is me being involved in the training groups.  As I mentioned numerous times, we had a great fall training cycle.  We are going to keep it rolling this winter and spring.  As you all know, the hill workouts start this Tuesday.  You get out there and get your friends.  Our all-time record for the hills is 88.  I'd like to see that go down this winter.  More importantly, I'm excited to get the whole group back together for the first time.since Brian's Run. The weather looks good.  37 with only a 35% chance of showers.  Let's have a great healthy start to the year.

Here is this week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-8 x the normal hill.  Starting at Biddle and High, run up Biddle to the light pole past Matlack and then jog back down.  Concentrate on good form.  If you're not ready for 8, do 4 or 6.  The workout starts at 5:50AM.

Friday-10 laps of tempo on the track.  Tempo is Broad Street pace or the pace that you could run for an hour.  We'll start the workout at 5:30AM at Henderson at the track.

Saturday-8-11 miles.  There will probably be a group starting from the WC Country Club at 6:30AM.  If you want to be on that e-mail list, let me know.  We may start posting that run on here on Fridays or whenever it comes out. 

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Happy New Year!!

Runners,

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and that you are ready to go.   I

'm not really one to make a lot of New Year's Resolutions, but it is time to start getting after it.  Be smart and don't come back too fast, but let's get going. 

For me personally, 2018 was my worst year of training ever.  I had some nagging injuries that led to a lot of poor training.  I feel like 2019 is going to be a better year(it can't get much worse).  

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the team/group had a great year.  We had a lot of PRs and more importantly, people really trained well.  

I have some big goals for the group this spring:
1-Race more.  I think we've gotten so in tune with the training that we've forgotten about racing.  Nothing can prepare you to race like racing.  With that being said, we're going to point to some 5ks this spring that we'll try to get the group to focus on.  It's always cool to have a good crowd of teammates out at a race.  The first race that we're going to point to is the St. Agnes race on March 23.  
2-Have a really good training cycle for Boston.  I haven't sat down yet and put the specific training in writing, but it's coming close.  I've been bouncing some ideas around.  I'm really hoping for a big Boston out of this group.  You can run fast on that course if you prepare well.
3-Get the non-Boston marathoners ready for their races.  We have at least a few people running other spring marathons.  I thought the different marathons went well last spring. Let me know what you're getting ready for.  I know we have at least one person running Rehoboth and 1 doing Run for the Red in the Spring.
4-Have a really good Broad Street.  I'm sure we'll have a big crew out for that.
5-Keep people healthy.  One way to do this is to stay focused on doing some core and balance exercises.  Consistency is the key with this stuff.  Also, don't be afraid of the foam roller.  Also, getting in to get worked on is always a good idea.  There are a lot of good people out there.  As you know we like The Move Clinic Jeff and Adam do a great job.  Also, Orange Cryo of West Chester is a great recovery tool. If you mention that we sent you, they'll charge you at the 1st time rate every time.  Here is the info:  Orange Cryo of West Chester

Here is what you should do for training this week:
A couple of easy runs.  Friday-throw in 8 striders during your run.  Saturday, go 8-10 miles.

The hills start next Tuesday.  See you soon.

Kevin

2 Mile Time Trial

Runners,

As most of you know, tomorrow(Christmas Eve) is our annual Christmas Eve 2 mile time trial.  It started with 4 guys deciding to run a hard 2 mile and has become a WCRC tradition.  It starts at 6:15 at the track at Henderson.  It's low key, but intense.  People usually go out to Market Street for breakfast afterwards.  It's a good way to end the season if you're healthy. If not, come out and run a few easy laps and cheer your teammates on.  

That's also a perfect lead in to next Sunday's Resolution Run of Stanley's Dream on New Year's Day.

See you in the AM.

Kevin

WCRC AKA TMC

Runners,

As we get to the last workout of the year, I wanted to comment on the success of Tuesday Morning Crew(WCRC).  Top to bottom, this was one of our best year's ever. 

From a track workout perspective, we've never had better more cohesive groups that follow a plan so well.  Group 2 has become a great group with guys running 2:42 and 2:43 for the marathon.  Group 3 which is known as Colleen and Danielle's group really killed it this fall.  They had 5-10 people out there almost every Tuesday.  They had 3 women run 3:10 or better.  The next group(Melissa and Lisa's group) was usually 8-10 people strong and sometimes was as big as a dozen.  They had a great training cycle and had some great performances at NY.  Group 5 and 6 regularly had 4-6 people in their groups.  Then we had the "short" workout group that was often overlooked but threw down some great performances throughout the fall.

Despite my lack of fitness, I really enjoyed jumping in for parts of some of the workouts with group 3 and 4 through the fall.  I'm really proud of how the groups have evolved from a bunch of people just trying to get in shape to a lot of team oriented groups who help each other through workouts and races.  You're always better when you're involved in something bigger than yourself.  You're good for the team and the team is good for you.  

We had some great performances this year, and I know that Manion puts out an "MVP" award, but I think we had 4 performances of the fall that were noteworthy:
1-Maddie Evans-5:12 mile at the Henderson Invite.
2-Danielle Burns-3:04:30(5:00 PR) at Philly
3-JT Barton 2:43 at NY followed by 77:00 at the Philly 1/2 2 weeks later.
4-Dan Zajac-2:42 at NY.

I'm really looking forward to the spring training for Boston, Broad Street and some other races.  GG gave me some great ideas for some other things on last Sunday's Run.  I'll put out some team goals next week.

Remember, Christmas Eve 2 miler at 6:15AM at Henderson and Resolution Run on 12/30 at Levante:  Resolution Run Signup
We have a 20% discount for Blog readers of TMC for the Resolution Run.  The Christmas Eve run you've paid for with your sweat.

Here is this week's workout:
Tuesday-2400 of Tempo-300 jr and then 4 x 300 w/50WR, 50JR at 3200 pace..

Thursday, Friday or Saturday-8-10 miler.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Training partner vs. Coach

Runners,

I hope everyone is getting healthy as we approach the holidays and that the Eagle smash the Cowboys today.

I've always thought about what is more important to have a good training group or good coaching.  Obviously, it's ideal to have both.

A good training group/partner gives you someone to bounce ideas off of.  It also gives you someone to count on.  A partner can pick you up when you down and maybe, keep you from overdoing it when you are feeling good.  Sometimes, when you're in a good group, everyone gets a little carried away which can lead to some problems.  A partner will sometimes not look long term and just focus on the immediate runs.  All in all, it's a great thing to have a good training partner/group.  I've been lucky enough to have had pretty good training groups since I got to college.  It's fun doing things with like minded people.

A good coach will look at the big picture and keep you grounded.  They know when to push and when to back down.  For the coach/athlete relationship to be successful, the coach has to be able to be trust the athlete and vice versa.  

I think a good group of intelligent runners is a better situation(if they keep their egos in check) is better than having a good coach.  We have some really good groups going right now.  Let's keep it up.

Here is the training for the week:
Tuesday-1 mile at 10k pace, 400jr and then 8  x 200 w/200 JR.  1st 2 at 5k pace, next 2 at 3200 pace, next 2 at mile pace and last 2 fast.  

Remember, XMAS Eve 2 Mile at Henderson starting at 6:15AM.  

See you on Tuesday,

Kevin

Brian''s Run Wrapup

Runners,

Great job today at Brian's Run!  Thanks to all who came out.  Thanks to Lisa for setting up the end of season event at the Social!  

As many of you today was the 40th Annual Brian's Run.  It was great to see 50+ Henderson students out there to support the cause and volunteer their time on drizzly Sunday.  As much as I thought 4 days ago that this might be the last Brian's Run, I think it will live to fight again.  It's a great challenging run.  

As we really wind down our competitive season, it's important that you take a little down time, especially if you have big plans for the fall.  If you're a little banged up, get in to see Jeff and Adam at the Move Clinic.  http://www.themoveclinic.com/
If you're healthy, but ran a big race this fall, here is what your plan should be:
*Tuesday workout, 1 60:00 run and the rest of the week should be short and relaxed.  Get back doing some core and working on rolling and flexibility.
If you didn't run a big race in the fall, maybe do a little more than that.

We had a great Fall.  Let's get really healthy in the next couple of weeks and be ready to go in January.  We have big things planned for 2019.

Here is the Tuesday workout:
800, 600, 400, 600, 800 w/400JR.  With that rest and that distance of running, you should run pretty quick.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Brian's Run

Runners,

This Sunday is the 40th Annual Brian's Run.  It's always been a favorite of mine.  It was the first great race in West Chester and has continued to be an important part of the running calendar.  The beauty of it is it's toughness. Anyone can go down and run the Rothman 8k or Broad Street, but Brian's Run takes some real fortitude.  The toughness scares people off.  Everyone reading this blog should be, "Bring It!!".  

Anyway,  sign up at Briansrun.org.  This year's race benefits Henderson sophomore Cecily Quackenbush.  Brian will be there.  Let's get a great turnout from this group.

As we kind of wrap up the real training and start to gear up for the Spring, we're going to just workout on Tuesdays until the Holidays.  We'll still be running 5-6 days per week, but the only workout day will be Tuesday.

Here is this week's workout schedule:
Tuesday-8-12 x 400 w/200JR at 5k pace.  
Friday-60:00
Saturday-35:00 w/striders
Sunday-Brian's Run at 1:00 at Henderson.  Remember, Post-race/end of season party at the Social at 4.  See Lisa's e-mail for more details.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

11/12/2018 (Philly Marathon Week)

Unfortunately, our website is currently in transition so we are using our RunSignUp website temporarily. 
 
Here are the workout schedule:
Tuesday-Philly marathoners 3 x 1600 w/100 jr at Mp plus or minus 5 seconds. 1/2 marathoners. 3 x 1600 w/100 jr at 1/2 pace. All others-3 x 1600 w/200 jr at 5k pace. 

Wednesday-Warrior Classic. 2 miles on the track. If you do this, don’t workout on Tuesday. It’s a fun meet. 

Friday-Race this weekend or 5 x 600 w/400 jr at 3k pace. 

Saturday-long run of 75:00. 


Good luck Philly crew. You guys are ready to roll.

Post-Marathon Racing

Runners,

Great job by the Philly Marathoners and 1/2 marathoners.  There were some impressive performances.

As you come out of the marathon or 1/2 marathon(or just some great fall training), it really is time to race.  JT from the TMC ran 2:43 at New York and then came back and ran 77:00 at the Philly 1/2 2 weeks later.  If you're fit, you're fit.  Let's not waste a training cycle on one race.  I never went more than 2 weeks after a marathon without racing.  In 1996, I ran the Wineglass Marathon on a Sunday, ran sub 15 for 5k the following and broke 24:00 for an xc 8k 2 weeks after that. 

The keys are to not over workout or do too many long runs.  You'll feel a little rough, but you're so strong at this point, you just need to muscle through things. It's OK to not feel great in a race.  

Here is how I would set up the racing schedule for the rest of the year:
-Friday-Turkey Burner on the Downtown WC Course at 8:30AM.  I know that some of you will run the Turkey Trot in Downingtown(which is a fine race), but most of the people who are reading this workout at Henderson, not DTW.  So, why not support the home team.  Plus, it's on the Downtown WC course which has a lot of value.  Here is the registration link:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/WestChester/TurkeyBurner
-December 2-Brian's Run-Everyone who is reading this should be running Brian's Run-If you're a Knight or a Tuesday Morning Crew, you've probably already been called out.  This is a great challenging race.  It's also the 40th annual race.  Here is the registration link:  Brian's Run
-12/24-Christmas Eve 2 miler on the track at Henderson.  6AM.  This is a great Holiday Tradition.  Plus, you're home before it's light.
-12/30-Resolution 5k at Levante-Registration opens on the 26th and we have a unique pricing plan.  Here is the registration link:  Resolution 5k

The bottom line is get out and race.

Here is the workout schedule:
Tuesday-4 x 1200 w/200 JR at Tempo, 10k pace, 5k pace and slightly faster than 5k pace.  The drop down will be tough on the last 2.  This is a short workout so we'll go back to having everyone start at 5:50.
Thursday or Friday-Race so no workout on Friday.
Saturday-60:00.

See you on Tuesday.

Kevin

Marathon Wrap Up

All,

Tough weather for marathoning last weekend.  We had some solid, tough performances.  At the end of the day, committing yourself to the training and hanging in there on a tough day are pretty valuable.  If you don't have a great day, be bummed out for a couple of hours and then move on to the next challenge.  

Speaking of the next challenge, we're putting on the District 1 JV XC Champs at DTW on October 31 and have an open race at 8:30am.  Running XC is good for what ails you and the course is great.  It's flat and fast and a great spectator course.  It's going to become the Henderson track of loacl XC.  Here is the registration link.  

I think that one thing that we're not doing enough of is racing.  We get into a race and forget how it feels.  It's hard to suffer that much in training.

I wanted to start highlighting some of our great sponsors. We want them to get some return on their investment.

The first is Dan Zajac and the Zajac Group.  Dan is a dedicated member of the Wednesday Knights and the Tuesday Morning Group.  He just ran 3:05 on Monday at Boston.  He has sponsored the West Chester Mile since the 2nd year.  Dan's Company specializes in wealth management and equity compensation.  He's also got a great blog.  Check out and the site and see what you think.  He'd love to help you out.  

This is week 10 of Philly Training.  It's getting to be crunch time.  If you ran Broad Street, no need to do Friday's Tempo.

Tuesday-Mar-6 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr
               1/2-5-6 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr
                5k-3-4 x 1600 at 10k pace with a 200jr
Friday-Mar-10 mile tempo run
            1/2-6 mile tempo run
              5k-2 mile tempo run, 400 jr, 800 at 3k pace, 400jr, 600 at mile pace, 400jr, 400 at 800 pace, 400jr, 200 at 400 pace.
Saturday-Mar-13 miles
                1/2 10 miles
                 5k-6-9 miles

Have a good week.

Kevin