Favorite Workouts #4 - the out and back

In most workout training plans, there is the concept of the tempo run or the threshold run or some sort of run done at a pace that is above your typical comfort level.  There is a ton of science regarding these efforts, but generally, there is some basic principles:

• the run is performed at a pace that is not easy, but some level of "moderate" to "hard"
• is usually at least 20 minutes (but can be much longer than that)
  
• teaches pace for a particular race effort
• teaches the body to deal with increasing fatigue over the course of a continuing run

My favorite derivation of this is the "out and back."  Specifically, after a warm up (I usually warm up for two miles), you go out some distance or time and look to equal or better that on the way back.  I nearly titled this post the "out and back on the South Boulder Creek Trail for 8 miles" because that is my personal favorite derivation of it, but it can be accomplished with nearly any particular distance.  This workout teaches pacing on the front and the back end, patience, pain management, and focus.  

On the out, I look to achieve an "easy plus" pace.  This is slightly faster than my easy pace effort.  The effort is not hugely difficult.  When I get to my turn around (in my case, four miles), I look to maintain or better this pace to the start.  The burden of the miles prior begins to manifest itself, along with the increased effort, and this second half requires a degree of focus, and some level of push.

As I advance in a season, both ends of the effort get quicker but the spread between them should not be huge.  In other words, don't roll out on the "out" at 8 min/mile pace to roll "back" in 5:30s."  For me, a differential of about 2 minutes between the two legs on an eight mile run is fair (or about 30 seconds per mile).  Again, I do this as an eight miler typically, and as a prep for a 10k, but it could be done at any distance or time division.  Heading out for 11 minutes and trying to come back in 9 for example would be a nice derivative.

One other note, I do this on a relatively flat surface to keep the effort relatively comprable.  There have been occasions where I have dropped elevation to start, and then had to climb back up - very challenging to beat that time on the way back.  The other way, in my opinion, could be less effective, unless incorporated as part of mountain training - e.g, a significant climb up and then a drop to emulate race conditions - but then the back time needs to be adjusted to be compared to other efforts, not just the climb up.

Favorite Workouts #3 - Lindens

Okay, this workout might be hard to replicate.

One of the advantages of living in Colorado is that there are hills.  Ridiculous hills.  Hills that will make you weep, beg for momma, puke (seriously) and leave you wondering at the end of running them if you can walk for 20 minutes. 

There are hills like this in lots of places of course.  This one in particular is called Linden.  It is a road hill that rises at about an 8 percent grade over a half a mile with about an equal drop on a loop course.

The workout is simple ... do five of these.  Up the hill, down the hill.  Each effort is progressively faster and the rests need to be even as well (no slacking).

This differs from other hill workouts with the length of the hill.  I find that first one feels easy - almost too easy and it is easy to get carried away and run it too fast.  The second one is also not so bad.  But suddenly at the third one, about half way through you are under going dental surgery.  It freakin' hurts.  The fourth and fifth are all about proving what you are made of.

Good luck with the warm down.

Teaches me hill pace.  Teaches me to run hard when I am tired.  Teaches me not to eat lunch before doing this workout unless I am interested it tasting it twice.

Favorite Workouts #2: Secret Hills

I got the idea of this workout from author and runner Mike Sandrock.  He used to call this workout "Secret Hills" and apparently he got it from Rob Decastella.  It is not really a secret but everything with Mike in those days was a secret ... secret training, take the turn on this secret path, etc.  I am pretty sure that the entire secret of this workout when out the door when he put it in his book "75 Tough Workouts."

In Boulder, we'd start at the Trident Coffee Shop and then run via a variety of secret paths (usually by people sleeping under bridges in the early AM) up to Chautauaqua.  The warm up was about 15 minutes but it included a good deal of climbing up to the park from downtown.  I think that is less important, but in those days the climb seemed to already take some zip out of my legs.

In Chautauaqua, we start at the entrance to the park and head east on the road that goes around the grass meadow, climb up towards the Dining Hall, then swing past it to the entrance of the Enchanted Mesa.  Run the Enchanted Mesa to the intersection of the Mesa trail.  I am not sure of the exact distance or the exact climb on this but if I had to guess, it is probably near a mile and a half and some ... a couple hundred feet of climbing.  The effort, which is near 5K effort takes about 9-12 minutes and leaves you wobbly because it is a climb.  So, if trying to do this run elsewhere, find a slightly climbing run that would take you this length of time. 

On the Boulder route, I have made it a habit of taking note of a split at the fire hydrant while heading up the Enchanted Mesa and the connector to the Kohler Mesa.

Another key attribute of this run is that it gets really hard at the end.  So, just when you are hurting, ready to break, the hill grade picks up and forces you to consider your mettle.  I have gotten to the Kohler Mesa connector on PR pace only to fall apart in the last 90 seconds of this run more times than I'd like to admit!

We'd then jog down to the Bluebell shelter loop (3-5 minutes) and do repeats on the east hill there and then come down the west side.  The repeats up take 45-60 seconds, and then the interval is 75 to 120 seconds of recovery.  This hill is steep (at least 8-10 percent), and you do these hard.  

The purpose of this workout is to get in good hill work.  It provides a "speed" workout that does not beat you up the way the track does.  The repeats after the long hill are key.  You are tired and don't want to run fast but you "teach" your legs (and your form) to do so.  When you are rigging up at the end of a 5K, you'll "remember" these and be able to hold solid faster paces.

Crawl home for a cool down.

Favorite Workouts #1: Half mile repeats

Starting a series of posts here that I will put up over the next couple of weeks.  These are some of my favorite workouts.

First, I guess I need to caveat what I mean by favorite:  these have been the ones that have been most effective for me and hence I enjoy.  There is a flaw in that definition of course - there might be other workouts that I don't enjoy as much and hence are not performed enough to be effective.

There is also another flaw in this definition ... enjoy.  In some cases, these workouts are ones that I really struggle to perform well in.  In fact, they seem to induce conditions in my body to those not in endurance sports would think are related to someone being physically tortured.  Or dying.  Or both.

Finally, these workouts are just elements of an overall program.  A base of mileage is needed.  A long run is needed.  Consistency is needed.  These are ones that I throw in when I want to measure myself outside of a race, or prepare myself for one.

So why share these?  Simply because I have been learning (or re-learning) that there is no need to come up with new stuff, or new workouts.  These work for me.  They worked 10 years ago.  Yeah, there are some new ones (intro'd in the last few years) but generally things are the same.  As part of a training log, I feel obliged to list these in case I forget again.

Oh yeah ... the listed order does not mean this one is my favorite of all.  It just happens to be the one I was thinking about at the time.

And that brings us today's listed workout:  half mile repeats.  Here is the structure of this workout.  6 x 800 with 1 minute rest at at 4-5 seconds faster than 5k pace (whether that is current pace or goal pace is somewhat up to you).  So, by example, if you want to run 16:40 for a 5K, your 1600 pace would be 5:20 or 80 seconds a lap or 2:40 per 800.  For this workout, you'd run these at about 2:35-2:36.

I do this on the track simply because I like the measured nature of the workout and the feedback I can get on the various points of the interval.

I find this workout combo's a pace slightly faster than goal pace along with a short rest.  It also seems to follow the tempo of a 5K race which is one of thirds in my opinion.  The first third ought to feel easy, the second third like a workout, the last third hurts like hell.  Similar in this workout - the first two seem to float by, the next two are some work and the last two are why you did the first four.  I have historically kept the rest on these "inactive," meaning I finish, usually walk up to about 20 yards back up the stretch before heading back to the start.

I also think this is a good "predictor" workout.  Now there is all sorts of controversy as to if workouts are good predictors.  Again, your call.  I have done this enough over the years that I can judge where I am in a 5K pretty well based on this workouts results.

I have, on a few occasions gotten into good enough shape that I have shortened the rest on this workout.  For example, there was a point where I was starting to get the repeats down below 2:28 pace.  This would "predict" me at 2:33 per half or 5:06's.  I had other data that led me to believe that I would not hold that pace over 5K but something closer to 5:10-5:15.  To alter the workout up a bit, I shortened the rest to 45 seconds.  It is amazing how fast 45 seconds can go by in those cases.  My average moved to 2:30, and I ran an 16:14 a week later on a course with a good number of turns.

Another variation of this is 5 x 1000.  I find this to be actually much tougher.  I used to do these with (the now deceased) Andrew Crook.  Andrew would have us do these in lane 7 at Potts Field (the CU track) to limit the stress on our hips in the curves.  We'd finish about half way up the back straight and then would jog back to the staggered start around the top curve.  This rest was a bit longer - usually 1:45 but it was active.  I found that holding these at slightly faster race pace were a challenge.  Andrew, at the age of 40, was barreling these out at just under 3 minutes and then later that year ran 15 flat at sea level.

So finally, this workout (or one of its near variations) is one staple of a proving ground for me.  I might be able to pull together mileage and a tempo run, but this provides a lens into one side of fitness for me.