Tempo #1 – January 29, 2012

January 27, 2012

1/2 Marathon Training – Shelby Park 9 a.m.

This week we will still be meeting at Shelby Park outside of the nature center. (Which is a good reminder to download the training schedule.  It has all the workouts outlined of course, but it also lists our Sunday morning meeting locations.)

This week’s workout is not completely straight forward, so please take a moment to read below.

Last week we ran a 3-mile time trial. Time trials / races are essential workouts because that pace is a benchmark that will determine our training paces. To begin, divide your three mile time by three to get your mile per pace, and we’ll go from there. (As I explain the workout, I am going to use a hypothetical intermediate runner, “Bob”, who ran 23:00 for the time trial last week.  Which is 7:40 per mile.)

The run is split into three parts: the warm-up, the workout, and the extra mileage. The first two parts will be the same for everybody (run at different paces of course), the last part will be different for the novice, intermediate and advanced groups.

We will run at two paces this week: our long/easy pace and tempo pace.

Our long run pace is 1:30 – 2:30 minutes per mile slower than our time trial pace. That pace for Bob would be 9:10 – 10:10. In terms of heart rate, that pace is under 75% of your max heart rate. (Another good estimate is 180 – your age.) Tempo pace is 20-45 seconds per mile slower than your time trial pace. In terms of heart rate, tempo pace is between 88-92% of your max.   Since we are doing tempo intervals rather than a steady state run, our tempo pace will be on the faster end of that range: 20-25 seconds slower than our 3-mile pace or about 90% max HR.

Part 1 – the warm-up  (everyone) 20 minutes at about 2 – 2:30 minutes slower per mile than their 3-mile pace.

Bob would start at 10:10 pace and speed up to 9:40 pace during the warm up.

Part 2 – The workout  (everyone) 5 x (5 minutes tempo pace +  1 minute easy)  – 30 minutes total.

Bob would run 5 minutes at 8:00 – 8:05  pace, then jog easy for 1 minute. He would do this sequence  five times.

Part 3 – Extra mileage novice adds 20 minutes, intermediate 30 minutes and advanced will add 45 minutes. This pace should be about 1:30 slower than 3-mile pace.

Bob would run at 9:10 pace for 30 minutes.

We’re also going to move off the greenway, and run 5k loops of the park. Why? To prepare for the race by adding a little bit of rolling terrain. (The Country Music 1/2 marathon is hilly, the greenway is not…) Here is the loop that we will use. I am going to try and mark the miles on the ground tomorrow – no promises, so make a mental note of the mile marks.

Dubai Marathon

Yesterday at the Dubai marathon, Deressa Chisma Edae ran 2:05:42 (4:48 pace)…and finished 8th. Wow. The race was won by a 21-year old Ethiopian, Ayele Absharo, in his debut marathon. (He earned a cool $250,000 for his efforts.) Even more amazing was the fact that his last 2 miles were run in about 9:04. (Once again emphasizing negative splitting:  1:02:22 first half, 1:02:01 second half.) He broke the lead pack apart by running the 39th kilometer in 2:46 – for you track guys, a 2:46 kilometer is 66.4 seconds per lap! For more check out the race coverage here.

No Brunch

Last week was amazing! Belgian waffles, pancakes, bacon… Outstanding! Many thanks to our gracious host Sara Spencer. This week, you’re on your own. My post-run East Nashville food suggestions are Mitchell Deli and Marche. A third option would be Bongo Java East. Of course they make great coffee, but they also have some fantastic bagel sandwiches.

See you on Sunday.

Mark

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Wednesday January 25, 2012

January 24, 2012

This Wednesday’s Run

This week is Route #4: Big Shelby Loop – 4.3 miles. As always, we meet at 11th and Holly at 6 p.m. Be courteous with parking, wear reflective gear, and please volunteer to be a pace group leader!

iPod Nano

Lots of runners use an iPod Nano, and apparently some the 1st generation Nanos had something wrong with the batteries. So I’m not sure if it is still going on, but Apple has an iPod Nano replacement program – where they would replace your 1st generation with a brand new one. (for free)  Here is the link to check and see if your iPod qualifies.

Cups

We’ve got the cups covered for the next two weeks. But, I would love to have the month of February and March filled. Washing the cups just involves taking them home, washing them and bringing them back the next week.  Sign up here.

Thursday Workout

Thursday we are heading back to the pedestrian bridge for more 6 or 8 hill repeats. Remember, these are not maximal efforts, but should be your mile race effort (really hard).  Like all your runs, hill workouts should go from slow(er) to fast(er). So, the first two repeats should be under control, and the last two should be really fast. We meet at the same location and time on Thursdays: 6 p.m. at the corner of 11th and Holly.

Hanson’s Marathon Training Program

There is an elite training group in Michigan called Hanson’s. At the Olympic marathon trials they had women finish 2nd, 9th and 13th, and four men run faster than 2:19.   Well they also have a marathon training program for mortals (those of us who don’t have time/energy/desire to run 130 miles a week). Their elite athletes are producing top times, but so are their amateurs.  So what is their secret?  They do not focus on the long run!  WHAT?  That’s right. In fact, amateur marathoners run one 15 mile run, three 16 mile runs and nothing longer!  (Elites are a little different…)

Their theory is that no one workout is more important than the next. So they have all their runners run 6 days a week (peaking around 54 miles a week). Each week has one speed workout, one steady state run at marathon goal-pace, and one “long-ish” run.  But here is what makes it unique:  they do their long runs on tired legs.  They will have an 8 miler the day before their 16 mile long run. On their “off” weekends, they will run two 10-milers in a row. It is the accumulation of hard work, day in day out, that makes you a good runner…not going out and crushing yourself twice a week.

This is how I want you to apply this idea: run more often. Add mileage by adding an additional day of running rather than slogging through three extra miles on your weekend run.  Don’t feel like to be a better runner your Sunday and Wednesday night runs need to be harder. Don’t change those runs, just add two more easy runs during the week. Even if you can only get out the door for 20-30 minutes. It will do more for your fitness than you can imagine.

Anyway… something to chew on. Here is the article from Running Times if you want a little more detailed information.

See you Wednesday!
-Mark

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East Nasty of the Week: Daniel Hudgins

January 22, 2012

When it comes to running, this new East Nasty of the Week is a machine! But what is even more impressive is that he really has only been taking this stuff seriously since 2009. When you read about all that he has done and wants to do with running, I imagine that you too will be amazed. Welcome our newest ENOW, Daniel Hudgins.

This is what it looks like when Daniel runs

Daniel was born in the metropolis of Centerville, TN. Sure it may only be a population of about 3,700, but the legendary Minnie Pearl is from there, so that is something to definitely brag about. Also, his town now holds the annual National Banana Pudding Festival, which has its own website and everything¸ http://bananapuddingfest.org.

Throughout his middle school and high school years, Daniel focused on the academics. He won a district spelling bee in the 7th grade, and was on the quiz bowl team in 8th. By his senior year his fellow classmates could easily recognize the potential leader that he would soon become and elected him class president. His non-athleticism had a negative impact on his weight however, as he weighed a good 50 to 60 pounds more than he does today.

For college Daniel attended Lipscomb University. He began with a major in Engineering, but later switched it to Information Systems. While in college he joined the Lipscomb A Capella Singers and went on several mission trips. In 2006, he and some of his classmates went to Honduras and built 15 houses. The next year, during his spring break, he helped tutor and teach kids in the Bronx of New York City. In the summer of 2007, Daniel took a mission trip to an orphanage in Ghana, West Africa. Since then he has gone back to visit with the kids and staff two additional times, and is planning to head there again this year!

In 2005 Daniel decided to give running a try. He signed up for a 5K with the only goal of beating 30 minutes. He did and finished with a respectable 29:30 for a first timer. For some reason however, running did not stick with him, at least for the next four years. In 2009, he decided to get serious about training and run the Virginia Beach Half Marathon. His training worked this time, and he finished in 2:19. Since then, it has been a constant training schedule for a variety of races.

His first race in 2005

For a living, Daniel has three jobs really. The first (the main one) is working IT for a healthcare company called Amsurg. He also helps with timing races for I Run for the Party. Finally, he helps raise money for some of the big races he participates in each year. This year, Daniel has joined the Team in Training group to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. His goal is to reach $2000 before he runs the Country Music Marathon this April. He has a website for donations HERE. Be sure to go and check it out.

Daniel’s biggest success story in running came a year after his first Virginia Beach half in 2009. In 2010 he returned to the race and shaved off a cool 35 minutes from his time, ending at 1:44! He attributes a good amount of that race to training with East Nasties.

Besides raising money for charity, going on mission trips, and basically doing way more good in this world than 5 to 10 of us combined, Daniel is also starting to compete in triathlons. He is going to even complete a half Ironman this year.

Good luck Daniel in all your running goals this year. We East Nasties will be cheering you on!

Rod

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1/2 Marathon Training – January 22

January 20, 2012

Update: 1/21  We do have brunch this week hosted by Sara Spencer.   Check out the details here and sign up to bring something!

Time Trial

Every year I will have one or two people come up to me and ask: “I’ve been running for about 2 years now, how fast do you think I can run the 1/2 marathon?”  Or “This is my second half-marathon, I’m in much better shape.  How much time do you think I can drop?”   The answer:  I have absolutely no idea.  Now when someone comes to me and says: “I ran a 20:30 5k race last weekend, what do you think I should shoot for in the 1/2 marathon?”  Now that’s something I can work with…

When the race distance doubles (i.e. from a 5k to a 10k) seasoned runners slow down by about 16 seconds per mile, while novice runners slow down around 32 seconds per mile.   (GREAT runners slow down by about 12 seconds per mile….)  So you can estimate your longer race potential by running a shorter race and then extrapolating.  For example, to estimate your 1/2 marathon potential from a 5k, the distance basically doubles twice (5k to 10k then 10k to 20k).   Therefore, from a 5k to a 1/2 marathon your pace should slow down between 32 and 64 seconds per mile.  Of course that seems like a wide range…and it is.   Faster, better trained runners slow down less, and slow less seasoned runner slow down more.   A good goal for those of us between 7:00 pace and 9:00 pace on a 5k is to slow down between 40 and 50 seconds per mile.     If you want to be really specific – check out the McMillan Pace Calculator - a lot of runners swear by it.

This week all of us are running a 3 mile time trial to get a benchmark for our potential in the 1/2 marathon.   The intermediate and the advanced are going to jog SLOWLY out to the 3 mile mark, and then time trial back in.  The novice will run for 10 minutes around the lake, then time trial out and back to the 1.5 mile marker.  After that, you can add on as much extra mileage as you might need…  Then we are going to use these times for our workout next week (January 29)….more on that later.

See you Sunday morning, 9 a.m. in Shelby Park by the nature center.

Mark

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Wednesday January 18

January 17, 2012

Wednesday Run

Our Wednesday run this week is Route #3  – our only out-and-back. We will head over the pedestrian bridge and up Demonbreun all the way to the round-about and Musica. (If you want to go that far.) Over the bridge and back is 4 miles, out to 8th avenue and back is 5, and around the statue and back is 6.6. As always, we meet at 6 p.m. at 11th & Holly. Be sure to be courteous about parking, wear your reflective gear, and bring a friend. We are always looking for pace group leaders – please consider volunteering. (You just need to learn the route and have a fair idea of what pace you run at.)

Thursday Hills

We will be meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. at 11th & Holly to do our second hill workout. Everyone will add two more repeats to the workout from last week. Anyone is welcome because these workouts are scaled for novice, intermediate and advanced runners.

Like a Good Neighbor

As runners (and cyclists) we rightfully ask cars to share the roads. In return, we need to share the roads with them. When we run as a group – we need to operate differently than you might as an individual. This week, I want everyone to focus on crossing at intersections.

Calling All Musicians (…and others with odd hours)

The other day, I was talking with long time East Nasty/musician Chris Autry and he noted that he ends up running solo a lot because of his strange schedule. He usually runs in the middle of the day, which is nice (good temperature, ample sunlight, no traffic), but since everyone else is working he usually runs alone. I thought what a great way to use the Facebook page.  So,…

1) If you are going for a run and looking for company at any time, post your run on our Official Facebook Page. Be sure to include the time, location and general pace.  No guarantees, but connecting runners to build community is what we are all about!

2) Send Chris an email if you are looking for a mid-week, mid-day 8-10 mile run at between 8:30 and 9:30 pace. Send him an email at chrisautry@me.com

Mark

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