Training To Be Your Best: April 28th-May 11th

So here we are two weeks away from the end of the track season for the school year.  Some of you will go on to compete at several post season meets and I hope you got there following this training guide!  As this year comes to a close, I hope you learned a lot about training and racing from the training guide I have been posting from the beginning of cross country.  For those interested in following the training guide for summer track/summer cross country base, just email me at vpprotraining@gmail.com to get in on the emails for the summer.  If you would like to ask questions or share success stories about your training, feel free to email me as well.

This week I am posting the training for the final two weeks of the year leading into the state meet.  Remember, if your state meet is at a later date just adjust the training backwards from the state meet listed with this guide for May 10th.  The last two weeks you should focus on feeling crisp in races and workouts and plan a good strategy for the state meet.  Get plenty of rest and eat healthy and now that it is getting warmer, hydrate!

Monday- 8x400 @ 1600 race pace with 200m jogging recovery.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 35 minutes easy, 8 strides.
Wednesday- 25 minutes easy, 8 strides
Thursday- Regional Championship
Friday- Full warmup. 30 minutes easy, 8x strides
Saturday- 3x1200 @ 3200 race pace with 400 meter jog.
Sunday- Off

Devyn Keith of John Curtis (4:16/9:17 Soph. year) receives a medal at the state championship his freshman year.

Monday- 2x1000 @ 1600 race pace with 20 minutes standing recovery.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 25 minutes easy, 8 strides
Wednesday- 4x300 @ 800 pace with 8 minutes standing recovery.
Thursday- 35 minutes easy, 8 strides
Friday- 25 minutes easy, 8 strides
Saturday- State Championship
Sunday- Off

Legend:
Warm Up- A few minutes jogging, dynamic stretching, a few strides
Easy- A pace you can handle and have a conversation at the same time. Relaxed.
Tempo Run- A distance run at a pace of 5k race pace plus 30 seconds per mile.
Ins and Outs- Striding the straights and jogging the turns on the track
Strides- Not a sprint! Simply a short pickup of 50-100 meters at around 1-2 mile race pace. Full recovery.
Sprints- Not a stride! This is near maximal effort (while maintaining control of your body). Form is crucial in this type of running.
Progression Run- Training done at progressive pace that increases throughout the run. Begin at an easy pace and finish at 5k race effort or so for the last few minutes.
Fartlek- A run of varied pace for varied time which can be anywhere from an easy jog to hard sprinting.
Hills- Not all out sprints, good paced effort around 5k race effort. Can be anywhere between 100-400 meters long.
Workout A- 10-30x pushups, 10-30x prisoner squats, 10-30x lunges, 10-30x crunches, 30-60 seconds of planks on each side and the middle, and 30-60 seconds of Australian crawl.
Workout B- 20-40x step ups, 5-20x tricep pushups, 30-60 seconds of bridging, 10-20x dips, 30-60 seconds of pedestal, and 30-60 seconds of scissor kicks.
Pacing Calculator from McMillan

Training To Be Your Best: April 21st-27th

We now enter the stretch of post season meets leading up to the state championship in three weeks.  First the district meet, then the regional meet, then the state championship.  This has been a long year and now it's time to cap it off!

In addition to post season races, the Penn Relays will take place this week.

Monday- 12x200 @ 1600 race pace with 60 seconds standing recovery.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 25 minutes easy, 8 strides.
Wednesday- District Championship
Thursday- 40 minutes easy
Friday- 4x800 @ 3200 race pace with 400 meter jog.  Full warmup.
Saturday- 30 minutes easy, 8x strides
Sunday- Off

Legend:
Warm Up- A few minutes jogging, dynamic stretching, a few strides
Easy- A pace you can handle and have a conversation at the same time. Relaxed.
Tempo Run- A distance run at a pace of 5k race pace plus 30 seconds per mile.
Ins and Outs- Striding the straights and jogging the turns on the track
Strides- Not a sprint! Simply a short pickup of 50-100 meters at around 1-2 mile race pace. Full recovery.
Sprints- Not a stride! This is near maximal effort (while maintaining control of your body). Form is crucial in this type of running.
Progression Run- Training done at progressive pace that increases throughout the run. Begin at an easy pace and finish at 5k race effort or so for the last few minutes.
Fartlek- A run of varied pace for varied time which can be anywhere from an easy jog to hard sprinting.
Hills- Not all out sprints, good paced effort around 5k race effort. Can be anywhere between 100-400 meters long.
Workout A- 10-30x pushups, 10-30x prisoner squats, 10-30x lunges, 10-30x crunches, 30-60 seconds of planks on each side and the middle, and 30-60 seconds of Australian crawl.
Workout B- 20-40x step ups, 5-20x tricep pushups, 30-60 seconds of bridging, 10-20x dips, 30-60 seconds of pedestal, and 30-60 seconds of scissor kicks.
Pacing Calculator from McMillan

Training To Be Your Best: April 14th-20th

This week will be a shorter week for physical and mental rest in preparation for the District Championships next week.  This is the week to have small injuries heal and maybe catch up on some school work.  Hopefully this is a good week of weather for you to enjoy!

This Arcadia Invitational in early April is known for its fast 3200s.

Monday- 4x4 minutes on and 4 minutes off at 3200 effort.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 35 minutes easy, 8 strides. Strength Workout A.
Wednesday- 600 meter time trial.  Full Warmup.
Thursday- 45 minutes easy. Strength Workout B.
Friday- 8x200 @ 1600 race pace with 400 meter jog.  Full warmup.
Saturday- 30 minutes easy, 8x strides
Sunday- Off

Legend:
Warm Up- A few minutes jogging, dynamic stretching, a few strides
Easy- A pace you can handle and have a conversation at the same time. Relaxed.
Tempo Run- A distance run at a pace of 5k race pace plus 30 seconds per mile.
Ins and Outs- Striding the straights and jogging the turns on the track
Strides- Not a sprint! Simply a short pickup of 50-100 meters at around 1-2 mile race pace. Full recovery.
Sprints- Not a stride! This is near maximal effort (while maintaining control of your body). Form is crucial in this type of running.
Progression Run- Training done at progressive pace that increases throughout the run. Begin at an easy pace and finish at 5k race effort or so for the last few minutes.
Fartlek- A run of varied pace for varied time which can be anywhere from an easy jog to hard sprinting.
Hills- Not all out sprints, good paced effort around 5k race effort. Can be anywhere between 100-400 meters long.
Workout A- 10-30x pushups, 10-30x prisoner squats, 10-30x lunges, 10-30x crunches, 30-60 seconds of planks on each side and the middle, and 30-60 seconds of Australian crawl.
Workout B- 20-40x step ups, 5-20x tricep pushups, 30-60 seconds of bridging, 10-20x dips, 30-60 seconds of pedestal, and 30-60 seconds of scissor kicks.
Pacing Calculator from McMillan

Training To Be Your Best: April 7th-13th

Time is flying.  We are almost in the middle of April and for us down in Louisiana we only have one more week after this before the District Championships!  With five weeks left, we know that peaking needs to be a concern, but don't over think it!  With the past week we've already began the gradual slide down to the faster workouts with a little less volume and that theme will carry the rest of the season.  For those athletes whose seasons don't end until the end of May or even in June, this guide is tailored to peak at a May 10th state meet.  You can figure out your state meet date and work backwards from there using this training guide as well.  Let me know how you do!

The LSU Outdoor Track is the goal destination for runner in Louisiana in May.

Monday- 8x400 @ 1600 race effort with descending recovery starting at 90 seconds and shortening by 10 seconds each rep.  Example: 90 seconds after first rep, 80 after second, etc.  Full warmup.
Tuesday- 35 minutes easy, 8 strides. Strength Workout A.
Wednesday- 3x800 @ 1600 race effort,  12 minute standing recovery.  Full Warmup.
Thursday- 6x200 every 1 minute at 800 effort. Example: 2:08 runner runs in 32 seconds, has 28 second recovery.  Full warmup.  Strength Workout B.
Friday- 30 minutes easy, 8x strides
Saturday- Invitational Meet
Sunday- Off

Legend:
Warm Up- A few minutes jogging, dynamic stretching, a few strides
Easy- A pace you can handle and have a conversation at the same time. Relaxed.
Tempo Run- A distance run at a pace of 5k race pace plus 30 seconds per mile.
Ins and Outs- Striding the straights and jogging the turns on the track
Strides- Not a sprint! Simply a short pickup of 50-100 meters at around 1-2 mile race pace. Full recovery.
Sprints- Not a stride! This is near maximal effort (while maintaining control of your body). Form is crucial in this type of running.
Progression Run- Training done at progressive pace that increases throughout the run. Begin at an easy pace and finish at 5k race effort or so for the last few minutes.
Fartlek- A run of varied pace for varied time which can be anywhere from an easy jog to hard sprinting.
Hills- Not all out sprints, good paced effort around 5k race effort. Can be anywhere between 100-400 meters long.
Workout A- 10-30x pushups, 10-30x prisoner squats, 10-30x lunges, 10-30x crunches, 30-60 seconds of planks on each side and the middle, and 30-60 seconds of Australian crawl.
Workout B- 20-40x step ups, 5-20x tricep pushups, 30-60 seconds of bridging, 10-20x dips, 30-60 seconds of pedestal, and 30-60 seconds of scissor kicks.
Pacing Calculator from McMillan