April 5, 2008 at Roosevelt Island for the 7th Week

Tomorrow, April 5, 2008:

The dcrrc 10K Training Group will meet at 9 am in the parking lot for Roosevelt Island in Virginia, off Northbound Geo. Washington Parkway just north of the Roosevelt Bridge. The Metro stop is Rosslyn. The schedule calls for us to run up to six miles. Here is a six mile route you can follow, three miles south on the Mt. Vernon Trail to the Gravelly Point parking lot and back again. (Above right: Coach Kristin directing a club race last month. She does a lot of volunteer work, and received an award for the 2005 DCRRC Volunteer of the Year. She hasn't slowed down since!)

You all ran three times this week, at least 3 miles each time, right? (Left: Coach Renee, Hiba and Troy didn't let a little rain deter them in week 3.)

Track Workout this week on Wednesday night was 4X1Mile on the Custis Trail (the track was occupied by a school function). My miles were 7:01, 6:44, 6:43, 6:46. What were yours?

Last week (Week 6):

(Right: Coach John lines up for the SunTrust National Half-Marathon on Saturday. On Sunday he competed in a sprint Triathlon event.) On Saturday Coach Bob took everyone out 4-6 miles on the CCT from Bethesda, because most of the coaches were at the SunTrust National Half-Marathon. Coach Kristin was volunteering at the race and Coach John, Coach Peter and Troy ran the race. All three of us broke two hours for the 13.1 miles. One of the reasons why Troy broke two hours is because he trains hard. In the picture above, he is running in the rain on the Capital Crescent Trail in week 3 with Coach Renee and Hiba. Hard work has a payoff!

Sunday, Coach Peter was at Bluemont at 9 am to run with anyone who missed Saturday's run or who wanted to run again. He practiced his 5K pace miles on the W&OD Trail. (Left: The colors were gorgeous along the W&OD Trail at Bluemont on Sunday morning.)

NEXT WEEK: We'll meet at Roosevelt Island again for week 8, then go to Haines Point (Golf course parking lot) for weeks 9 & 10, and finish the training at Stanton Square (meet by General Greene's statue) near Union Station in weeks 11 & 12.

Approaching the halfway point!

This Saturday, March 29th, will be our halfway point, our sixth week. We are meeting again in Bethesda at 9 a.m. There is free parking in the lot right next to the CCT where it runs next to Ourisman Honda, across the street from Barnes & Noble. Coach Bob will take you out on the CCT for six miles, as most other coaches will be at the National Marathon and Half-Marathon Race that morning. (Run 30 minutes down the trail, turn around and come back.) Be aware of street closures! Metro opens at 5 a.m. (Early morning TKG run in week 4 on the C&O Canal Towpath.)

For anyone who can't make it on Saturday, or wants to run again on Sunday, March 30th, Coach Renee will be leading a run from Bluemont Park off Wilson Boulevard in Arlington at 9 a.m. Directions are here. This is at mile marker 3.5 on the W&OD Trail, within half a mile of the hilly Custis Trail.

After that, for weeks 7 & 8, we'll meet at Roosevelt Island.

Weeks 9 & 10, we'll meet at Haines Point.

Weeks 11 & 12, we'll meet at Stanton Square near Union Station. This is where the target race, the CHC 10K, starts and finishes. (Last year's race course. There's been some talk that it might change this year.)

LAST WEEK (Week 5): We met in Bethesda and ran for 50-55 minutes, 4-5 miles, on the CCT. Some group members went out for coffee afterwards at the Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble.

I didn't see any of you at the track workout last night. That is how you can get better and run a sub-50 minute 10K. The w.o. last night was a minute of 5K race pace running followed by 30 seconds of slow recovery run, 10 reps, after a 2-mile warm-up. (Rockin' and rollin' on the Capital Crescent trail in week 5.)

Announcement. The Army 10-Mile Race (ATM) registration opens on April 1st. The club has a 10-Mile Group Training Program (TMG) which will start on Saturday, July 12, 2008, with the ATM as its goal race. Announcements will be made during the early summer on the club website about the training program. ATM fills up quickly, in a matter of weeks last year. If you finish the TKG training, you will be suitable to take the TMG if you keep up your running. Do not get closed out, register for the ATM in April if this is the course you intend to follow, and you plan on taking the training and running the race.

Here comes week 4!

We're getting there. We are one quarter done! Can you believe it?

Week 4. This coming Saturday (March 15th) we’ll meet at 9 a.m. at Fletchers Boathouse again. Fletchers is in DC, west of Georgetown to the west of Canal Road next to the Potomac. The blacktop Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) and the dirt C&O Canal Towpath join together here for a short while. Directions to Fletchers Boathouse are here or here.

Ahem. A nationally recognized voice for running will be present to address the group. After the run, at 9:50 A.M., Jim Hage, a noted local runner who is a double winner of the Marine Corps Marathon (1988 and 1989) will give a presentation to the group about running/racing. Bring your questions for afterwards!

There is still time. To sign up for the Program that is. If you have any friends who would like to get active or get back in shape or have a weekly running workout, refer them here to the club's website for more information. Click the Forum link.

Close the loop. There is a track workout every Wednesday evening at 7 pm at the Washington and Lee High School in Arlington. Go to the club website and click on Track Work Out for more information.

You should, you know. You should run at least two to three times on your own this week, at least twenty minutes each time. Make one run a fast paced workout, even if you push your pace for only a few minutes during the run. As always, listen to your body. If it hurts, stop what you are doing and figure out a new approach.

That was so done. Last week, Week 3, March 8th, we met at Fletchers Boathouse and everyone ran 35 minutes on the CCT trail towards Bethesda, 17 minutes out and about 18 back. Everyone ran from about 3 to 4 1/4 miles.

Below is a tentative schedule for the remaining weeks, with projected Saturday mileage. Your coaches will take you further, or shorter, as appropriate. A few prominent races have been noted in brackets.

2008 DCRRC 10K Training Plan for the Capitol Hill Classic 10K on Sunday 5/18/08.

Start: Sat. 2/23/07, 13 weeks before the race. Meetings at 9 am. Schedule subject to change, check this blog each week.

1 2/23 WFC 2M.
Sunday 2/24 Hill Workout in Falls Church. 5M.
2 3/1 WFC 3M.
3. 3/8 Fletcher’s Boathouse 4M.
4. 3/15 Fletcher’s Boathouse 5M. Jim Hage discussion follows.
5. 3/22 Bethesda 5M. Meet in front of the Barnes & Noble in Bethesda, 4801 Bethesda Avenue.
6. 3/29 Bethesda [0700 National Marathon] 6M.
7. 4/5 Roosevelt Island 10K.
[Sunday 4/6 Cherry Blossom 10Miler]
8. 4/12 Roosevelt Island 7M.
9. 4/19 Haines Point 5M.
[Monday 4/21 Boston Marathon]
10. 4/26 Haines Point 6M.
11. 5/3 Stanton Square 6K.
12. 5/10 Stanton Square 6K.

Race.

Approaching Week Three of 10K Training

New location:
For weeks 3 and 4 (Saturday March 8 and Saturday March 15) we’ll meet at 9 a.m. at Fletchers Boathouse in DC, a mile and a half west of Georgetown, to the west off northbound Canal Road, next to the Potomac. The blacktop Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) and the dirt C&O Canal Towpath join together here for a short while.

Directions to Fletchers Boathouse are here or here.

Sign ups still available:
There is still time to sign up for the Program if you have any friends who would like to get active, or get back in shape, or have a weekly running workout. Refer them here for more information. (Right: Are you sure the directions said to meet up here?)

Track Workouts:
There is a track workout every Wednesday evening at 7 pm at the Washington and Lee High School in Arlington., go to the club website and click on Track Workouts for more information. Last night was six half-mile repeats at your own pace. I didn't see any of you using this valuable resource. All you have to do is show up at 7 PM any Wednesday evening and start running the prescribed program!

What to do before Saturday:
You should run at least two times on your own this week, twenty minutes each time. (Left: Running over the Bridge in week one.)

Last Week:
We met for the first two weeks at the West Falls Church Metro, and went 1.8 to 3.1 miles (or further for those who ran up the parking garage ramps) in week one; and 2 to 3.8 miles in week 2.

Tentative schedule, with projected Saturday mileage (your coaches will take you further, or shorter, as appropriate), with a few prominent races noted: (Right: Hitting the W&OD Trail in week 2.)

2008 DCRRC 10K Training Plan for the Capitol Hill Classic 10K on Sunday 5/18/08.
Start: Sat. 2/23/07, 13 weeks before the race. Meetings at 9 am. Schedule subject to change, check the blog each week.
1. 2/23 WFC 2M WB on W&OD Trail
Sunday 2/24 Hill Workout in Falls Church
2. 3/1 WFC 3M EB on W&OD Trail
3. 3/8 Fletchers Boathouse 4M
4, 3/15 Fletcher’s Boathouse 5M
5. 3/22 Bethesda 5M Meet in front of the Barnes & Noble in Bethesda, 4801 Bethesda Avenue
6. 3/29 Bethesda [National Marathon is in DC on this day] 6M
7. 4/5 Roosevelt Island 10K
[Sunday 4/6 is the Cherry Blossom 10Miler]
8. 4/12 Roosevelt Island 7M
9. 4/19 Haines Point 5M
[Monday 4/21 is the Boston Marathon]
10. 4/26 Haines Point 6M
11. 5/3 Stanton Square 10K
12. 5/10 Stanton Square 10K
[Sunday 5/11 Mother’s Day Arlington YMCA 10K]
Sunday 5/18/08 at 0830 in Stanton Square, Capitol Hill Classic 10K.

Run Happy.

Peter 202-297-4874

New Location for Week 5

Next Up: The TMG will meet at 7:30 am at a new location for week five (August 11), Fletcher's Boathouse in DC just west of Georgetown along the Potomac River. You can only access the narrow entrance to the parking lot while driving WB (or NB, in other words, AWAY from Georgetown) on Canal Road.

Parking: As you drive in, you can either park on the north side (the DC side) of the C&O Canal or, if that lot looks full, keep driving straight down the entrance way without turning into the near lot and the entrance way will turn left and go through a narrow tunnel under the canal and deliver you to the south side (the side closest to Virginia) of the canal in the large, overflow parking lot where the boat rentals are.

Meeting Point: We'll meet on the trail at 7:30 sharp to start running. From the north lot, just walk over the bridge over the canal to where the two paths, the C&O Canal Towpath (the dirt trail) and the Capital Crescent Trail (the paved trail) are side-by-side. From the south lot, go up the stairs by the boathouse to the same location. It's about two miles to Georgetown from there on either trail, and about five miles to Bethesda from there on the CCT. (Below: Coach K and another athlete on the CCT on a snowy day in April during the 10K Training Program.)

We'll meet at Fetcher's Boathouse for Week Six (August 18) as well, before moving locations to Bluemont Park in Arlington for weeks seven and eight. A schedule of all twelve weeks of the TMG Program can be found here.

Last Week: Week Four (Aug. 4) we met at 7:30 am at MP 12 on the Mt. Vernon Trail at the Washington Sailing Marina on a warm and humid day. Matt sent his group out NB on the trail and, led by Scott, they went eight fast miles out and back. Linda and Kristin took their group out six miles NB on the trail at a good clip. Jeannie had her group stretch as usual, then she and Jeanne took their charges out five miles on an out-and-back NB on the trail to the airport. They passed the first mile in an even 12 minutes.

Hydrate: With the heat of the summer now upon us, we will get underway on the actual run each week at 7:30 am on the dot. If you're late, you'll just have to catch up! Bring a water bottle on each run; either learn how to carry a half-liter bottle (16.9 oz, about a pound) in your hand or get a water-carrying belt (fuel belt). Google fuel belt to locate such equipment on-line or go to Pacers or another local running store (Gotta Run in Pentagon Row also has dcrrc merchandise for sale). But don't over-hydrate. Become aware of the dangers of hyponatremia, sometimes known as water intoxication, which can be fatal.

Kudos: Mary Flynn of Linda's group, brand new to the program, ran in Thursday's Bluemont 5K, a club race held at 7 pm, free for dcrrc members. She ran a blazing 26:02 (8:22) in the heat and finished in the top half of all women. Congratulations. All of you should be contemplating a 5K or 10K race you can do for the experience before the ATM. May I suggest this 5K race at 6 pm on Saturday, September 8th. They give out beer afterwards.

Remember, this week, through Sunday August 12, is sales-tax holiday in DC for shoe purchases under $100, and you get at least a 10% discount at most running stores by mentioning that you're a dcrrc member. Go here for shoes in the District. This store is the first Fleet Feet on the East Coast and it is legendary in the local running community. It conducts weekly 5-mile runs every Sunday morning at 9 o'clock, among other things. The District's mayor's parents own and operate the store. I bought my first pair of running shoes there when I started running in 2000. I STILL use the same model shoe (in its seventh edition) they fitted me for then. (Above: Me and Hizzoner in Anacostia Park in May. The Mayor is fast and durable! He ran the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile in April in 1:08:47 (6:53), a week after running 4:08 at the National Marathon!)

One Third Done? The program is now one-third over. How are we feeling out there? You all should be running two or three other times a week, three to four miles each time. You should introduce something new to your week if you're already running at least two mid-week runs: a fast mile or two thrown into one of those mid-week runs. This is a version of a tempo run, a mile or two miles back-to-back or two different miles run at about a 10K race pace, preceded and followed by a slower jogging mile again.

Fartleks? Or introduce fartleks into your runs, which is a random sprint thrown into a run at some unspecified point. Say you're jogging at your usual pace and you think, The next car that passes me, I'll sprint until the next car after that passes me. Then you slow down to your normal pace again to recover. Repeat sometime later. Or you come over a hill and say, When I get to that telephone pole, I'll sprint to the next one. Half a mile later, repeat. The Scandinavians invented this game and fartlek is a Swedish term meaning speed play.

Do Track Workouts and PR: Fartleks are a substitute for speed workouts on a track, which will make you better. Take advantage of the club's Wednesday night track workouts at 7:15 pm at the Washington & Lee High School Track in Arlington (Metro accessible from Ballston on the Orange Line, walk 4 or 5 blocks due north to Washington Boulevard) to get better and nail a ten-miler. Before last year, my PR in a 10-Miler was 1:21:33 at Cherry Blossom in 2004. I credit my track workouts in 2006 with enabling me to reduce my PR to 1:14:34 at Army last year.