Santa Fe Striders

HI Striders,

We're back at Santa Fe High again this Tuesday.
-- 

Here's the workout

400 warmup speed
800
800
800
800
800

Announcements

400


At John's party a lot of folks were talking about upcoming marathons.
My wife Jude asked why and Gabe said "it's that time".
So, I thought  "it's that time"  to talk about a track workout that folks
relate to marathons.

Here's the Theory

This workout is inspired by Bart Yasso.
Bart came up with one of the most respected unscientific principles since
the flat earth theory.
Many great coaches subscribe to his idea that the number of minutes you can
run an 800 time is related directly to the number of hours you can run a
marathon.,
So.....if you can run an 800 in 3 minutes you can run a marathon in 3 hours.
So.....if you can run an 800 in 3 and a half minutes you can run a marathon
in 3 and a half hours.
So.....if you can run an 800 in 4 minutes you can run a marathon in 4 hours.
This is so popular an idea that a stack of 800s is commonly referred to
"Yasso 800s".
Other coaches think this is ridiculous.

In his latest book Amby Burfoot tells the story of how this whole thing got
started.
Bart & Amby were both working for Runner's World. They were at the Portland
marathon.
Amby asked Bart how he thought that he would do in his next marathon.
Bart told him "I've been doing this particular workout for about 15 years,"
he continued,
"and it always seems to work for me. If I can get my 800s down to 2 minutes
50 seconds,
I'm in 2:50 marathon shape.

 Amby didn't get it but he looked at tons of data that showed a clear
correlation between 800 times and marathons times.
 After a bunch of research to document the correlation Amby wrote an
article for Runner's World that started thousands
of runners to focus on a stack of 800s. Bart recommended starting with
about 6 800s and working up to 10 800s.

Even though I've used this for years I have a lot of caveats.
To me the observation that minutes are related to hours like 800s are
related marathons
is about as valuable as the observation that Italy looks like a Nike Fly
with a heel.
As one of the critics of this theory pointed out there's a study that shows
the number of lemons imported from Mexico
is directly propotional to number of US  highway fatalities.
So if you're more likely to use your seat belt than to slap a tariff on
Mexican lemons you might be skeptical of this claim.

To really benefit from this workout you need to tune the rest/recovery to
your specific needs.
We're a very inclusive group so folks of varying ability do the same
workout at a wide range of speed and great variation in recovery.
Most of us don't have a marathon scheduled and it's highly unlikely that
this workout related to all the goals of all the runners.
So, use the recovery to make it fit for you.
If you're resting for an equal amount of time as you're running you'll help
your VO2MAX but the workout may not have anything to do with your a
specific pace or race.
If you're resting for a much larger amount of time as you're running you'll
gain some leg strength but may not improve running aerobically or have
anything to do with a race of a specific length.
If you're not resting long enough to finish 5 800s you're experiencing more
pain than gain. AVOID THIS !!!
If you're resting just enough to allow you to run every interval at the
same pace then you're performing a workout that will help any and every
runner at any and every goal.

So what's so cool about a stack of 800s?
We'll Bart Yasso might not be nominated for a noble prize in exercise
physiology but he knows fun.
He can be hilarious at times. I think he hit on a great way to train for
anything.
Pretending that if I can run a 3:10 800 I can run a marathon in 3 hours and
10 minutes helps me get my 800 time down.
If you don't go nuts on the first few intervals they will actually get
easier.
If you can find the pace that makes them get easier you have accomplished a
very elusive goal.
You're experiencing a pace (or effort level) that you can be confident with
not only at the track but in any race of any length.

-Vinnie





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The Saturday Long Run starts at 6:30 A.M. from the Rail Runner stop at the
intersection of Zia and St. Francis (3001 South St Francis Drive). Runners
also start at the Rabbit Road rail trail parking lot at 6:45 AM. Walkers
and others start at 7:00 from Zia & St. Francis.  To reach the Rabbit Road
trail-head, go south on St. Francis Drive pass under I-25 or south on Old
Pecos Trail passing over 1-25; take a right head west on Rabbit Road watch
for small parking lot on the left. Andy a@winnegar.com 505-660-1839



This is a perfect time to start training for a fall marathon
http://findmymarathon.com/ or a half marathon
https://www.halfmarathons.net/  .  Here
are some tips from Hal Higdon for marathon training  cut the distance for
half marathons. If you want to run a little faster see sprint intervals
below.



Long Runs: The key to all my marathon programs are the long runs on
weekends, which build up to 10 miles by the first week (Week 1) of marathon
training to a maximum of 20 miles, done three times (Weeks 11, 13 and 15).

Notice that although the weekly long runs get progressively longer, every
third week is a =E2=80=9Cstepback=E2=80=9D week, where you will reduce mile=
age to allow you
to gather strength for the next push upward. Rest is an important component
of any training program.



Run Slow: I know this is tough for you.  I recommend that runners do their
long runs anywhere from 30 to 90 or more seconds per mile slower than their
marathon pace. This is very important; the physiological benefits kick in
around 90-120 minutes, no matter how fast you run. You=E2=80=99ll burn a few
calories and trigger glycogen regenesis, teaching your muscles to conserve
fuel. Running too fast defeats this purpose and may unnecessarily tear down
your muscles, compromising not only your midweek workouts, but the
following week=E2=80=99s long run.



3/1 Training: Toward the end of the run, if you=E2=80=99re still feeling fr=
esh, you
may want to pick up the pace and finish somewhat faster. This will convert
your long run into what I call a 3/1 Run. That means you run the first
three-fourths of your long run (say the first 12 miles of a 16-miler) at an
easy pace, then do the final one-fourth (4 miles of a 16-miler) at a
somewhat faster pace=E2=80=93though still not race pace.



Hill Training: I alternate hill training with tempo runs and interval
training mainly to provide you with some variety in your training. The
speed benefits of hill training are similar to those for interval training
on the track.  Run up hard, as hard as you might during a 400 track repeat.
Then turn and jog back down, repeating the uphill sprints until finished.
If you plan to run a marathon with more downhill than uphill running (such
as Boston), do some of your hill repeats down as well as up. This will
condition your muscles to absorb the shock of downhill running. But don=E2=
=80=99t
overdo it; otherwise you=E2=80=99ll increase your risk of injury. When I do=
 hill
repeats to get ready for Boston, I generally do two up to one down (2/1),
but you might want to begin with 3/1 as your ratio.



Interval Training: In training for a marathon, long repeats (800, 1600, or
even longer) generally work better than short repeats (200, 400). Run an
800 at faster-than-marathon pace, rest during the interval between by
jogging and/or walking 400, and then start again.



Tempo Runs: A tempo run is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to
near 10-K race pace. A tempo run of 30 to 40 minutes would begin with 10-15
minutes easy running, and then gradually accelerate while building to peak
speed during the next 10-20 minutes, then finish with 5-10 minutes easy
running.



Six sessions of sprint interval training improves running performance in
trained athletes
https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2018/03000/Six_Sessions_of_Spri=
nt_Interval_Training_Improves.5.aspx


*=E2=80=9CEach day the run has a different context. The weather is differen=
t, the
day before was different, the distance is different=E2=80=A6 Although my bo=
dy
appears to be the same as yesterday, it is in fact quite different and its
difference partakes of the almost infinite number of variation*

--=20
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There will no longer be regularly scheduled Sunday Trail Runs.

Anyone interested in organizing and leading a single Sunday run or a series
of Sunday runs, please contact me at any time you wish to conduct them.

Jim

Owens_Jim@msn.com
505-231-6166