We meet as a group for three scheduled/coached runs each week. Each run focuses on one important aspect of preparing for upcoming races and improving running ability.
- Tuesdays at 6:15pm: Summer 2017 UPDATE: we meet at Kiwanis Challenge Park at 6:15pm to complete our track workouts (aka #martesmuerte). These workouts are scaled to each runner’s ability and Coach Patrick will go over pacing goals for everyone at the beginning of each workout. The two direct physiological benefits of the track workouts are improving your lactate threshold (the point at which your muscles become less efficient and “burn” due to a build up of lactate acid) and increasing your VO2 max (the amount of oxygen your blood is able to transport to your muscles during exercise). Another benefit of completing track workouts is better efficiency in your running form through controlled fast-pace intervals. You will naturally become more efficient as you run faster and that efficiency translates to when you are running at slower paces.
- Thursdays at 6:15pm: We alternate meeting at Tipple’s Brews on odd weeks of the month and at Lucky’s Market on even weeks of the month (if there is a 5th Thursday, we meet at Lucky’s). Thursdays are progression runs. We start off at a controlled pace and then steadily pick up the pace over the course of the run. Learning to start controlled and then speed up is critical to good race performance. One of the biggest mistakes made in a race is to go out too fast and then be forced to slow down by the end of the race.