Whippet Wisdom: Modifications to the Training Plans

Happy New Year, everyone!

As we come back from our holiday excursions and the spring training season begins, many of us – myself included – are not exactly where we were in the fall gearing up for those events. With that in mind, we must be patient with our training to not overdo it. Not to mention the cold weather adds an extra layer of complexity.

Some folks have mentioned in passing that some of the training plans are a little aggressive given the time off and the weather. The coaches can appreciate that sentiment so we wanted to discuss some variations to the plan which can help. Below is an excerpt from the “Marathon Training” document (http://boston.dashingwhippets.org/training/) sent at the beginning of the NYC Marathon training season and we believe this provides options which can be incorporated into your individual training plan.

Each week should cycle through each of the three main training pillars: long run, strength and endurance intervals, and recovery runs.  A “typical week” should be built based on specific details of your life with these three items in mind. Similarly, we’ll determine how often each of these pillars will be completed in a given week. Obviously, the long run and easy days will be completed every week but what about workouts? Determining workout quantity and intensity is vital to any training program’s success.

At minimum, one quality workout needs to be included every week – everything from miles at marathon pace to track workouts. When marathon training, the Tuesday workout should be the focal workout of the week as it typically includes long stretches of miles at a given pace. The consistent pace of those workouts teaches one how to “feel” the pace – breathing pattern, cadence, form/ body positioning – instead of relying on the stopwatch during the race.

Some folks operate better with two quality workouts per week; for some, that’s too much. Several factors in determining whether a second workout should be included in your schedule include prior experience, current weekly mileage, and life schedule. For our discussion, let’s use the Whippet program to highlight possible modifications when running one workout per week.

  • In place of Thursday’s workout, run the total miles suggested as easy miles. Throughout the schedule, Thursday’s workout mileage can range from 8-11 miles when including warm-up, cooldown, and jog rest periods (if any). This mid-week longer run (ranging from 40-60% of the long run distance) is a great way to keep the mileage up without taxing the body with another workout.
  • Run Thursday’s workout at one pace slower than suggested. For example, if the workout states HMP, run at MP; if it states LT pace, run at HMP, if it states 10K pace, run LT pace, etc. Canova Ks is a workout which suggests alternating between marathon pace and half marathon pace every kilometer throughout the workout; in your schedule it may be best to alternate between easy pace and marathon pace. Lastly, to prevent from running too fast and keeping to your plan, join a group which closely matches your adjusted goal paces for the evening. This enables the ability to run the same workout as the rest of the team thus allowing you to have people to run with which is the main reason to attending team practices.
    • One key element to remember when doing this: you are a guest of that group. That group trains together regularly and aims to run the paces chosen at the start of the workout. Stick with the group throughout the entire workout. Move to the back of the group if necessary to prevent pushing the pace at the front. Be aware of the group dynamic and communicate with your teammates – either to check in on the pace or provide motivation since this pace should be ‘comfortable’ for you.

As always, let us know if you have any questions. See you on the roads!

David


David Parkinson and Chris Forti (NYC)

david [at] dashingwhippets.org and coach [at] dashingwhippets.org

This message was originally created by Chris Forti from Dashing Whippets Running Team.

Whippet Wag: Marathon Edition

Welcome to this marathon edition of our occasional news and events roundup of all things Whippetrelated.

Updates

• Marathon weekend is almost upon us and we have a lot of events planned. We’d love to see folks wearing Whippets gear whenever possible to increase our visibility. Stay up to date on the festivities through our Facebook page and our Instagram and Twitter accounts (both @dwrtbos).

• If you’re running the BAA 5k or planning to cheer, RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/237033903/

• On Sunday we’re hosting a shake-out run to bring together members from our New York and Boston teams. After the run we’ll be grabbing brunch at Stephanie’s on Newbury (though we only have a limited number of spaces for brunch). RSVP and be sure to let us know if you’re in for brunch: https://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/238752258/

• If you’re running the marathon or planning to cheer, RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/234477607/

• Regardless of whether or not you’re running on Monday, we hope you’ll join us for our post-race party at Beer Works by North Station. Get more details and RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/238221295/

• We now have a team discount at Marathon Sports! When shopping tell the folks that work there that you’re a member of the Whippets for 10% off all full-priced merchandise.

• Have an idea for a themed run, a destination run, or anything else fun you think folks on the team would like? Don’t keep it to yourself! Email me at david@dashingwhippets.org

Races

This weekend is obviously dominated by the BAA 5k and the marathon but we’d love to see you at other races too. Most of these races sell out early so if you’re planning to run make sure to register ASAP.

• If you’re doing the Providence Marathon, Half, or 5k, RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/235450180/

• For the second year in a row, we’re one of the sponsors of the Esplanade 5k. We would love to see you out there representing the team at this fun weeknight race along the Charles. RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/238880805/

• The BAA 10k is still a couple months away but we’re hoping for a good turnout. RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/238488425/

Apparel

We have a limited number of men’s and women’s singlets (all sizes back in stock!) and long sleeved shirts available for $25 each. Please email me if you’re interested and we’ll arrange getting you one at an upcoming workout or race.

Sponsorship

• This year the Whippets are sponsoring the Esplanade 5k for the second—you may have seen the races shirts from last year’s races with our logo around town. We’re always looking for races tied to worthy causes so let us know if you’re involved in something you think could be a good fit for the team. We’re also starting to look for sponsors for the team itself. Let us know if you think of any businesses or organizations that might be interested.

DWRT on Strava

The DWRT have adopted Strava as a key community-building platform. Please feel free to join (it’s free) and link your GPS watch or phone, or log and monitor your workouts. You can set any workout as “private,” or you can share your routes and give kudos and comment on our friends’ workouts. Please join the team’s group! The team page can be found here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/DWRTBOS

Happy running!

David

 

Whippet Wag: April 2016

Welcome to the second edition of our news and events roundup of all things Boston Whippet-related.

Updates

Registration for the BAA 10k opened yesterday. It’s still open but will likely sell-out today or tomorrow. We’ll have a team training plan for this race and would love to have a big turnout. Register here before it closes: http://www.baa.org/races/10k/participant-information/athlete-registration.aspx

If you haven’t had a chance to check out our track workouts, we hope you’ll join us on Tuesdays. We’re now hosting free weekly track workouts open to all current members and anyone interested in joining the team at the MIT outdoor track. For full details and to RSVP see our meet-up page for next Tuesday’s workout: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/229867839/

Because of the BAA 5k we will be cancelling our regular weekend run next Saturday, April 16. We’ll be back to our normal schedule on April 23. If you’re not running the 5k we encourage you to come out and cheer on your teammates.

Upcoming Races

The BAA 5k and the Boston Marathon are both next weekend and we have lots of runners doing each. Running either race? RSVP so we know to look for you:

BAA 5k RSVP: http://meetu.ps/e/B1t4k/5c4rC/a
Marathon RSVP: http://meetu.ps/e/B01QV/5c4rC/a

Not running the marathon but want to cheer? We’ll be setting up a group cheering section—check out our facebook page for details and to help coordinate. Everyone is also welcome at our post-race party at Beer Works by North Station. Details and RSVP are here: http://meetu.ps/e/BkCzn/5c4rC/a

Last but not least, the Whippets are co-sponsoring our first race, the Esplanade 5k on June 2nd. The race is capped at 300 runners so you’ll want to register early to help us represent the team. Details and registration are here: http://www.esplanadeassociation.org/events-2/upcoming-events/esplanade-5k/

Results

Run a race recently? Make sure to help us fill out our results database (update coming soon) by entering your race results here: Google Form

Apparel

We have a stash of long-sleeve tech tees and singlets in most sizes for men and women. If you’re interested in purchasing one ($25 each) email David at david@dashingwhippets.org for more details.

For those Whippets who ordered hoodies, they should be coming in next week. We’ll send out an email to those who ordered one when they arrive.

Happy running!

David

Whippet Wag: March 2016

Welcome to the first edition of our news and events roundup of all things Boston Whippet-related.

Updates

We’re hosting our first track workout tomorrow evening! Starting this week we’ll be hosting free weekly track workouts open to all current members and anyone interested in joining the team. For now we’ll be holding them at the MIT outdoor track. For full details and to RSVP see our meet-up page: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets-boston/events/229578263/

We hope to see you there!

Results

Congratulations to all of our members who ran half marathons this weekend in New Bedford and a New York City! We had at least one PR and great performances all around.

Make sure to help us fill out our results database (update coming soon) by entering your race results here: Google form

Upcoming Races

We’ve developed a training plan for the BAA 5k that we’ll be using at our weekly workouts. Check it out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_YCv6shl3ghVG9UTDhYa19SUWs

We’ll be publishing more plans in the future for team goal races like the Run to Remember and the BAA 10k. As a reminder, registration for the BAA 10k opens April 6th at 10am and it will sell out quickly.

Apparel

We have a stash of long-sleeve tech tees in most sizes for men and women and will be getting in singlets in the near future. If you’re interested in purchasing one ($25 each) email David at david@dashingwhippets.org for more details.

We’re also taking pre-orders for a limited number of Whippets sports bras. The deadline is April 2nd and orders are being taken through the New York chapter. See more details here: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/229713706/ or check our Facebook page.

Happy running!

David