Thursday, May 14, 2009

Glad I didn't over do it on Tuesday

We hit the track tonight for the first time this season and the first time for me in close to a year. I know that I don't like track workouts. The new and improved Trey reminded me why I really, really don't like track workouts. Workout group was Trey, Ellis, Fink XY, Butter, Ross, Glazer, and myself. It was a fantastic workout but I was basically relegated to barely having enough energy to eat my dinner and then collapsing for an early bedtime as a result of the workout.

Workout:
Warm up with light jogging, active stretching, little bit of yoga

200
400
400
600 (3 minute rest)
400
400
200 (3 minute rest)

200
400
200

Rests between other runs was 45ish for short runs, 75-90ish for longer runs.

Ouch.

(209)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"new and improved" trey?

Smellis said...

To be completely honest, we almost always had way more rest than Tim indicated. Rarely, if at all, did we get going on our next effort w/in 60 seconds of the previous one. I think we took 4+ mins of rest after the 600 (which was so painful, i really thought about just stopping after 400).
My times: 28, 64, 67, 114, 71, ??, 29, 29, 72, 29.
And even though i come from a distance background, I'm starting to think we should be focusing on shorter distances, and just more reps of them, in order to build our "foundation". Maybe keep the speed up by having longer rests, and as the season progresses, just decrease the rest (as there's little to decrease in the way of distance). But then again, this is to better address MY weaknesses (top end speed), and not necessarily those of others.

Tim said...

New and Improved Trey is the one that does Track Workouts.

Ellis, and in general, the purpose of the track workout plan is that we do longer distances in the beginning of the season (still nothing much over 400) and then shorter distances as the season progresses to hone speed and quickness. As Trey was saying that was probably the only 600 we'll do all year. And thank goodness for that.

Jon said...

While the way we've built base for the past few years (longer distances in the beginning moving to shorter towards peak periods) certainly works, it isn't the only way. If you took the same total distance we did the other night and broke it down into 200s (or 100s or 150s) with short rest in between (Ellis: I think the short rest during base is important, you might not go as fast but you are still teaching your body to work tired) you'd accomplish the same goals. As the season progresses, you work on hitting higher top speeds by giving yourself ample rest between runs.

A potential downside of this approach is that you may find more injuries/stress occur doing the short distances if an appropriate strength/flexibility base is not in place.

Smellis said...

Fink XY,
Agreed, its not the only way, nor am i really concerned about the best way, as long as we are all pushing ourselves and each other.

Though with that being said, i think your last point (potential downside...) is very important. We definitely need to build a base, because as described in a recent NYTimes article:
...to keep athletes in a delicate balance, stressing their bodies to get stronger but pulling back before they are injured. “What’s peak condition?” asked Dr. Pivarnik, the exercise physiologist. “It’s one step from falling off a cliff.”...