This weekly message keeps active members informed of the Dashing Whippets training activities for the next seven days.

Congratulations to all of our squads for their amazing performances at the recent Grete’s Gallop Half Marathon. If you competed at full effort in that race, be sure to go easy for the first three days of this week — there is plenty of time to get your strength back for other fall races, including marathons in Chicago, Washington DC and New York.

For the many non-marathoners among us, October is a period of relatively low-intensity workouts designed to help you maintain fitness. We’ll hit harder training again starting soon.

Dashing Whippets Training Plan for the Week

This is week 15 of an NYC Marathon training program, and a month-long stay-in-shape period for non-marathoners.

Please click on the links below to RSVP if you are planning to come out to one of these training events!

Note: Almost all training paces, such as 5K, 10K, half marathon, should be your estimated pace if you ran the race today — not your goal or PR pace. (Exception: Marathon pace is your goal pace or best guess of your well-trained marathon speed.) You can use the Daniels VDOT calculator to estimate your pace from a recent result.

Monday 10/05: Easy day

• If you raced Grete’s Gallop at full effort, today is an off day — enjoy it
• NYC marathoners should run 55-70 minutes easy, followed by 5 repeats of 100m strides
• Everyone else should run 35-60 minutes easy
• Monday Morning Mileage (Central Park) option: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/225366582/
• Monday evening Downtown Easy option: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/225576566/

Tuesday 10/06: Long speedwork day: Warm up 1.5-2 miles. Then…

• NYC (or other November) marathoners: 70-90 minutes of easy running, followed by 4x100m strides.
• Recent marathoners (like Berlin) or near-future marathoners (like Chicago): Follow your training plan, or rest, or go very easy (at most 30 minutes of jogging).
• Short distance (5K-half marathon) specialists (with a solid base of speedwork) and Runners who are building a base (not much recent speedwork): 30 minutes at easy pace, followed by 20 minutes at marathon pace. Finish with 10 minutes of easy jogging to cool down.
• Manhattan group workout in Central Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/225510156/
• Brooklyn group workout in Prospect Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/224909422/

Wednesday 10/07: Recovery day

• Marathoners should do 50-65 minutes of easy running, followed by 4 repeats of 100m strides, or rest
• Everyone else should do 25-40 minutes of easy running or aerobic system cross training
• Morning group run, Central Park: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/225745053/

Thursday, 10/08: Short speedwork day: 20-minute warmup, including jogging/drills/strides, then…

• NYC (or other November) marathoners: 12-14 Canova Ks, which is a continuous run, alternating pace every 1000m between half marathon pace and marathon pace, with no rest between pace changes. Finish with a 15-minute cooldown jog.
• Recent marathoners (like Berlin) or near-future marathoners (like Chicago): Follow your training plan, or rest, or go very easy (at most 30 minutes of jogging).
• Short distance (5K-half marathon) specialists (with solid base of speedwork) and Runners who are building a base (not much recent speedwork): Do 6-8 Canova Ks, as described above, and finish with a 15-minute cooldown.
• Morning Manhattan group workout in Central Park: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/225776342/
• Evening Manhattan group workout in East River Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/225687327/
• Evening Brooklyn group workout in Prospect Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/225687323/

Friday 10/09: Very easy day

• Optionally, advanced marathoners may do 50-55 minutes of easy running followed by 5 repeats of 100m strides
• Everyone else should rest, or do the Monday or Wednesday workout today if you missed it

Saturday and Sunday, 10/10-11:

• Best wishes, Chicago Marathoners!
• Everyone else: On one day, do 30-45 minutes of easy running followed by 4 repeats of 100m strides. On the other day, do a long run…
• NYC Marathoners: Warm up 2 miles, then do 13 miles at a controlled marathon pace (even if you happen to be in a half marathon race), then cool down 2 miles.
• Short distance (5K-half marathon) specialists (with a solid base), Recent marathoners (past two weeks) and Runners who are building a base: 60-90 minutes at easy pace, or 45-60 seconds/mile slower than marathon pace.
• There are weekly team long runs around the city. To see all options for weekend training runs with the Whippets, please view the calendar: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/

Training Calendars

• Dashing Whippets NYC Marathon training plan (18 weeks): http://files.meetup.com/1454408/DWRT_NYC_Marathon_2015.pdf