Dashing Whippets Training Plan, March 28 – April 03, 2016

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

We wish the best of luck to our athletes who are competing in the Scotland Run 10K this weekend. If that is your spring goal race, there are a few sharpening workouts this week to help you get ready. If that is not your spring goal race, even if you will be competing in Saturday’s 10K, make sure you follow the workouts that are recommended for your true goal this spring.

This week sees the beginning of a new eight-week training plan to help runners prepare for the Brooklyn Half Marathon. If you are already following one of our plans, stick with the plan you’ve already started. You can then switch over to the Brooklyn Half plan when the time is right.

Dashing Whippets Training Plan for the Week

This week 14 of a training plan for Boston and New Jersey marathoners, the final week of a training plan for the Scotland Run 10K, and week 1 of a training plan for the Brooklyn Half.

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 3/28: Easy day

• Spring marathoners should run 55-70 minutes easy, followed by 4 x 100m strides
• Brooklyn Half competitors should run 40-55 minutes easy
• Everyone else should run 30-40 minutes easy, or optionally rest
• Monday Evening Easy (Downtown/Tribeca) option: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/229397393/

Tuesday 3/29: Long speedwork day: Warm up 1.5-2 miles. Then…

• Spring marathoners: 70-80 minutes at marathon pace, followed by 1-2 miles easy to cool down.
• Short distance (5K-15K) specialists and Brooklyn Half competitors: 6-10 repeats of 400m uphill at faster than 10K pace. Jog back after each to recover, and finish with 1+ mile cooldown.
• Runners who are building a base (not much recent speedwork): 4-6 repeats of 400m uphill at around 10K pace. Jog back to recover, and finish with a 1-mile cooldown.
• Manhattan group workout in Central Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/229567761/
• Brooklyn group workout in Prospect Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/229567761/

Wednesday 3/30: Recovery day

• Spring marathoners should run 50-65 minutes easy with 4 x 100m strides, or optionally rest
• Everyone else should do 25-40 minutes of easy running or aerobic system cross training

Thursday, 3/31: Short speedwork day: 20-minute warmup, including jogging/drills/strides, then…

• If the Scotland Run 10K is your spring goal race: Do 2-3 miles of easy jogging with 1 stride (100m acceleration) per half mile. No cooldown is required.
• Otherwise, if not racing this weekend, or even if you’re racing but the 10K but is not your spring goal race…
• Brooklyn Half competitors: 5-6 repeats of 1200m at 10K pace, with 1:30 jogging recovery after each. Finish with 15 minutes of jogging to cool down.
• Spring marathoners: Long descending ladder. 3 miles at marathon pace, then 3:00 jog recovery. Then 2 miles at half marathon pace, then 2:00 recovery. Finish with 1 mile at 10K pace followed by a 15-minute cooldown.
• Runners who are building a base (not much recent speedwork): 3 miles at marathon pace, then do a 15-minute cooldown.
• Lower Manhattan group workout in East River Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/229027093/
• Brooklyn group workout in Prospect Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/229567767/
• Upper Manhattan group workout in Riverbank State Park at 7pm: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/229189299/

Friday 4/01: Very easy day

• Most runners should rest, or do the Monday or Wednesday workout today if you missed it
• Optionally, advanced marathoners and half marathoners may run 30-55 minutes easy, followed by 4 x 100m strides

Saturday and Sunday, 4/02-03:

• Best of luck, Scotland Run 10K competitors! If you race the 10K at full effort, take Sunday off.
• For everyone whose goal race is something other than the 10K, here is the recommended long run:
• Boston and New Jersey marathoners: If you raced the 10K, add another 90 minutes of easy running. If you didn’t race the 10K, do 2:00-2:15 at progression pace.
• Brooklyn Half competitors: If you raced the 10K, just do 45-60 minutes of easy running on Sunday. If you didn’t race the 10K, do 1:45 of running at long run pace.
• Runners who are building a base: 1:15 of running at long run pace
• Long run pace is 45-60 seconds per mile slower than marathon pace — a little faster than easy pace, but still not challenging. Progression run pace starts at long run pace for the first half — but the second half gradually accelerates to half marathon pace (or marathon pace for marathoners) — and do the last 10 minutes at an easy 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

• Boston Marathon training plan: http://files.meetup.com/1454408/2016%20Boston%20marathon%20training%20plan.pdf
• New Jersey Marathon training plan: http://files.meetup.com/1454408/2016_NJ_Marathon_Plan.pdf
• Scotland Run 10K (4 weeks — see page 2): http://files.meetup.com/1454408/DWRT_TrainingPlan_Winter2016_5K10K.pdf
• Brooklyn Half (8 weeks, starting THIS WEEK):  http://files.meetup.com/1454408/Brooklyn_Half_Plan_2016.pdf