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

Dashing Whippets Training Plan for the Week

This is a short fitness maintenance period. Runners who are looking forward to a big spring race (such as a marathon or high-profile half) should join us now to build or sustain your aerobic base.

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 12/26: Easy day

• Spring marathoners should run 40-55 minutes easy, followed by 2-3 100m strides
• Everyone else should run 30-45 minutes easy, or optionally rest
• Monday Evening Downtown group run: RSVP

Tuesday 12/27: Long speedwork day: Warm up 1.5-2 miles. Then…

• All runners: 2 miles at half marathon pace, then jog 3:00 to partially recover. Then do 4 x 400m uphill at 10K pace (jog back down to recover). Finish with 1-2 miles of easy jogging to cool down.
• Manhattan group workout in Central Park at 7pm: RSVP
• Brooklyn group workout in Prospect Park at 7pm: RSVP

Wednesday 12/28: Recovery day

• Most runners should do 25-40 minutes of easy running or aerobic system cross training
• Wednesday morning run in Central Park: RSVP

Thursday, 12/29: Short speedwork day: 20-minute warmup, including jogging/drills/strides, then…

• Runners with a solid base: 2 repeats of 2 miles at 15K pace, with 400m of jogging between them. Finish with 20 minutes of jogging and stretching.
• Runners who are building a base: 4 repeats of 800m at 10K pace, with 400m of jogging between them. Finish with a 20-minute cooldown.
• Lower Manhattan group workout in East River Park at 7pm: RSVP
• Brooklyn group workout in Prospect Park at 7pm: RSVP
• Upper Manhattan group workout in Riverbank State Park at 7pm: RSVP

Friday 12/30: Very easy day

• Most runners should rest, or do the Monday or Wednesday workout today if you missed it
• Optionally, advanced marathoners may add up to 30 minutes of easy jogging or cross-training

Saturday and Sunday, 12/31-1/01: On one day, do 40-55 minutes of easy running followed by 3-4 repeats of 100m strides. On the other day, do a long run…

• Boston/New Jersey marathoners: 1:45 of running at long run pace
• NYC Half specialists with a solid base: 1:30 of running at long run pace
• Everyone else: 1:00-1:30 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.
• There are weekend team long runs in Manhattan and Brooklyn. To see all options for weekend training runs with the Whippets, please view the calendar: http://www.meetup.com/dashing-whippets/events/

Training Calendars

• Starts THIS WEEK: Boston marathon training plan: http://files.meetup.com/1454408/Boston_Marathon_Plan_2017.pdf
• Starting NEXT WEEK: Winter 5K/10K training plan: http://files.meetup.com/1454408/DWRT_TrainingPlan_Winter2017_5K10K.pdf
• Coming soon: Training plans for New Jersey Marathon and NYC Half