Thursday Track Report: Bandits At 12 O'Clock
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
April 7, 2016
It’s a confusing time of year. Somebody swapped March and April. And now we’re dealing with where to have Thursday Track. The outdoor track is “closed” except that it’s been “open” for the last month, except for today when it was closed up tight. Still, a few rebels did a no-no and found their way in, perhaps by tunneling, I don’t know. A crew of James Deans (and a Jane) were banditting around the track, while the well-behaved availed themselves of the indoor facility. Meira Minard, Seth Senior, Davis Michael, Mike Martin, Bob Shafer, Mike Zimmerman, Dan Coughlin, Mike Casper, Marty Klanchar, Alex Wouden, Adam Ilgen, David Lloyd, and Marty Mazur all did workouts today in various places.
Bwana had the indoor crew do some repeat 3 lappers in the outside lane with 1 lap rests. That’s around 700 meters per rep. For this workout, consistency is good, and the distance is short enough so you can do 5 or 6 of them (though we didn’t). Pace should be mile race pace.
It’ll be hard to know when the “closed” outdoor track is open. But if it’s closed, we will use the indoor track at all times. No banditting!
Thursday Track Report: Lurking
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
March 31, 2016
Spring has been lurking around the corner since, oh, about December. But so has Winter, having never really made a proper entrance. And lurk the Old Man still does, as we await the weekend weather, with its dip in the Polar Vortex. Be that as it may, it was very Springlike as Judd and Davis Michael, Lance Bland, Costas Maranas, Mike Casper, Meira Minard, Mark Lee, Mike Martin, Bob Shafer, Seth Senior, Dan Coughlin, Joel Niemann, Alex Wouden, Rob Peterson, Adam Ilgen, David Lloyd, and Marty Mazur headed for the track.
Bwana was trying to get the workout of the day across to the Crew, but gawkers and lurkers were hanging like Spring jackdaws, squawking toward the runners inside. Bwana shooed them off (it usually takes a few bottle rockets) so he could get on with giving out the workout: 3 X (2 X 400), Medium - Fast - Medium. Do the first pair at about 5K race pace. Then move on to do the middle 2 at a hard pace, mile race pace or better. Finish with 2 back at the easier pace. Do them all with just 200 meters very slow rest between sets.
Bwana hopes at least a few of you do more than just lurk at the coming Spring races. This Sunday's Egg Hill run is a great tradition. And you don’t need to win your age group to get a prize. all you need to do is lurk by the door when they pull your door prize number!
Thursday Track Report: Greening Up
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
March 17, 2016
It’s already greening up. I mean it is St. Patrick’s Day, and John O’Domico’s birthday, but those of us who have been around this town for a few years recall the St. Patrick’s Day Snow Storm of 2007, and other mid-March blasts of the Old North Wind. We remember that some of the worst storm’s in Winter come in March, and that Winter didn’t end last year until April. But it was mild, sort of sunny (with passing sprinkles) and humid as Jim Myers, John Domico, Lance Bland, Dan Coughlin, Davis Michael, Marty Klanchar, Meira Minard, Mike Renz, Bob Shafer, Mike Martin, Seth Senior, newcomer Matt Masullo, Adam Ilgen, Joel Niemann, David Lloyd, and Marty Mazur headed to the track. The long-range forecast has us thinking (knock on wood) that this amazingly mild Winter could be over.
The Crew has been taking the secret side entrance into the “officially” closed outdoor track the last two weeks. In a few months, the track will probably be torn up, to be replaced for the 2017 Big 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. But for now, it’s good to run on a quarter-mile track after spending all Winter getting dizzy going 8 loops to the mile. Bwana called the Default No-Brainer Workout, which is number one in the dusty book of track workouts, the one we always opened the outdoor track season with even back when all we had was an outdoor season (i.e. pre-MSF). That is: 400-800-800-400. Run your reps at 5K+ pace, but make the second half of the workout faster than the first. Rest: a generous, slow 400 between each rep.
Hopefully, we’ll be able to stay outside awhile. Spring is here. There are a lot of races, and a lot of good weather coming.
Thursday Track Report: Maundy Thursday
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
March 24, 2016
It was warm, sunny and breezy as John Domico, Tom Cali, Judd and Davis Michael, Mike Casper, Costas Maranas, Marty Klanchar, Michael Goldfine, Meira Minard, John Wilcock, Mark Lee, Dean Capone, Kevin Becker, Rob Peterson, Mike Renz, Andy Maguire, Mike Martin, Bob Shafer, Mike Zimmerman, Tony and Marlee Kwasnica, Ally Kiefer, Rick Ducharme, Callie Burke, Dan Coughlin, Adam Ilgen, David Lloyd, and Marty Mazur headed for the track on Holy Thursday
Bwana has gained a lot of disciples of the track over the years (decades!). And for what Bwana thinks are good reasons. It’s a way to throw a change-up into your workout regimen, to pick up the pace. It’s a great bunch of people. And track really does help you get faster! Besides, Bwana’s burden is light, his yoke is easy. He doesn’t make you do something you can’t do! Today’s “mandate" was a new creation, a different twist on the “front-loader” workout: 1200-(3X600). The front loading is provided by the 1200 at 5K race pace. The rests are short (200 meters after each rep, including the 1200!). Do your 3 successive 600s at the same pace for the first (if you can), and faster for the latter two (if you can). You are basically running a 3K with a few short rests thrown in, and you’re recovering (just a little each time)) from your 1200 as you proceed.
Attendance at the track has been up for the last several months. Today we had nearly 30. Let’s keep this up. Go and make track disciples of all!
Thursday Track Report: I Got My Bracket Philled Out Early!
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- Written by Bwana Bwana
March 3, 2016
March is here, and that means Spring really is just around the corner. And what does the weather do this week of this exceedingly warm Winter? Revert to “Kill Phil!” (Punxsy Phil) weather. Cold, brutally windy earlier in the week. Today, no wind, but still a day to be thankful for the indoor track. Tom Cali, Judd and Davis Michael, Lance Bland, Costas Maranas, Marty Klanchar, Michael Goldfine, John Wilcock, Mark Lee, Andy Maguire, Rob Peterson, Mike Renz, Mike Zimmerman, Mike Martin, Bob Shafer, Seth Senior, Dan Coughlin, Matt Soroka, Callie Burke, Peggy Plunkett, Rick Ducharme, Kyle, Adam Ilgen, Rich Harter, David Lloyd, Amy Blake, and Marty Mazur headed through temperatures in the high 20s for the warmth of the MSF.
Adam Ilgen, who has class most Thursdays this semester, has been doing his workout early and saying “sayonara” about the time we all get to the track. But Adam was good for a suggestion. He did 5X800. The Repeat 800s workout is one of the most adaptable and best all around workouts for most distances, from a 5K up through a marathon. How you do them and how many depends on the race you're training for. Many marathon and half-marathon training programs revolve around a high volume of consistently run 800s at a bit faster than race pace. For 5K training, do them a little faster than that. Mixing the proper rest in depends on pace, but in every manifestation, consistent or controlled pace is the key. With March Madness coming up soon, Bwana’s workout was his favorite “Bracket 800” workout. On the indoor track, 800 meters is about 3-and-a-half laps in lanes 5 and 6 where we usually run. Run 3 laps in lane 5 at 5K race pace. Take a very slow 1 lap rest, then run 4 laps in lane 5 in the same per-lap time. So you’re adding volume at pace. Rest again, then move out to lane 6. Do 4 laps there (each lap is slightly farther) at the same per-lap time. So you’re picking up the pace a bit. After another rest, finish the workout with a 3 lapper in lane 6 as hard as you can go, especially on the last lap. Your kicker. It’s all we had time for, but for a good half or marathon workout, do this workout *twice* (or more!), at a slightly slower, but consistent pace.(You might need to work up to this one, but it’ll pay off!)
Next week is Spring Break. Bwana doesn’t know if we’ll have access to the Indoor Track, but he’ll find out and let you know. Till then, stay safe if you’re going somewhere, and get a run in, even if it’s on the beach!