Week 3 Newsletter

Settle in

A couple of interesting sessions...

Week 3 has a couple of interesting sessions. On Monday we have a Mystery Track session - you won't know what this session involves, it will be a good opportunity for you to test your pacing and mental strength when the going gets tough.

Your Saturday session involves a 5km race after doing a 45min run. This will be challenging because you will already be a little fatigued leading into the 5km race, the best approach to this session is to remind yourself of what you are trying to get out of it.

The key part is to have a quality 5km race, to be able to push hard to the end and maintain efficient movement and high intensity until you cross the finish line. Make sure you take it nice and easy during the 45min out and back run, this should be your casual/gossip running pace, 6/10 intensity.

Keep up the good work in the hill rep sessions. Each week you should be aiming to make small improvements.

Week 3 Sessions

Monday 8 July, 6.00am
Meeting Point: South Hagley Park Netball Courts
Mystery HIIT/Track Session
You will not know what this track session involves, so keep an ear out for the coach calls. The purpose of keeping this session a mystery is to help you learn your pacing strategy and to develop your adaptation skills both physically and mentally when you don’t know what is coming next.

Wednesday 10 July, 6.00am
Meeting Point: Outside Zeroes Cafe, 81 Cashmere Road
Hill Repeat Session

Saturday 13 July, 7.30am
Meeting Point: Cashmere Road, opposite Crichton Terrace
45mins followed by 5km race. This session is to test your pacing.
The aim of the session is to have a quality 5km race after you are warmed up and a little fatigued after a 45min run (you will do a 22.5min out and back run before you begin your 5km race).
Course Map: Click here

Course Description

45min run: You start with an easy 45min run (turnaround time 22.5mins).
- Run towards Princess Margaret and follow Cashmere Road to Hoonhay Road, turn right
- Run along Hoonhay Road to Rose St, turn right
- Run to the end of Rose Street to Barrington St, turn right
- Run up Barrington St towards the hills, turn right into Ashgrove Tce
- Turn around at 22.5mins and reverse your course back to the start.
5km Race: Once back at the start we will start your 5km race straight away.
- The 5km race is on the same course (out and back to 2.5km marker)
- Turnaround and reverse the course to the finish line.

Course Map:
Click on image to enlarge

This week's quick tip:

'Prepare ahead to get to your sessions. Don't give yourself any excuse not to go. The regret of not getting a session in lingers...'
- Annie

Education

Calves!

Your calves and lower limbs can do a lot of extra work when you are running uphill. One thing that can help you decrease the workload is to make sure that you keep your turnover rate at 180 steps a minute. To do this you may have to decrease your stride length and think 'shorter steps'. This helps because you are spending less time on each footfall as you land.

Another important thing that you can do when you are doing a lot of hill training is Eccentric Calf Raises. Eccentric Calf Raises are great because they help to develop better strength through the lower limbs and the also help to increase the range of motion through your calfs.

We recommend that you do 3x10 reps on each leg 2-3 times a week during your RaceTeam Epic experience. Just find a step and do them when you are at home.

Click below to see a clip of how they are done - your calves will thank you for it.
Just start out easy..

Other News

You are doing so well, we know this is challenging but you guys are stepping up to it!
Just a reminder to email us if you know you are going to be away - just so we can keep track of how you are going.

Inspiration

You are going to feel like you are being pushed to the edge with RaceTeam Epic. This week's inspiration is an example of some runners going to that edge!