Week 1 Newsletter
Welcome to RaceTeam Queenstown 2023
Your team is ready
Over the next 10 weeks you are going to be challenged both mentally and physically, there will be tough days and days where you feel on top of the world, you will test yourself and find new levels.
For some of you. you will be doing your very first half marathon and some of you will be looking to improve on a previous half marathon experience - well done for signing up, let's get ready to find that next level.
This is our first weekly newsletter. Each Thursday afternoon you will get the newsletter for the following week. Please read these newsletters carefully, they outline the session details, educational content, inspiration and other important information that you need to know for that week.
Welcome to Week 1, your RaceTeam is ready to go!
Week 1 Sessions
MORNING GROUP
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Monday 11 September, 6.00am
Meeting Point: Deans Ave side of South Hagley Park (opp. the hospital shuttle carpark)
5KM Time Trial
The purpose of this session is to get your 5km time so you can work out your paces for the programme going forward. Please record your own time for this 5km. The course is 2 laps - out and back to a 1.25km marker within South Hagley Park.
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Wednesday 13 September, 6.00am
Meeting Point: Netball Courts, South Hagley Park (hospital end of courts)
EVENING GROUP
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Tuesday 12 September, 5.40pm
Meeting Point: Netball Courts, South Hagley Park (hospital end of courts)
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Thursday 14 September, 5.40pm
Meeting Point: Deans Ave side of South Hagley Park (opp. the hospital shuttle carpark)
5KM Time Trial
The purpose of this session is to get your 5km time so you can work out your paces for the programme going forward. Please record your own time for this 5km. The course is 2 laps - out and back to a 1.25km marker within South Hagley Park.
BOTH GROUPS
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Saturday 16 September, 7.30am
Meeting Point: Avonhead Park, entrance off Hawthornden Road
Course Maps: Course 1 / Course 2
Session Description:
You have a "timed" (rather than distance), there are 2 courses for you to follow. Please know the turnaround times and the pace objectives for each set. There is no recovery between each set.
Session: 75min Run:
30mins Easy (turn 15mins) Course 1
35mins Race Pace (turn 17.5mins) Course 2
10mins 10km Pace* (turn 5mins) Course 1
*Beginner programme do this last set Easy running
Course 1 Description:
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Run along Hawthornden Road, crossing over where we indicate with cones.
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Run up Hawthornden Road to Avonhead Road. Turn right.
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Cross over where we indicate with cones and then turn left onto Roydvale Ave.
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Run up to Memorial Ave and turn left. If you get to the end of the footpath, turnaround and add on any extra time in this set if needed heading into Avonhead Park.
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At 15mins, turnaround and head back to the entrance of Avonhead Park and then start straight into your next set on Course 2. No recovery between sets.
Course 2 Description:
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Continue straight passed the entrance to Avonhead Park (don't come back to the meeting point...)
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Run along Hawthornden Road to Kedleston Drive, Turn right.
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Run around Kedleston Drive coming out onto Apsley Drive, turn right.
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Run along Apsley Drive to Woodbury Street. There is a roundabout here, follow our cones that will lead you to run up Woodbury St to Withells Road, turn left.
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Run up Withells Road all the way to Avonhead Road, turn right.
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Run along Avonhead Road.
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At 17.5mins, turnaround and reverse the course and head straight into your next set on Course 1.
Course 1 Map
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Course 2 Map
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Course 1
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Download your programme
There are 3 different levels you can choose from: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.
You choose which level you do, if you are unsure, we suggest you start at a level where you think is achievable but also provides a challenge.
To access the different levels in the excel spreadsheet - click on the tabs with titles at the bottom of the spreadsheet.
Before you come to your first session, know which programme you will be doing, if you are unsure, have a chat to our coaches at the session.
Education
How the sessions work
Roll Calls and On Time Starts
We always start on time, we don't wait!
Please check in with the coach at each session.
(Extra Mile Runners Members - you don't need to book into each session during the RaceTeam programme).
Bring a watch
You will need a watch with a GPS function as most of your runs have pace work within them. If you don't have a GPS watch, please bring a watch with a stopwatch function.
Stretches
During the weekday sessions we will take you through stretches at the end of your session then you are free to go. On Saturday sessions we have all our groups together finishing at different times so we ask that you do your own stretches and then you can head off and start your day!
Keys and Gear
All gear is your own responsibility. Bring warm layers for before and after the session.
Session Outline
There are 3 group sessions each week. When you registered you nominated whether you will be doing morning or evening sessions. Below is a description of each of the group sessions.
Track Session
Location: Netball Courts, South Hagley Park
Morning Group: Wednesday 6.00am
Evening Group: Tuesday 5.40pm
Before your Track Session our coach will take you through a 10min strength warm up, you will do 10 exercises (1 minute per exercise), please refer to your programme.
Refer to your programme for the track session intervals, you don't need to remember them as the coach will direct you at the session but it is a good idea to be familiar with the session before you begin.
Pace Session
Location: Deans Ave side of South Hagley Park (opp. the hospital shuttle carpark)
Morning group: Monday 6.00am
Evening Group: Thursday 5.40pm
The pace session is a time-based session where you will be running at difference paces during the session. Eg: 50minute session:
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20mins easy running (gossip pace) (10mins out and back)
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10mins 10km pace (5mins out and back)
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20mins at race pace (10mins out and back)
The purpose of this session is to practice your race pace when you start to get fatigued, it will increase your race fitness and conditioning (as well as help improve mental toughness in those hard moments). Refer to your programme for details on this session.
Your very first Pace Session with RaceTeam is a 5km time trial (refer to your programme). The purpose of this session is to you have your real and current 5km time to work out your different paces for the pace sessions and track sessions. Please make sure you time yourself for this 5km time trial.
Once you have your 5km time, use this VDOT App on your phone to work out your running paces. Here is a quick demo on how to use the app:
Download the VDOT App:
Apple App
Android App
If you don’t have a GPS watch which gives you your current pace, use perceived exertion.
Refer to your programme cover page for this scale.
Endurance Session
Saturday morning 7.30am (There are some 7.00am starts - refer to your programme)
Location: Various
This is your long run session. You will see on your programme that the times/distances increase each week until we get to the longest run in Week 7. Refer to your programme and weekly newsletters for each week's session.
Other News
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Make sure you bring a watch (ideally GPS - but not compulsory) to every session.
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Please read this newsletter each week!
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Good shoes! These are the tool of your trade for the next 10 weeks. If you haven't had new shoes for a while, make sure you go to a good shoe fitting retailer (we recommend Shoe Clinic at Westfield Riccarton or Northlands) and get yourself fitted into the right shoe. At the Shoe Clinic, mention you are from Extra Mile Runners and they will give you a discount (we don't receive any commission from any sales, we just believe these guys know what they are talking about when it comes to running shoes).
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There will be a lot of new people joining our team next week. If you have been a part of the team for a while make sure you give them a great Extra Mile Runners welcome.