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Week 2 Newsletter

It's On!

We are underway

We are underway! You have done your first track session and a 5km time trial, what an introduction!

Below is the Vdot pace app for your Pace session so you can now you have your 5km time you can  work out your "race pace", 10km, 5km and 3km paces for your sessions. 

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If you didn't do the 5km Time Trial with the team, make sure you do this on your own, it is an important start to the programme so you can see where you are at with your paces. 

This week is just about finding your feet, getting to know each other and figuring out how the sessions work.  As the week's progress you will get better and better and more conditioned..we are off to a good start! 

Week 2 Sessions

MORNING GROUP

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EVENING GROUP

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BOTH GROUPS

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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: 90min Run:                                           
30mins Easy (turn 15mins) Course 1
40mins at Race Pace (turn 20mins) Course 2
10mins Easy (turn 5mins) Course 1
10mins at 10km pace (turn 5mins) Course 2

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Course 1 Description:

  • Run through Hillsborough Park coming out onto Bishopsworth Street and turn right. 

  • Run up to Grange Street and turn left. At Aynsley Terrace, turn right.

  • Our cones will lead you over a bridge and into Louisson Place. Turn left. 

  • Continue along the pathway that will lead you into Hansen Park. 

  • Follow the Hansen Park pathway onto Fifield Terrace. 

  • At 15mins, turnaround and head back to the start and then start straight into your next set on Course 2. No recovery between sets.
     

Course 2 Description:

  • At the entrance to Hillsborough Park, turn right and run along Port Hills Road, turn right.

  • Run along Port Hills Road and over “the bump” and onto Centaurus Rd.

  • At Armstrong Ave, turn right and then left onto Riverlaw Tce. You are now beside the river. 

  • At Ensors Rd, follow our cones that will cross you onto the other side of the river and onto Fifield Tce.

  • Continue along following the river until your turnaround time.

  • Then move straight into Set 3 on Course 1.

Course 1 : Click on image to enlarge

Course 2 : Click on image to enlarge

This week's quick tip: 

'Have a gear bag that stays in your car for those unexpected moments..vaseline, bandaids, warm clothes, a towel, emergency coffee money...be a good girl guide/boy scout and always be prepared!.' - Jennifer

Paces and Track Sessions

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Know your paces and tips for track sessions

VDot Calculator
 

Just a reminder to use the VDOT calculator to work out your minute/km paces for your Pace Sessions (refer to your programme). Remember that this isn't an exact science, if you have a GPS watch keep track of your min/km times and if you feel that these paces are too challenging or too easy use your breathing as a gauge.


Download the VDOT app:
Apple App
Android App
Enter in your 5km time and the app will calculate your paces for 10km, 5km, and race pace.
Swipe (right to left x 2) across to find your per min/km pace for each of these.

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If you don’t have a GPS watch, use “perceived exertion” with your paces - ie: how you feel:

Easy Running:
Easily hold a conversation, breathing easily - “gossip pace”.
 

Race Pace:
More difficult to hold a conversation but could still talk, slightly heavier breathing.
 

10km Pace: 
Can’t hold conversation, concentrating and pushing self but not extremely hard.
 

5km Pace:
Can’t talk, heavy breathing, focused and really pushing yourself.
 

All Out:
Running as fast as you can.

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Technique Tips: Track Sessions
 

In the track sessions, there are a couple of things we need to think about:

The intensity gauge: As you are building your pace each set you want to look at your paces on your watch, stop your watch after each set and try to improve on your average pace each time. 

Technique under intensity:
As we get tired, our form drops. So be mindful that when you start to get tired in these sessions think:

1. Posture (eyes up)
2. Chest lifted
3. Relaxed upper body
4. Cadence*
 

Using mental cues can help us be more efficient when things start to get a little tough. Remember, if you are new to intensity running then just take it easy in the first couple of weeks to figure this stuff out. *Check out the Education section below for more on this.

Education

The magic 180 cadence

Jack Daniels is one of the world's top running coaches and thinkers. Over the years he has trained many of the world's best athletes. 
 

There's a story where he and his wife went to the running events at the 1984 Olympics, while everyone in the crowd were entertained by the runners competing, Jack and his wife spent their time counting how often the top runners feet would hit the ground every minute. This was a massive task but by the end of it they discovered a very interesting fact:


Just about all of the top runners had a turnover around of 180 foot falls a minute. 

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This number of 180 is important for runners of all abilities. When we have this many foot falls per minute it encourages your body to move in a more efficient and safer way.
 

There's lots of detail that we could go into here but if you imagine your hips when you are running -  they are making a zig zag motion up and down. As runners, we want to limit this up and down movement as much as possible as it causes more impact, which increases fatigue and slows down forward momentum.

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When runners hit 180 foot falls per minute they are naturally decreasing the up and down heights of their vertical displacement, this means they will be able to run faster with less energy.
 

So what does this mean for you? 

Ultimately we should all be aiming for 180 steps/min. Use your stopwatch and count the number of footfalls you make in 30 secs - then double it. Once you have your number you can identify if you need to increase or decrease your foot falls, most people will need to increase. 
 

At first, 180 may be a massive step up in turnover for you, if that's the case aim to improve it by around 5-10% for a couple weeks and then build from there. Ultimately all levels of runners should be aiming for that magical 180 steps per minute. 
 

What does 180 bpm sound like? 

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Tip: It's pretty fast! Try downloading music with a slight increase in beats per minute (bpm) you are aiming for and put on your ipod and practice running in time to this.

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Other News

  • On Time Starts
    We always start on time! Please make sure you are at the sessions a few minutes early so you can "check in" and hear the session briefing. We don't wait!
     

  • A reminder about the Club10k and RaceTeam private Facebook group - it’s a great place to connect with your team: Click here to request access (we will respond within 24hrs).
     

  • Consistency is key team..get to the sessions. 
     

  • Well done in getting through the first week. You are doing great!

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