Ladies,
Taking the blessing of fine weather, we were able to complete a quality workout today that was extremely encouraging. We are in a transitional phase of our training now, moving from the base period onto strength and ultimately speed. Yes, there has been a plan all along.
I touched on this during the run, but probably all you heard was, "Wah wah wah WAH, wah wuh-wuh WAH!" Let me put it into words that you can re-read (if necessary). ;)
Base phase is exactly what is suggests - you are building up endurance and time on your feet. This will take weeks to accomplish if done properly, and I think we've done a pretty good job of it. We didn't quite hit the numbers I wanted - we never do, I never do - but I think we got what we could. Moreover, I think we arrived to this point relatively healthy (definitely more so than last year).
Next phase is strength. This is a transitional phase, and absolutely necessary as a means of getting to the speed phase. Running is a repetitive motion activity, and your body learns to be very efficient at things it does repetitively. You've become optimized to run efficiently at a slower pace. While we needed the slower pace until your strength and endurance built, it's not optimal for racing. So we now find ourselves in the place of fulfilling step one and moving to step two.
Today's workout would be more accurately described as a form workout. We haven't spent much time talking about running form, but expect that to change. There will be a lot more focus in the coming weeks on proper techniques all around. But to the point... your running form will change as we run faster. It will be uncomfortable at first, not because you aren't strong enough to do it, rather because you're not used to it. Don't worry, it will zero in quickly, especially if you've been faster before.
I know you ladies want to swim or do something fun tomorrow, but the truth is we need to run some miles. We are in the midst of a very rare opportunity, that is to build some mileage without a high level of suffering. I don't think we need a bunch of miles, but we definitely don't need a swim. A five or six mile run will be fine, practice will end quickly, and you should all feel pretty good about it.
Another reason to run - we need to pump some toxins out. While today wasn't a super stressful day, you're going to feel it. It will manifest as muscle soreness in areas you're not used to feeling sore. We need an easy run to begin flushing the toxins that will be causing that pain. We won't go as far, we want it to be active rest, but we need to run.
You ladies have built a summer to be proud of. Let's make sure we finish it the right way.
Taking the blessing of fine weather, we were able to complete a quality workout today that was extremely encouraging. We are in a transitional phase of our training now, moving from the base period onto strength and ultimately speed. Yes, there has been a plan all along.
I touched on this during the run, but probably all you heard was, "Wah wah wah WAH, wah wuh-wuh WAH!" Let me put it into words that you can re-read (if necessary). ;)
Base phase is exactly what is suggests - you are building up endurance and time on your feet. This will take weeks to accomplish if done properly, and I think we've done a pretty good job of it. We didn't quite hit the numbers I wanted - we never do, I never do - but I think we got what we could. Moreover, I think we arrived to this point relatively healthy (definitely more so than last year).
Next phase is strength. This is a transitional phase, and absolutely necessary as a means of getting to the speed phase. Running is a repetitive motion activity, and your body learns to be very efficient at things it does repetitively. You've become optimized to run efficiently at a slower pace. While we needed the slower pace until your strength and endurance built, it's not optimal for racing. So we now find ourselves in the place of fulfilling step one and moving to step two.
Today's workout would be more accurately described as a form workout. We haven't spent much time talking about running form, but expect that to change. There will be a lot more focus in the coming weeks on proper techniques all around. But to the point... your running form will change as we run faster. It will be uncomfortable at first, not because you aren't strong enough to do it, rather because you're not used to it. Don't worry, it will zero in quickly, especially if you've been faster before.
I know you ladies want to swim or do something fun tomorrow, but the truth is we need to run some miles. We are in the midst of a very rare opportunity, that is to build some mileage without a high level of suffering. I don't think we need a bunch of miles, but we definitely don't need a swim. A five or six mile run will be fine, practice will end quickly, and you should all feel pretty good about it.
Another reason to run - we need to pump some toxins out. While today wasn't a super stressful day, you're going to feel it. It will manifest as muscle soreness in areas you're not used to feeling sore. We need an easy run to begin flushing the toxins that will be causing that pain. We won't go as far, we want it to be active rest, but we need to run.
You ladies have built a summer to be proud of. Let's make sure we finish it the right way.
Great job. I have never had the number of girls run consistently during the summer the way this team has, not even the two teams I took to the state finals. Be proud of yourselves! And start thinking of yourselves as a TEAM. While I know everyone wants to be number one, only one person can be number one in a race. The more girls we have running up front in a pack, the better this TEAM is going to be. Encourage each other, every practice and every race. If one person starts to fall off, encourage her to keep up. If you finish your workout, encourage the others who are still going. It makes a big difference. This TEAM is going to do big things this year, get excited!
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