Purpose and Introduction
The purpose of these weekly key workouts as required by the Board is to “[prepare] the athlete for the Shamrock Club Series races and Spring/Fall marathons.”
For the best experience if you’re planning on doing a workout from the Training Schedule, I recommend that you:
- Read the Training Schedule.
- Read the Coach Guidance.
- Know your Training Paces.
- Scale your workout according to your weekly mileage.
The race series workouts from the Training Schedule are compatible with any runner as long as each runner follows the instructions.
The marathon workouts from the Training Schedule are compatible with intermediate and advanced runners; if you’re a beginner runner, it’s recommended to not launch straight into marathon training, but rather to first spend at least a few months to a year with the race series training program.
The Coach attends the Tuesday evening workouts, which include the Tuesday workout from the marathon Training Schedule during the marathon training seasons, and include a workout from the race series Training Schedule, usually the Q2 workout.
Shamrock Club Series race Training
The next race in the Lucky Shamrock race series is the Woburn DECA Dash 5K on Saturday August 15, and the next race in the Grand Prix race series is the North Shore Runfest 8K on Sunday August 30.
Consider joining any of our many weekly group runs to do these workouts.
- Q1:
- Long run of X* miles at Easy pace
- Q2:
- 10+ minutes warmup jog
- X* x 3 minutes at I pace with 2 minute jog recoveries
- 10+ minutes cooldown jog
- Q3:
- no Q3 this week, but be sure to add Strides to any of your 2-3 of your Easy pace runs this week
*see table below
Your Weekly Mileage Q1 total miles at E pace Q2 total number of I pace intervals number of Strides to add into each of 2-3 Easy runs 10 3 2 2 20 6 3 4 30 9 5 6 40 10 6 8 50 12.5 8 10 Other runs this week: All other runs this week should be Easy pace, with X* Strides added in to the middle or end of 2-3 of them.
Pace guidelines: Use the VDOT calculator or your results from Coach Tom from your participation in the June time trials last month to find your precise numerical training paces that are optimal for you.
Pace Imprecise Description Purpose E (Easy) conversational pace strengthen your heart, improve the blood supply to your muscles, and enhance the oxygen and fuel to energy conversions in your muscle cells M (Marathon) feels brisk and you can have somewhat of a conversation Used primarily for those training for a marathon, it provides practice at marathon race pace and practice drinking while running. It also helps practice holding a brisk pace for a prolonged period without accumulating severe fatigue. T (Threshold) 10K to half marathon race pace (comfortably hard, so you can only speak a few words or in short sentences) improve endurance and lactate threshold I (Interval) slightly faster than your 5K race pace (feels hard, and you can only speak single words) improves aerobic power by targeting your VO2 max R (Repetition) roughly mile race pace (so fast you can’t really speak) improve anaerobic power, speed, and economy (take it easy on the recoveries) Strides short, 15-20 second, light and quick runs (not sprints), with 45-60 seconds recovery in between Improve running economy without accruing fatigue, help with warming up if done pre-workout, break up monotonous easy runs if done in the middle of a workout, and aid the recovery process if done post-workout. Best not to do them on a downhill slope, to protect your knees.
Fall Marathon Training
There are of course a variety of marathons in the fall, but a popular one that Shamrocks often run is the Baystate Marathon, taking place this year on October 18, which is 14 weeks from July 12.
Consider joining any of our many weekly group runs to do these workouts.
- Monday:
- Cross train 60 minutes (advanced runners) or 45-60 minutes (intermediate runners)
- Tuesday:
- 15 minute warmup jog
- 4 Strides
- Advanced runners:
- 2 x 1000 meters at T pace with 200 jog recoveries
- 2 x 1000 meters at I pace with 400 jog recoveries
- 4 x 400 meters at I pace with 200 jog recoveries
- 4 x 200 meters at R pace with 200 jog recoveries
- Intermediate runners:
- 2 x 750 meters at T pace with 200 jog recoveries
- 2 x 750 meters at I pace with 400 jog recoveries
- 3 x 400 meters at I pace with 200 jog recoveries
- 3 x 200 meters at R pace with 200 jog recoveries
- 10 minute cooldown jog
- Wednesday:
- 60 minutes E pace (advanced runners) or 45-60 minutes E pace (intermediate runners)
- Thursday:
- Advanced runners:
- 7 miles at E pace
- 4 x 1 minute Strides
- Intermediate runners:
- 5.25 miles at E pace
- 3 x 1 minute Strides
- Friday:
- Recovery
- Saturday:
- Advanced runners:
- 14 miles at E pace
- 6 x 30 second Strides
- Intermediate runners:
- 10.5 miles at E pace
- 5 x 30 second Strides
- Sunday:
- 5 miles E pace (advanced runners) or 3.75 miles E pace (intermediate runners)
- 6 Strides
Pace guidelines: Use the VDOT calculator and participate in the June time trials to find your precise numerical training paces that are optimal for you.
Pace Imprecise Description Purpose E (Easy) conversational pace strengthen your heart, improve the blood supply to your muscles, and enhance the oxygen and fuel to energy conversions in your muscle cells T (Threshold) 10K to half marathon race pace (comfortably hard, so you can only speak a few words or in short sentences) improve endurance and lactate threshold I (Interval) slightly faster than your 5K race pace (feels hard, and you can only speak single words) improves aerobic power by targeting your VO2 max R (Repetition) roughly mile race pace (so fast you can’t really speak) improve anaerobic power, speed, and economy (take it easy on the recoveries) Strides short, 15-20 second, light and quick runs (not sprints), with 45-60 seconds recovery in between Improve running economy without accruing fatigue, help with warming up if done pre-workout, break up monotonous easy runs if done in the middle of a workout, and aid the recovery process if done post-workout. Best not to do them on a downhill slope, to protect your knees.
Questions?
If you have any questions on these workouts or on training, please feel welcome to ask the Coach.