The Run: Tempo
Tempo, threshold, rhythm run, steady-state, marathon pace, lactate threshold, anaerobic threshold...no coach uses the same terminology for this classic workout. The Tempo run ranges from 20-40 minutes, most commonly on the lesser side of those numbers. With the range in length being so different, the paces can vary greatly. Any way you look at a tempo run is a pace at which your body can handle the rise of lactic acid before a runner can longer flush it properly. This point is known as the Ventilatory Threshold 2 (VT2). This is about 85% or heart rate max and close to the same percentage of VO2 max pace.
The 20 minute tempo is what most high school athletes will use. The pace should comfortable but not conversational. You should be breathing heavily without feeling a strain in your legs. For newbies or veterans starting back up after a break, start with 10-12 minutes or even intervals like 4 x 5 minutes with 2 minute rest. From these runs, you’ll get fitness and focus in a major way!
Summer Training
By John Gearon
After coming off a very weird last couple of months, I knew that it would be very unlikely that we would not have some sort of cross country season. Although I knew that we wouldn’t be going right back to hundreds of spectators running around Holmdel Park trying to catch a glimpse of the race, or hopping on a plane and going to Nike headquarters, I was just excited to get back racing again during the best time of the year. I was eager to get back to summer practices.
Before they started back up in about mid july, I was meeting up with my teammates almost every day just to get runs in, now it’s almost no different because at practice it’s almost like we’re just meeting up for another run. We are split up into a few groups with about 7-10 people in each group, and the people in that group are the ones you warm up, stretch, run, and cool down with. It’s difficult to not go over and say “what’s up” to your friend in a different group, but everyone knows that this is what must be done in order for us to have something close to a normal season.
One of my main goals for this summer was to not overtrain. Last summer, I was too focused on hammering runs as early as June and July, so by the time the real racing came along, I was extremely fatigued and ended up having an unsatisfactory junior year. To change that, I have been following the training that coach Mccafferty and coach Mazz have been giving us. One thing that I really like about it is that it focuses more on building mileage over the summer more than intensity. The training is a lot more recovery based with two workouts a week, those ranging from tempos, fartleks, and grass intervals. On days when we don’t have team practice, I usually meet up with a few guys from the team. Sometimes a few CBA alumni hop on the run which is very fun. The runs on non-practice days are usually a recovery run. The duration depends on whether I doubled or not that morning.
Final Zoom Talk:
Inside the Industry
8/20 @ 8:00 pm
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Leigh Anne
Leigh Anne Sharek was born and raised in New Hampshire and found running after graduating from Pace University. She is an incredibly hardworking individual and athlete, balancing a full-time job as a forensic scientist/DNA analyst at the office of the Chief Medical Examiner with her 80-mile weeks. Leigh Anne qualified and competed at the Olympic Trials, and owns a PR of 2:42 in the full. She is the co-founder of Brooklyn Track Club, the largest and most inclusive run club in NYC.
Tim Rossi
While finding his passion for the sport through a relatively unorthodox path, Tim Rossi is a shining beacon of positivity and a well-recognized name in the global running community. He started a movement of like-minded, incredibly passionate athletes under the banner: The Lostboys. He is a grassroots organizer, always on the cutting edge of what's next. He works for Nike in Chicago as a marketing specialist focused on running, and has run 2:31.19 for the full marathon. Tim is a shining example of how growing your roots in the sport allows for personal and professional success.
Chris Chavez
Citius Mag founder and writer for Sports Illustrated. Chris has been writing about track and field for five years. He Covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio for SI. Previously, he was a journalist at ESPN and FLotrack. He is a former high school sprinter turned four-time marathoner. He once went head-to-head with Joey Fatone in a half-marathon and won.
Mega Motivation
In the middle of a Global Pandemic, Joshua Cheptegei decided to put himself to the test. He put his goal out there for everyone to see: Break the 5k world record. In case you were wondering, that would require running 4:02 miles for three miles and then kicking!!!! Insanity. To make things even harder, he’d have to do it alone for the last mile. Hard work and determination always pay off. But, remember, you have put yourself to the test to find out just how much they have helped you!
Quote of the Day
“Good things come slow, especially in distance running.” Bill Dellinger