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Easy. There was a question yesterday about Peachtree Road Race Training. "Is there going to be some intense training the week before the race?" The intense training is over. The week before the race is for rest, recovery, rejuvenation, relax, and easy runs. Any hard running done from this point forward steals from the race. We can not help our fitness 10 days before the race, we can only hurt it. Some of us will be meeting at E Rivers all next week at 6AM for easy runs.

This mornings group had fun. Jeffrey made his glorious return and the horses cantered around Bobby Jones. The run was interrupted by frequent stops for push ups. This mornings total was 234 (a new record). One push up for each of The United States Of America's years. Happy Birthday U.S.A.

A special thanks to all the special folks who made this 7 week session special. We have come to rely on each and every one of us. The group is what makes group training work.

Jazzercise

We warmed up easy with a few laps around the track. Then we did either a set of pull ups on the little kid playground or a set of backrows on the parallel bars. Once we were warmed up, loosened up and buffed up, we got on the grass. We split into his and hers groups, and took turns running strides on the soft forgiving earth. While the runners ran, the other group did upper body exercise with 5 pound weights in hand. As usual, the workout is designed to force us to keep proper running form as we stride while are bodies are tiring and our form is beginning to break down. At the end of the Jazzercise (we listen to music while we exercise), we line up and ran a half mile at 5K race pace. Again, this final act simulates the end of a race when we are tired and are forced to observe proper running form.

Working out every day is no big deal. People believe that daily exercise deserves special recognition. We work out every day. The folks who show up every day get special recognition. They are standing at the finish line watching the rest of the crowd struggle to the end. And, they get a hat and a coffee cup for finishing in the top 1,000 at the Peachtree Road Race on the 4th of July. Its easy. We work out every day, we get a hat and a coffee cup. 43:28 was 1,000 place last year. That is exactly 7 minute/mile pace.

Attendance:

Kaffee - 29
John S. – 29
Prancy – 27
Gary – 27
Michael G. - 25
Marc – 25
Jim – 25
Mary Anne – 25
Caroline – 24
Shana – 24
Irene - 24
Kerry – 23
Niki – 23
Holly – 22
Matty - 21
Cleve – 21
Harriott - 20
Mary Blythe – 20
Lucy - 20
Chip H. - 19
Dave D – 19
John Mears – 19
Jimmy S. – 18
John Oneil – 18
David B. – 18
Lisa - 17
Wendy – 17
Carolyn – 17
Charles - 16
Dave B – 16
Katie H. - 15
Allison - 15
Jennifer – 15
David G. – 13
Sally - 12
Amy – 12
John O – 11
Steef – 11
Slawek – 9
Cassie - 9
Sean - 9
Michael - 8
Katie - 8
Stephanie – 6
Mike – 6
Jimmy –5
Fred – 5
Charlie – 5
Rich 3
Syd – 1

ZERO Comments?

Seriously? Matty works really hard for comments. Look at the picture below. Still no comments?

Attendance:

Kaffee - 28
John S. – 28
Prancy – 26
Gary – 26
Michael G. - 25
Shana – 24
Marc – 24
Jim – 24
Mary Anne – 24
Caroline – 23
Kerry – 23
Irene - 23
Holly – 22
Niki – 22
Matty - 21
Cleve – 20
Harriott - 19
Mary Blythe – 19
Lucy - 19
Chip H. - 19
Dave D – 19
John Mears – 18
Jimmy S. – 18
John Oneil – 18
David B. – 17
Wendy – 17
Carolyn – 17
Charles - 16
Katie H. - 15
Dave B – 16
Lisa - 16
David G. – 13
Allison - 15
Jennifer – 14
John O – 11
Sally - 11
Amy - 11
Slawek - 8
Michael - 8
Steef – 11
Katie - 8
Stephanie – 6
Sean - 8
Mike – 6
Cassie - 8
Jimmy –5
Rich 3
Fred – 5
Charlie – 5
Syd – 1

Church Run = 4.5 miles includes warm up 450 repetitions of Core. USA 1 ALG 0

split squad

The Foxes and a few hound dogs chasing them:

Started on the track with walking lunges, ran up the stairs to the stump garden where we stair step aerobicized. Then onto peacthree battle where we played a little game called telephone poles. We ran up the street alternating hard and easy in between the telephone poles. Took a left for some more walking lunges. Reward: coast down a steep hill. Did some squats underneath the trees while we chatted about the deep south and beach vacations. Then, we headed back to campus…this time hard running for 2 telephone poles, easy for 1, and then hard all the way up the hill. Sat against the wall for a while. Made our way down to the field and worked our legs hard for another 20 minutes—squats, calf raises, fire hydrants, squat jumps, donkey kicks, and of course a boot campers favorite exercise—in and outs (aka Oh sh***), ran down the field a couple of times easy/hard to shake out our legs, and then we called it a day.

Horses:

We ran from the Peach painted on the sidewalk with a 3 in the middle to the Peach painted on the sidewalk with a 5. 10K race pace. Then we jogged back down the hill. We did stop on our way back down the hill 10 times and did 20 push ups (10X20).

We must drink extra water this time of the year.

Crazy 8s

Early. It is impressive how many folks are showing up early. The pack is almost entirely on time. It is easier to get going in the morning in the summertime as circadian rhythms adjust for longer days.

Crazy 8s are the most beneficial workout for the pack. No other workout keeps the pack together as well for as long. Today the Outside ran 6 miles and the inside ran 4. So despite running 2 extra miles, the folks who made up the outside pack ran next to the inside pack (if even only for a second) twice for every quarter mile.

Basically, 40 people run a 30 second stride diagonally across the grass field inside the track. Regardless of where we are at the end of 30 seconds, we around the turn to the other side of the field, turn, then stride for another 30 seconds. This workout is defined time, variable distance. This workout allows every person in the pack to choose how hard they want to run the next stride. "Run how you feel." Feeling good, go a little faster. Feeling tired, run a little slower. "Run how you feel" is a training method that allows us to stay in the workout without fear.

600 repetitions added to the run. All core.

Friday Fun Day

This Friday was much different than last. Last Fridays Fun Day was such a beating (track workout) that anything less would be fun. Absolutely ideal conditions made this morning a pleasure. Daybreak today was real early. It gets late a lot earlier in the morning these days. Early exercise has significant advantages. Heat, noise, traffic, smog, kids, job and busy life conspire to rob us the opportunity to work out. It is just easier to roll out of bed, feet hit the floor, and go.

Proper exercise should increase energy levels. A body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays at rest. If we are not over training, we should leave the workouts feeling refreshed and ready to return the next day. Exercise is a daily routine that add up to a lifestyle of fitness. We have had the pleasure to see hundreds of people adopt this lifestyle and flourish in it.

The Horses ran and did push ups with a few dips and pull ups. The Foxes and a few hound dogs kept the energy level high back at the ranch. We have one more week before the break.

Church Run

Today was the easiest day of the week. Monday was medium. Tuesday was Hard. Wednesday was medium and Thursday was easy. Friday will be medium and Saturday will be hard. We are running the Fathers Day 4 mile. The entire week is set up for a peak performance on Saturday. This week (race included) is a building block for a higher peak performance on the 4th of July. We are becoming more familiar with and more comfortable with faster paces. So the days went Medium, Hard, Medium, Easy, Medium, Hard.

Racing is the ultimate test of mental and physical toughness. Strapping on the racing flats and lining up never loses its effect. There are dozens of options every weekend. Muddy Buddy, biathlons, triathlons, 5Ks, 10Ks, longer efforts, trail races, track meets...

http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/calendar.htm

Many guys and girls have taken their new found fitness to The Club. The tennis players are better able to win a third set and the golfers keep their swing on the back 9. Looking good at the pool is always a good allocation of high fitness.

3 1/2 miles, 555 repetitions of various core exercises. DRINK lots of water.