Phoenix,
We had a solid first full week of indoor track, and we are looking forward to what is next. This week we will only be practicing after school on Monday at 2:40. Tuesday is a short day, and those in 8th period will simply be doing a quick workout to get you done before lunch.
During the break we may have a few practices, and they would be the week after Christmas. We are still finalizing those details, but I will update it here when they are done. If they happen they will likely be Tuesday/Thursday (27th/29th), but it is possible we won't be practicing together over the break if we don't have enough interest.
Please check the workout plans during the break to know what you should be doing.
Here is an explanation of our mileage progression. If you are behind these numbers, start where you are presently.
12/5: 50-60%
12/12: 60-70%
12/19: 70-80%
During volume increases, the vast majority of miles should be done through easy running so that the body can adapt. The week of 12/26 will be 80-90%, and by January we want to be in the 90-100% range, with mostly easy miles. Through the fall you built a level of fitness and mileage that allows you to return to that mileage fairly easily without increased risk of injury (it's not like you lost ability/fitness with the break, rather you allowed yourself a bit of recovery). Still, the buildup returning to that volume is controlled with approximately 10% increases. (Although you don't need to build up 10% starting from 0 miles (10% of 0 is still 0), but beyond that, one can go right back to 50% without issue, because, again, you have a level of fitness earned through the summer/fall, and with the miles being low intensity, recoverability isn't really an issue under normal conditions.)
The volume will prepare you for an increase in intensity in late January early February. The max volume will decrease as we get into outdoor. Right now we are simply building a base for outdoor track while mixing in some speed and tempo work, none of which is overly difficult to recover from. Once we begin outdoor, the intensity of intervals and repeats (hills and others) will make recovery more challenging, which will lead to a slight decrease in volume (due to slower/shorter recovery runs, and fewer long runs). Therefore, we want to have a strong base of volume right now to help us be able to handle the intensity increase, and aid in our recoverability later on.
On another topic, those doing lower mileage need to take the easy runs a bit slower so that you don't max out your miles early. Aerobic development isn't only done by miles alone, the other side of the coin is the total time running. A 30 minute easy-ish run at 8:30 pace isn't necessarily better than a 30 minute run at 9:30 pace - both develop the aerobic system, and the latter will better prepare you for subsequent hard sessions by reducing the recovery needed. If the slower pace doesn't allow you to reach your weekly volume goal, then you can run on the longer side of the range given for distance and/or easy runs , while still running easy, to get to that point.
There is a temptation to run our easy runs or distance runs at a certain pace, thinking it directly affects race performance, but the reality is that the adaptations and development earned from these runs are what will affect your race, not just the pace. And a harder pace doesn't necessarily equate to greater development, especially if it negatively affects recovery and your ability to be prepared physically for your next hard practice. Therefore, I encourage you to not push the pace on these regular distance or easy days. Make sure it is conversational, with no struggling to talk, and with limited or no stopping.
See you this afternoon,
Coach Jacobson
