Was Yoda Right?

Absentee Organization

Okay, first off, it was REALLY COLD, REALLY WET, REALLY WINDY, and just all around NASTY on Tuesday. So props to you Catherine for braving the OLP in a freakin' pseudo-hurricane (and not those warm tropical ones either). I do really appreciate you showing up and not making me feel like a total ass...heheh.

As for this coming Tuesday's run, I'm not sure it's looking too much better, but we are a few days away yet. I'm posting abnormally early because I will be out of town starting tomorrow (Friday) through next Tuesday. I'll be in Washington, D.C./Arlington, VA rooting on my lovely wife as she conquers the Marine Corp Marathon. Therefore, I will not be present on Tuesday. However, the rotation must go on, which means 800m (1/2 mi) intervals as follows:

• 1 mi warm-up (again, it's probably going to be cold, so I recommend a mile warmup)
• 800m (1/2 mi) fast
• 800m (1/2 mi) recovery
• repeat on/off cycle 2x-3x
• 1/2 mi cool-down

This will result in 3.5 - 4.5 mi (depending on how many intervals you choos to do) all together. As always, feel free to adjust to fit your current conditioning/needs. I'll stress again though, that I think the 1 mi warm-up is something we should not skimp on as the temperature begins to drop. Put it this way, if your cold before you start running, do a full mile (if not more) warm-up before jumping into any high intensity running.

Lastly, I want to start a brainstorming session on how to keep participation up throughout the winter months. So, this is an open invitation to post comments with your ideas. For example, some that have already been mentioned (but please feel free to mention again so I can kind of get a tally as to how many feel a certain way) are moving inside (would obviously need a venue to support this), moving to a weekend run (would need permission from the T in TRY), keep pushing up the time to avoid darkness, etc. Like I said, please post some ideas, even if they are duplicates.

I hope you guys have at least some mediocre weather this week....HAVE A GREAT RUN!!!

Cold and Wet

Well, it looks like tomorrow may be our first true test of running in some potentially nasty weather this year. The latest forecast I saw was a high in the low/mid 40s, and a 70% chance of rain (how's San Diego Terry?...jerk). Regardless of the weather, I'll still be there, and hopefully at least a few of you will too. In all honesty, I believe running in this type of weather is better than some of those very hot/humid days we ran in this summer.

So, meeting time and location is the same as last week: 5:00, OLP. Since the 1 mi (1600m) intervals we did last week result in a similar type of workout as a tempo run (for most of us anyway...we'll leave Katie and her 7mi tempo runs out of this calculation), and the rotation we're all used to is 1/4 mi, 1/2 mi, tempo, the order of the day tomorrow will be 1/4 mi (400m) intervals as follows:
1 mi warmup

1/4 mi hard
1/4 mi easy
(repeat for 5 cycles)

1/2 mi cooldown

This adds up to 4 miles. If you're not up for that, drop an interval cycle and you'll end up with 3.5 mi. You could further shorten the run by dropping back to a 1/2 mi warmup, but I would advise against this due to the cooler temperatures. The increased warmup time will hopefully allow everyones' muscles to get ready for the stress of shorter, high speed intervals, while decreasing the risk of injury. It simply takes longer for our muscles to loosen up as the temperature drops.

Lastly, since I've never really organized anything like this before, and I think Terry's done a pretty damn good job, my plan is to pretty much just keep things going. I realize this is going to be difficult for some of us with the shorter days and inclement weather. Therefore, please feel free to offer up any suggestions/comments/criticisms/copious amounts of praise/etc. on how we can make things better or just keep more of us involved through the winter months.

October 14th

I'm sick and tired so I'll keep this brief.

Meeting at 5:00 at the typical place at OLP. I'm suggesting an interval run that I haven't had the group do before -- whole mile repeats. It seems like that will fit nicely into our rotation of different speed workouts that we do.

Within a four mile run it'll have to be something like this -

1/2 mile warmup
1 mile hard
1/2 mile recovery
1 mile hard
1/2 mile recovery
1/4 mile hard (if you feel like it, just to see how warmed up you are)
1/4 mile cool down

So, plan for a 4 mile run with 2, one mile hard portions in the midst of it.

Remember, this is my last week with TRY for now. If you feel like going out for dinner or drinks afterwards some people will be going to Tully's on 7th north street.

The Times, They Are A Changing

Starting this week, the group will meet at 5 at the same Onondaga Lake Park location. (Due to daylight slowly fading on us.) So, that means we'll be off and running at 5:05. Please arrive accordingly.

It will probably move again in November once daylight savings time ends.

This weeks run will be a four miler again...this time with 1/2 mile intervals. Same idea as always - 1/2 mile off, 1/2 mile on cycle should allow for 4 on cycles this week. (But you should move up the last cycle so that it is not at the very end of the run -- shorten the next to last recovery portion accordingly. That'll be fun! Not!)

Since that probably doesn't make sense to everyone -- ask me what the heck I'm talking about.

See the next blog entry below for another annoucement.

And That's Not All That's Changing

There are some changes happening to the TRY organization as well:

I'm taking a temporary work assignment based out of San Diego, California. The rough plan is to leave in two weeks and to be based out there for about four months. (It could be slightly more, or it could be less). So, I'm down to two more weeks of organizing TRY for this fall and may not be back on a regular basis until March/April.

What does this mean to you? Not much, except you won't see me at any group runs until late winter. I'll still chime in remotely, I'm sure, and someone else is going to be organizing things.

Mark Fitzpatrick has graciously agreed to take over the TRY leadership responsibilities in my absence. So, after next week I'll turn the keys over to him and it'll be up to him on how he chooses to run TRY. (Blog? Emails again? Smoke signals? It's all on how he wants to handle things. You can give him your suggestions in the poll to the right.) I trust that you all will show him the same disrepect and apathy that you have always shown me! :-)

Thanks Mark for taking over...and good luck to the group with your remaining running goals for this fall.

For anyone that feels the need or want to say an extra goodbye to me -- the only thing I plan to do is to have a send-off post run dinner in two Tuesdays. (It will be at Tully's after the group run on the 14th.)