Stamina

Our stamina workout on Monday, May-20 is designed to increase aerobic capacity to achieve a more sustainable endurance curve.  Most CrossFit athletes develop excellent 400m personal record times because 60% of the 400m time trial is anaerobic.  However, their equivalent race performances at longer distances quickly fall due to underdeveloped aerobic conditioning.  Stamina workouts, with your oxygen consumption up to 90% of its max (or 85-92% of your maximum heart rate), will increase your lactate and anaerobic thresholds.

7pm, Monday, May-20, at Foothill College Track 

Intermediate Level Runner: 2500m
3 x 300m, 1 x 800m, 2 x 400m
walking 1:1 rest

Long Distance Runner:  4000m
4 x 300m, 2 x 800m, 3 x 400m
walking 1:1 rest

A Workout Dedicated to Dana!!

Dana Newell has been involved with NorCal CFE since Day 1.  Dana is a huge supporter of the NorCal CFE program.  Although Dana is focusing her coaching time at NorCal CF Mt View, I'm hoping she can once again join us at the Foothill track for an occasional speed workout - her favorite.  

Sprint Workout:  Wednesday, May-15, 7pm at Foothill College Track

5 x 150m:  The 150s will have an perceived exertion of 92, 94, 96, 98, 100% max efforts.  These will be flying start intervals - meaning that the interval will start 10m prior to the actual 150m start.  I want you hitting the starting line at top speed.  (400m jog between efforts + 2 min add'l rest)

The purpose of this workout is to give the runner an indication of their 400m speed.  Track athletes and coaches have been using the following formula to predict 400m times for years.  

As example, my flying start 150m time is 20.3 seconds which gives me a flying start 200m of 27 seconds (20.3 x 1.333).  To calculate my predicted 200m time with starting blocks - I would add 1sec of time for a total of 28 seconds.  To get my 400 predicted time, I would double my 28 second (200m predicted time) + add 4sec for a total time of 60 seconds.

Come out to the Foothill track and let's get your 400m predicted time!!

Magician

INTERNAL PACING

At NorCal CFE we teach the importance of pacing.  In fact, every workout & every interval has a prescribed pace range based on the athlete's current capabilities.  We often time our interval splits down to 100m sections to confirm we're on target.  Our athletes never just run because we are constantly monitoring our environment and ourselves.  This is why our athletes are seeing such amazing results.  

Timed intervals on the track are easy to monitor.  How does this pace setting translate into road races?  What do you do in a race without mile marks?  How about that 11k run in Camp Pendleton at the 2012 CF Games?

Anyone that has ever run on the track with me will confirm that I can hit 400m lap times at any pace range without a watch.  I'll never forget that perplexed look from Jason after our 2nd track workout when we ran together and hit split after split, over and over, again and again.

"It's like you're a magician" - Jason Khalipa

Answer:  The repetitive interval pacing will burn into our memory system creating the ability to "feel" pace.  In time, every runner will develop a range of paces that they can hit without a watch.

Our Monday, May-13, track workout will test our internal pacing clocks.  We will be using watches for the 200s to dial in our paces.  Then, without watches, we will replicate the same paces for the longer distances.

Intermediate Distance Runner:  2600m
2 x 200m w/ 100m walk followed by 1 x 800m w/ 200m walk

1 x 200m w/ 100m walk followed by 1 x 600m w/ 200m walk
1 x 200m w/ 100m walk followed by 1 x 400m 

Long Distance Runner:  4400m
2 x 200m w/ 100m walk followed by 1 x 1000m w/ 200m walk
2 x 200m w/ 100m walk followed by 1 x 800m w/ 200m walk

2 x 200m w/ 100m walk followed by 1 x 600m w/ 200m walk

2 x 200m w/ 100m walk followed by 1 x 400m