General Speed Workout notes:

• On the outdoor track 1 lap is 400 meters or about a quarter of a mile.
• All warm-ups and cool-downs are done clockwise, all speed is done counter-clockwise.
• If you get there and the warm-up is already underway run the opposite direction until you meet up with the group then finish the warm-up together.   (This is also social event after all…)
• When the first folks complete the 4 laps warm-up (about 6:10) we’ll regroup to review the workout for the day.  If you get there late your warm-up will be shorter.
• We’ll do either a few plyometrics or strides before beginning the interval sessions.  Plyometrics work on power/force and are good for the ‘kick’ at the end of a race, but also for endurance races it will help you keep good running form as you start to tire.  Strides are great for improving your running form, (they are also great to do before a race after your warm-up).
• If your pace is slower choose the shorter workout.  You are still doing the same # of minutes as faster runners, so you are getting the same training benefit.
• If you run relatively few miles per week, choose the shorter workout option.  Fast interval work should not generally exceed about 8% of your weekly mileage.
• When you finish each ‘speed’ repetition, move out of the inner lane to do your recoveries.  Generally we’ll reverse direction for recoveries, but may keep them in the same direction for short/quick intervals.

If you’re new to intervals:

• Run at your own pace for the interval part.  If you want some details about what pace you should do each type of workout email me upfront and I can send you a spreadsheet based on recent 5k or 10k race pace, or based on the pace you generally do your regular training runs if you haven’t done any races recently.  Or you can pace it by feel and adjust accordingly, if you slow down each rep that means you started too fast.
• Warming up before, cooling down after and stretching after are important.  Intervals are harder on your body than other types of runs, you want to avoid injury.
• Ease into your first few sessions.  Do fewer reps the first few times.
• If you get injured, skip speed workouts until you’re better.  If you feel pain during a workout, stop immediately.  Feeling out of breath and tired is OK, but any joint pain or anything that feels like a muscle pull will only be exacerbated by running hard on it.
• We meet at the Hopkinton outdoor track during the summer.  Park at the lot behind the water tower by the Hopkinton Middle School (90 Hayden Rowe).  Walk down the paved access road past the baseball field to the track below.  (We switch to the High School indoor track in the winter).   
• The workout is from 6 to 7am Tuesdays.  Thunder or heavy rain will cancel.
• Subscribe to this email list by sending a blank email to HRCSpeed-subscribe@topica.com