Winter Training: 2014-2015

·       Introductory Letter

·       Practices and Group Runs

·       Inspirational Letters

·       Core Work

·         Training calendars

Introductory Letter

By the time you read this, it’ll have been three weeks since our girls’ team took 3^rd at State and four weeks since the boys ran a tremendous race at Regionals. The breakthroughs and accomplishments we had on those days have the potential to be momentum shifters and take our program to a whole new level.

At the same time, it helps to step back and reflect on who accomplished their goals this past season and how they got there. Those who put in the miles over the summer, who hit their paces during workouts and long runs, and who stuck to the race strategies we discussed generally did exactly what they hoped. Those who didn’t prepare over the summer, who showed up in August or strolled through runs throughout the year, generally came up short.

That’s both the beauty and cruelty of running. It takes years and years of commitment – almost every day commitment – to achieve your ultimate potential. The beauty is that those who persevere, who run what they’re asked, when they’re asked, almost always get significantly better. You get what you put in, simple as that.

No matter what your focus is – running PRs in track, getting on a relay that makes State, or just keeping the dream of a State Championship in cross country alive during the rest of the year – training in the winter is an absolute must. I can tell you from years of personal experience and a decade of coaching that no period of time makes a bigger difference in the development of an athlete than off-season training. It’s the difference between a girl running 22:00 (very good) and 20:30 (on the podium) in cross country; it’s the difference between a guy running 5:15 in the mile (solid in our conference) and 4:45 (going to State).

If I have one dream for Swain County’s distance program, it is that we create a culture of excellence in everything we do. Part of that is holding each other accountable during the off-season. If you want to see your teams flourish, then you need to be out there putting in the miles and setting the good example. Have captains’ practices. Run from the school when we don’t meet. Make some cool routes on the roads near your houses. I’m telling you, I’ve now run in most parts of Swain County and there are good roads and trails almost everywhere. If you need suggestions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Many people saying running is all about sacrifices, but I don’t believe it. I think it’s about choices. And if you want to be the best runner you can be, then it’s time to get moving again. We did some incredible things in the 2014, but 2015 – that should be the year that the whole state learns just what Swain County distance running is all about.

Practices and Group Runs

Unlike the summer, I am not quite as flexible in the winter. My current goal is to meet twice per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting in December (minus holidays). I’m also hoping to start a new tradition of doing several Saturday morning Pancake Long Runs (which, not surprisingly, would be a long run done on the weekend followed by a hot pancake breakfast). I’ll have to assess interest before I fully commit to those, but they’re on the schedule for now.

I cannot bold this next part strongly enough: Create your own training group for the rest of the days whenever possible. If you can’t get a ride to Deep Creek, it’s not a big deal. Run from the school and tell your parents to pick you up at 4:30. The buildings are always open and you have access to heat and restrooms. I’ll create some maps to give y’all route options from the school as well. It’s not the best running in the world, but it beats trying to consistently do it on your own.

There will undoubtedly be other days besides Tuesday and Thursday where Miss Edwards and/or I run in the afternoon and can meet up. I’ll text you on those days to see if we want to arrange more of a group run.

Inspirational Letters

This year, everyone doing the winter training will get a personalized letter from me to go over goals and get you pumped. If you haven’t gotten one by December 15, let me know. I really want us all to be on the same page, and sometimes letters are the easiest way to make it happen.

Core Work and Weights

This will be addressed more come January, but I can’t say enough how much circuits, core and weights can help a runner stay strong and healthy. Since my book will be available in early December, I’ll just pretend I have full rights to it and post the exercises and routines that I think will be most beneficial to you all.

Winter Training Schedules

Below are the training plans for the various levels. Most levels have been grouped together and given a range; this should allow everyone the flexibility to train together most of the time. Keep in mind, whether you fancy yourself an 800m specialist or a two-miler, winter training is all geared the same. Once we get in-season, that’s the time to start breaking off. If you fall into the 400/800 window, you’ll start seeing adjustments in January, but really no sooner than that.

As always, the training is broken into day-by-day plans. Total mileage is listed up top with the workout details below. If you have any questions, you know how to reach me.

Level 5-6	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Nov 24	3 miles Easy	3-4 miles Easy	3 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	OFF (17-18 miles)
Dec 1	4 miles Easy	5 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	5 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	3 miles (27 miles)
Dec 8	5 miles Easy	6 miles Medium	4 miles Easy	7 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	4 miles (30 miles)
Dec 15	5 miles Easy	6 miles Medium	5 miles Easy	8 miles Long run	4 miles Easy	5 miles (33 miles)
Dec 22	5-6 miles Easy	6 miles 15 mins of 60/60s	5-6 miles Easy	9 miles Long run	5 miles Easy	6 miles (36-38 miles)
Dec 29	5 miles Easy	6 miles 20 minute fartlek, of 2-3 mins hard/1-2 min easy	5 miles Easy	8 miles Long run	4 miles Easy	5 miles Easy (33 miles)
Jan 5	6-7 miles Easy	7 miles 15 min tempo (3:00 rest) 10 min tempo	6 miles Easy	8 miles 6 miles easy, then 6 x 200 (200m rest)	5 miles Easy	10 miles Pancake Long Run @ 8:30 a.m. (42-43 miles)
Jan 12	6-8 miles Easy	7 miles 30 minutes of Lappers @ Rec Park	5-7 miles Easy	10 miles Long run	5-7 miles Easy	5-8 miles (38-47 miles)
Jan 19	6-8 miles Easy	7 miles 8 x 400m hills (400m jog)	5-7 miles Easy	11 miles Long run	4-6 miles Easy	5-8 miles (37-46 miles)
Jan 26	6-8 miles Easy	7 miles 30 min fartlek, alternating 3-5 min hard/2-3 min easy	5-7 miles Easy	6-7 miles Medium	5-6 miles Easy	12 miles Pancake Long Run @ 8:30 (41-47 miles)
Feb 2	5-6 miles Easy	8 miles 2 x 15 min tempo (4:00 rest)	4-6 miles Easy	9 miles Long run, medium pace last half	4-6 miles Easy	5-7 miles (35-42 miles)

Level 3-4	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Nov 24	3 miles Easy	3-4 miles Easy	3 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	3-4 miles Easy	OFF (16-18 miles)
Dec 1	4 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	3 miles (23 miles)
Dec 8	4 miles Easy	5 miles Medium	4 miles Easy	6 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	3 miles (26 miles)
Dec 15	4 miles Easy	5 miles Medium	4 miles Easy	7 miles Long run	4 miles Easy	4 miles (28 miles)
Dec 22	4-5 miles Easy	6 miles 15 mins of 60/60s	4-5 miles Easy	7 miles Long run	4 miles Easy	4 miles (29-31 miles)
Dec 29	4 miles Easy	5 miles 20 minute fartlek, of 2-3 mins hard/1-2 min easy	4 miles Easy	7 miles Long run	4 miles Easy	4 miles Easy (28 miles)
Jan 5	5 miles Easy	6 miles 15 min tempo (3:00 rest)	4 miles Easy	6 miles 4 miles easy, then 6 x 200 (200m rest)	4 miles Easy	8 miles Pancake Long Run @ 8:30 a.m. (33 miles)
Jan 12	5-6 miles Easy	6 miles 25 minutes of Lappers @ Rec Park	4-5 miles Easy	8 miles Long run	4-6 miles Easy	4-6 miles (31-37 miles)
Jan 19	5-6 miles Easy	6 miles 6-7 x 400m hills (400m jog)	4-5 miles Easy	9 miles Long run	3-5 miles Easy	4-6 miles (31-37 miles)
Jan 26	5-6 miles Easy	7 miles 30 min fartlek, alternating 3-5 min hard/2-3 min easy	4-6 miles Easy	5 miles Medium	4-5 miles Easy	10 miles Pancake Long Run @ 8:30 (35-39 miles)
Feb 2	4 miles Easy	6 miles 2 x 12 min tempo (4:00 rest)	4 miles Easy	7 miles Long run, medium pace last half	4-6 miles Easy	4-6 miles (29-33 miles)
Level 1-2	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
Nov 24	2 miles Easy	2 miles Easy	2 miles Easy	3 miles Easy	2-3 miles Easy	OFF (11-12 miles)
Dec 1	3 miles Easy	3 miles Easy	3 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	3 miles Easy	3 miles (19 miles)
Dec 8	3 miles Easy	4 miles Medium	3 miles Easy	4 miles Easy	3 miles Easy	3 miles (20 miles)
Dec 15	3-4 miles Easy	4 miles Medium	4 miles Easy	5 miles Long run	3 miles Easy	3 miles (22-23 miles)
Dec 22	4 miles Easy	5 miles 15 mins of 60/60s	3-4 miles Easy	5-6 miles Long run	3 miles Easy	4 miles (24-26 miles)
Dec 29	4 miles Easy	4 miles 20 minute fartlek, of 2-3 mins hard/1-2 min easy	3 miles Easy	5-6 miles Long run	4 miles Easy	3 miles Easy (23-24 miles)
Jan 5	4 miles Easy	5 miles 15 min tempo (3:00 rest)	4 miles Easy	5 miles 3 miles easy, then 6 x 200 (200m rest)	3 miles Easy	6-7 miles Pancake Long Run @ 8:30 a.m. (27-28 miles)
Jan 12	3-5 miles Easy	5 miles 25 minutes of Lappers @ Rec Park	3-5 miles Easy	6-7 miles Long run	3-5 miles Easy	3-5 miles (23-27 miles)
Jan 19	4-5 miles Easy	5 miles 6 x 400m hills (400m jog)	3-4 miles Easy	6-7 miles Long run	3-5 miles Easy	3-5 miles (24-31 miles)
Jan 26	3-5 miles Easy	5 miles 20 min fartlek, alternating 2-3 min hard/2-3 min easy	3-4 miles Easy	4 miles Medium	3 miles Easy	6-8 miles Pancake Long Run @ 8:30 (24-29 miles)
Feb 2	3 miles Easy	5 miles 2 x 10 min tempo (4:00 rest)	3-4 miles Easy	5-6 miles Long run, medium pace last half	3-4 miles Easy	4 miles (23-26 miles)