Track Workout and Weekend Plan

Great turnout Monday evening for swimming! I can say that I am pretty impressed with everyone's swimming ability and willingness to give those drills a try. If you are looking for more swimming lessons on the basics of freestyle and getting comfortable with the breathing take a look at Centergie Team's website. They offer Adult Learn to Swim classes and Masters Swim programs at 24-Hour Fitness and Bally Total Fitness gyms around the city. There are lessons and swim groups every day of the week both early in the mornings and after work. Their prices are reasonable at $40/month for gym members and $50/month for non members. You can attend workouts as many times a month as you want. Not a bad deal!



Ok, this post has a lot of information in it and it will be split into 3 parts: Track Workout, Saturday Bike workout, and Sunday Social.



Track Workout--6:30 pm at the Memorial Park running track across the street from the tennis courts and the Smoothie King. Ryan will be out there early, by the big oak tree and park benches, and he will have a few short warm-up drills for you before you get going. The track workout is designed to help you get a little faster with your running pace and to help you to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Trust me, when you are out there at mile 3.5 of the run and it is almost 90 degrees, you will thank me for putting together these interval workouts.



The Basics--1 lap around the track = 400 meters. Slower runners and/or walkers should stay to the right of the track. No more than two abreast on the track.



Warm Up:

20 Overhead arm swings (think of doing an underhanded basketball toss)

20 Trunk circles, 10 in each direction (rotate the shoulders around the hips in a big circle)

20 count running in place with high knees

20 count running in place with butt kicks with your heels

20 step out side lunges, alternating sides



Work Out:

Newbies to running--3 x 800 meters (2 laps around the track)

Seasoned runners--5 x 800 meters

Hard-Core runners-- 6 x 800 meters



Take a full lap (400 meters) around the track jogging or walking, or a combination of the two to recover between each 800 meters.

Keep track of the time it takes you to do an 800 and try to keep all of your 800's at or around the same pace.

Don't chop off that last 400 recovery. Use it as your Cool Down. Stretch after the workout.





Saturday Bike Workout--7 am at Bear Creek Park. Bring your bike and a helmet.



Directions to Bear Creek Park--Head west on I-10 and get off at the Eldridge exit. Go North on Eldrige to the third stop light at Clay Rd. Make a left on Clay Rd. and go to the second stoplight and turn into Bear Creek Park on Bear Creek Ln. Drive a 1/4 of a mile down the road and on your left you will see a large covered picnic pavillion. This is pavillion #6 and we will park there.



Workout Objectives: Learn how to change gears on the bike. Basic bike rules of the road. Adjusting bike fit if needed on anyone's bike. How to change a tire.



Please bring a water bottle and the tools needed to change a tire (tire levers, tube, CO2 and inflater or floor pump).





Sunday Social--2 pm at Coach Liz' House 10802 Idlebrook Dr. Houston, TX 77070



Directions to Coach's house from the Memorial Park area: Take Hwy 290 past Beltway 8 to the Jones Rd. exit. Turn right on Jones Rd. and drive 5 miles into the Norchester Subdivision just past Grant Rd. Once in the Norchester subdivision, you will pass three stop lights. Take a right on Idlebrook, the first street immediately after the third stoplight. Coach's house is the 5th house on the left, a two story tan painted brick house with a white mailbox.



If you have an E-Z Tag, take Hwy 290 to the Beltway and go north on the Beltway to Hwy 249 just past the Sam Houston Race Park. Head west on Hwy 290 past Willowbrook Mall to the Cypresswood exit. Make a left on Cypresswood and you will enter the Norchester subdivision after the second stop sign. Take the first right on Balcrest after entering the Norchester subdivision. Make a left at the stop sign onto Idlebrook Dr. and drive down towards the end of the street. 10802 will be on your right. It is the 5th house from the end of the street and is the two story tan painted brick.



We will be enjoying a little social time and some good food as well as getting to watch a DVD on running technique. Evolution Running is an approach to running that I have been using since I had knee surgery in 2006. I have been injury free since then and I have run several half and full marathons using this technique posting some of my best running times. Running should be a natural movement, but many times we use inefficient techniques that can slow us down or lead to injury.


As always, if you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at tntcoachliz.gmail.com or call me at 281-787-6436 to get the answers you need. See you on Saturday!

Later Gators,

Coach Liz