Winter break is coming up! We want to encourage all athletes to keep up your training momentum…here are the bullet points that your coaches hope you realize and internalize:
- You have put in three weeks of hard work. (Your coaches are proud of you!)
- Remember how sore you were the first week? Do you feel better/stronger/more resilient/more fit after only three weeks? Isn’t that a satisfying feeling?
- A week off of training now will set back your conditioning!
- So…don’t go backwards! Commit to continuing to work right through break week!
I have found a lot of athletes think ‘ok, that was three hard weeks, now if I take a break for a week I’ll come back stronger’. That just is not the way training physiology works. If you take a break now, after you come back and start working you will feel just as sore as you did week one…which can be a disheartening feeling. So let’s not fall into that trap, let’s work together during break week! The weather is forecasted to stay good and we will all be there together.
We are proud of this team…keep it up!
Optional Practice Schedule for Winter Break
Monday – Friday February 19-23
8am: Distance runners meet at MV Track
9am: Rest of team meets at MV Track (check with your event group coach for other meeting times)
Saturday February 24
8am: Distance runners meet at MV Track (others are welcome to join us)
Sprint/Jump Workout Plan
If you are going to be traveling during the break and cannot make it to the optional workouts with your team, there is a workout plan posted and is downloadable. If you are on vacation and don’t have access to a track or can’t find one (you can usually seek out a track! It’s fun to find a new track) you should do at least 45 minutes of cardio three days, and mix in plyometric strength drills the other two days. Core and hip/glute routines are a must as well. Good example of cardio would be doing intervals on a stationary bike – 30s on fast past challenging, 30s slower pace rest or 1 minute fast, 1 minute rest.
Distance Workout Plan
If you are traveling during break and can’t join us, here is the suggested training plan:
Monday: Hill Repeats (6-8 total miles)
Tuesday: General Endurance @ conversational pace + 4×200 at CV (6-9 miles total)
Wednesday: Maintenance at conversational pace + 6 strides (4 miles)
Thursday: Threshold + 2×200 at CV (6-8 total miles)
Friday: Maintenance at conversational pace (5.5-6.5 total miles)
Saturday: General endurance (long) + 2×300 at CV (7-11 total miles)
Don’t forget your core work! At least 10 minutes per day after your running. End with stretching and rolling, especially hamstrings, calves and quads.