Class 10

This brings us, already, to the halfway point for the class. The pattern that we’ve established in the first two weeks will continue for the final two – with runs of various types on Monday-Wednesday-Friday, and easy efforts on Tuesday-Thursday.

Thanks to Keith McConnell for filling in today. I’ll be back with you for Monday’s class.

Distances that day will be 1.75 and 3.5 miles. Cooler weather is forecast by then.

TODAY’S EASY HALF-HOUR

(no exact times, distance or paces recorded; target was to walk, run/walk or run as recovery from Thursday’s harder effort; participants listed here)

Megan

Brianna

Jiaqi

Asilia

Vadim

Becky

Nathaniel

LESSON 10: GETTING HURT

Runners get hurt. We rarely hurt ourselves in the sudden, traumatic ways skiers and linebackers do, but the injury rates run high. Most of our injuries are self-inflicted – from running too far, too fast, too soon or too often (and sometimes on surfaces or in shoes not right for us). Prevention is usually as simple as adjusting our routine. Immediate treatment seldom requires total rest, but only a change in activity. Use pain as your guide. If you can’t run steadily without pain, mix walking and running. If you can’t run-walk, simply walk. If you can’t walk, bicycle. If you can’t bike, swim. As you recover, climb back up this exercise ladder.

Class 9

See what a difference those rest breaks make. All of you ran faster than last week’s test, when your total distance was the same.

Friday will bring an easy half-hour day. Keith McConnell will substitute-teach, so please make that session pleasant for him.

TODAY’S 2 X HALF-MILE INTERVALS

(with total time for one mile and comparison to last week’s nonstop mile test; target was to go faster)

Brianna – 9:46 (-1:58) day's most improved, tie; earning extra credit

Jiaqi -- 8:53 (no target)

Asilia – 11:28 (-1:58) day's most improved, tie; earning extra credit

Kate –  10:10 (-1:54)

TODAY’S 2 X ONE-MILE INTERVALS

(with total time for two miles, per-mile pace and comparison to last week’s nonstop two-mile test; target was to go faster)

Megan – 16:10 (8:05 pace, no target)

Vadim – 15:38 (7:49s, -47 sec.)

Becky – 19:30 (9:45 -36 sec.)

Nathaniel – 15:39 (7:49s, -45 sec.)

LESSON 9: ROAD HAZARDS

The biggest threat that a runner faces, by far, is the car. Traffic zips within arm’s length. A moment’s attention lapse from either you or the driver can bring disaster – for you, not the well-armored driver. The best way to defuse this risk is to avoid the roads. But this greatly limits your running options, especially in hours of darkness and a seasons of foul weather. When using the roads, follow the rules that your mother taught you by age seven: stay off the busiest streets, look both ways before crossing, face the traffic (by running on the left), and run when and where you can see and be seen. Run as if every car is a lethal weapon, which it can be.

Class 8

We’re entering a heat wave. I could have sent you on a shady route, but thought you needed the soft surface more after two straight days on the streets.

Thursday I’ll introduce you to interval training, which divides a run into segments with a rest break between. This allows you to run faster without overall effort feeling harder.  You’ll run either two half-miles or two one-miles.

Thanks to Keith McConnell for dropping by today. He’ll teach in my absence on Friday.

TODAY’S EVEN-PACE 1.25 MILES

(with total time and comparison of first-half and second-half times; this was a pacing exercise, so the target was to come close to equal halves)

Brianna – 16:02 (7:46 & 8:16 for +30 sec. in 2^nd half)

Kate – 17:01 (8:24 & 8:37 for +13 sec.)

Jie – 14:45 (7:15 & 7:30 for +15 sec.)

Guangyu – 16:24 (7:53 & 8:31 for +38 sec.)

TODAY’S EVEN-PACE 2.5 MILES

(with total time and comparison of first-half and second-half mile pace; this was a pacing exercise, so the target was to come close to equal halves)

Megan – 21:52 (10:54 & 10:58 for +4 sec.) best pacer

Vadim – 21:24 (10:50 & 10:34 for -16 sec.)

Becky – 28:14 (14:12 & 14:02 for -10 sec.) 2^nd best pacer

LESSON 8: GOING PLACES

The two basic raw materials of a running routine are time and space. And the two main reasons given for not running? “I don’t have time for it,” and, “I don’t have anywhere to do it.” Let’s dissect those excuses. You can run well on a half-hour every other day. That’s the time you could not spend watching a sitcom rerun. As for places, anywhere that’s safely walkable is also runable. Off-road is better than in traffic, soft surfaces are better than hard, but any choice is better than staying home. Make the time to run from periods you’d otherwise waste, and find the places that start right outside your door. The body doesn’t care when or where you run, only that you do it.

Class 7

If you want to continue with a running class in fall term, it isn’t too soon to think about signing on for one. Registration is open now for my class (5K/10K combination at 9 o’clock Tuesday-Thursday) and others with two different teachers.

Wednesday will bring another pacing exercise. But unlike last week you’ll run by distance (of 1.25 or 2.5 miles) rather than time. See how close you can make the halves to even pace.

TODAY’S EASY HALF-HOUR

(no exact times, distances or paces recorded; target was to recover from Monday’s run and refresh for Wednesday’s – at whatever effort seemed right for you; participants listed)

Megan

Brianna

Asilia

Vadim

Becky

Jie

Nathaniel

LESSON 7: TAKING TIME

Your second most valuable piece of equipment, after shoes, is.... no, not shorts and not T-shirt. You can wear other clothes than those. Your next most vital item is a watch. Buy a digital model with a stopwatch feature, and make time your main way of keeping score. Time can make you an instant winner by telling exactly how fast you ran a distance, and maybe how much you improved your personal record (“PR,” in runner-talk). Another, more subtle value of the watch: It lets you run by time – by minutes instead of miles. This has several benefits: freeing you from plotting and measuring courses, because minutes are the same length anywhere... easing pressure to run faster, because you can’t make time pass any faster... finishing at the assigned time limit no matter your pace, which settles naturally into your comfort zone when you run by time.

Class 6

The runs will be a little out of synch this week. I’ll be away at the end, so the week’s faster run will move to Thursday and the second easy walk/run to Friday. Experienced instructor Keith McConnell will sub for me that last day.

Tuesday will bring the now-standard easy half-hour. Walk, walk/run or run – whatever seems easy to you.

TODAY’S 1.65 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to last Monday’s run; target was to match that pace for this longer distance; hills and stop lights made this course slower than last week's)

Brianna – 23:07 (14:00 pace, +40 sec. per mile)

Guangyu – 23:07 (14:00s, +40 sec.)

TODAY’S 3.3 MILES

(with per-mile pace and comparison to last Monday’s run; target was to match that pace for this longer distance; hills and stop lights made this course slower than last week's)

Vadim – 32:48 (9:56s, +58 sec.)

Becky – 35:16 (10:41s, +31 sec.) day's best pacer

Nathaniel – 32:48 (9:56s, +1:04)

LESSON 6: COOLING DOWN

When the run ends, resist the urge to stop suddenly. Instead, walk to cool down more gradually. If the warmup shifts gears between resting and hard running, the cooldown period is a necessary transition from racing to resting. Continued mild activity gradually slows down the revved-up metabolism, and also acts as a massage to gently work out the soreness and fatigue products generated by the earlier effort. The pattern and pace of recovery are set in the first few minutes after the running ends. Some advisers will tell you to run easily during the cooldown, but walking gives the same benefits with much less effort – and you’ve already run hard enough. After this walk is the best time for stretching exercises, which loosen the muscles that running has tightened.

Class 5

Our first week ended with the first true test of your running speed. You’ll have another on the final Friday that will gauge your improvement.

Monday’s run will step up to 1.5 or 3.0 miles. You increase at the rate of a quarter-mile a week in the shorter run or a half-mile for the longer one, which is a safe rate of progress. This will take you to a peak of two or four miles in the final week of class.

TODAY’S ONE-MILE TEST

(with comparison to Monday’s longer-run pace; target was to go faster)

Brianna – 11:44 (-36 sec.) 2^nd most improved

Asilia – 13:26 (-32 sec.) 3^rd most improved

Kate – 12:04 (-17 sec.)

Jie – 9:55 (no target)

Guangyu – 12:32 (-48 sec.) most improved, earning extra credit

TODAY’S TWO-MILE TEST

(with per-mile pace and comparison to Monday’s longer-run pace; target was to go faster)

Vadim – 17:12 (8:36 pace, -22 sec. per mile)

Becky – 20:43 (10:21s, +11 sec.)

Nathaniel – 17:08 (8:34s, -18 sec.)

LESSON 5: WARMING UP

Don’t confuse stretching with warmup. Stretching exercises don’t start you sweating or raise your heart rate. You warm up by moving – first by walking or running slowly, then by easing into the full pace of the day after a mile or so. Recommendation: Walk five minutes (about a quarter-mile, not counting this in your run distance or time), then start to run. Treat the first mile of running as your warmup, making it the slowest mile of the day. The faster you plan to run that day, the more you warm up. For relaxed runs simply blend the warmup period into longer runs by starting slower. On fast days warm up separately by running a mile to several miles – perhaps adding some “strides” at the day’s maximum pace, taken before speed training or racing. Strides prepare the legs and lungs for what you’re about to do.

  

Class 4

I hope the pattern of alternating running days with easier walk/run days is agreeing with you. Your challenge as a runner and mine as a teacher this summer is to pack a class of 10 weeks (two runs per week) during the regular school year into just four weeks here.

Friday’s run will test you at one or two miles. I prefer the word “test” over race because you’re only testing yourself, not trying to beat anyone else. Your target will be anything faster than you ran on Monday when the distance was slightly longer.

TODAY’S EASY HALF-HOUR

(no exact times, distances or paces recorded; target was to recover between Wednesday and Friday runs at whatever effort felt easy to you – walk, run/walk or run; the day’s participants listed here)

Megan

Brianna

Vadim

Becky

Jie

Nathaniel

Guangyu

LESSON 4: MILE TRIAL

The mile time is the most important one in running (at least in the metric-challenged USA). Anyone who hears you’re a runner will ask, “What’s your best mile time?” You soon will be calculating your pace-per-mile on longer runs. Running a mile (four laps on a standard track) right away will tell you what your starting point is. Think of this run as a low-key test, not as a serious race. Run at a pace beyond easy but less than a struggle, and count on improving in later mile tests as your fitness improves.

Class 3

Nothing will make you feel better, and do better, as a runner than finding your own best pace and then holding steady at it from start to finish. Today’s run was meant to test your pacing. The closer you came to 12 or 24 minutes, the better you paced this run.

Starting today, I award a “prize” (extra credit) for the runners who distinguish themselves the most that day. The first of those was a two-way tie.

Thursday will bring another easy day. Again you’ll go 30 minutes in whatever way you choose – walk, walk/run or run – but the route will differ from Tuesday’s. In fact, I pick a different course almost every day.

TODAY’S 12 MINUTES

(with actual time and comparison of second half with first; target was to come as close to 12:00 as possible)

Brianna – 11:23 (-37 sec. for 2^nd half)

Asilia – 12:07 (+7 sec.) best pacer, tie; earning extra credit

Jie – 14:07 (+2:07)

TODAY’S EVEN-PACE 24 MINUTES

(with actual time and comparison of second half with first; target was to come as close to 24:00 as possible)

Megan – 22:04 (-1:56 for 2^nd half)

Vadim – 21:49 (-2:11)

Kate – 23:22 (-38 sec.)

Becky – 22:31 (-1:29)

Nathaniel – 22:04 (-1:56)

Guangyu – 23:53 (-7 sec.) best pacer, tie; earning extra credit

LESSON 3: YOUR PACE

Pace has two meanings, one mathematical and the other physical. The first – a key figure for any runner to know – is a calculation of your minutes/seconds per mile. Divide the total time by the distance (remembering to convert seconds to tenths of a minute; an 8:30 mile is 8.5 minutes). The second meaning is even more important: how you find your best pace. On most runs, this means pacing yourself comfortably – neither too fast nor too slow. There are several ways to arrive at that pace. The most technical is to wear a heart-rate monitor and to run between 70 and 80 percent of maximum pulse. Another is to know your maximum speed for that distance, then add one to two minutes per mile. The simplest: Listen to your breathing; if you aren’t gasping for air and can talk while you run, your pace is not too fast. Your effort should stay constant through the run, but your pace-per-mile seldom does. Expect the pace to pick up as you warm up.

Class 2

You did today what I believe in enough to do most days of every week myself – about 30 minutes easily. What feels “easy” varies from day to day, and so does the running pace and amount of walking. This practice has served me well for a long time. I hope it will do the same for you in this class.

On Wednesday we continue the by-time theme, but with a different purpose. You will run either 12 or 24 minutes, going out for half that long (six or 12 minutes) and then coming back to where you started. This will give you about the same distance as your Monday run.

TODAY’S EASY HALF-HOUR

(no exact times, distances or paces recorded; target was to keep it easy, whatever that means to you – walk only, walk/run or run; all participants listed here)

Megan

Brianna

Asilia

Vadim

Cong

Kate

Becky

Jie

Nathaniel

Guangyu

LESSON 2: F-I-T FORMULA

Our runs last an average of 20 to 30 minutes. This amount is based on the research of Dr. Kenneth Cooper, a giant in the fitness field. Cooper’s formula for improving as a runner: Run two to three miles, three to five days a week at a comfortable pace. It’s easier to remember as the F-I-T formula: frequency – three to five runs a week; intensity – comfortable pace; time – about 20 to 30 minutes. Even with walking breaks you can cover two miles in a half-hour, and many of you can comfortably run three miles (or more) in that time.

Class 1

Thanks for joining my class. First day is always a little chaotic (more so this year with the Olympic Trials teardown wrapping up). It will get smoother as the week rolls along.

Starting today, I list your results. Per-mile pace will give you a comparison from run to run and week to week.

I also add a mini-lesson on running. These will be the basis of the quiz you’ll take at term’s end.

Tuesday will bring the first of our easy days. Most of you will simply walk, but some will want to run parts or all of the half-hour – as long as it remains easy. Meet at our now-standard spot: on the turf field near the east entrance to the Rec Center.

TODAY’S 1.2 MILES

(with total time and per-mile pace; target was to run relaxed, feeling like you could have gone farther or faster if needed)

Brianna – 16:00 (13:20 pace)

Jiaqi – 13:50 (11:31s)

Asilia – 16:46 (13:58s)

Emily – 13:40 (11:23s)

Cong – 17:33 (14:37s)

Kate – 14:49 (12:21s)

Guangyu – 14:59 (12:29s)

TODAY’S 2.5 MILES

(with total time and per-mile pace; target was to run relaxed, feeling like you could have gone farther or faster if needed)

Megan – 22:36 (9:02 pace)

Vadim – 22:24 (8:58s)

Becky – 25:26 (10:10s)

Nathaniel – 22:09 (8:52s)

LESSON 1: STARTING LINES

Welcome to running, or welcome back. This might be your first try at it, a return visit to the activity or an attempt to improve on what you already do. Whatever your reasons for taking this class, you should be a better runner after these four weeks. Though the class meets five times a week, three weekly runs satisfy the minimum requirement for gaining or maintaining fitness. We take a longer run and a faster one. Our other runs each week are meant to be relatively easy. The goals in this class are improvement for all of you and injuries to none.