Filed under: Events, Injuries, Inspiration, Members, Pain, Races, Workouts
It was so nice out this past weekend, I had to figure out how best to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. Ah, what better way than to punish myself and abuse my body! This weekend at the Raceway Park in Elizabethtown NJ was the Tough Mudder Tri-State event. The 12 mile course – designed by British Special Forces – includes several miles of mud running, near-freezing water, and 32 obstacles. Perfect.
I was able to complete the course in 2h17m, which was pretty good considering that time includes: over a ¼ total of swimming in 35oF water, a 200m long trench of waist-high mud, ~4 miles of mud-covered motocross track hills, a ¼ mile tire carry, crawling, climbing, bleeding, and about 10 minutes of helping other mudders at several obstacles (like waiting to help someone onto the wooden platform at the top of the 20ft rope ladder at the end of 200m swim through ice water, or bracing a cargo net so it won’t swing while someone scales it)! Oh, and I got hit with 10,000 volts directly to my head right before the finish line… awesome.
But, I had such a good time that when I completed the course, I took a 10 min break, had a cliff bar and some water, and then did the whole thing again! I mean, if I get one orange headband for doing it once, that means I get ANOTHER if I run it again, right? Totally worth it.
I wish there was some kind of official ranking so I could compare my time to others, but the Tough Mudder pushes that this is an event, not a race, and that completion and camaraderie are more important than time. Regardless, I’d like to, once again, thank NBR and all it’s members for helping contribute to a great run time, and increased speed, strength and endurance. THANKS!
Now who’s going to join me at the next one???
See ya there,
Colin
Filed under: Events, Inspiration, Members, NBR Goings On, Ultrarunning, Workouts
In It For the Long Haul…How to Survive the Long Run (Without Going Crazy)
When: Wednesday, September 14 · 8:30pm – 10:00pm
Where: Ken Allen Studios – 50 South 1st St (b/t Kent & Wythe) – Brooklyn, NY 11211
More Info
The long run. It’s the worst (and sometimes the best) part about training for a marathon. The first time I did an 18 miler, I couldn’t get out of bed and was too exhausted to eat. Let’s share our tips and ideas on how to make long runs beyond bearable…even FUN! Novice and experienced runners are encouraged to come – with their own training tips, questions.
Thanks to Ken for hosting this meeting. Please bring drink/food to share if you can.
- Cherie
Since the beginning of NBR, we have had the privilege to lead speed workouts every Thursday night. It is based on a weekly workout that is repeated every month. The workout has stayed the same during these 2 years for several reasons. The first is to keep it simple. As a runner, It is easy to remember- after a few months at least- which workout to expect. As a “coach” it is easy to learn how to time each workout, how to break up runners into specified heats, how to phase in recoveries after each rep. The second is to keep speedwork as a somewhat diluted workout that can accommodate all runners of all skills and running intentions. It has worked well, and we have enjoyed leading all the runners that have committed to coming out.
Now, with a new year, a new club points schedule, and perhaps a more developed and grown NBR, we are wanting to move forward. I can believe that this has the possibility to create an exclusive workout. With that in mind, I would like to define the exclusivity we are aiming for. First, I must make this clear: we do not limit speedwork to only fast runners. We understand that everyone has different talents and experiences, and rather than honing in on the fastest of the group, we do want runners to come out with the fullest intention of getting faster. In this sense, Thursday night is different than other scheduled NBR runs. It has always been our goal to have the workouts make our runners faster, and we have been able to see this pay off.
So with that preface, we will be introducing a new way of leading Thursday nights. The workouts will be seen as monthly ‘training sessions’ that are geared toward racing the distance of the upcoming club points race. I am compelled to do this for several reasons. First is because I am competitive. I hate to project this onto the group, but that is what interests me, and I will exploit my leading a run to fulfill my desires. Second, I believe in the group as a whole. I think we need to preserve the diversity of runners that represent us, especially at the club points races. And I want us to be confident in doing it. Thirdly, I know we are fast. And I know there is a lot of potential for us to get faster. I would rather work on the people I run with and love to get faster than wait around to recruit the one that will bring home the bacon (although that would be nice too). This is where we might seem exclusive: don’t expect to run Thursdays without getting faster. I am not a certified coach, nor have I ever had and official experiences beyond one season of high school cross country. I see running as pretty simple. But after running my first marathon (and taking the months of training beforehand a little more seriously) I am starting to believe that there is a little bit more to training for a race than just running fast or long. So with the help of other runners that I have much respect for, here is the workout planned to get you in shape for the first club points race of 2011: The Coogans 5k on March 6th.
week 1- Feb 3rd:
4-5x400m
week 2- Feb 10th*:
6x1200m
week 3- Feb 17th:
6x1000m
week 4- Feb 24th*:
4x800m
4x400m
week 5- Mar 3rd:
easy workout
* Denotes dates of NYRR Thursday Night at the Races
Even more demanding in these workouts will be the dictated pace of each rep and the recovery times between. The generalized concept behind these workouts is to build up a tolerance of running at faster speeds than what you are usually running during your other daily runs, (There is actually a science to it, i am learning, where you are building up your body’s lactic threshold which allows you to run harder with less fatigue…basically, your body learns to run more efficiently, which will help you regardless of what type of runner you are. Sounds like a pretty good deal.) While I mentioned that I am not thoroughly qualified to assign specific workouts, I would encourage runners to see Thursday night workouts as only part of a 5k Training program. There are several sites with great workout plans for all types of runners, and pretty much all of them encourage speed enhancing workouts.
We hope this change isn’t seen as offensive, as our intentions are only to encourage everyone to strive for their desired potential. We love NBR and what it stands for, and love seeing you guys get fast.
-Jennifer Daniels
Thursday’s PM Track Speed Workout Gallery from November 28th.
Pyramids! 400m – 800m – 1600m – 800m – 400m
From the Lens of Ken Allen:
Please volunteer to be a substitute run leader. Enter your contact information and select runs you’re able to lead on this spreadsheet.
Filed under: NBR Goings On, Workouts | Tags: fun, goal setting, health, injury, running, salon, winter, yoga
By popular demand, we’ve organized a Yoga for Runners Workshop! This is designed to introduce runners to the practice of yoga as an effective supplement to their training and races. Yoga instructor Maya Seidel will guide participants through a sample yoga session, focusing on poses which are specifically useful for runners. Special attention will be given to proper alignment, breath awareness, and balance. Following a period of guided relaxation and brief meditation, the workshop will conclude with a discussion about how to apply yoga to round out a workout.
Maya Seidel is a certified yoga instructor experienced with teaching yoga to children, adults, and seniors. For more information, please visit www.mayayoganyc.com.
This workshop will cost $2 for Greenpoint YMCA members, and $4 for non-YMCA members. We also will be collecting optional instructor tips to give to Maya.
Date: Sunday, February 28, 2010
Time: 1:30pm – 3:00pm
Location: Greenpoint YMCA – 99 Meserole Ave – Brooklyn NY – 11222
Hosted at the Greenpoint YMCA in the SACC room in the basement.
Also, you might want to bring your own mat if you have one.
See you Sunday!
Hey Everyone!
Come on out to the Tuesday night run at 7:30pm.
Tonight we’re doing a “Social Relay”.
After a warm-up on the track, we’ll split up into two mixed-pace teams (start brainstorming awesome team names now!). We’ll head to the inner asphalt loop of the big lawn part of McCarren and do the workout on that circuit. One team will run at a comfortable group pace while the second team runs at a hard pace around the loop. Once the entire second team catches up with the first team, the first team takes off and runs at a hard pace to then catch up with the second team. And so on, for approximately 40 minutes, which should gets us to 4-5 miles. Then we’ll do a cool down at the track. Fun!
Things to bring: Nothing if you don’t want. At least 1 person in each group should have a watch, I’ll have one, so really, we only need one more. If someone has a Garmin, I’d love to know the distance we cover on that inner loop. One circuit is just under .5 miles.
Misha and I are going to do our best to post the Tuesday night workouts ahead of time so you can be prepared and appropriately psyched! Also, since some of our workouts are more involved in explanation, this might give you a head start.
See you tonight!
-Aja
