Although last week’s Summer Speed workout on the Waterfront Trail worked out well for going to Purity for ice cream in honor of @breana.p and @Anorb’s last FLRC workout (enjoy Montana!), the grass was really scratchy for post-run strength work. So we’ll be returning to Stewart Park this week at our usual place by the bocce pits near the large pavilion—see the map below. We recommend parking on the side of the road directly across the field, but anywhere else you want is fine too.
For this week’s workout, I’m going to try something new. We’ll be running 4-5 reps of an 800m loop around the fields and paths at Stewart Park—see the map below—with everyone aiming for a range from I pace to T pace. Here’s the trick. For the first rep, we’ll all start together and I’ll record times. Then, for the second rep, we’ll do a staggered start, from slow to fast, thus forcing the faster people to run in pursuit of the slower people. If the offsets work out properly, everyone should come in at roughly the same time. For instance, if Tonya Engst runs a 4:30 800m and Patrick Milano a 3:00 800m on the first one, Tonya gets a 90-second head start on the subsequent ones. And I may adjust the offsets as people get tired or to account for someone sandbagging early on. 
Recoveries will be 3 minutes of jogging around the field. The faster people will get more rest, but I’m also expecting them to be incapable of not pushing the pace faster because of starting so far behind.
See you Tuesday!
Resources
- Administration: You must be an FLRC member and sign a waiver once for 2023
- Warmup: Jay Johnson’s Lunge Matrix and Leg Swings, then 10 minutes of jogging
- Cooldown: At least 10 minutes of jogging, then Jay Johnson’s Easy Day Strength and Mobility; also see Hard Day
- Pace Calculator: Jack Daniels’ VDOT Running Calculator