MITHACAL MILERS workout Tuesday, 12/13, on your own or with a friend

Group Runs & Workouts
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Since Barton Hall is closed for finals this week, you’ll want to find a good flat surface that’s reasonably snow-free for this workout. The East Hill Rec Way is usually plowed by the Town of Ithaca, but I can’t say for sure that it’s clear at the moment. If you can do this with a pace-appropriate friend, it will feel easier and be more fun.

To accommodate the cold, footing, and extra clothing, this workout (and next week’s) will be a bit slower and based on time rather than distance, using your T pace (roughly 10K race pace). The goal here is again to build aerobic strength and endurance — we’re putting in base to support the faster workouts once we get back on the track. (And I have something fun planned for Barton on Dec 27th!)

After at least 10 minutes of warming running, you’ll run 12 minutes, 6 minutes, and 3 minutes at T pace, with 3-minute recovery jogs after each one. Once you’ve done the last 3-minute recovery jog, do six 30-second strides, where you evenly increase your pace to what feels like your R pace, hold it for the remainder of the 30 seconds, and then jog for 30 seconds before repeating. Focus on maintaining good running form while doing the strides, and if you can’t hold it, call it a day. Cool down with at least 10 minutes of jogging at the end.

Bonus points for doing the warmup lunge matrix and leg swings, plus the strength and mobility exercises afterward—it’s always tough to make time for the supplementary work when you’re not with the group, but it makes a difference in the long run. (And the mile.)

Since we can’t be together as a group, if you have a few minutes, report back on where you did this workout and how it went!

And if anyone wants to organize a particular pace-group workout time/place, feel free to post here too.

Resources

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Did this workout with @KimJ this afternoon on the SUNY Cortland campus minus the strides. We opted for a longer cool down in the sunshine :sunny:. Hardest part was running uninterrupted for 12 minutes (traffic, intersections, etc.). Definitely a good cold weather workout.

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Glad that you @julie19 and @KimJ got to run it together! I’m thinking of doing it on the BDT tomorrow - turning around after the first interval so the grade works with me on the last two and strides. Nowhere else in downtown Ithaca that would really work except for Cass Park, and we’re all going to see enough of that in winter :snowflake:

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Turns out I am coached by two Adams: @adamengst and @adam.schoene! The second one very kindly accompanied me on my workout today. We took advantage of the good weather (and the wonderful sunset on the lake! A great distraction from the pain…) and went to Stewart Park. There the surface is flat enough to allow for a bit of speed and not icy enough to send us flying. Speed for me, of course, because the injured Adam S. was chilling while chatting and easily keeping pace, whereas I was totally out of breath :rofl:. I think I was a bit slower than my good 10K race pace, but hey… I’m getting there. My partner signed me up for the Edinburgh Marathon as a Christmas present (no kidding), so now I have a goal to work towards. Sadly, we are leaving Ithaca next Tuesday, but I’ll keep doing these MITHACAL MILERS workouts on my own.

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That’s a great Christmas present!! But the real question is… did Ben sign himself up too?? (: best wishes as you leave Ithaca - you will be missed!

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@gplwoo Hahaha the marathon is a bit much for Ben, but he let me sign him up for the 5k, which is the day before the marathon, always in Edinburgh. Ithaca misses YOU! The photos you are posting from Albuquerque are gorgeous, though, so I am glad you are having a good time and will let you know if I am ever there! I’d love to see the desert (and as a Breaking Bad fan, the city is definitely on my wish list…) :wink:

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We would love to show you around ABQ if you ever do visit! All I know about Breaking Bad landmarks so far in town is a concrete dam that I’ve run past - apparently was the site of a helicopter scene? Haha. You can educate me about the show!

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Ended up doing this workout at the Waterfront Trail as well. It is HARD to keep your footing running tempo pace in the dark! The bike path was okay but trying to do strides on the sidewalks had me pretty worried about falling. Think I may take the rest of my winter evening speed work to the treadmill when the track is closed

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