For this week’s workout, we’re going to focus on hills. The bowl of the Arboretum has five roads or trails leading up the hill, so after a 10-minute warmup run, we’ll run hard up each hill (focusing on good form, keeping the back straight, the stride short, and the cadence high), continue hard on the flat at the top for at least 10 strides, and then turn and jog back down next to the path (to avoid slower runners). Then, you’ll immediately move on to the next path and repeat for one pass through all the hills. All these trails are paved, so wear road shoes.
With Hill #1 and Hill #5, it’s important to run all the way to the traffic signs, a Yield for #1 and a Stop for #5. The goal is to train your brain to lengthen your stride and pick up speed on the flat again after cresting a hill. For the runners with more mileage, once you’ve worked your way through all five hills, if you’re feeling good, start working back for a few more until you’re tired or have completed two sets.
As always, meet on Tuesday at 6 PM and be ready to start at 6:15 PM. The first race of the Pete Glavin Cross Country series is this Sunday, September 22, so please register very soon.
Everyone is welcome, though you must sign the FLRC Training Programs waiver once for 2024 and, if you come regularly, be an FLRC member .
Any questions? See you Tuesday!
Resources
- Administration: You must be an FLRC member and sign the 2024 waiver!
- Location: All XC workouts take place at the F. R. Newman Arboretum in the Cornell Botanic Gardens east of the Cornell Vet School
- Parking: There’s plenty of parking in the Arboretum; latecomers have to park farther from the warmup area.
- Warmup: Jay Johnson’s Lunge Matrix and Leg Swings, then 10 minutes of jogging
- Cooldown: Jogging until everyone’s done, then Jay Johnson’s Strength and Mobility
- Pace Calculator: Jack Daniels’ VDOT Running Calculator
- FLRC Calendar: (Download and import this ICS file for most calendar apps; subscribe to fingerlakesrunners@gmail.com if you use Google Calendar.)