Sarah Funderburk
Goodbye outdoor rule of six
Posted on May 18th, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
We are finally here, Chasers! We can run in larger groups again! Just don’t go wild and get a herd of 31 people on the Heath, please. While we can run in larger groups groups now, unfortunately we are still currently limited to two groups of 15 at the track on Thursdays. Please be patient, though, as we are working with Parliament Hill Track and the City of London to try to add another group of 15 on Thursdays. We know the demand is there, and we are doing what we can.
As far as sessions go this week, we are continuing the quest for a faster mile with the Stag Mile schedule. For those looking to do multiple sessions and really work on speed, there was the option today to do 5 x 1600m at your 10k pace with 3 min rest between each rep. This is a good session to practice consistency at a faster pace without exhausting yourself. This session is especially good training for our upcoming summer league 5 mile and 10k races that will require more endurance than the 3k and mile distances.
For Thursday track this week, we have a group favorite, the Paar Lauf. In German, this simply means a paired run. You will pair up with someone who is roughly an equivalent speed to you, and then you will take turns running 400m over 30 minutes. You should be targeting your 5k pace for each 400m, AND each person in a pair should be trying to make each rep as consistent as possible. Speeding up gives your partner less recovery and slowing down gives them more recovery. Since we will likely have an uneven number, we may have some groups of 3’s. We will make sure no one is doing it on their own!
For those attending detention on Saturday, you’ll be doing a descending ladder session:
1200m (10k pace) [2 min rest], 1000 (5k pace) [2 min], 800 (3k pace) [2 min], 600 (1 mile pace) [2min], 400 (1 mile pace) [2min], 200 (1 mile pace) [1min], 100 (1 mile pace) – total 4300m
Whew…that was tiring just typing that. The pacing here will be extremely important. Don’t go out too fast because you’ll need to keep getting faster!
Enjoy the sessions and some bigger group runs…and have a beer inside or outside.
Happy Running!
Sarah
On you mark, get set…GO!
Posted on May 3rd, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
I hope you’ve had a lovely Bank Holiday, Chasers! The weather wasn’t so bad afterall :), AND we saw some stellar performances from Chloe, Rosie and Lydia at the North Downs 50k. Nice job, ladies!
We are now heading into the all important RACE WEEK for our 3000m races to be held on Saturday. We just have one speed session this week, on Thursday, to help tune you up for the race. If you’re not able to get a spot on Thursday for the session, doing it on Wednesday at the RP cinder track may be an even wiser idea if you feel you may need some extra rest/recovery days ahead of Saturday. This Thursday, the session is similar to what we did ahead of the last 3k in April:
3 x {400m (at your 5k pace) [400m recovery]}, 3 x {200m (at your 3k pace) [200m recovery]} Total: 3600
For this session, it is critical that you keep those 400s to your 5k pace, maybe even a bit slower to be conservative. It’s an exercise of consistency and just ticking your legs over a bit. Then for the 200s, really try to hone in on your target 3k pace, NOT YOUR TARGET 1 MILE PACE! 🙂 You shouldn’t feel exhausted after the session.
Good luck to everyone racing on Saturday. It’s going to be a really fun day!
If you want to get a sneek peek at the upcoming schedule targeting the provisional Stag Mile on July 3rd, Lauren and John have been working on it here.
Happy Running!
Sarah
Speed Sessions – Staying Out of the Danger Zone
Posted on April 25th, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
What a glorious week of running weather, Chasers! I’m personally going to ignore the forecast and hope that it continues. We are a couple of weeks away from the next Chaser 3k, so let’s talk about how the speed sessions are going, getting some feedback and what’s next
Remember we now have 3 speed sessions to choose from each week. Three can be quite a toll on the body, so if you’re giving all 3 a go, listen to your body on the easy days and really run easy (at a comfortable and chatty pace, cover your watch if you can) or take a rest day if needed. If you’re still feeling tired when it comes to the next session, you may want to skip it to make sure you are getting enough recovery. If you are doing the sessions, let me or any of the other coaches leading the sessions know what you think. Message me as well if you want to give some feedback on the overall schedules. We want to make sure that these schedules are working for you! After the May 3k, we will be beginning to target some summer races before turning attention to fall half marathon and marathon schedules.
For this week’s schedule, we have:
Tuesday ( extra speedsters) – 8 x 300m (at your 3k pace) [2min rest] Total 2400m. The key is to try to stay as consistent as possible with the reps. It is better to be able to give a little more on your last rep than to have exhausted all of your efforts in your first few.
Thursday (regular speedsters) – 4-5 x {1000m (at your 10k pace) [400m jog]} Total 4-5000m hard, 2000m recovery. Remember, this isn’t 3 or 5k pace! Really target and hone in on your 10k pace and try to keep all of your reps consistent. Really use the 400m jog for recovery so you can tackle each rep.
Saturday (endurance detention) – you have an option this week to do the Tuesday speedier session if you missed it on Saturday or instead focus more on endurance and do 5 x mile repeats with 3 min rest.
And for some last words of wisdom this week, I thought the following quote was quite appropriate:
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
(note: just steer clear of the stoney path along St John’s Way)
Happy Running!
Sarah
New Schedule Coming Soon! Races are coming
Posted on April 11th, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
It’s all starting to happen, Chasers…dreams of the Stag Mile, ParkRun, Summer League and Athletics are starting to become a reality! Our next schedule will continue to hone in on speed for shorter distances to get us ready for the summer racing season. The two target races will be our second 3k event on Saturday, May 8th and the Golden Stag Mile with a provisional date of Saturday, July 3rd. The schedule is still be tweaked at the moment, but will be posted soon!
In addition to our weekly Thursday Track sessions, we also now have the track officially booked on Saturdays from 10-11am, meaning you now just have to sign up on our website and no longer need to pay for a spot via Eventbrite. Watch the website and Facebook each week for when these sessions are posted so that you can book a spot. If the sessions fill up before you are able to book, please do let us know that you would have booked a spot if one was free. If there is enough interest we may be able to try and increase the numbers.
As a heads up, for this week, our first track session will be as follows:
Thursday at 7pm and 7:20pm:
5-6 x 800m at 5k pace with 400m jog recoveries. Total 4000-4800m hard 2000-2400m recovery
Happy Running!
Sarah
Week 6: Let the races begin!
Posted on April 5th, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
Happy Easter, Chasers! This weekend saw our return to racing – congrats to everyone who raced this weekend, from 5ks to a marathon! It’s good to be back out there 🙂
This week is the final week of our current schedule, which has been leading up to Saturday’s 3k event at Parliament Hill track. If you haven’t signed up yet, there is still time to do so! I need everyone to sign up by Thursday so that you can be allotted starting heats ahead of the day. THe first heat will likely kick off after 9:30am.
This week is mostly easy miles, so please do lead or join groups runs throughout the week.
Thursday’s track session is now also available to book – 7:00 and 7:20pm slots. The session for this week has been updated, and you will be doing some 5k and 3k pace work. If you want to take it easier on Thursday instead, ahead of Saturday, another option is the original 4 miles easy with 4x 100m strides. If you choose to do that option, I encourage you to lead a group!
Happy Running!
Sarah
Week 5: The Gang’s Back Together!
Posted on March 28th, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
Rule of 6 is in – groups runs and track are back!
There are lots of exciting group runs happening on Tuesday already, but if you want to incorproate a session on Tuesday, this week is another progression run. There are also still some slots left for the 19:20 track session on Thursday as well as the coached session on Saturday (John will be leading that session!). Please sign-up via the calendare here and be sure to read all of the instructions. Thursday sessions are free, but you’ll need to book a slot and pay for the Saturday sessions.
Our sessions are all still building toward a 3k race that we are aiming to hold at Parliament Hill Track in April – exact date TBC, so stay tuned.
Tuesday:
- 10 min of easy running to warm up
- 40 minutes where you progressively get faster every 10 minutes. The guide for the pacing is your estimated marathon pace + 20 sec for the first 10 minutes, and then speed up by 10 sec for each subsequent 10 min. This is assuming you are calculating your pace min minutes/mile! If you’re calculating in min/kilometer, then it’s more like 6 or 7 sec every 10 minutes. This is a guide though; essentially you’ll want to go a bit slower than a steady pace at the beginning and then be going a bit faster than a steady pace by the end.
- 10 min of easy running to cool down
Thursday Track:
- 6-8 x 600m at your 3k pace with 3 min recovery between. Total 3600-4800m
Saturday Track:
- 3 x 1 mile with 3 min recoveries
Looking forward to seeing many of you this week.
Happy Running,
Sarah
Week 4: Spring cleaning
Posted on March 21st, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
Happy first day of Spring, Chasers! We are continuing to clear out those winter cobwebs by focusing on threshold running and some 5k/3k pace work. This will serve us nicely for the 3k track race we are hoping to put on in April and start getting us thinking about all of those speedy Athletics races and 5k Parkruns that will start in June. And, of course, there is also the Chingford League 5k on Easter Monday.
So, for our last week of paired running before we can start groups of 6 again, the sessions are…
Tuesday Threshold
1 hour run, with ~15 min warm-up, 30 min at your threshold pace (10k to half marathon pace), ~15 min cooldown
Your personalized plan will show more accurate miles and timings.
Thursday “Track”
1600m (at your 5k pace) [400m jog/recovery], then 4 x { 400m (at your 3k pace) [400m jog/recovery] }. Total 3200m hard 2000m recovery
Warm up and cool down for at least 10 min each for the session.
It will be important to not go too crazy in that 5k mile so you have some speed left in your legs for 400m repeats.
Happy Running!
Sarah
Week 3: Run for your mother, but don’t stay up all night to get lucky
Posted on March 14th, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
Happy Mother’s day today to our UK mom’s (note to self – send Mother’s day card in May)! Our next holiday is one of my favorite’s, St Patrick’s day. So pick a Chaser, and go out for a nice easy run or walk for luck on Wednesday this week. You will need Wednesday this week as either an easy recovery run or a full day of recovery between this week’s Tuesday and Thursday sessions.
On Tuesday, we have another progression run. This type of run is especially good for those of you training for a spring half marathon. As a guide, like several weeks back, you will speed up those legs every 10 minutes. The breakdown is:
- 10 min of easy running to warm up
- 40 minutes where you progressively get faster every 10 minutes. The guide for the pacing is your estimated marathon pace + 20 sec for the first 10 minutes, and then speed up by 10 sec for each subsequent 10 min. This is assuming you are calculating your pace min minutes/mile! If you’re calculating in min/kilometer, then it’s more like 6 or 7 sec every 10 minutes. This is a guide though; essentially you’ll want to go a bit slower than a steady pace at the beginning and then be going a bit faster than a steady pace by the end.
- 10 min of easy running to cool down
Be sure to start easy enough so you can conitnue to push yourself at the end of the 40 minutes.
For your speed session this week, we are moving to 1200m repeats. This session should feel a bit more relaxed than the 800m at 5k pace you did two weeks ago. You will still be going at a good clip though, so the longer distance/time will be the challenge. Therefore, focus on not going out too fast so you can stay relatively steady on each repeat and have enough energy to kick it up a notch on the last one. The session by distance is:
3-4 x {1200m (10k pace) [400m jog recovery]} – total 3600-4800m hard, 1200-1600m recovery
For a time-based variation, you can do:
3-4 x {5min (10k pace) [2min jog recovery]} – total 15-20min hard, 6-8min recovery
Remember to warm up and coold down with at least 10 minutes of easy running before and after the session. Incorporating drills before like we typically do at track is also a good idea. If you need some inspiration for drills, give me a shout!
Happy running!
Sarah
Week 2: Keeping pace
Posted on March 7th, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
It’s week 2 of the new schedule, Chasers! This week is going to be all about pace, keeping it and changing it.
First up we a have a threshold run on Tuesday to go along with our Thursday speed session. For the Threshold run, you’ll start with some easy running to warm up, then do the specified mileage at your threshold pace (keeping the pace you can sustain for ~1 hour, i.e., somewhere between 10k and half marathon), then you’ll do some easy running to cool down. You’ll need to look at your customized schedule for the exact mileage and timing.
For this week’s speed session, we have another set where we will be varying the distances and the paces, getting shorter and faster as the session progresses:
1600m (10k pace) [400m jog] 1200m (5k pace) [400m jog] 800 (3k) [400m jog] 400m [1 mile pace] = 4000m hard, 1600m recovery
This is another set that is best done by distance as opposed to time. Message me if you’re having trouble figuring out how/where to do the session by distance, and I’ll help you troubleshoot. As always, warm up and cool down prior to the session, and incorproate some drill before!
Finally, since Monday is International Women’s Day, I’ll leave you with a quote from Wilma Rudolph, the inspiration for the Chaser logo on our vests.
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”
Happy Running!
Sarah
Week 1 of the new schedule! – but really it’s Week 9
Posted on February 28th, 2021 by Sarah Funderburk
Congrats on all of those fast miles this week, Chasers! This week, we will be starting part 2 of the schedule, appropriately named The Great Lockdown Escape. We are continuing with paired runs over the next few weeks, but then we will be able to start back with groups of 6 and track from March 29th! The next 6 weeks will be leading up to a 3k race, which we are hoping to be able to schedule in at Parliament Hill Track in some shape or form – stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed.
This week’s speed session (or workout of the week), will be a pretty straightforward but challenging one:
5-6 x {800m (at your 5k pace) [400m jog recovery]}. Total of 4000-4800m hard with 2000-2400m recovery
If you don’t feel like measuring out 800m or treking way over to Paddington Recreation ground where the track is still open, then you can either do a time-based option based on what your customized schedule on the website says (preferred option!!) or try the following:
5-6 x {3 min (at your 5k pace) [2 min jog recovery]}. Total of 15-18 min hard with 10-12 min recovery
Get at least a good 10-15 min of easy running before and after the session to warm up and cool down.
Happy Running!
Sarah
