Elevate Your Trail Running Game: Join Coach Toby & Team at Stow Lake!
From Coach Toby: Did you know that trail running can significantly enhance your road running performance? This week you’ll get to unleash your inner trailblazer with our Stow Lake Trail Run Primer. Designed for runners of all levels (seasoned pros or trail newbies), this wildcard workout will build strength and enhance your skills on flat technical terrain, uphill climbs, and technical descents. It’s the perfect blend of challenge and Run Club camaraderie. I’m excited to see you there!
Including the warm up and cool down, expect to run about four and half miles. If you have trail running shoes, feel free to wear them. If not, your road running shoes will work well too. Here’s a breakdown of the evening.
6:30pm Meet-Up 7th Ave and MLK Jr Drive (Golden Gate Park)
Warm-Up
1 mile easy jog to Stow Lake w/dynamic stretching
https://www.strava.com/routes/3130938569648858330
Workout (Trail Run Primer – Mixed Skill Levels)
Part 1 – Flat Technical Terrain (2 laps, 1 mile total)
We’ll run clockwise twice around the lake, focusing on the flat but technical terrain. Each lap is 1/2 mile.
Lap 1: Run at a comfortable pace, allowing yourself to get accustomed to the terrain. Focus on balance and form.
Lap 2: Increase the pace slightly, practicing agility and quick foot placement.
Tip: For your second lap, I encourage you to engage head on with obstacles – tree roots, uneven terrain, rocks, etc. This will help you build confidence, and improve your trail running technical skills, especially things like foot placement, stride length, and pacing.
https://www.strava.com/routes/3130944958560339388
Part 2 – Uphill Intervals and Technical Descents (2-3 laps, 1.3 to 1.8 miles total)
For this portion of the workout, you’ll run 2 or 3 laps, ascending and descending Stow Lake’s Strawberry Hill. Each lap is 2/3 mile.
Lap 1: Climb: Beginners, jog slowly or walk briskly, while our more seasoned runners can run at an easy pace. Descent: For beginners, focus on control and a slow decent. Seasoned runners can practice quicker footwork.
Lap 2: Climb: Beginners, continue to jog or walk briskly; seasoned runners can pick up the pace slightly. Descent: Beginners, try to focus on a slow but controlled pace; seasoned runners can pick up the intensity while also continuing to focus on control.
Lap 3 (suggested for seasoned runners): Push the uphill pace on the climb and look for ways to improve your technical skills from what you did in laps 1-2 on the descent.
Tips: On the climb, avoid the common mistake of going all out in the beginning. Focus on a pace you can sustain throughout the climb. You can use the first lap to determine what this is. On the descents, lean slightly forward and keep your body relaxed for better balance, agility, and control.
https://www.strava.com/routes/3130952096294816986
Cooldown
1 mile return run back to 7th and MLK – great job! Please join us for post run bites, eats, and conversation at our Foghorn Taproom group social.