From Coach Toby…..
Hope you all had a nice weekend!
With spring and summer races ahead for many of you, this week we’re switching gears from hills to a flat(ish) workout that gives you a chance to practice and dial in your pacing skills.
Meet: Tuesday 6:30pm at 7th Avenue and MLK Jr Drive, Golden Gate Park
Workout begins: 6:35pm
1/2 mile warmup: group jog and dynamic stretches
Workout
Below are three ways to tackle this one. Not sure which fits you best? Check in with me on Slack, or before we begin and I’ll help you decide.
Beginner
You’ll be running 2 loops (2.2M)
Run 1st loop at a comfortable conversational pace.
Run the 2nd loop at a “comfortably hard” effort. This should be a pace harder than the first but that you can maintain for the entire loop.
Intermediate
Run 3 loops (~3.3M) – start easy and pick up ~15–30 sec faster for both your second and third loop
Advanced
Same progression as Intermediate (3 x 1.1M loops)
Add the Blue Heron Sprint (~250m – route link below) at the start of the 2nd loop, start of the third loop, and after you’ve completed your third loop. So 3x.
After the first two sprints, ease back into your loop pace; after the third sprint turnaround and return to the start.
Short controlled bursts like these help you practice quicker steps (cadence) and good running form. Both improve our ability to run faster.
Route links
Warm-up and cooldown (1/2M each way): https://www.strava.com/routes/3480950679815036104
Blue Heron Lake Loop (1.1M): https://www.strava.com/routes/3480950679819822280
Blue Heron Sprint (250m): https://www.strava.com/routes/3480948973006738454
Post run social
After the run we’re heading to the cozy Fireside Bar. It’s located at 603 Irving, just a one block walk. Outside food is welcome.
More on the birds
While you’re out there keep an eye out for the blue herons. I also found out there is a Heron Watch at the lake this and next month. Volunteers are out there on select Saturdays with spotting scopes if you want a closer look at the herons and their chicks. It’s free and right along our route.
https://www.sfnature.org/heron-watch.html
Looking ahead
Next week we close out the Wildcard season at Twin Peaks!
After the run, join us at Foghorn Taproom for one last spring season wildcard hang with discounts on food and drink.
And stay tuned for some in-between season pop-up runs. We’ve got a few events in the works leading into the summer season. More details coming soon.