Virtual Wednesday Night Workouts

Written By Mike Smith

[Sean Radcliffe: Below Coach Mike Smith is continuing with the summer “Wednesday Night Workouts” that you can do on the day and place you choose, hence “Virtual Wednesday Night Workouts”. The MRM are not sponsoring any track workouts at ConVal HS.]

Now that spring is here (fingers crossed!) we will begin virtual Wednesday Night Workouts (WNW.) For years we’ve been ripping laps on the CV oval pursuing the goal of getting faster. Workouts are fashioned after the ones I’ve developed for my cross country teams which has worked out pretty well for us.

However with that said, there’s never been a straight interpretation of what my high school kids do (as we aren’t HS kids anymore!) and while they say what’s good for the goose, as I age I’m realizing that it might not exactly be good for the gander. The things we could get away with back then are a little different than they are now. So this year I’m looking to “add in” a little more tempo based effort work rather than as much “at pace” effort work. Tempo work is the backbone of any endurance program and while tempo is an effort and not a time, there are ways to “standardize” it a little using the track and the watch.

Which brings me to another point, watches. An athlete certainly can run without one, and by chance, they could even get faster. But if you really want to utilize WNWs to improve your 5K times, a watch is going to be the tool for the trade. Doesn’t need to be fancy, just needs a stopwatch with a split button. Time isn’t the end all, be all, but if you’re looking to improve, unless you just intrinsically know what “tempo pace” and “race pace” is, the watch is the best way for you to standardize the workout.

Do these workouts on a quiet stretch of road, on the track somewhere solo or appropriately distanced, or in your backyard if you can. We’ll get things going with our first workout on June 3rd with what I call my “bread and butter” workout, sets of ten 200 meter repeats at 5K goal pace with a 200 meter active running recovery. Ten too easy?, stack another set. Still too easy, add another!

[Sean Radcliffe: Here is a link to Coach Smiths’ vWNW track workout descriptions]

Mike Smith

Co president Mike Smith has been involved with running since he took up cross country in middle school.  While never one of the top runners across the state, he did come away with a 16:35 xc PR before he stepped away from competing in his youth.  Shortly into adulthood Smith came back to the sport for good, both as a means for fitness and simply to keep active and resolve some unfinished business.  Looking to see if there was something left for him in high school sports, he became the head coach for his alma mater, Mascenic, and coached there for twenty five years before hanging up the head coaching position this past year.  His teams racked up ten Division 3 team titles (8 boys, 2 girls) and qualified and competed at the New England championships twice.  Not bad for a school of 270 kids.  When not coaching, Smith is often found running, talking about running, or wandering around the woods and trails of New England.

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July Virtual Wednesday Night Workouts
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June Virtual Wednesday Night Workouts