CVRR Tuesday Training Sessions from July 4th – September 26th, 2023

Welcome all CVRR runners to the summer training sessions. These workouts will emphasize a mix of strength endurance (i.e. marathon pace runs, tempo runs, and hill circuits  at 7.5-8.5/10 effort) and aerobic power (i.e. 5 km race pace intervals at 9/10 effort). Repetition paced workouts are also included (hill running, strides and faster track running at 9.5/10 effort) to develop speed and good running mechanics. Please do an easy 10-minute warm-up run with some dynamic drills and an easy cooldown run after the session. Wear light, breathable clothing and bring lots of water on hot days!

In workout descriptions, Coach Neil often lists the number of repeats to do in a session, such as 2-5 x 5 minutes hard. If you are a newer runner, you should do less, such as 2-3 repeats, to build your strength gradually. Perceived effort (1-10 scale) means how hard to push yourself. Using the scale, a 1-2/10 effort is very easy, so you can probably talk when running. Running 9-10/10 effort is hard to very hard with strong breathing, so talking would be difficult. Don’t worry: If you’re unsure, Coach Neil will help you adjust workouts, so you get the most out of them. Improvement occurs with proper pacing for you and adequate rest between sessions which may be an easy run or rest.

Follow this link for a Pacing Chart

July 4th: Vanier Fields Ins & Outs: 6-15 x 1 minute at 3-5 km race pace (9/10 effort) on Vanier grass field; off 1 min easy. Focus on good, relaxed running form!

July 11th: Track Session: 1-2 x 200 metres at repetition pace (9.5/10 effort); off 200 metres easy walk/jog; 1-4 x 800 metres at threshold pace (8.5/10 effort); off 1-2 min rest; 1-2 x 200 meters at repetition pace.

July 18th: Horse Trails Mono Fartlek: 2 x 90 seconds hard (8.5-9.5/10 effort); off 90 second easy; 4 x 60 seconds; off 60 seconds easy; 4 x 30 seconds; off 30 seconds easy; 4 x 15 seconds; off 15 seconds easy. This is a classic – enjoy the trails!

July 25th: Fartlek & Half Marathon Mile Repeats on Track: 1 km alternating 30 seconds faster and 30 seconds easy; 1-5 x 1600 metres at half marathon pace (8.5/10 effort); off 90 sec – 2 min active rest between efforts.

August 1st: Vanier Grass Repeats: 2-8 x 750 metres (1 lap – includes hill) at 5k race pace (9/10 effort); off 2-3 minutes rest. Focus on smooth and relaxed rhythm.

August 8th: Horse Trails Fartlek: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1 min; off 1 min easy running (8-9/10 effort). Newer runners can omit the 2nd 4 min segment. Pace accordingly with these short recoveries – enjoy! If you raced Nautical Days 5 miler, do an easy 30–45-minute run.

August 15th: Track Session: 2-10 x 400 metres @ 5 km race pace (9/10 effort); off 1-2 min active rest; 1–4 x 150 metres at repetition pace (9.5/10 effort). Focus on relaxed running and increasing pace every 50 metres on the repetitions. Jog back to start for the rest.

August 22nd: Dove Creek/Blooming Barn 30 min Progression Run: On the 5.1 km loop – 10 min at 75% effort; 10 min at 80% effort; 10 min at 85-90% effort. 4 x 15 second strides; off 45 seconds’ rest.

August 29th: Track Session: 1-3 x 200 metres at repetition pace (9.5/10 effort); off 200 metres easy walk/jog; 1-3 x 1200 metres at threshold pace (8.5/10 effort); off 1-2 min rest; 1-3 x 200 meters at repetition pace.

September 5th: Horse Trails Free Form Fartlek: 30 min of Fartlek running with 6-12 efforts (faster running) of various lengths, speed, and recovery periods (easy running). You pick the route, interval distance, speed, and recovery periods – use your watch only for the total elapsed time – just run and have fun!

September 12th: Track Session: 1-6 x 800 metres at 5k race pace (9/10 effort); off 2-3 minutes recovery.

September 19th: Blooming Barn Cruise Intervals: 2-5 x 5 minute at threshold pace (8.5/10 effort); off 1-2 minutes active rest; 4 x 15 second strides; off 45 seconds rest.

September 26th: Track Session: 2-8 x 400 metres at 5k race pace (9/10 effort); off a 200-metre float (easier running). This is a continuous session with no stopping, so proper pacing is important.