Speed Development for Running, Biking and Swimming

A fellow MFP member recommended I write about speed development. I was pretty excited at this suggestion, as it's something I am currently working on right now for myself. As a note, even though speed work is used in speed development, speed development is not speed work. With that, enjoy!

What is Speed Development

Generically speaking, speed development is improving your max speed that you can go in a given sport; I'll focus mostly on running and cycling, but it can probably apply to many other sports, but I don't do them, so I am only able to speak to what I know.

I was originally a sprinter, so speed development was what I ate, slept and lived. When you are sprinting 100 meters or heading down the runway for the long jump, you need to some serious speed. You need your fast-twitch muscles going at full blast. And there are tons of workouts, both cardiovascular and strength, to build this. However, my focus here, as with most of articles, is on endurance sports. The concept is still the same, but the execution is a bit different.

Slow-Twitch and Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers

Everyone has at least some slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers. Some people are genetically lucky and have large amounts of one or the others; hence Usain Bolt and his outrageous fast-twitch fibers. For the rest of us, there is typically more of a balance, with each person leaning more on one side or another.

Slow-twitch muscle fibers contract slowly but allow you to sustain an activity for a longer period of time. Conversely, fast-twitch muscle fibers contract quickly allowing for powerful bursts of speed, but fatigue quickly. This is why you won't be running that marathon at the same speed you just ran down the basketball court on a break-away. If you are, then you probably aren't reading this and are winning lots of marathons.

As an endurance athlete, you rely heavily on your slow-twitch muscle fibers. There are many instances where you need to use your fast-twitch though, and most endurance athletes focus too much on their slow-twitch. As a quick note, there are technically two types of fast-twitch, but I am just going to focus generically on fast-twitch.

The Key in "Fast"

So, with all of that said, the goal is to force an endurance athlete to engage the fast-twitch fibers more often and for longer duration. The generic running plan will have mostly easy and long runs, with hopefully some tempo and interval work included. However, these plans still don't really force you to use those fast-twitch fibers. Most training is designed to make sure you can handle the load for the duration of your event, so the plans focus on slow-twitch fibers.

But if you want be faster, you need those fast-twitch built up. There are many ways to do this, but cardiovascular training is where we focus. There are strength routines to help build your muscles so you can sustain the load and have that extra "umph" of power.

But why is speed work not speed development? Well, quite simply, speed work is running a certain pace for a set period of time. Yes, it can force you to improve your overall time, which does mean you are going to get faster. But that isn't speed development, that is just improving your overall time.

Speed development is all about being able to engage your fast-twitch fibers when you need them. It's also about having your body functions coordinating at all levels; metabolic, cardiovascular, mechanics, etc. This coordination conditions your body to be more efficient at higher levels of energy expenditure, which translates into great speed gains because you can now engage and sustain longer.

How to Build - Start with Your Core

If you are coming off injury or typically just run. bike or swim just for the sake of doing so, then you may be lacking the muscles you need to do the workouts for this. For example, tossing in hill work on your run or ride is huge, but you need strong glutes, lower back, hamstrings and quadriceps. Basically your high impact support muscles, or core, needs to be well built. If it's not, you are easily prone to injury and you MUST build them up FIRST!

As I have mentioned before, a simple way to build core that I use is NTC (Nike Training Club app) workouts. However, you can do whatever you prefer to build up your core. But once you have a good base, you are ready to start developing your speed.

Intermittent Intervals in Longer Workouts

One of the easiest methods to implement is adding burst intervals into your activities. For example, for a 2-hour bike ride, you might have a segment in the first 30-minutes where you do some very fast intervals of going at a certain power level, cadence or heart rate for short bursts, say 5 x 1-minute with some short rest between each interval. Then at 1 hour 45 minutes so that again. For an hour run or ride, you might do this once at the early part or latter part of your activity. I personally steer clear of pace-based anything, as I believe it restricts your potential, both physically and mentally. This is my opinion however, and many coaches, plans and books out there will focus on a pace.

However, you MUST switch this up. Don't always do your intervals at the beginning or just at the end. Yes, it's nice to build that kick in your run to cross that finish line looking like an Olympic sprinter, but we are working on building your speed, not just finishing strong.

The Hills Pay the Bills

Do you love running on that flat path with the pretty nature? Me too, but that isn't going to develop my speed. Just doing hill workouts isn't going to either, although it's going to make me one strong runner. Adding hills (up and down) into a longer duration workout is key. For example, you might do an hour run, where the "flats" you keep a consistent and relaxed speed, keep a consistent but fast pace downhill (I emphasize CONSISTENT because it really forces good muscle control and form), and then do gradual increase in speed for the uphill. As a note, I am not recommending doing super long hills in this scenario. Also, if you are in a hilly area with very steep grades, then you will need to adjust accordingly.

Other Information

I could write about this forever, and in a lot more detail. However, I like getting people interested in concepts. If you are looking for more specific workouts, Runner's World is always a good place to get some workout ideas, as is just going to a search engine and searching for Speed Development.

There aren't many new books I like, but some decent one I have used in the past are as follows:

• Developing Speed (Sport Performance Series)
• Developing the Core (Sport Performance Series)
• Runner's World The Cutting-Edge Runner: How to Use the Latest Science and Technology to Run Longer, Stronger, and Faster
• Explosive Running: Using the Science of Kinesiology to Improve Your Performance - Mostly have this book here because it has great dynamic warm-ups
• Runner's World The Runner's Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster

Half Marathon Training - Week 4

A much better week overall from the prior week. However, I still had house hunting and other things comes up, so I did miss a few workouts. Overall a great week for nutrition and exercise though. I even got in more stretching, which I feel is what allowed me to achieve my Saturday and Sunday workouts.

Swimming
I got in a swim this week, which felt amazing. I was extremely tight from strength training on Monday and I felt awesome afterwards. Thanks to this swim I had no trouble with my run.

Cycling
I was excited to finally get in a ride this week on the SRT. I did a run-bike brick and cycling really helped me loosen my left hip after my run. I hope to start getting more rides in, but I'll take what I can get for now.

Running
I got three of my five runs in this week. Although the two runs I missed were easy days, they are still important days and I hope to not miss any for this upcoming week. Overall, each run felt pretty good.

So far it's looking like my easy pace is around 9:30 minutes per mile and my tempo is around 8:30 minutes / mile. This is fine for now, but I am really hoping I can run my Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in September around an 8:30 minutes / mile pace. That would put me around a 1:51 half marathon time, which would be awesome, especially since my best HM is around 1:40.

Strength
I only got in one of my two strength sessions. I loved my Monday session even though the DOMS was extremely bad. As a matter of fact, it was so bad I was having trouble walking on Tuesday. Sadly, I didn't swim or do any stretches, which I think dramatically slowed recovery. Thankfully I did a swim on Wednesday though. I had no excuse for missing the other strength session, since it was a short benchmark test. I technically had three sessions, but the third was too intense to fit in with my running over the weekend, so I pushed it to the following Monday. This isn't so bad since it was scheduled for Sunday anyway.

Nutrition
Overall I did pretty well with my nutrition. I still snack way too much, but crazy schedules don't really seem to allow me to get any sort of schedule. I did not do as well as logging either. I kind of wish there was a way to have MFP remind me to enter everything each night. I know I can set regular phone reminders, but it's just one of those things I wish an app offered but doesn't. On a positive note, I have added a reminder for this, just not via the app.

Final Thoughts
I think this was a pretty good week considering all of the life stuff trying to get in the way. I have been getting myself more active as well. I hope to keep this progression and to always work towards more consistency. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Interim Plan: Week 1 - Complete

As I have noted before, I am in the process of selling my house and moving. So this past week and the next week are devoted strictly to that. I still have a workout plan, but I am not in any way trying to force myself to stick with it, because honestly, most of my days when I am not at work at spent from dusk until dawn doing moving stuff. At least I am getting some good strength building with this.

Swimming
I didn't get any swimming in, although there were some days I really wish I had the time. My muscles were achy all week.

Cycling
I was able to get a 30 min cadence ride in this week. I was even able to bump up another level of resistance for almost half of the ride. I am really excited for cycling training to start in 2 weeks.

Running
I was able to get an outside run in. I had the following goals: 1) Run outside 2) Run for 30 minutes without stopping 3) Start retraining myself to gauge cadence and pace. I achieved all of these. I learned that over 1.5 years without running outside, I have lost most of my ability to gauge cadence and pace outside. However, it was a good start and I am hoping for an improvement on my next run. Also, I had forgotten how hilly my route was, and for having run on treadmill at incline 0 for many months now, it was quite a shock to my legs. I maintained good form though and had no knee issues. My feet and legs were completely dead after the run though. Fortunately, I have been doing enough strength training and cardio that my recovery was almost 100% the next day.

Strength
I didn't get any formal sessions in this week. However, I have been lifting 100lb tanks, yard equipment, furniture, building stuff, and the list goes on for my move and home sale, so I got a lot of strength work in, even if it wasn't structured.

Nutrition
I did pretty well with nutrition this week. I did horrible logging it, but I maintained good eating habits and even lost some weight! I hope to continue this progress, but hopefully with being more consistent at logging my food.

Final Thoughts
Overall a very successful week, as I wasn't sure I would have any time to workout. Next week will be the same. I cannot wait for this to be over.

Building Plan: Week 20 Complete

This week concluded my building plan after I had gotten physical therapy for my stress fracture and knee injuries. My base level of strength, flexibility, mobility, and cardiovascular level are all at levels I am happy with. I had hoped for a little better, but I also did miss a lot of workouts due to the impending move. I got in two runs this week, and although I was dead after each, it felt good to exercise.

Swimming
Did not have a chance to even be near a pool. Hope this will change soon.

Cycling
As with swimming, I didn't really have a period of time where I was home long enough and not busy enough to hop on my trainer.

Running
I got in two runs! If it wasn't for the gym temperature, I am certain I could have completed both runs without stopping briefly to walk. My cadence was a little lower than I would like, but with the weather starting to warm up, I need to be outside and starting to work on hills. I will also continue to work on increasing my speed. With the soon shift from treadmill to outside, I am expecting my runs to be much more difficult.

I have found that the treadmill does an amazing job at helping with kick-back, so my form and pace have been pretty solid. I am hoping that I have enough cardiovascular endurance and strength to handle the outside SPM and pace.

Strength
I didn't get any strength sessions in, but I was lifting over 1000 lbs each day, Thursday through Sunday, because of getting ready to move. I am so sore right now.

Nutrition
Eating healthier and better was the theme of this week. I had moderate success and lost a little over a pound thanks to it. I will be trying to keep this going.

Final Thoughts
As I mentioned, this was my last week of my building plan. Since I don't see myself having much time the next two weeks to workout much due to the move, I will just exercise when I feel I have enough energy and won't injure myself. I cannot wait to start cycling training, which is up next after this 2 week taper!!

Running Cadence - The Basics

During my recent physical therapy in recovery from some foot and knee issues, I was able to get a full running analysis done. I had this done because my form has dramatically changed from my sprinting days in high school and college, and then again from my mid-distance running after college. It turns out that although I was not over-striding, I was landing solidly on my heel and not rolling my foot through to the toe. Therefore, I was having extremely heavy impact on my knees, with no real support from the surrounding muscles. I had some other issues too, but those were not related my running form. So, my PT prescribed that I do cadence training. Now, I haven't done cadence or stride training since high school. I therefore had to ask my PT for an initial training plan and also needed to do some research to refresh myself on cadence training. Since I had to do that, I figured I would share the basics.

What is Running Cadence?

Simply put, running cadence is the number of time your feet hit the ground in a given period of time, usually over 60 seconds.

You might also hear the term "turnover" used as well. However, it should be made clear that turnover is defined as how quickly your leg goes from the foot strike position back to the kick position, and then back to the foot strike position.

Determine Your Running Cadence

If you don't have a device that can determine your cadence, either film yourself or have someone else count how many times your feet hit the ground over 60 seconds. Personally, I use my Garmin HRM-Run to get my cadence. I have tested about 15 times now with the HRM vs. manually counting and they are the same each time.

As a note, some devices count only single foot strike, especially when using a foot pod. My Garmin counts both feet, which I highly recommend and is more accurate. I won't go into detail, but depending on muscle balance and many other things, there could be a large difference between the 2 legs or feet, which could cause a mess of other issues.

What Should Your Cadence Be?

Most elite runners are tracked as running with a cadence around 180 SPM, steps per minute, or higher. Some of the fastest runners set themselves apart by being able to keep the same stride length for their final kick, but dramatically increase their cadence.

However, from generally reported and tracked stats across most websites, the typical running is around 160-170 SPM.

I recommend being closer to 180 SPM due to the benefits, which I'll explain in the next section. But to be honest, it's more important to be consistent. Whatever your cadence is, you should have that cadence consistent for your run, not just have it as the average. For example, if your average cadence is 170, but you fluctuate between 160 and 180 on a relatively flat course or treadmill, you are opening yourself up to injury and probably have some sort of running form issue.

I will argue that your cadence should be the same regardless if you are on a flat, going uphill, or going downhill. Your stride length will be different for sure, and your pace will vary, but your cadence should be fairly unchanged. Also, your cadence should be the same regardless of the distance you are running.

Benefits of Improved Cadence

When it comes to running, and most sports in general, how well you do usually is a matter of how efficient you are at what you do. Cadence falls into this concept of efficiency. A consistent and improved cadence usually translates to a faster run times, less impact on joints, and more consistent paces. This makes your training more effective and you less injury-prone.

Final Thoughts

Cadence isn't the end-all-be-all. You need to make sure you have proper form when you make ground contact, that your turnover and kick-back are following correct form, that you aren't over-extending or over-striding, and that you aren't pushing yourself passed your heart rate limits or lung capacity. Just remember though that how your foot strikes, forefoot, mid, or heel, doesn't matter! As long as you are consistent and that particular form is not negatively affecting your body, you are good to go. As a personal example, I am trying to get back to forefoot and mid-foot striking; this is due to my bad knees though and needing my muscles to handle the brunt of my impact, not my joints. Happy running!

Building Plan: Week 4 Complete

What a week! Had to be at the hospital a bunch for my cat, so I missed some workouts. However, I got most of my other planned workouts in. I even got myself back in the pool! My eating suffered a lot though.

Strength
I only got in 1 full strength session. I got a partial session in as well, but it was more stretching than anything, as I was completely wrecked from my Thursday cadence run. It was my first real attempt at my Week 3/4 cadence plan. I definitely went too fast on the treadmill. But I'll get into this shortly. Anyway, my strength session was a monster! I had a faster-than-usual warm-up run, so I started my strength session at a fairly elevated heart rate. This session was also continuous sets-focused, so my heart rate stayed rather elevated, with points where I was hitting close to max HR. I had to lay down and foam roll for a good 10 minutes after. Sadly, this was my only real strength workout, which I am extremely disappointed about, as my main focus is improving my strength. This will not happen again!

Running
So, my first attempt at the Cadence Week 3/4 plan was the day after my above strength session. My legs were not fully recovered from that session, but I did the run anyway. I set a whole bunch of PR's, but almost passed out after my run from pushing myself to the absolute max. Happily though, I am pushing myself to my limits, but not going over. I need to keep being vigilant of my form, as I will easily get injured at this level of training. I did my second run over the weekend, on Sunday instead of Saturday. Although I was exhausted, it went much better than my prior run. I was able to maintain a higher belt speed for all 3 intervals while maintaining close to my goal cadence. However, my HR is still way too high and my average cadence is not at 180 yet. Therefore, I will be continuing my Week 3/4 cadence running into Week 5. I could technically move to Week 4/5, but I am not trying to build as quickly as possible...I am trying to make major gains that will stick.

Cycling
I had a nice leg-loosening session the day after my first run. It was pure awfulness, but I felt so much better later that day and especially the following day. I am making it my mission that I never miss some sort of shake-out workout after an intense workout day because this will promote faster healing and recovery. Sadly, I did not get in my long trainer ride.

Swimming
I finally got in the pool. I did this after my 2nd run session, which was Sunday. I swam 800 yards...which felt like 10 miles and I thought I was in the pool for a couple hours. I did 100 WU, 3 x 200, then 100 CD. I needed a full 60 seconds rest between each set. I honestly can't remember the last time I swam and it felt that tough for swimming so little. But guess what? I felt amazing when I got home and today I feel almost 100%. I cannot emphasize how much proper cross training is helping me.

Final Thoughts
I am going to keep trying to be more consistent with my workout volume. I altered my plan a little to be more realistic with my schedule. I am hoping I will be able to succeed more now. I don't think I need another 3 run sessions of the Week 3/4 Cadence plan, but I am going to get them done for good measure. As a note, I am down to a 6:08 mile now!!!!! With my walks between intervals, I am also at a 22:07 5k as well. However, I am not really counting this 5k pace until I can do a 5k with no stops.

My eating is still amazingly awful and I have not only regained all of my lost weight, but I am up a couple pounds again. I am not too worried about it though, as this is still not my major focus yet. Hope everyone is working hard with their goals!

Improving Your Running Speed

What is the best way to become a faster runner? Well, run faster of course. From a very generic standpoint, it actually is that simple. If all you did was keep trying to improve your time for a specific distance, you will start getting faster. However, there is usually a plateau point or a point that the gains are so minimal, they don't really seem to exist. Therefore, you will need to put a little more into this effort.

Intervals

Interval training basically handles it all. I will touch on some other stuff later, but it plays such a small role it's not even worth mentioning before I explain intervals. To start, you will want to incorporate 2 interval runs into your weekly running routine. You can decide when to do this, but I recommend not the day before or after your long run.

The purpose of intervals is to run shorter distances at a faster pace. For example, if you only run 5k races, then your interval sessions will probably only total a couple miles. So, you may run a bunch of 200m sprints, with 50m recovery walks or jogs in between each sprint. If your current 5k race pace is 10 min/mile, then you will probably try and shoot for your 200m time to be in line with maybe an 8:30- 9 min pace. You can of course go as fast as your body will let you without getting hurt, but I am trying to be conservative here. So, this 9 min pace turns out to be about a 1 min 8 second 200m sprint (200m is 1/8 of a lap at a track, 400m is a lap or a quarter of a mile).

On your other interval day you may want to do a mix of 200, 400, and 800m sprints, with maybe 50, 100, and 400m recovery walks or jogs. Then, after doing this consistently for a while, you will start noticing your mile time drop significantly. The change doesn't happen over night, but most people start seeing noticeable changes in speed within 4-6 weeks after incorporating the intervals into their current schedule.

You still need to do your pace runs and long runs, so you will have to fit the intervals into that mix.

Weight

Weight is an awkward variable that doesn't really play a lot in your speed unless you are already getting into the professional level or you are starting from scratch and are overweight. If you are conditioned to run a certain pace at your current weight, and shave off a significant amount of weight, you should naturally become faster, because you have less weight you are carrying. For example, a 300lb person running a 12 min mile could potentially see their mile time drop to 10 min if they dropped to the low to mid 200's. However, this assumes all other things stay constant; which is almost never the case.

Slow vs. Fast Twitch Muscles

Let's face it, some people were designed to be short distance runners, and others long distance runners. Speed for these 2 types of runners depend on different things; fast twitch and slow twitch. The goods news is that the body is usually pretty balanced on slow and fast twitch muscles. This means most people are capable of sprinting a short distance at a pretty fast pace for a short period of time; and likewise, can run a much longer distance at a much slower pace for a much longer duration. Slow twitch muscles are more geared toward endurance, as they fire slower, thus allowing better use of oxygen consumption. The key here is your fast twitch fibers.

There are two types of fast twitch, Type IIa and Type IIb. The key to improving speed revolves mainly around the Type IIa, which combines the use of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. You can pretty much call this a sort of hybrid twitch fiber, as it's basically a mix of slow and fast twitch.

Performing intervals for a cumulatively longer distance allows you to improve the efficiency of these fibers. Therefore, as you improve, they are more efficient at fuel consumption, thus allowing you to run at a faster pace for a longer distance.

Summary

There is a lot more to running fast. But this hopefully wets your whistle and gets you interested. There is a lot of science and many more details behind each thing I mentioned above, so feel free to learn more. Have fun, run safe, and speed things up!

Half Marathon Training Plan - Speed Training

So, I take no credit for the overall plan I am going to follow. Runner's World gets all of the credit, it was page 89 from an issue I can't even remember at this point. They know what they are talking about. So, last year for the Philly Half Marathon I started off around 8:15 per mile, which is exactly where I wanted to be THEN. However, not knowing that I needed orthotics at the time, my knees exploded and I collapsed 3 times during the race, barely having the energy to finish, but I did. But who cares, that was last year. It is now this year and the race is 12 weeks out. So, here is my plan, and for anyone who wants to get other training plans more geared to them, head over to Runner's World and get them; they are a pretty good price for the results you get.

I am not posting cooldowns between intervals, as this is supposed to be more of a summary, not a blow-by-blow. I was going to be even more general, but figured that wouldn't be as helpful.

The training plan I am following is a 9 week plan, with Week 9 as the taper week. For anyone who is not familiar with "taper", it basically is the winding down of your training so you are in peak shape for your race. Tapering should always be done the week leading up to your race. Training up until race day will only get you injured...I am proof of that.

Also, as I said, the race is 12 weeks out, and I have a 9 week training schedule. For training plans, I would usually just repeat week 6 and/or 7 depending on how many weeks I needed to fill in. However, I am doing an advanced training plan which is extremely tough...especially for me. Therefore I am taking then next two weeks to ease into the training.

Current Week - Week 1 (6/27-6/30)

Monday and Tuesday I took off. Wednesday I did a 5k run to start breaking in my new running shoes. Only a few days left this week, so the plan is fairly simple, especially since I am coming off a triathlon last weekend. I did a ridiculous Spin Fusion class today (Thursday), and am completely exhausted so that will be all for today. Friday I will doing a 4 mile run to continue breaking in my new running shoes. Saturday I am hoping to bike hills for about two hours, but if the weather is bad, then I'll probably do a 6-8 mile treadmill run at 1.0 incline (old shoes). Sunday I am shooting for an 8-10 mile run (old shoes).

Week 2 (7/1-7/7)

This is another build-up week. So Monday I'll probably swim and do core strength training. Tuesday I'll try to get to the track to get some 800m intervals in(new shoes). Weather report still looks bad, so worse case is I'll be running inside a lot. Wednesday will be some sort of paced 4+ mile run and hopefully some leg strength training. Thursday I am definitely doing the spin class again if it's offered. If not, I'll probably do some 400m and 800m intervals at the track. Friday will be more intervals or spin class if it isn't on Thursday, and Saturday and Sunday will be the same as Week 1, except longer distance.

Week 3 (7/8-7/14)

This is the final build-up week. I will at this point be using my new shoes for all of my runs. Monday will be swimming and leg strength training again. Tuesday will be 400m and 800m intervals, Wednesday 4+ miles hills, Thursday more intervals, Friday 4+ miles hills or swim and leg strength, Saturday will be an hour bike followed by 8-10 mile run, and then Sunday will be a 12 mile run.

Week 4 (Technically Week 1 of training plan) (7/15-7/21)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 4x1600,5x200
Wednesday	4 miles
Thursday	Intervals 3 miles Pace,2x800,4x100
Friday	4 miles
Saturday	6 miles, 4x100 Sprints
Sunday	13 miles

Week 5 (7/22-7/28)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 4x1600,5x200
Wednesday	4 miles
Thursday	Intervals 3 miles Pace,2x800,4x100
Friday	4 miles
Saturday	6 miles, 4x100 Sprints
Sunday	14 miles, final 15 min at race pace

Week 6 (7/29-8/4)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 2x(400,1200,2000)
Wednesday	4 miles, 6x100m sprints
Thursday	4 miles - Pace
Friday	Rest
Saturday	5k Race
Sunday	10 miles

Week 7 (8/5-8/11)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 3x2400
Wednesday	4 miles
Thursday	Intervals 6 miles, 3 min @ faster than race pace then 1 min jog alternate
Friday	3 miles Easy
Saturday	6 miles, 6x100 Sprints
Sunday	15 miles, miles 5-8 at race pace

Week 8 (8/12-8/18)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 2x(400,1200,2400)
Wednesday	4 miles
Thursday	Intervals 6 miles, 3 min @ faster than race pace then 1 min jog alternate
Friday	3 miles Easy
Saturday	6 miles, 6x100 Sprints
Sunday	16 miles, miles 5-10 10k pace 1 min, light jog 1 min alternate

Week 9 (8/19-8/25)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 4x1200,6x200
Wednesday	4 miles
Thursday	Intervals 2x(400,800,400)
Friday	Rest
Saturday	10k Race
Sunday	12 miles

Week 10 (8/26-9/1)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 2x(400,1200,3200)
Wednesday	3 miles - Pace
Thursday	6 miles - Pace
Friday	Rest
Saturday	6 miles, 6x100 Sprints
Sunday	17 miles, miles 5-10 at race pace

Week 11 (9/2-9/8)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 2x1600,6x200,2x1200
Wednesday	3 miles - Pace
Thursday	7 miles - Pace
Friday	Rest
Saturday	6 miles, 6x100 Sprints
Sunday	10 miles

Week 12 - TAPER (9/9-9/15)

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Intervals 6x400
Wednesday	3 miles - Pace
Thursday	Intervals 2x400,2x200
Friday	Rest
Saturday	3 miles Easy
Sunday	RACE DAY!!!!!!