SRR Track
You must be a SRR member to participate in the workouts regularly but if you are considering track/SRR and would like to check us out, you are welcome to come to a session as a guest.
During the spring, summer, and fall (March - November), we meet at the Tufts outdoor track (the “Ellis Oval”) on Tuesday evenings. at 7:00 PM
During the Winter Session (December - February) we meet at The MIT Indoor Track, located inside the Zesiger Center Building on the 3rd floor. Just enter the building (no earlier than 7:00) and tell the attendant at the main desk that you are with the Somerville Road Runners for the track workout. They will allow you past the desk. From there you go up the steps to the 3rd floor. We meet at the far end of the track from the door. There is a bathroom on the way up the stairs, next to the area that overlooks the pool.
Please contact Coach Joe O'Leary if you have any questions about track workouts.
Pace chart is located here. Look up your 5k race time or pace on the far right and you can see your complete list of recommended paces
About our pace terminology:
We use the pacing system designed by legendary coach Jack Daniels. It assigns each runner 3 sets of paces corresponding to a desired intensity. The paces are:
THRESHOLD - About your one-hour race pace
INTERVAL - VO2 max pace. About the pace you could hold in a race that lasts 10-15 minutes
REPEAT - About the pace you could in a race lasting 3-4 minutes
You can determine your pace set using one of the many online calculators. For example, go here and enter a known race distance and time. Then click on the “Training” tab below to see your paces. (I suggest ignoring the “Easy” tab. We don’t use it in workouts and frankly, I find it faster than I like to run on most days)
Tuesday, April 1 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
The “Deek” workout.
This workout is basically a 5k Pace session. It is one continuous run in which you alternate the pace between your 5K race pace (for 400 meters) and your “float” pace (for 200 meters). Just keep running, all in lane 1 (unless passing) and keep alternating the pace.
“Float” pace is basically an easy, recovery-day training pace. Not a warmup jog, not a shuffle, but relaxed and easy.
The total volume to do is up to you. You can think of this either in terms of total distance or mentally break it up into “blocks” of 400 fast/200 float
4800 meters (8 blocks)
5400 meters (9 blocks)
6000 meters (10 blocks).
Tuesday, April 8 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
Step-Down Miles
Start out this workout like a normal, Cruise-Interval workout; Run 1 mile at THRESHOLD and take a 1 minute rest.
But the next mile you should run 10 seconds faster than THRESHOLD pace. As a reward, you get an extra 30 seconds rest (so 1:30)
The next mile should be run 20 seconds faster than THRESHOLD.
At this point you can consider yourself done. This is not an easy workout. But if you are one those people who just cannot get enough and really want a challenge, take 2:00 rest and try one more, mile, 30 seconds faster than threshold.
Tuesday, April 15 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
The “Lou Ristaino” workout
To me this is the perfect workout to do a week before a marathon. Those of us who are not running a marathon at the end of the week can add on a bit if we want
The “Lou” is a continuous run of 4800 meters (6 x 800) in which you increase the pace every 800 meters. Run the first 800 right at your goal marathon pace. Then run the next 800 four seconds faster than the previous (four seconds total so 2 seconds faster per lap). Each successive 800 will be four seconds faster than the previous one. By the end you will likely be going faster than your threshold pace. But it should be manageable.
At this point, Boston Marathoners are done. Actually anyone who feels that was enough workout is done. But if you want more, take an easy, 800 meter jog around the outer lanes and then add on 2 x 800 at INTERVAL pace with an easy 1 lap jog between.
Tuesday, April 22 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
Descending Ladder . Details TBD
Tuesday, April 29 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
A: 5 x 1000 at INTERVAL with 2:30 rest
B: 2 x 1000 at INTERVAL with 3:00 rest
3 x 800 at INTERVAL with 2:30 restC, D 6 x 800 at INTERVAL with 3:00 rest
E, F: 7 x 600 at INTERVAL with 2:30 rest
Tuesday, May 6- 7:00 PM at Tufts
Mix of INTERVAL and REPEAT. The recovery after each interval is a one lap jog unless the rep you just did was only 200 meters, in which case the recovery is a 200 meter jog
A & B:
800 at INTERVAL
400 at REPEAT
5 x 200 at REPEAT
400 at REPEAT
800 at INTERVAL
C & D:
800 at INTERVAL
400 at REPEAT
5 x 200 at REPEAT
2 x 600 at INTERVAL
E & F:
600 at INTERVAL
6 x 200 at REPEAT
2 x 600 at INTERVAL
Tuesday, May 13- 7:00 PM at Tufts
Groups A, B: 8 x 400 at REPEAT (400 jog recovery - but make it an 800 jog after rep #4)
Groups C, D: 5 x 300 at REPEAT (500 jog but an 900 jog after #4). Then 6 x 200 at REPEAT (200 jog).
Groups E, F: 10 x 200 at REPEAT (200 jog, but make that a 600 jog after #5
Tuesday May 20 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
Packard Ave Hills
Tuesday, May 27- 7:00 PM at Tufts
Deek Workout. 4800, 5400 or 6000 meters continuous alternating the pace between 5k Race pace (for 400 meters) and “float” pace (for 200 meters).
Tuesday, June 3 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
(My apologies to anyone who read this page between Monday afternoon June 2 and Tuesday morning. I made a mistake as to the schedule of the running injury prevention clinic. SRR does have a run clinic but it will be on June 17th, not this week. I sincerely hope I do not cause anyone to show up early in error.)
You have your choice of workouts tonight. Either Cruise Intervals or a miler’s-oriented workout
Cruise Intervals are 1600s at THRESHOLD intensity with a 1:00 rest
The miler’s oriented workout has changed from what I had here before. Now it is going to be a repeat of what we did on May 13
Groups A, B: 8 x 400 at REPEAT (400 jog recovery - but make it an 800 jog after rep #4)
Groups C, D: 5 x 300 at REPEAT (500 jog but an 900 jog after #4). Then 6 x 200 at REPEAT (200 jog).
Groups E, F: 10 x 200 at REPEAT (200 jog, but make that a 600 jog after #5
Tuesday June 3 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
TBD
Tuesday, June 10 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
TBD
Tuesday, June 17 - 7:00 PM at Tufts
Track PR Night And Runnning Clinic