Wildcard Run (3ish mile Progression Run)-02/21/2019

We’ll ease into the season with a very simple and fun wildcard run. As with all of the wildcard workouts, runners of all levels can enjoy and benefit from tonight’s offering.

Progression runs employ the simple concept of gradually increasing our pace during a workout. There are many different flavors of the progression run. Tonight we’ll do one called “thirds”.

As its namesake points to, we’ll break up the run into three equal segments, each approximately 1-mile in length. You’ll run the first at a slow/easy pace, steadily increase to your normal running pace for the second, and then gently “shift up a gear” to your 5K or 10K race pace for the last.

Don’t worry if you don’t know or don’t have a 5K or 10K race pace. That’s not important. You can also simply go by your perceived effort – from easy, to moderate, to hard.

Why do this kind of workout? Progression runs are a great way for beginners to develop stamina and strength. By training our bodies to run faster in the latter parts of a run, they can also help produce big payouts for all runners on race day.

Workout:

PROGRESSION RUN (THIRDS):

After a 10 minute warm up, runners will do 3 approximately one-mile loop repeats - first mile slow, second mile normal, third mile “comfortable hard”, with a cool down run back to Kezar stadium (location: Panhandle)

Warm up/Cool down (approximately ½ mile each way):

https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2405335045

Progression Run Loop (to be completed three times. Each loop is .91 miles length):

https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2405339311


Directions:

-After a short warm-up session at the stadium, we will run as a group from the stadium to the Panhandle on the paved sidewalk that runs along the right side of Kezar Drive.
-This will take us to Stanyan and Oak. Cross Stanyan and then Oak to get onto the Panhandle. Run forward along the Panhandle paved path to the start of the loop. Look for chalk markings on the ground.
-Loop directions are simple. Run along the paved Panhandle footpath in a clockwise direction.
-Fell Street to Masonic. Right on Masonic. Right on Oak. Back to Stanyan. Repeat 3x.