Wildcard Run (HILL hath no fury-Stanyan Street Hill Repeats, 3.5-4ish miles)-03/28/19

Hills. Love them or hate them, running in San Francisco we can’t avoid them. The great news – running hills builds strength, improves speed, and develops mental fortitude, aka what I like to call GRIT.

Tonight’s workout is accessible for runners of all levels. After a 2 mile warm-up, we’ll do hill repeats at Stanyan Street, running from its base at Fell St up to Fulton St and returning to Stanyan. Coach Toby will provide guidance before the run on how to best execute the workout.

Workout:
-2M warm up
-.2M hill repeats
-1/2M cool down run back to Kezar

Route: Please review!

2M warm up:

https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2262804211

Stanyan Street hill repeats:

https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2262810670

Warm up & cool down:

-Exiting the stadium’s west gate, we’ll turn right and run as a group to the Panhandle on the paved sidewalk path that runs along the right side of Kezar Drive. This will take us to Stanyan and Oak streets.
-Cross Stanyan Street then make a left to get onto the Panhandle. We’ll do a clockwise loop from here, running along the paved Panhandle path in a clockwise direction.
-Running along the Fell Street side, cross Masonic Ave, continue to the end of the Panhandle, making a right on Bake Street. Right on Oak Street, back to Stanyan Street.
-After completing the loop, make a right and proceed to the corner of Fell and Stanyan Streets. This will be the starting location for the hill repeats. After the workout, we will return to the stadium the way we came.

Wildcard Run (3.5 mile Fartlek Workout)-03/21/19

Tonight we will be doing a fartlek run. Fartlek (a Swedish word for speed play) workouts are really quite simple. After an easy-pace warm-up, you’ll ease into a pattern of alternating between a normal running pace and a faster pace for a prescribed amount of time or distance.

I’ll provide a short fartlek running primer and will also review the route prior to the workout. The route will also be marked with chalk. No headlamps will be needed tonight, but do continue to wear bright and reflective clothing if at all possible. Looking forward to enjoying the park with you!

Workout:

- 1-mile warm-up
- 2-mile fartlek (60-90 seconds fast, 60-90 seconds easy/recovery)
- Cool down run back to Kezar Stadium
(Approximately 3.5 miles total)

Tonight’s route. Please review...

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2106032191

Thursday Night Wildcard Run (The Sunset Secret Step Stair Circuit, 3-4 miles)-03/14/19

From Coach Toby......

Stair workouts. I often refer to them as a runner’s “secret weapon.” Powering up steps strengthens our core, legs and hips. Stronger muscles let us run faster, and set us up to successfully run farther and longer on flats and hills alike. For the cardio hungry runner, stair workouts are also a must.

After a 10-minute warm up at Kezar Stadium, we’ll do an easy run over to the Sunset District’s Hidden Garden Steps (location: 16th Ave and Kirkham St) for our stair workout.

After we are done, we’ll cool down retracing our steps back to Kezar Stadium. Join me, Matt and the rest of the team for post run bites and drinks.

https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2304607870

Directions:

-Exit Kezar Stadium and turn left
-Cross Frederick Street and turn right
-Frederick Street turns into Lincoln Way
-Left onto 8th Avenue
-Right onto Kirkham Street
-Stop at 16th Avenue and Kirkham at the base of the Hidden Garden Tiled Steps.

-The steps circuit begins here. Head up the steps.
-At the top, make a left onto Lawton Street. Run along the sidewalk approximately one block to 15th Avenue.
-Turn left, heading down the steps back to Kirkham Street.
-At the bottom of steps, make a left onto Kirkham Street and head back to 16th Avenue along the sidewalk. Repeat 3-5x.

Wildcard Run (Hill hath no fury-4 mile progressive hill workout)-03/07/19

From Coach Toby:

This is an excellent workout for runners of all abilities and will help notch up your overall endurance and strength. For those new to running the hills of San Francisco, this will provide a nice place to start. 

Each of the first three miles will progressively include more incline and climbing. 

Mile 1 – flat, then a gradual climb - 100 ft elevation gain
Mile 2 – the gradual climb continues then becomes a little more challenging – 150 ft elevation gain
Mile 3 – save some gas for this one – 200 ft elevation gain. Your reward: enjoy the amazing views from atop Tank Hill
Mile 4 – This recovery mile is mostly downhill. Enjoy.

This four miler includes park, city streets, and a very short trail diversion at Tank Hill to capture a nighttime panoramic view of the city.  Headlamps recommended.  

Directions. Please review the route map:

Route: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2287961389

-Exiting Kezar Stadium’s west entrance, turn right and cross Kezar Drive at the traffic light at MLK Jr. Drive into Golden Gate Park. 
-Stay on the paved sidewalk on the right. MLK will intersect with Bowling Green Drive just shortly after we enter the park. 
-Cross Bowling Green and turn left to stay on MLK. Continue on the right-side paved path on MLK for less than a ¼ mile to 7th Ave. 
-Turn left onto 7th Avenue. You’ll be exiting the park here, crossing over Lincoln Blvd and continuing straight on 7th Avenue
-Turn left onto Clarendon Avenue (traffic light, busy intersection!)
-Stay on the sidewalk on the left side of Clarendon
-Steady climb all the way to Tank Hill. 
-Turn left onto steps up to Tank Hill. Take the dirt trail to the top. Enjoy the view and let’s get a team pic if we can!
-Return back down onto Clarendon. Clarendon will turn into Twin Peaks Blvd. 
-Turn left onto Clayton St
-Turn left onto Frederick St
-Turn right onto Arguello Blvd (after passing Kezar Stadium) to get back to Kezar’s west entrance/our start.
-Done. Nice job!