It’s leg day!!! And what’s leg day without speed work?
Have you been getting it done? Or pretending it’s not important? Time to suck it up…get out there and prove to yourself that you CAN handle the speed work!
Day 14 exercises:
- Balance and Reach – 20X each leg
- Squats – (50X)
- Mountain Climbers – 50X
- Plank Up and Downs – :45
Bonus: #SpeedWork
That’s right y’all…no getting around it today. Bonus = Speed. Suck it up and throw in some speed! There’s lots of options for speed work and I will let you pick your distance and pace. You can run intervals like 200M, 400M, 800M or even mile repeats….or you can do fartleks or a tempo run. Whatever you decide, remember to take breaks in between sets and always do a warm up and cool down!
I’m not sure if we’ve covered Tempo Runs before so here’s some guidelines…
Tempo Run: A tempo run is a faster-paced workout also known as a lactate-threshold (LT), Aerobic-threshold (AT), or threshold run. Tempo pace is often described as “comfortably hard.” Tempo running improves a crucial physiological variable for running success: our metabolic fitness.
Why Tempo Runs Work: By increasing your LT (lactic- threshold), or the point at which the body fatigues at a certain pace. During tempo runs, lactate and hydrogen ions—by-products of metabolism—are released into the muscles. The ions make the muscles acidic, eventually leading to fatigue. The better trained you become, the higher you push your “threshold,” meaning your muscles become better at using these by-products. The result is less-acidic muscles (that is, muscles that haven’t reached their new “threshold”), so they keep on contracting, letting you run farther and faster.
Find the Right Tempo: To ensure you’re doing tempo workouts at the right pace, use one of these four methods to gauge your intensity.
- Recent Race: Add 30 to 40 seconds to your current 5K pace or 15 to 20 seconds to your 10K pace.
- Heart Rate: 85 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate.
- Perceived Exertion: An 8 on a 1-to-10 scale (a comfortable effort would be a 5; racing would be close to a 10).
- Talk Test: A question like “Pace okay?” should be possible, but conversation won’t be.
The one real requirement of tempo running is that you stick to a steady, specific, planned pace. Beyond that you have many options. If you’re still unsure…think of your tempo run this way, “Tempo run: Running to the beat of your favorite song .”
Still confused or just want to know more? Check out these articles from Runner’s World and Competitor.com:
Thigh Challenge: Day 14
- 25 Fire Hydrants
- 60 Scissor Kicks
- 40 Inner Thigh Leg Lifts
Food Challenge: I will be the first to admit that these past few days killed my “healthy eating commitment.” I threw caution out the window and just ate what I wanted…and I am feeling it. Time to get back on the wagon and start making good choices again….starting now.
Have you kept up with your commitment to eating healthy? If so…YAY! If not…let’s recommit together today.
Absorb it all then get to work and let’s have a terrific Tuesday Core Crew! 🙂
Being inspiring at 3:30am doesn’t come easy…especially when you’ve got to get out the door for a 15 mile run. But here goes.
Leg day!!! Go hard today Core Crew! If you can walk without moaning a little…you aren’t working hard enough!
tackle our leg day exercises.
No matter where you are in your running journey…if you’ve just started…or maybe you’ve been running for years, if you’re injured and on the sidelines…or are heading out to clear your mind and work up a sweat…remember how lucky you are to have the ability to run.
Our brain is the boss. It orders the body what to do and what not to do. If we can find a way to coax the brain out of cowering in the face of stress, our bodies will follow.
Hey Core Crew! How is everyone feeling today? I bet we’ve got some sore arms and abs after the killer workouts I’ve seen this week!
Bonus: #GotStairs? 
Strong to the Core 