Weekend Workouts - March 16th and 17th

Amazing weekend planned for everyone this weekend.  Weather is cooperative so get out and enjoy the sun too.  There is still time to register for our M2 .5 Fe Training Day Saturday.  Don't go party too hard for St. Patrick's Day as we have some fun on the Polo Fields planned to get people ready in their aero bars Sunday.

Saturday - M2 .5 Fe Training Day

Great prep for Oceanside, Wildflower or mid-season IM's!

Starting at Aquatic Park, we'll swim one or two laps, or as much as you are comfortable with.  Your bikes will be safe under the watchful eye of our volunteers.  From AP, we'll ride over the bridge to the end of Bolinas Lagoon and back on Highway 1.  T2 is located in the security of the M2 Studio.  Changing into your run gear, the run takes you along the waterfront to Lyon Street Stairs, back down through the Presidio, up again along the Ecology Trail, then returning to the Studio along Chrissy Field and Marina Green.  

Cytomax and Muscle Milk will be on hand providing fueling and recovery options!

Sunday - Polo Fields TT Practice

With some tired legs from Saturday, or fresh legs looking for a hard workout, head over to the Polo Fields to practice riding in your aero bars, or TT bike before your next race.  This offers a safe environment to play around with your positioning for the fastest, and most comfortable options.  Uber biker Chris Phipps will be on hand to offer advice and show off what the aggressive TT position would be.  Yes, he is tied for the Strava KOM for the Polo Fields as well.
  

Participating in M2 Group Events

M2 Group Training members are of course welcome for all rides/runs and events.  Gold Pass members who wish to join in on weekend rides and runs can upgrade their pass $25/month each.  10-15 pass members can use a class pass to attend either.  Please email deacon42@gmail.com or mccormack.m@comcast.net for details.

Weekend Workouts!

Looks like another dry weekend ahead so plan on some fun up in Marin for a good ride and some fun in Golden Gate Park for our run.  Definitely a day for layers for the ride as it will be chilly to start, and get to 50 for the high.

Saturday Ride - McInnis Park, San Rafael - 9:00 am

Starting from McInnis Park (directions here). Looking forward to another early season fitness-building January ride.  M2 will be doing the shorter route on account of baseball tryouts at noon.

General effort for all riders is steady-moderate.  Hills can see a bit of an edge - pace-line pulls see an obvious edge to the effort, but not crazy disproportionate.  All riders should look to return through Nicasio-Lucas Valley Road at the same pace/watts as when they set out - proper pacing.

We have a lot of newer riders who we want to get up to speed with proper group riding dynamics, the purpose of which is safety and a generally enhanced ride experience.  Hence, a quick review of some ride notes that are outlined in Pacelining/Group Riding 101 sheet sent earlier and linked here.

*  When the group resumes pedaling after a stop sign, traffic light, pit stop, etc., PAY attention and quickly fall into line or else you will lose the group.  We want our rides to flow - very simple.

*  If it is your turn at the front of the pace-line, ride steady without suddenly stomping on the pedals, slamming away on hills, or conversely coasting on gentle downhills.  

*  When you are done with your pull, check for traffic, pedal to the side and then ease up, as opposed to suddenly stopping pedaling and only then pulling off to the side which causes everyone behind you to suddenly brake.  

*  Attention to these pointers and the Pace-lining 101 bullets (please review) will make it much easier to integrate into a ride group.  Riders who are not so strong can find themselves riding and learning alongside stronger cyclists by becoming comfortable with sitting in a group.

Where we are early into the season project, my group will do brief re-groups in Nicasio and Pt. Reyes Station. 

Skills Clinics
Brett and I will be doing another couple of clinics in coming weeks where we have a smaller group and practice many of the things described in the Pace-lining article.  Highly recommended for newer riders and those who are graduating from tri-club rides.

Participating in M2 Group Rides
M2 Group Training members are of course welcome for all rides/runs and events.  Gold Pass members who wish to join in on weekend rides can upgrade their pass $25/month.  10-15 pass members can use a class pass for a ride.  This weekend everyone is invited.
McInnis Park - Hwy 1 - Marshall - Cheese Factory: 63 Miles - 4 Hours
(Maps are generated with Kilometers)

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McInnis - Olema - Point Reyes - Nicasio: 46 Miles - 3 hours
(Maps are generated with Kilometers)

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Sunday Run - Golden Gate Park, Buffalo Paddock - 9:30

Heading towards the beach along JFK, we'll be going counter clockwise around the park using mostly trails.  We will have 2 workouts going again today.  The main workout will be a tour of Golden Gate Park with the map below.  Ending at the Polo fields at 6.5 miles, we will do some threshold work, running 2-4 loops on the dirt.  Each lap is 3/4 of a mile.

For those wanting to set a good benchmark this weekend, our own Mike Vulanich is heading up a group to set a 5k TT mark.  They will join the main group for a 2 mile warmup, then head to the Polo Fields for their Time Trial and cool-down.

Golden Gate Park Map: 6.75 + Polo Fields Loops - 90 Minutes

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Running/Track Questions for M2

Some questions came up during our run this past weekend which are great ones to answer for anyone wanting to take the steps to work on speed.

M2's Training Group had a great run through Golden Gate Park, with a mini track session built into it at mile 6 to help improve people's turnover.  Some in the group weren't familiar with how a track session should work so some basics had to be laid out.

Track Sessions:

- The common start is the corner of the track where nearly all events start.  It is best to start workout there because there is a specific start/stop point.  Many times athletes when given a vague start/stop will take a little leigh-way and not do the entire effort.  A specific point does wonders mentally to helping people complete tasks.  At Kezar, the common start is the South East Corner of the track.
- Stay out of lane 1 unless you are in an interval with good pace
- If you hear "Track", it is a polite way of saying, "Get out of my way!"
- 200 meters is a half a lap
- 400 meters is a full lap
- 800 meters is 2 laps
- Breathing is a very important part to take into consideration for track workouts since you are increasing effort.  If breathing is erratic, a side stitch can be created, and a crash in effort.  Making sure to take deep controlled breaths alleviates this.  One way to do this is by breathing in a 3:2 pattern (should be able to hold a conversation-Conversational Pace), 3 steps to breath in, 2 steps to breath out.  As the effort increases you would go to a 2:2, and even to a 2:1 breathing pattern, making sure to fully exhale.

I first stumbled onto this breathing pattern in High School during Cross Country training.  Reading about it, they also described that there is a large amount of extra force expended at the beginning of an exhale.  Consistently exhaling on the same leg over time would lead to an imbalance, but also injury to that side and the 3:2 breathing breaks that pattern.

Not that anyone did anything terribly annoying on Sunday, but here's a note on track etiquette for everyone.  I wrote it last year in a bit of a fit due to some oblivious folks, but I got over it.

http://clydesdaletriathlon.blogspot.com/2011/03/track-running-for-dummies.html 

As the season progresses, don't ignore the value of increased run intensity along with distance.  Both are just as important.

Here are a few great resources if you want to jump into some track/speed work at Kezar:

SF Tri Club - Tuesdays at 6:45 - Lead by Tom McGlynn, former Olympic Trials Qualifier - www.sftriclub.org
GGTC - Wednesdays at 6:45 - Lead by Dorette Franks, profession triathlon/track coach - www.ggtc.org
San Francisco Road Runners - Tuesday 6:30 - Lead by our very own Jenni Kirk - http://sfrrc.clubexpress.com/
Golden Gate Running Club - Wednesday 7:00 - 1 of multiple club coaches to lead - http://www.goldengaterunningclub.org

Not sure of pricing, but all are about the same at around $160 for the season with discounts for members of each club. 

M2 has a plethora of speed workouts to utilize on your own, or on the High Speed Treadmill.  Even if you are injured, you can still jump on the Alter-G and get some faster turnover work in with these workouts.  Another great resource at M2!  Reserve Here

Sunday's Route - 9.6 Miles