Weekly Newsletter

Week 5 – Monday, August 11, 2025

Welcome to Week 5 of the training cycle! Last week’s workout brought out an incredible crowd, with many new faces adding to the energy and excitement. It was awesome to see runners at different stages of their training all sharing the same trails, encouraging one another, and pushing through together. This kind of energy is exactly what makes our group special, and we are glad you are part of it.

This week’s session is a blend of endurance and speed, designed to teach your body how to work efficiently at multiple gears within the same workout. That skill can make a big difference in trail racing, where terrain changes force you to shift effort levels without losing momentum. The workout starts with steady endurance building, then gradually increases the intensity until you are working at a high cadence over a short burst. This variety challenges your mind and body while keeping things engaging. Looking forward to the week ahead!

—The Ascend Trail Running Team

This Week’s Group Runs

Wednesday, August 13 – Quality Session

Location: Channel Drive Parking Lot
Time: 5:45 PM
Parking: Free along Channel Drive
Restrooms: None at trailhead

Workout Structure

• Warm-up: Band work & 1.5 mile easy jog
• Drills: Heel walks, toe walks, side heel/toe walks, hip openers, hamstring scoops, A/B/C skips
• Strides: 3 × relaxed strides
• Main Set: As outlined in Eve’s table
• Recovery: Easy jog between intervals
• Cooldown: ~1.5-mile jog

Eve’s Workout Notes

This week we are working through different effort levels in a single session. The progression from longer to shorter intervals will build your endurance, improve your ability to change gears, and sharpen turnover. Focus on form, breathing, and smooth transitions between efforts.

Interval	Description
10 minutes	Not meant to be taken out fast. These 10 minutes are to develop endurance as well as fatigue.
8 minutes	Keeping the same momentum and pace. Relaxed arms. Transitioning from aerobic threshold to lactate threshold.
6 minutes	You should be feeling comfortably uncomfortable.
4 minutes	Lactate threshold should be felt here. We want to focus on leg turnover and staying strong.
2 minutes	High discomfort over low duration. Faster cadence to help us create speed.

A Few Key Terms:

• Leg Turnover – this is our cadence or stride frequency. How often your feet touch the ground.
• Lactate Threshold – increased intensity, to help sustain high intensity efforts for a longer time. Hard but controlled.

Rodrigo’s Training Notes

It’s already Week 5! Big kudos to your consistency, patience, and dedication. Thats all it takes to be great. Keep up the good work. This week we have a special workout designed by Eve, which is going to be great at allowing us to reinforce great form fundamentals across various intensities. 

Easy runs
As we ramp up our mileage for our respective races I want to share some ways to make your weekly load more manageable. First, a hard truth. Most people run their easy runs too fast. If you feel excessive fatigue or tend to get injured as you increase mileage, try slowing the f*ck down. I say that with love.  

Our main goal in between workouts and long runs is to recover, so most of our mileage in between these runs should be relatively easy. Your easy pace should allow for you to hold a steady conversation, breathe out of your nose, and/or hold a steady heart rate under 135bpm.

Recovery doubles
Are you experiencing heart rate drift on longer easy runs (1 hour+) or feeling like your form breaks down and your legs are getting beat up even though you are running in zone 2? Consider what’s called an easy double run. Try splitting your planned 1 hour run down the middle into two 30 minute segments, one in the morning and one in the evening. Ideally you should have 6+ hours in between runs. Give it a try! What you might experience is quicker recovery and increased adaptations to training stimuli. 

Saturday, August 16 – Annadel Long Run

Location: Channel Drive Parking Lot
Time: 7:30 AM
Parking: Free along Channel Drive
Restrooms: None at trailhead

This week’s long run takes us along one of the most runnable stretches of the Annadel area, offering shaded sections, open views, and steady climbs that reward consistent pacing. The terrain is varied but forgiving enough to allow for a rhythm to develop, which makes it perfect for practicing long run fueling and hydration strategies. Whether you choose the short or long route, focus on maintaining a comfortable effort that allows you to finish feeling strong.

Recommended Maps

Trail Map (Strava link)	Distance	Elevation Gain
Week 5 Short Route	5.2 miles	677 feet
Week 5 Medium Route	16.8 miles	1956 feet
Week 5 Long Route (Short plus Medium Combined)*	21.95 miles	2631 feer

* The 22 map is the same 17 mile loop, plus the 5 mile add-on down Channel, up N. Burma to W. Richardson, down Steve’s S trail back to the Cobblestone parking lot.

Matt’s Tip of the Week: Think Time, Not Mileage

Running three miles on roads may take you 24 minutes, while three miles on trails could take twice as long depending on elevation and terrain. Plan your runs by time rather than distance to avoid pushing beyond your capabilities. This approach helps you train within your limits and keeps running enjoyable.

Congratulations Sam Karthan

A huge congratulations to Sam Karthan, who just completed the Big Foot 200, finishing in 12th place. This was Sam’s second 200-miler this summer, and he got into the night before! With no pacers and no crew, he still knocked out an incredible performance. Check out Sam’s finish:

Support Friends of Trione-Annadel

We are proud to support the Friends of Trione-Annadel, the official nonprofit fundraising partner for Trione-Annadel State Park. They play a vital role in preserving the trails we run every week.

Their annual fundraising gala, Trails to Tomorrow, is coming up on September 27. This event helps fund trail work, maintenance, youth education, and more. It is a great chance to give back and connect with the broader outdoor community. The event includes a live auction, raffle, and appearances by local athletes. Learn more here.

Sasquatch Racing

Sasquatch Racing has invited Ascend runners to their Honey Badger Half, 10K, and 5K on Sunday, September 14 in Santa Venetia. The race includes a post-race Brewfest and DJ Cryptid spinning before, during, and after the event. Use code ASCEND at registration to get 10 dollars off any distance. More details and registration here.

Looking Ahead: Marin Headlands

Next week we will be at the Marin Headlands, starting from Tennessee Valley. This route offers sweeping ocean vistas, rolling coastal hills, and a mix of smooth fire roads and technical singletrack. Pacing is important here because the climbs can be long and exposed, and the descents require focus. Expect a mix of runnable stretches and challenging ascents that reward your effort with some of the best views in the Bay Area.

Below is a tentative schedule of long runs for the next month to help you plan ahead. These locations are subject to change based on weather or trail access, but this should give you a good general sense of where we’ll be running:

• August 23: Marin Headlands from Tennessee Valley with HRC & SFRC
• August 30: Annadel from Trail House 

Thinking About Joining?

If you’re new or just curious about Ascend, Wednesday nights are a great way to get a feel for the group. Each workout is designed to benefit a wide range of paces and experience levels. Whether you’re training for a race or just want to run with more consistency, you’re welcome to join us and see what structured trail training is like.

See you out there,
—The Ascend Trail Running Team

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Have Questions?

We’re here to help! Reply to this email, or reach out to us via ascendtrailrunning@gmail.com.