Ascend Spring Training (Week 6)

Weekly Newsletter

Week 6 – Monday, April 6, 2026

This week marks a key transition point in the spring block. The work we have been building over the past several weeks is starting to show up, not just in how far you can go, but in how well you can manage effort, terrain, and fatigue over time.

Lake Sonoma 50K / 100K and the Trail Sisters Half Marathon fall in the middle of that progression, and we will have several runners across all three events. At the same time, others will be training, volunteering, or continuing to build toward later goals. The group will be spread across a few different paths this week, but all of them still point in the same direction.

The focus remains consistent. Fitness is not built in the final days before a race, but it can be compromised. The priority is to stay sharp, stay relaxed, and continue to move well within the work you have already put in. Whether you are racing, training, or supporting, this is another opportunity to reinforce good habits and carry the block forward.

—The Ascend Trail Running Team

This Week’s Group Runs

Wednesday Quality Session

Location: Channel Drive Parking Lot
Time: 5:45 PM
Parking: Free
Restrooms: None available at trailhead.
Workout Leaders: Rodrigo Vargas & Eve Ramirez
Workout Structure:

Warm-up

Band activation
Easy 1.5 mile jog

Drills

Crazy Feet
A Skip / A March
B Skip / B March
C Skip

Strides

4 strides

B Skip Foundation

This week reintroduces the B skip, which builds directly on the same mechanics we have been reinforcing with the A skip. The goal is not to rush the movement, but to stay controlled and intentional through each phase.

Start with the same foundation: tall posture, slight forward lean, and strong coordination between opposite arm and leg. From there, extend the lower leg forward and then actively drive it back down under your center of mass.

The key is in that return. Avoid reaching or casting the leg out in front. The foot should come back down quickly and under the body, not ahead of it.

Keep the motion compact and rhythmic. The extension is not about height or range, but about timing and control. Stay relaxed through the upper body while maintaining purpose through the ground contact.

When done well, the B skip reinforces front-side mechanics and helps connect what we are doing in drills to what we want to see in your stride.

Main Set

We will offer three options using the same structure and intent:

Workout Options	Workout Details
Option 1 (Base Group)	4 × 5 minutes
Option 2 (Summit Group)	5 × 5 minutes
Option 3 (Taper Group)	2 × 5 minutes

Recovery guidelines:

Fun, easy recovery between sets

Cool Down

Easy jog back to parking lot
Group stretch

Workout Notes

Threshold work is an important part of any build. In terms of effort and pace, it is one notch higher than tempo pace. It is a hard effort, but should still feel sustainable. The rest interval for this workout will be all the way back down to the gate. After this introduction, we will be cutting down the rest interval for threshold work. When doing tempo and threshold work in intervals, the short rest interval helps keep your lactate levels simmering in the target range. Think of making a curry, you don’t want to boil it and make the coconut milk separate. Be patient, take the first 2 reps in high zone 3/tempo effort, then speed up a bit as you progress through the workout. Aim to make your last rep your strongest.

While hard, threshold pace is surprisingly sustainable. Uncomfortable, but comfortable (enough). You are pushing but not quite straining. While running, take a nose breath. If you absolutely have to take a huge mouth breath next time you might be going too fast. Threshold is also referred to as 1-hour pace. You might think, I’m supposed to be able to run this effort for 1 hour?! Well, yes but in training you’ll typically get 30 min or so of threshold stimulus per workout and still recover pretty well. Anything much longer than 40 minutes of threshold volume in a single session starts to get close to a race effort which will take longer to bounce back from.

The goal of threshold is to get as much high end aerobic work as possible over time. “High end aerobic” is key here, going past this line and into anaerobic zones will greatly increase your recovery time. It’s called threshold for this very reason. It’s the effort/pace right before your body starts producing an unsustainable amount of waste products from cellular respiration (remember, the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell). Studies have shown that threshold training is the most efficient way to increase mitochondrial density. By properly pacing and gradually increasing volume, runners can get two, three, four, or more threshold sessions in a single week. This volume quickly adds up over time. Before you know it, you’ll be feeling stronger than ever.

Race week is upon us! Good luck to all the Lake Sonoma runners. If you are racing this weekend I still want to encourage you to do a small workout this week. Come out on Wednesday, do your drills, strides, and 2 hill reps to help keep the legs from feeling flat. “Tune-up” workouts can help remind your legs how to run hard during a taper. Don’t let them forget!

Weekend Long Run

Location: North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park
Time: 7:30 AM
Parking: Sonoma County Parks pass or day-use fee required
Restrooms: Restrooms available at the trailhead

Recommended Trail Maps

Recommended Map	Distance	Elevation Gain
North Sonoma Mountain	~12.5 miles	~2500 feet

Course Notes

North Sonoma Mountain offers a mix of sustained climbing and fast, runnable terrain. The climbs are steady and will require patience, while the return features sections where you can open things up and carry some speed.

The route is out and back, which gives flexibility to adjust distance as needed. If you are coming off a race week or managing fatigue, there is no downside to shortening the day.

On the return, the terrain invites faster running, but stay aware of footing. The descents can be technical in places, and it is easy to lose focus late in the run.

Coaches Tip: Race Week (Taper Basics)

With Lake Sonoma this weekend, the focus shifts for some to preparation rather than fitness building.

A few simple principles go a long way:

Nothing new – No new gear, nutrition, or strategies. Stick with what you know works.
Hydrate early – Start early in the week. Do not try to “catch up” the day before.
Carbohydrate gradually – Increase intake slightly over several days rather than forcing it all at once.
Prioritize sleep – The nights earlier in the week matter just as much as the night before.
Keep it easy – The work is done. Stay relaxed and resist the urge to “test” fitness.
Stay routine-focused – Keep your normal schedule as much as possible. Familiarity reduces stress.

Good LUCK Ascend Runners

We will have a strong presence at Lake Sonoma this weekend across all distances. This is one of the biggest races on the local calendar, and it is great to see so many of you stepping up to the line. Representing Ascend this weekend across various distances are:

Lake Sonoma 100K

Garret Evans
Shelby Hinte-Rogers
Adrian Ramirez
Angel Rizo

Lake Sonoma 50K

Scott Atchison
Abel Carrera
Moises Escorcia
Allan Kelly
Elizabeth Kelly
Dylan Peterson
Kelly Ridgeway
Deborah Rigney

Trail Sisters Half Marathon

Steph Britt
Joy Cole
Lizitte Miranda Cuevas
Sarah Swymeler
Laura Zavala Ramirez

We will also have people out there volunteering, pacing, crewing, and supporting throughout the day. Take advantage of that. Stay connected, look out for each other, and represent the group well.

If you are not able to make it to the lake, you can follow along with the race coverage and livestream here:

Looking Ahead: Annadel (Lawndale)

Next week we return to Annadel, starting from the Lawndale side of the park. This puts us on the opposite end of the race course, but on familiar terrain with a mix of steady climbing, technical sections, and runnable trail.

The Annadel Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K will also be taking place that weekend. Many of you will be racing, spectating, or volunteering. If you are out there in any capacity, it is a great opportunity to stay connected to the local community and support a well-run event in our backyard.

For those coming off Lake Sonoma, the focus will be on recovery and gradually returning to normal training. Keep the effort controlled, prioritize movement quality, and avoid rushing back into intensity too quickly.

For everyone else, the structure remains consistent. Continue building volume and strength while staying patient with the terrain. Annadel rewards steady effort and good decision-making, especially over longer runs.

Spring Ascend Schedule

Local Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering is one of the most direct ways to stay connected to the trail community. It gives you a clearer view of how these events actually function, from aid station flow to course logistics, and puts you right alongside runners as they move through different stages of a race.

It is also one of the best ways to learn. You see how experienced runners manage pacing, fueling, and decision-making over long efforts, and you get a better sense of what works and what does not in real time.

Lake Sonoma and Annadel are two of the biggest events we will have access to this season. Both rely heavily on volunteer support, and both play an important role in the local trail community. Showing up for these races, even for a few hours, goes a long way toward keeping that ecosystem strong.

Lake Sonoma 50K / 100K (LAST CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS)

Lake Sonoma is one of the cornerstone events in our local trail community. Many of us will be out there racing, pacing, crewing, or spectating, but the event still needs additional volunteers across the course.

Aid stations, course support, and logistics all rely on volunteers to make the day work. If you are not racing, this is one of the best ways to stay involved while giving back to the community that supports all of us.

If you are available, we strongly encourage you to sign up. We would love to have strong Ascend representation out there, both on the course and behind the scenes.

Volunteer at Lake Sonoma

Annadel Half Marathon / 5K / 10K (April 18)

The Annadel races are right in our backyard and are another important event for the local running community. Like Lake Sonoma, they depend heavily on volunteer support to run smoothly.

We know many of you will be training, racing elsewhere, or spectating, but if you have availability, this is a great opportunity to contribute locally.

Volunteering at these events is not just helpful. It is also one of the best ways to learn how races operate, see how runners manage effort, and stay connected to the broader trail community.

If you are interested, you can use the signup link below or reach out directly and we can help connect you.

Volunteer for Annadel Trail Races

Have Questions?

We are here to help. Reply to this email, or reach out via ascendtrailrunning@gmail.com.