What is STaT?
SWET recently completed its STaT pilot program. STaT, Strength, Track and Trail is a departure from SWET’s typical training profile of running slow distance on only roads. STaT’s goal was to take pre-conditioned runners and give them two days a week of training at or above lactate threshold for 4 weeks to measure the results. STaT commenced with a timed mile to establish a baseline, and closed the cycle with a timed mile to measure improvement. The first training day of the week was a trail run at tempo effort intervals. The second training day of the week was on the track for a speed workout of 30 minutes, followed by a 30 minute strength module consisting of sprints, plyometrics and core muscle cross training. Runners were encouraged to get at least two other runs per week at an easy pace.
Here’s some stats about STaT:
- 27 runners signed up for STaT, 15 completed the baseline and closing timed mile (our test pilots).
- ALL test pilots improved their mile time.
- Average age of our test pilots: 47
- Youngest runner 30
- Oldest runner(s) 67
- Average time improvement: 7%
- Fastest opening mile: 6:30 Closing mile: 6:13
- Slowest opening mile: 11:38 Closing mile: 10:30. Improvement 9.7% (second highest improvement).
- Highest improvement: 11.7%
- Fun fact: One of our 67 year old runners ran a half marathon 5 days prior (and beat his time from the previous year) and still improved his mile time by 18 seconds (closing mile time, 7:58)
- Fun fact: Coach Brandon’s favorite feedback during the STaT training cycle was “I’m faster than I thought I was!”
What’s next for STaT?
We are very happy about the results of STaT, and the feedback from the runners who participated in STaT was very positive. We need to rearrange the standard SWET schedule to accommodate STaT, as well as possibly free up the coaching line up. Stay tuned! STaT will be back!
