About Hometown Hopefuls Hometown Hopefuls follows Atlanta Track Club Elite Team members Abe Alvarado, Brandon Lasater, Keturah Orji, Yolanda Ngarambe, Jarryd Wallace and Allie Wilson as they continue their journey toward Olympic glory. Be there every step of the way from training camp to the Olympic Trials and to Tokyo with every workout, every split, athlete reflections and coaches' comments too. Six athletes. Six months. Six shots.
Alvarado reflects on his training period between April 12-25 in this post. To learn more about Alvarado click here.
Workouts for the Week: April 12-18 Monday:12 miles @ 6:35
Tuesday: 6 miles @ 6:46
Wednesday:- 2 mile warmup - 1600 - 4:32 - 3 min jog - 1200 - 3:24 - 3 min jog - 800 - 2:11 - 2.5 min jog - 400 - 58 - 4 min rest - 1200 - 3:42 - 3 min jog - 800 - 2:18 - 3 min jog - 400 - 58 - 3 min jog - 400-58
Thursday:6 miles @ 6:48
Friday:6 miles @ 6:56 Saturday:
- 2 mile warmup
- 400 @ 54 seconds
- 4 min rest
- 6x800 2 min jog (2:12 average)
- Switch to spikes jog around (5 min total)
- 3x300 2 min rest (40 seconds average)
- Lift
- P.M. - 4 mile double
Sunday: Off
Commentary and Reflection on the Week: April 12-18
This was our first week off after competing 3 weekends in a row. It was supposed to be hard and Wednesday's workout kicked my ass. I was scheduled to have 2 sets of mile breakdowns. But after the first set, I struggled to hit my paces for the second set so my workout got modified. This workout was mentally hard because it was super long, on a hot humid day, by myself, and poor hydration was done on my end the day before. It was frustrating not to be able to do it. However, I had good takeaways for next time, coach decides to torture me with it again and I'll be more prepared. On Saturday, we had another hard workout but one catered more in my wheelhouse. I started off with a 400 at 54 seconds(mile pace). Jogged for 4 minutes and went into cruise mode for the 800’s averaging 2:12 per rep. After that I switched into spikes, and ran 300’s in 40 seconds with 2 minute rest. The 300’s felt a lot easier than I expected. So I was happy with the overall workout and the progression I continue to make.
Commentary and Reflection From Coaches Amy and Andrew Begley on the Week: April 12-18
Abe had another great week! They had a very long trip back from Florida, as storms caused a delay that stranded them in the airport for most of the day. Abe was still a little tired going into Wednesday’s workout. Brandon had his vaccine, so Abe was solo for the Wednesday workout.
We had a big jump in temperature, so Wednesday was a tough one. Abe looked smooth, but was struggling to hit his paces solo. We made some adjustments to the workout to make sure we were moving forward and not creating a hole for the weekend workout.
Abe rebounded well for Saturday. The workout started with a fast 400. Abe looked easy and controlled. After switching to flats, Abe’s crushed through some aerobic 800m repeats. At the end, we did some 800m paced work and he looked easy.
This was a great week! The US Road Mile Championships are next Wednesday, so it will be great to see what Abe can do in a mile. He is stronger than ever, so we can’t wait to see what he can do!
Photo courtesy of Kevin Morris @kevmophoto
Workouts for the Week: April 19-25
Monday:
- 5 miles @ 7:05
- 4x30 seconds
Tuesday:
- 4 miles @ 7:17
- 5x Strides
Wednesday:
- Race Day!!
- 10 min shakeout
- 2 mile warmup
- 1 mile(USA Mile Champs)-4th place 4:00
- 2 mile cooldown
Thursday:6 miles @ 7:04
Friday:4 miles @ 7:35
Saturday:
- Race Day!!
- 10 min shakeout
- 2 mile warmup
- 1500m: 3rd place 3:39
- 2 mile cd
Sunday:Off
Commentary and Reflection on the Week: April 19-25
This week we headed to Des Moine, Iowa for a chance to get 2 races in 4 days. I started off Wednesday with the USA road mile championships. I was excited to come back for the 2nd year and redeem myself from my 6th place finish in 2020. Even though I wanted to win, I ended up finishing 4th and improving from 6th place the previous year. It was a cold day and felt odd during my strides. I felt my lower back compensating for my right glute not firing. I tried my best to loosen it up but it just wouldn't. As we all know the race must continue so I tried putting my best performance for having an off day.I had 2 days to get it figured out before my 1500 on Saturday. So, Thursday I went to see Dr. Ben at LaFleur Chiropractic for some ART work and adjustment. He was awesome, check him out if you are ever in Des Moine, Iowa. On Friday, my pre race run felt more normal and I felt more fluid. On Saturday, I had a good warmup and was ready for however the race played out. I was at the front within striking distance the whole time. I came in 3rd place by milliseconds running 3:39. I got some good take away lessons from both races that will help me at the trials in June. When it's time to sharpen the knife I'll be ready.
Commentary and Reflection From Coaches Amy and Andrew Begley on the Week: April 19-25
Abe had a great week! We went to Des Moines, Iowa to compete in the US Road Mile Championships and the Drake Relays 1500. Abe is becoming one of the best milers in the US, so getting two big races in a week accomplishes several things. First, he gains the experience of running in big races. Second, we get the opportunity to practice running back-to-back races, so he is ready to run three races in a row at the Olympic Trials. Finally, it gives Abe the opportunity to get some national exposure (both races were on TV) and to make a little extra money.
At Wednesday's USATF Road Mile Championships, Abe ran well. The first 1100 meters are on the road. Abe got out well and put himself in good position as they moved to the track to finish. Abe was patient and didn’t press too early. He gradually moved up in the pack. He tucked in with 200m to go to avoid running extra distance on the curve. In the end, this ended up being a mistake as the top athletes made a move on the curve. Abe had to swing wide and go around the pack of runners before he could attempt to chase down the leaders. He closed well, but the extra move kept him from contending for the title. He still ran a road PR (4:00), and finished 4th overall, so it was a solid day.
Saturday, Abe moved to the track for a 1500 meter race. He got out well and the pacer took them through 400 meters in 58 seconds. They held that pace until 750 meters, but then everyone put on the breaks for about 150 meters. Abe started to move to the front, but was patient and saved his charge for the end of the race. The race picked back up with 500 meters to go. Abe started to tense up with 300 to go, but responded when we told him to relax. He moved smoothly around the turn and fought hard in the last 100 meters. He closed in 41 seconds for the last 300 meters, and was in the mix for the win.
Our focus is to run our best races in June (at the Olympic Trials). Right now, we are focused on gaining experience and testing our weaknesses, so we can correct the training and make sure we are as ready as possible in June.
Abe is in a great position going into May. He will race twice in California (May 9 and 14). He will likely run the 1500 in both meets. After that, we will drop down and focus on his speed and run the 800m. We are confident that Abe will hit the Olympic standard (3:35) after a couple good weeks of training.
