Mark Lacianca – Key Workout
The Workout
Cruise Intervals – 6 x 800, 8 x 800, 8 x 1000 (depending on the age and fitness of the runner)
I prefer the cruise intervals over the tempo runs for most high school runners; it is a great team building workout and the workout is set up for everyone to succeed.
The Summer
Prior to the first time our team runs this workout, there is a slow summer build-up of mileage. This workout is not attempted until our team has maxed out our minutes of running.
The Varsity Workout
Our top runners will run 8 x 1000 with 40 – 62 seconds of rest. The different rest allows us to run our top 7 – 10 runners together, and gives the runners some flexibility to adjust their practice based on how their body responds. We are fortunate to have a grass campus with some room to run, and our track is circled by our cross country course. The breakdown of the 8 x 1000 workout is the first six 1000’s are on the course, and the last two 1000’s are on the track (standing recovery between all intervals). All of our workouts are “waterfall run” — run slow to fast, meaning that we always run our final intervals at a greater speed than our initial intervals.
The Specifics [Read more…]
Mark Lacianca – Unionville High School (PA) – Season 2
Mark Lacianca holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Biomedical Engineering. Mark has been teaching Physics and Chemistry at Unionville High School since 1993.
Mark started his coaching career as an assistant Track and Field coach in 1997 and he was named the head Girl’s Cross-Country coach later that same year. Mark was selected to be the head coach of both the Boys and Girls Track and Field programs in 2001 and he took over the Boy’s Cross-Country program in 2008.
Mark’s teams have finished in the top 10 in the state of Pennsylvania 14 different times. Mark has had the most success with the Girl’s Cross-Country team, which just completed their 13th straight undefeated season. The Girl’s team won the State Championship in 2004 and 2013, and Mark has both times been named the Pennsylvania Girls Coach of the Year. In addition the Girl’s team has been the state runner-up four times in the last five years!
The team also won back to back the Nike Cross Northeast Regional Championship in 2013 and 2014. This year they finished 4th (8 points from a 3rd trip to Portland), but did have two individuals finish in the top 50 at the NXN Championship.