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To not "spam" the board, I'm going to repost some of JK's posts from the old board on this one thread. Many of these are long but definitely worth spending the time reading. There will be about 20-25 posts total - your head will explode with knowledge if you read them all :) |
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The human body operates very nicely on a 6 month cycle, since it take about 20 weeks to go through the base phase (10-12 weeks), transition phase (4-6 weeks) and peaking phase (4-ish weeks), then you can hold your peak for 4-6 weeks before condition starts to deteriorate. I'd recommend only trying to hold a peak for 4 weeks, then taking a week off and having another week of very short runs (light jogging). Peaking twice per year will also prevent boredom, allow you to develop better, and allow you to run some good X-C races and track races. Don't do Summer track, though (unless you missed all or most of the Spring season) - that requires you to keep the anaerobic stuff going too long and it doesn't give you enough time to lay a base for the Fall. |
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They are done to stay in touch with quicker turnover and to help retain mechanical efficiency and relaxation at moderately fast speeds. In order to IMPROVE speed, you have to generate a bit more power. The way I'd recommend going about this is to start with SHORT (7-10 secs.) reps at as fast a speed as possible without sacrificing form. Of course, you need a thorough warmup (including several progressively faster buildups or accelerations) prior to starting this type of session. Then try 2 sets of 2 x 50m extremely fast (use a running start to avoid pulling anything). Take 1 min. rest between reps within a set and 8 min. rest between sets. This protocol will use only creatine phosphate and will not invoke the "lactate system". At first, you will have to concentrate to keep from flailing about form-wise. But the distances are so short that you can easily hold form throughout. You'll need 8 min. between sets to replenish your creatine phosphate. Do this during a week when there is no scheduled race. After a few of workouts of this nature, you should be ready to launch into the more standard workouts involving 150s or 200s. When doing these to IMPROVE speed, you need nearly FULL recovery between reps. Starting with 2-3 reps of 20-35 secs. is fine, and you can progress to a FEW more reps in the fashion you've outlined OR you can use a slightly different protocol that I prefer for longer distance specialists (I might get into that sometime). Doing no more than 5 reps of 200m (as you've outlined) seems pretty sound. At some point right about there, it starts getting pretty risky to keep increasing the number of reps. The creatine phosphate becomes depleted, the session becomes way too dependent on anaerobic glycolysis, and injury risk goes up sharply (not to mention the fact that mechanical efficiency is sacrificed). |
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The best method for high school boys is one which EXPOSES them to short blocks of high mileage (progressively higher from year to year) but drops the weekly mileage down substantially (perhaps as low as 50-65 mpw, depending on age and experience) during the competitive seasons. The mileage in the high blocks can certainly reach over 100 per week (obviously, this has to be worked up to over a number of years) without ANY risk of future "burnout" - as long as an increase in mileage is accompanied by a general reduction in intensity. High mileage itself is NOT a problem. CONTINUAL high mileage (i.e., 100+ miles per week for 5 months) usually does present a problem, and this often stems from harder training being introduced without a corresponding reduction in mileage. Repeat: It is BENEFICIAL to a young runner's future to INTELLIGENTLY push the boundaries out mileage-wise. It is a grave mistake to push the mileage way up and KEEP it up there too long. It is a bigger mistake to FORCE the intensity up (regardless of mileage) from week to week (or from year to year) when the athlete has already reached a "peak" or anaerobic limit (this includes overracing, and it is this - not high mileage - that ruins most high school and college runners). It is a bigger mistake STILL to push the mileage up AND add lots of hard training. The blame lies either with the ignorance of the coach or with the impatience of the athlete. Case in point: Webb appears rather impatient at this point and seems to be someone who would hammer himself to oblivion on a high mileage regime. Even if the prescribed training was sound, he would probably bypass the intended PURPOSE of the workouts and would challenge the stopwatch on every scheduled hard day (and might go too fast on easy days) in an attempt to FORCE his way to a 3:45 mile in the next few months. This is not to single him out; most other teenagers would do - and have done - the same thing, only they aren't in the spotlight and their training and patience aren't questioned by all the "Monday morning quarterbacks". The core problem here is a society-imposed quick fix mentality among young athletes. Every day's workout has (or should have) a purpose. So does every SEASON'S structure. People need to be taught to relax, relax, relax when necessary, even if that means running so easy that they don't THINK it's doing them any good. A well-placed easy "shake-out" run is just as important a training tool as a 10 mile run at the high end of aerobic effort, and it's likely MORE important than 10 stomach-knotting quarters. Easy runs (and a predominantly "easy attitude" during the preseasons) are absolutely vital training devices. It's up to the coach to schedule easy runs in appropriate places, and it's up to the athlete to execute these runs PROPERLY. High school or college "programs" that have week after week of two hard track workouts sandwiching a tempo run stem from ignorance of basic distance running principles. A more mature and experienced runner might be able to get away with three successive days of track-tempo-track every once in awhile, but for a younger runner, it's just pulling a stupid stunt to do such a thing on a regular basis. The payoff, if any, from doing so is short-lived. Runners MUST have proper recovery. They must also learn how to periodize properly, and periodization must be more pronounced for high school and college runners, since they have not yet reached full maturity as endurance athletes. |
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You should be running a substantial portion of many of your long runs at a pace which gives you a "full of run" feeling - strong and floating in the middle and well-trained but not strained by the end. You should also gradually pick up the pace during the last few miles of the run (but avoid STRUGGLING). This is what trains you to be able to use FT fibers at the correct time in a race (as the ST ones start to run low on fuels). It also provides the stimulus needed for your muscle fibers to store the right balance of fat and carbs. Start with picking up the pace on regular "easy" long runs at about 1-2 miles from the finish, then get to where you can comfortably do it from about 5-7 miles out. If you're already well-trained (i.e., you've worked your way up to regular high mileage) and you run at this high-end, "train don't strain" pace, you'll usually start to recruit your FT units after about 110-115 min. You'll also have to ventilate more as a result of a gradual increase in the CO2 content of the residual volume of air in your lungs. This will train your respiratory muscles, particularly if you're gradually increasing the speed over the last several minutes. You have to balance stimulation with adaptation or you'll go over the edge (remember, it shouldn't all be just a bunch of JOGGING on these things). Running longer than 125 min. seems to require too much recovery time to be effective as a WEEKLY long run. So I think Snell and Co. found the right distances for their long runs (20-22 miles) since they were reportedly running 5:40-6:00 per mile on most of these outings. Frank Shorter always advocating running 2 hrs. or 20 miles (whichever came first) and to go at a "comfortably fast" pace. Sound advice there. Most of the above applies as much to track specialists as it does to roadies. A serious MARATHONER might run an overdistance run once or twice during a buildup and should certainly have two or three "dress rehearsals" in the form of moderately long runs (15-18 miles - maybe even 20 miles for an elite) at target pace, but that, as we say in Texas, is a whole 'nuther story. |
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Because O2 uptake is influenced by so many factors, you really need the FULL SPECTRUM of training devises in order to maximize it. Of course, we know that VO2max is not always the determining factor in running performance, but a high value is generally an advantage. A diet of high mileage during a base-building stage (with some of it at or near the lactate threshold) will extend capillary beds and increase the number and size of muscle mitochondria. This will improve the O2 delivery system and the ability for the muscles to actually produce energy aerobically. It is also desirable during a base phase to touch on short speed a couple of times per week and to OCCASIONALLY (once every 2-3 weeks) reach near-maximum heart rate via sessions such as 10-20 x 1 min. on/1 min. off at a comfortably hard effort (or by adding a 2-7 min. time trial at 90%-95% effort following sets of strides). This will maintain both neuromuscular efficiency and a fairly high stroke volume. Maximum stroke volume is highly related to VO2max, so some specific workouts which work on this need to be used during the regular season. I'd recommend determining the pace you could run for 10 minutes in an all-out, evenly-paced effort (for most serious runners, this will be between 3,000m race pace and 5,000m race pace) and using this pace as a baseline for training at maximal O2 uptake. This pace is often called "velocity at VO2max" (vVO2max). A good formula for figuring it is (vVO2max in seconds per 400m) = 0.07 x (5,000m race time in seconds) + 6.9. For a runner with a 5,000m best of 15:00 (900 seconds), the formula yields a vVO2max of 69.9 seconds per 400m. Of course, the value will vary slightly from day to day, since you cannot ALWAYS expect to be able to equal your 5,000m PR every time you head out for a workout or a race. It is therefore most important that you learn to run BY FEEL rather than being a slave to a stopwatch (or a HRM or any other device). It takes about 4 minutes to reach your actual VO2max if you begin running at vVO2max from a dead start (near resting HR), but you can achieve VO2max repeatedly (and elicit maximum stroke volume) during repetition running. The best results come from spending 15-20 min. total time at this pace, divided into 2-4 min. bouts, with rest periods slightly shorter than the run periods. For example, a 15:00 5,000m runner might run 7-8 x 800m in 2:20-ish with active rest periods of 2:00-2:20. It is best to keep the run distances (or durations) pretty constant during the workout (i.e., use all 800s or all 1,200s rather than using "ladders" or "step-downs"). This trains you to monitor effort better and to mount rising fatigue with additional effort in a more LINEAR fashion. It is also desirable to vary the distances used each time you do a session such as this, so as to provide variety in cadence and rhythm and to prevent obsessive comparison of times from previous workouts (which leads to forcing too fast a pace too early in the workout). So if you ran 8-10 x 2 min. one week, you might switch to 5 x 4 min. the next week and 6 x 3 min. the following week. You can also occasionally use shorter distances at faster than vVO2max (such as 12-15 x 1 min. with a minute or less rest) or longer distances (e.g., 5 x 1,600m) at a somewhat slower pace with shorter rest periods (60%-75% of the run periods). This practice recruits different motor units while still taxing the same basic systems (i.e., strengthening the heart and respiratory muscles) and provides variety in the routine. It's important to combine these VO2max workouts with other training in a sensible fashion (based on fatigue, weather, recent race efforts, or upcoming races). |
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Here's the preseason stuff I posted awhile back. Just make sure you cover the major bases - spend some time at the high end of aerobic effort at least twice per week, stay in touch with some strides or reduced-intensity repeats (keep these aerobically challenging but never tie up in the preseason!), run some in hills from time to time, vary your running surfaces (grass, road, trails, track), etc. 4-8 WEEKS EARLY PRESEASON: 2-4 days per week - Progression runs (no pace parameters yet - start slow, gradually and spontaneously increase speed to the high end of aerobic effort and stay there from 30-65 min., with a faster finish if feeling strong) 1-2 days per week - Sets of buildups or strides (ex.: 2-3 sets of 5-6 x 15-40 secs., jogging equal distance between reps and jogging 5-10 min. between sets - always do buildups, strides, and drills WITH the wind, if any) + drills and/or hills on occasion + 2-8 min. @ 90% effort (following last set of strides) every 2 weeks 1 day every 2 weeks - Long easy run (getting longer each time, last 1-3 miles gradually faster if feeling good) Phase in doubles 1-2 times per week for 2 weeks, 3-4 times per week for 2 weeks, 4-6 times per week after that 4 WEEKS LATE PRESEASON: The basic outline below totals 65-80 miles for a week at MINIMUM (depending on average training pace) and totals 125-150 miles at MAXIMUM (depending on pace). Sun. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy ("shake-out" or "super-O2" pace) / P.M. 30-95 min. easy (normal comfortable pace) Mon. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Progression run (spending 30-65 min. at a high end of aerobic effort) OR Tempo run with 20-25 min. at LT effort OR High Density LT repeats (ex.: 8-15 x 3-4 min with 30-60 secs. rest periods) Tue. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-95 min. easy Wed. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Progression run (spending 30-65 min. at a high end of aerobic effort) OR High Density LT repeats (ex.: 15-25 x 60-90 secs. with 20-25 secs. rest periods) OR Sets of strides OR Lower Density short LT repeats (ex.: 12-20 x 45-90 secs. at roughly current controlled 3,000m Time Trial pace with nearly equal rest-to-run ratios) Thu. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-95 min. easy Fri. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy / P.M. 35-65 min. easy with 4-10 strides near the end Sat. 125-155 min. easy with last 10-20 min. gradually faster if feeling good OR 95-125 min. with last 30-60 min. picked up to a strong high-end pace OR A.M. 30-35 min. very easy / P.M. Long warmup (25-35 min.), CONTROLLED (deliberately slow start) Time Trial of 3,000m-8,000m - designed to determine critical training speeds and make adjustments (60-65 min. total) ********** As you see, this includes alactic speed maintenance and retains a small middle distance component (if you do it right) throughout the whole preseason. Drills and hills cover the "plyos" base. Most of the running is indeed easy, but this is assuming the runner is trying to build up mileage to perhaps new levels. |
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"... a patient buildup consisting of a diet of long runs, long controlled repetitions with short recoveries, and fast sustained tempo runs of six to 10 miles. This was coupled with appropriate speed and speed endurance workouts as the competitive season approached. No magic formula, just patience and consistency." That's what it all about. Run more and concentrate on longer aerobic endurance workouts. If you're a natural middle distance type (as opposed to a pure distance type), it'll probably (but not always) require a longer time frame to reap the rewards from patient aerobic training. Do SOMETHING about your short speed year-round, but only have a 6-8 week period out of every six months in which you hammer yourself with tough anaerobic training. "We do only two workouts per week, a workout and a tempo run, or a workout and a race. This way the workouts are of a high quality of volume with time allowed for recovery. This formula, I believe, works best for most athletes. Very few are capable of three workouts per week that would be of sufficient quality. Indeed, I suggest to British athletes who are doing three workouts per week and not progressing, that they are probably working too hard and not recovering. There are, of course, exceptions; but they are few and far between." Agree on all points. At least half of the training weeks should only have two hard workout days. Exceptions may occur if the fast-paced sessions are of the "progression run" nature, in which a near-best aerobic pace can be hit several times per week, but these runs must be spontaneous and they must begin at a STUMBLING-slow pace. And the runner must have the discipline and experience to know PRECISELY where the "threshold" occurs. But there's no secret workout - and exceeeding your LT too often will backfire. Instead, it's a day-after-day training load (mileage) at easy to medium speeds with JUDICIOUSLY SPACED and PERTINENT hard workouts that forms the recipe for long term success. "No individual workout assumes vital importance. Rather, the workout is in the context of the week and the week in the context of the month. You need to recover from the workout with no great carry over. Have confidence in the system you have chosen and give it time to produce results. When track aficionados look at the finishing speed (that is, 25/26 seconds for the last 200m of a Haile Gebrselassie, Ben Limo or Charles Kamathi at the end of a distance race) they may view speed as the definitive answer to performance. We would beg to differ and infer what wonderful basic conditioning they have that allows them to utilise that speed at the end of a race. It is this level of conditioning the western athlete must seek to achieve." Couldn't have put it better. Though it's not THE SECRET workout, I particularly like this conditioning session: "... 10 x 3 minutes (with one minute recovery)." This is a LT workout that has tremendous benefits in concert with a high mileage base. I usually prescribe 10 x 3 min. with 30-60 secs. rest periods. The idea is to hit the highest end of aerobic effort for the early reps (maybe cross the threshold a little at the tail end of some of the latter reps) and rest only long enough to feel ready to go again. The best results come from resting about 35-40 secs., but anything in the 30-60 secs. range is adequate, and of course the recovery duration depends on the speed achieved. The feeling should be similar to that of a good, strong continuous run, but the pace will be faster because of the short rest periods. While I consider this a staple session (i.e., done at least once per month), as mentioned, no workout stands alone as a magic bullet. You have to cover all your bases. "Total weekly mileage in this period (conditioning phase) averages between 100-110 miles per week, most of which is run at a moderate to easy pace. Only one race is scheduled at around the ninth week to check on progression." I'd put weeks of 120+ miles in the conditioning phase (maybe even over 150), as long as the athlete is mature and experienced. This additional "safe aerobic pressure", combined with the work on strenthening sheer "gristle", tends to enable better quality training to occur at somewhat lower mileage loads (90-110 mpw). It looks like most African track specialists train best at 100-110 mpw, but the mzungu NEEDS injections of additional mileage in order to attain the same aerobic fitness. Whether this is genetic or a result of a lifetime aerobic base (or both) is not known for sure, but African runners can thrive on moderate mileage with a higher intensity than most mzungus can tolerate. |
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Hill running should be something you do MOST of the year, with varying degrees of attention assigned to it during different stages of training. At the BEGINNING of a base stage, you should run routes 2-3 times per week that have gently rolling hills ranging from 20 seconds to 3 minutes in length on the uphills. The downhills should not be so steep as to cause jarring. If you're on the "dreadmill", you can't get those downhills, which is a bit of a disadvantage. Running both up AND down hills improves your aerobic conditioning, even when running fairly slowly. On the mill, try using grades which are between 5% and 10% and run them for 20 secs. to 2 min. at a time (restrict the grade on the 2 min. runs to a 5% grade). You can adjust the speed to a slower pace on the uphills. Concentrate on keeping the hips FORWARD rather than leaning into the hill. Using this form, you don't have to run FAST at all to get the proper workout. When you lower the platform, go all the way down to a 0% grade for a few minutes. This will minimize risk of Achilles tendon trouble. If you're outdoors, you can safely find uphills that are 3 min. long, since you have the opportunity to run down the hill afterward. Another excellent way to improve your hill running is by biking uphill while standing up on the pedals. This works your quads in a no-impact fashion and does everything which will improve your hill running EXCEPT develop ankle integrity and power. Hence, you do need the actual RUNNING on hills to improve to the max! In the MIDDLE of a base phase, you need to incorporate some strides and form drills twice per week on a flat field. Things like high knees, quick steps, skips, etc. will prepare you for hill drills, which are very effective for all aspects of running. Near the END of the base stage, the flat-surface drills can be phased out and hill drills such as bounding, springing, and one foot hops can be brought in. It's nearly impossible to do these effectively on the mill, so you're out of luck trying to develop a truly explosive foot strike indoors! In a pre-competition stage, switch from level-surface strides to uphill strides for form (hips forward, butt underneath torso). These should be 20-30 secs. in length and somewhat faster than an easy pace, although not sprinting. Actual WORKOUTS on hills - done during the late pre-competition phase or the early competition phase - include: 1.) 8-10 x 55-60 secs. up a 3% to 5% grade at the speed you could run for about 1.5 miles in an all-out race effort. Jog down slowly for recovery periods (or jog about 90 secs. on the mill at a 0% grade). 2.) 10-15 x 12-15 secs. up a 5% to 6% grade at a faster speed, jogging down slowly for recovery. It's tough to do this on the mill, since the time it takes for the platform to lower to 0% and get back up to a steeper grade is TOO LONG a rest period (not to mention having to wait for the SPEED to get slower and then increase again). You COOOUULD just jump off the belt and jog around the room for 30 secs., then jump back on, but ... I didn't think so. Better do this outside. 3.) 8-10 x 45-50 secs. DOWN a 2% to 3% grade at about 800m race pace (or a little slower), jogging back up between each rep. Can't do this on an ordinary mill, though. Best to be accustomed to easier-paced downhill running before doing this, or your shins and lower back will suffer. |
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The ingredients for making the most out of your talent are consistency, high mileage with a focus on high-end aerobic running, a proper transition to hard track training, a limited amount of VERY HARD training, and an overpowering desire to MAKE yourself into the runner you want to be. When you DO train intensely (and when you race), you must be willing to REALLY HURT BAD to achieve your goals. I mean go to the sludge at the bottom of the well. However, I've seen numerous elite runners (most from the 1970s) do this kind of hard training and can say with no hesitation that I've also witnessed countless high school nobodys who have trained every bit as hard relative to their own fitness levels as any elite runner I've ever seen. The difference is that the HSers don't HAVE much fitness either because they simply have less natural aerobic capacity or (more often) because they spend MOST of their time doing the hard track training and they ignore the base work and transition work. The "secret" you're looking for is the high-volume, high-end aerobic base training. Without that, you won't ever reach your personal summit. You may be so gifted that you still turn out awesome compared to most others, but you won't be the BEST you COULD be. For over a decade, Americans wanted dearly to believe that they could skip the foundation work and hammer themselves into greatness. Why? Probably because a quick fix is more alluring. But the experiment resulted in FAILURE. Dramatic, obvious, measurable-by-the-stopwatch FAILURE. We're doing a bit better during the last few years, but MOST Americans still don't get it. They need to forget the "horses for courses" training LIE and start training like REAL DISTANCE runners. Once they set the base over first months, then years, THEN they can spend more time on the specialized training which they have found by trial and error to benefit their racing most. Lydiard said, "Miles make champions." Runners aren't physically any different today than they were 40 years ago, so that fundamental principle still applies. Toshihiko Seko's coach, Kyoshi Nakamura, likened correct training to the steady fall of raindrops which slowly forges a hole in a rock. Some days the rain falls harder and some days it doesn't fall at all, but the process cannot be HURRIED. There is the "secret" of training. I once wrote that even a football player can train himself to run 10 balls-out quarters, but still won't be in SHAPE. Being in shape means having the aerobic power to run CONTINUOUSLY for 5 miles or 10 miles at a very high percentage of top speed. Any intense training that can be done WITHOUT that kind of basic fitness can be done AFTER that fitness is acquired - and it can be done MORE EFFECTIVELY. Well, there's another rant. Pertaining to the PSYCHOLOGICAL characteristics of elites, one trait that's shared by most of the best is that they can stay relaxed and confident going into a race, yet can maintain total focus throughout the race itself. Being able to lock into a "competitive zone" and place winning over ANYTHING else is a hallmark of all champions. |
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Running buildups SLOWER than all-out is meant to foster mechanical efficiency and relaxation. This will ULTIMATELY help with top-end speed by virtue of recruiting the motor units in the most economical fashion. Buildups are smooth accelerations which are designed to preserve a good deal of your creatine phosphate (quick energy). This way, you can do an adequate number of repetitions to promote neuromuscular reinforcement, but without form breakdown or risk of injury. And when doing sets of buildups, the first few in each set should be the slowest (i.e., you should not accelerate to as high a speed at the end of your first few reps in each set). But a couple of the latter reps in each set can involve an acceleration to FLAT-OUT speed (for about 20-30 meters). If you do these things correctly, you'll warm up gradually and enlist a wide variety of muscle fibers without any lactate accumulation and without exhausting your creatine phosphate reserves. Even-speed strides (up to about 35 seconds) should follow the same format - the slowest ones are done at the beginning of the first set so you'll warm up properly and can set a precedent for running relaxed and with decent form throughout the remainder of the workout. Bursts of 7-10 seconds should normally be done after FAST buildups and strides have become a COMFORTABLE part of the routine, and a few weeks prior to lactate-intensive (anaerobic tolerance) training. They shouldn't be used year-round. Buildups and strides (even fairly fast ones) CAN be done year-round. It's important for a distance runner to focus on distance running; therefore, only a minor to moderate emphasis needs to be placed on the kind of workouts which attack 100m-400m speed. Stay in touch with SOME speed even during base training so it will be there for you when you begin race pace repetition running later. Only spend 3-4 weeks on honing your all-out speed. PRACTICE kicking HARD at the end of your races. Train in this fashion whether your primary event is 1,500m or 10,000m. |
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A PROPER amount of pure speed training is GOOD for a young runner. A LIMITED amount of fast 300m-1,000m repetitions is also necessary for ideal development. But it's all too easy to overdo those intense middle distance repeats - the ones which invoke the "lactate system" (yes, you can do too much of the pure speed variety, too). The sad thing is that young runners recover quickly enough from highly intense lactate tolerance work and can repeat it often enough that the problems with it don't manifest themselves for several YEARS. This isn't BS; it comes from frustrating observation of SCADS of careers which started out promising and ended up on the jagged rocks of burnout. I've seen hundreds of HSers hit the track HARD and show excellent AGE GROUP results only to stall out or regress later. Often, they give up on the sport as other runners pass them by. Some continue to run road races recreationally, but they never fulfill their talent. Look, if you run 4:15 for 1,600 in HS and don't flirt with 14:00 for 5,000 as an all-time PR, you probably did something WRONG somewhere along the way. And from what I've seen, it's MOST LIKELY the wrongdoing occurred in the early to middle teenage years. There's no excuse for so many 4:15 HS milers running in the 15:30 range for road 5Ks while they're still in their mid-20s! A large proportion of these guys should be bordering on - if not making - national class. But all too often, recreational status is where these guys find themselves firmly entrenched by the age of 25 - if they're still running at all. Sad. |
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Moderate mileage - even HIGH mileage - is not incompatible with working on top-end speed. As long as most of the speedwork is alactic and as long as relaxation is stressed, MAINTENANCE can be done year-round. Even short bursts designed to IMPROVE pure speed can be incorporated in the weeks immediately prior to traditional interval training, so the runner feels capable of running efficiently at the race-specific speeds that will be used during interval training. Per INTENSE interval training, it only takes a few weeks to maximize the training effects of workouts designed to help you buffer or reuse lactate. This doesn't stem from theory; it comes from trial and error. I don't know how much of this Webb did throughout HS, so I can't make any comment on it. Obviously, he did what was necessary to become the fastest U.S. HS miler of all time, destroying a record I thought would not be broken in my lifetime. Bottom line: If he relied on a lot of intense middle-distance (300m-1,000m) interval training, he sacrificed some degree of future development for his HS career. Not that that's particularly BAD - we NEEDED a guy like him to come along - and he WILL be a major force even if he doesn't improve at all. If he kept that high intensity running to a reasonable quantity during HS, he will likely turn out to be the best miler this country has ever produced - and a strong candidate for major championship medals. As far as mileage goes, higher base mileage with more relaxed high-end aerobic running FOLLOWED by moderate mileage with higher (gulp) "quality" is better than year-round moderate mileage with moderate to high intensity, and it is better for every event which lasts longer than about 3 minutes. It's even best for most 800m runners who wish to run several fast rounds in a 2- to 3-day period (as in a global championship). The best way to prepare runners for high mileage base training is to EXPOSE them to short periods of progressively higher mileage when young. How much mileage are we talking about? It all depends on the individual. As much as is necessary to "push the boundaries out". For Webb, 63 miles might have been that mileage level. For Ritzenhein, it might have been a 90-mile week. In general, runners who are suited to short- or middle-distance events require more time to develop the aerobic component; that is, they may need 5 or more years to achieve a mileage level that a natural distance runner could reach in 2 years. Bottom line on this: Anything you can do without a high mileage base (or a lifetime base) can be ADDED ON TOP OF a strong base, and the rewards will be ENHANCED. Regarding the components of speed which can and cannot be trained, the ability for a motor neuron to contract a muscle cell and recover for successive contractions is something which CANNOT be trained. So there is a distinct limit to how fast somebody can become (duh!). But neuromuscular PATTERNS (muscles working in concert) CAN be made more efficient (and therefore QUICKER). Power can also be increased through training. But traditional weightlifting (which, in theory, will increase explosive power) actually can be COUNTERPRODUCTIVE, since the movements do not transfer to the act of running. I will take some excerpts from the following article: Sale, D., &q MacDougall, D. (1981). Specificity in strength training: A review for the coach and athlete. Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 6, 87-92. You can find the article in its entirety at: http://rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/vol21/sale.htm Pay attention to the following passages: "Mix fast movements to train the nervous system (movement patterns) and slow to train the muscle structures. The difficulty is to have the training movement patterns replicate those of the contest activity." "The type of contraction must duplicate that of an event to have carry-over value. To stimulate muscle growth, eccentric contractions have a greater potential for effect than concentric contractions." "Eccentric training is the primary stimulus in plyometric or 'rebound' training." "1.) Strength training should be as specific as possible. The movement pattern and contraction speed, type, and force should replicate the intended activity. Any departure from one of these factors will result in inappropriate adaptations. 2.) High-velocity sports may need supplemental low-velocity training to induce maximal adaptation within the muscles. 3.) Supplementary maximal training may be beneficial because it stimulates maximal adaptation. However, that adaptation should be achieved before serious technique work begins. 4.) Non-specific training has a high probability of being counter-productive. 5.) There is no evidence to support the 're-education of strength gains' hypothesis." The "re-education of strength gains" refers to the erroneous notion that strengthening muscle groups alone is sufficient and can be "re-educated", or carried over into sport-specific requirements. As you can probably deduce, the best form of resistance training for improving running performance involves predominantly eccentric activity which most closely resembles the running motion (or, at the least, several specific COMPONENTS of the running motion). The drills and speed maintenance workouts that I suggest meet these requirements. The resistance aspect comes from working the body weight against gravity (i.e., step-ups, hill bounding, one foot hill hops, and normal hill running). The "fast movements" aspect comes from quick steps and from progressively faster buildups and short strides (with attention continually paid to relaxation and economy of movement). An "exaggerated range of motion" aspect comes from lunges, high knees, kick-outs, and skips. There is no need for most healthy young runners to lift weights. Only in cases of glaring weakness or during injury rehab would I recommend traditional weightlifting for young runners. Older runners are a different story, since they may need to burn fat in more muscle groups and may need to stimulate androgen production. As the article indicates, GENERAL muscle development does not mean jack unless it carries over to the movements used in the sport you're training for. In fact, it may be detrimental. So what does this mean for REALLY FAST people (like Webb) who have lifted weights as part of their training? It means that it was their RUNNING (or hills and drills which transfer to running mechanics) which was responsible for their improvements - NOT the weightlifting. Many people might take exception to that, but that's the way it is. If you WANT to lift weights for GENERAL muscular strength, go ahead, but remember that you can easily make it counterproductive if you FOCUS on that and not on your running. Well, there's a long rant for you. |
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Always include relaxed buildups, strides, and hills (and possibly drills) in your routine, even during base training. Buildups or strides should be EMPHASIZED 1-2 times per week, and they should also be done before and after many high-end aerobic workouts. If you're at altitude above 8,000 ft. and can't get to sea-level, you need to do some of these "quickies" nearly every day. As the competitive season approaches, these buildups and strides can be run with a little more determination (i.e., WORK on your speed, as opposed to merely "staying in touch" with it). Every now and then, include a time trial of 2-7 minutes at 90%-95% effort after your buildups (this keeps a small middle-distance component in your base work). Another middle distance workout consisting of structured Fartlek (repeats of 1-3 min. at a fairly fast but still predominantly aerobic pace) can be substituted for a workout of strides once every 2-3 weeks. Anyway, SPEEDWORK. Assuming you've been doing the above speed maintenance stuff, you might start your PURE SPRINT work with 2 sets of (2 x 7-10 secs.) nearly flat-out. Get a running start before you blast the 7-10 secs. portions. Take about 1 min. walking rest between the two reps in a set and take 8 min. walking rest between sets. That's basically the whole workout right there (not counting a thorough warmup and a short cool-down). The second time you try this workout (about 10 days later), increase the number of reps in each set to 3. The next sprint workout (another 7-10 days later) can be along the lines of 4 x 150m at 98% effort, with 1 min. walking rest between each. From there, proceed to 3 x 300m at 98%-100% effort with rest periods of about 3-4 min. of walking. The next sprint workout is 2 sets of 2 x 400m at 95%-98% effort, with only about 1 min. between reps and full recovery (nearly 10 min.) between sets. You may have to jog a little or do a few "high knees" steps prior to the start of the second set to feel like you're ready to go again. If you survive those workouts, you ought to run a time trial of 700m full-blast (start out very fast, only pacing yourself a tiny bit) about 5 days after the 2 x (2 x 400m) workout (include another hard but lower-intensity workout in between those two). About 2 days later, run a time trial of 1,000m. Again, get out FAST on this thing. It's tricky sometimes to fit in other key workouts and races while doing this really fast stuff. You don't know for sure if you'll get sore from sprints like these; nor do you know how LONG you'll be sore. But if your schedule allows, these workouts can fortify your "quick energy" systems (creatine phosphate) and can enable you to buffer (and reuse) lactate better during races of all distances. |
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Doing tempo runs on grass and/or hilly terrain will obviously result in a somewhat slower pace than you would achieve on the track or on a flat road course. But workouts are not races, and PACE can therefore sometimes take a back seat to EFFORT on fast aerobic runs, so high-end running (relaxed the whole time) and/or tempo running (on the edge the whole time) should certainly be done in order to get full development. If you fit in the right balance of varied-terrain running, you'll feel light and smooth during cross races and hilly road races. You'll also be able to insert some "invisible hills" (pace changes) in flat track races. Having said that, you should use ALL surfaces (if possible) for "threshold" training, so as to achieve a variety of speeds. This is sort of the same principle that's behind using continuous runs AND interval training for LT (AT) work. You don't HAVE to run continuously at your "one hour race pace" for 20+ minutes to do LT training. You can accumulate 40 minutes at a marginally FASTER pace by taking very short (30-60 seconds) rests between bouts of 3-4 minutes. You can also stay 10-15 seconds per mile SLOWER than "one hour race pace" and run for a full hour without appreciable discomfort. Or you can run 20 x 1 minute at close to 10,000m race pace and take less than 30 seconds rest periods, yet still train the same systems. Running at least a portion of some tempo runs on the track promotes consistency in footstrikes and a good sense of rhythm. The way I like to do this sort of run is to have a loop of about 2-3 miles right next to an easily-accessible track (no fences or gates). Start with 6-8 laps on the track in the clockwise (reverse of normal) direction and find your groove after about a mile by squeezing the pace down from the slow side, checking the splits for a few more laps (to see if you're locked into the right pace). Head out to the road course for a loop, then come back to the track and finish in the counterclockwise (normal) direction with about 6 more laps. The first few laps can be used to check if your pace stayed consistent (in case your road loop is not measured). Gradually work the last couple of laps down to a fast finish. Starting on the slow side in the CLOCKWISE direction prevents overdevelopment in certain leg muscles (or overstressing tendons) which would occur if you exclusively ran counterclockwise ALL the time. I never recommend running anything FASTER than a threshold speed in the clockwise direction, though. Do all of your faster track running in the normal direction to develop the lower leg strength and stability needed for track racing. |
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The MAIN PURPOSE of lifting weights is to BUILD lean muscle tissue, and that's also the most common OUTCOME of lifting. Ask yourself if you need to have the musculature of a wrestler (freestyle, that is - not WWF) or that of a RUNNER! We've learned through the decades that ALL of the muscle contractile properties needed for running can be developed with drills which involve body weight vs. gravity (or exaggerated motion), hill work, and (surprise) running. Barbells, dumbbells and machines are not needed except in special cases. Neither is upper body work. Those special cases are: 1.) Rehab following injury - This is pretty self-explanatory. If you can't support your own weight (due to injury or atrophy), you'll obviously need some other form of weightlifting (machines or free weights) in order to rehab. 2.) Injury prevention - I include this ONLY if you have an obvious structural weakness which causes chronic imbalance or discomfort or injury. In that case, you MAY need some progressive weight training (example: internal hip rotators). "Body weight vs. gravity" exercises (such as pushups, pullups, ab rollers, dips, toe raising/lowering, step-ups, etc.) are preferable to standard forms of weightlifting, since they involve more core muscle groups and/or stress BALANCE. Be sure to work the same muscles on BOTH sides of the body (to prevent imbalance) AND work the agonists and antagonists (e.g., quads and hams) of the areas you're targeting. Also lower the weight SLOWLY so as to work the "eccentric" phase. It's these eccentric movements that usually contribute to DOMS (and possible injuries), since fewer muscle units are being used during the lowering phase and that's where people are weakest. This is why you might have read that you should LOWER your body weight in a "reverse toe raise" to strengthen your Achilles tendons (if you do this exercise, remember to keep the knee straight on some reps and bent on other reps, since the gastroc and the soleus work in concert when running). 3.) Extremely poor muscular development - Well, I suppose by BRUTAL'S standards we distance runners are ALL complete wimps in the muscular strength department! Realistically, though, there aren't too many SERIOUS runners (those who can run numerous 100-mile weeks without snapping into pieces) who are so frail that they're unhealthy. They may LOOK frail and unhealthy, but some of these twigs are sub-13:00 5,000m runners. And they DON'T lift weights! To repeat: Ask yourself if you want the musculature of a wrestler or that of a RUNNER! 4.) Aging - If you're past your prime racing years (somewhere around age 35, give or take a few years), you might benefit from weightlifting by virtue of burning fat (post-exercise) in a wide variety of muscle groups. If you can train (running-wise) like a 20-year-old (read: high mileage), you probably don't need very much weight training, but it does get a lot tougher to keep the body fat low as you get older. Again, "body weight" exercises are best in most cases. |
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From a physical standpoint, your kick is a function of your raw speed, your ability to accelerate, AND how deeply you've had to rely on anaerobic energy production up to the point in the race that you launch the kick. Bearing that in mind, having a high AEROBIC capacity will give you a greater speed RESERVE (how much of your maximum sustainable oxygen debt you still have to "give away") than many runners who are flat-out faster than you are over 100m or 400m or whatever. So you should primarily train for aerobic endurance. The guy who trains ONLY for the kick shouldn't be close enough to you to use it, anyway. As far as speedwork goes, you should ALWAYS be doing a little something about your turnover, even during a base-building phase. I refer to these workouts as "speed maintenance". They provide variety in footstrikes, muscle fiber recruitment, etc., which can not only keep you in touch with some speed, but can also help prevent injury. Examples of speed maintenance workouts are simple buildups and strides and some form drills. You might try two to three sets of 5-6 buildups of 15-25 secs. WITH THE WIND (if any), jogging back (or jogging an equal distance) between each, and jogging 5-10 min. between sets. The first buildups in each set should be the slowest, but each set can be started slightly faster than the previous one (since you're going to be more warmed up). Every 2-3 weeks, you should tack on a fairly fast 2-7 min. run following the last set of buildups. The purpose of this is to get your heart rate up NEAR its maximum (also close to VO2max) WITHOUT tying up very much. Only run the 2-7 min. thing at about the pace you could run for TWICE the selected distance at first (e.g., run 3 laps at the pace you COULD currently run for 6 laps in a race). Another speed maintenance session could be 2 sets of 5-6 x 30-35 secs. progressively faster EVEN-SPEED strides. Jog the same distance between each and jog 5-10 min. between sets. These can be run as 200m reps on a track (with the wind, if any) or they can sometimes be run DOWN a very gentle hill (keep the surface soft, perhaps on a golf course) to concentrate on a light, quick turnover. The purpose of emphasizing turnover on occasion is as a prelude to quick accelerations. You can also run some UPHILL reps, but they don't necessarily need to be FAST. Just using the correct form (hips beneath the torso - NOT leaning too far into the hill with the buttocks back) will work the correct muscles for hill running. At some point near the start of a competitive season, the speed on sessions such as these can be deliberately WORKED a little more. You can also do about 10-12 progressively faster 12-15 secs. uphill repeats, finishing really fast. BUT - you should avoid tying up horribly in any case. Make sure you can hold form. The more you practice relaxation at close to top end speed, the easier it will be for you to recruit the necessary motor units (muscle cells and their connecting neurons) when it's time to kick it in at the end of a race. Provided you've stayed in touch with your speed in the above fashion during a non-competitive season (or during the early part of a competitive season), and provided you've done some form drills (an entirely separate topic) you can introduce some "creatine phosphate" training. This initially entails a thorough warmup followed by 2 sets of 2-3 x 7-10 secs. all-out (take about a 20m running start before rally blasting the next 7-10 secs. - you don't want to strain anything!), with 30-60 secs. walking rest between reps and 8 min. rest (water break) between sets. After you've done this workout a couple of times (maybe once per week), you can add a third set to the above for one outing only. Having completed 3 of the above "acceleration" workouts (remember to cover other training bases as well!), you should then proceed to a workout of 3-4 x 150m at 98%-100% effort with 30-60 secs. walking rest between each. Following this session (allow enough time for recovery and to include one or two other hard days), proceed to 3 x 300m at 98%-100% effort with 2-3 min. walking rest periods. The next "kick-specific" workout (about 4-5 days later) should be 2 sets of 2 x 400m at 98%-100% effort with shorter rests (near 1 min.) between reps and full recovery (8-ish min.) between sets. You may need to jog some and add a couple of light strides at the end of the 8 min. rest period in order to prevent straining anything at the start of the second set of 400s. These longer sprints work lactate "clearance" and use the creatine phosphate stores simultaneously. These two energy systems are precisely the systems which are invoked when you kick at the end of a race. I might repost the drills if I can find the floppy disk I stored them on. There are also some more "advanced" workouts which involve pace changes, but those aren't really necessary unless you're at the highest levels of the sport. |
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First, the plain and simple explanation to satisfy the old guard who don't like all the technical BS: You should do doubles because they've been proven by trial and error to benefit your running. I actually like this explanation just as much as the long, BS-filled version. I like the long-winded explanation, too, because once something has been proven to work, it's only logical to try to figure out WHY it works. In this way, you can isolate what seem to be the "active ingredients" and experiment with adding more of them until the benefits max out (or are outweighed by "overdosing" on those ingredients). You can also cut out what seem to be the extraneous "filler ingredients" and see if they really ARE extraneous or if they're good for something after all and need to be left in the mix. Remember, the SCIENCE of training is (or at least SHOULD BE) no more than quantifying the ART of training. Both science and art require scrutiny and refinement. Anyway, the BS version: Your body adapts best to what it does most often - provided you give it a chance to adapt. Doubles increase your capillary density FASTER than singles do, and even if you've been doing them for a few years, they can still CONTINUE to improve your capillary density and your mitochondrial density. PACE should not really be a concern on the shorter run (or the run which is not the primary workout of the day). Look at what the Japanese do - they'll run 10K in 50 freakin' minutes as a secondary session! And we're talking 2:10 marathon types here! The main purpose of such an outing is simply to get time on your legs. I like going so easy that I can envision myself as "storing up energy" for the next workout. Speaking of pace, putting in a short jog at a LAUGHABLY slow pace as your secondary outing actually ENHANCES your primary run and the two sessions can work synergistically. If you do your "real" workout in the P.M., a "shake-out" in the morning will often help you feel BETTER (more warmed up and less injury prone) for the later outing. If your "real" run is in the A.M., a slow second run later will help relax you and will possibly prevent stiffness from setting in (it might help you sleep better, too, if you keep the pace super-slow). Either way, if you're performing the same basic activity (running) that you normally perform at a medium or hard effort level - albeit at a much-REDUCED intensity - you're providing blood flow to the primary working muscles without overstressing them and without generating a lot of impact stress. If you can get into a good two-a-day routine, these dog-slow jogs can help prevent injuries that might result from your principal workouts. For a long time, Lydiard never counted easy, "shake-out" runs in his mileage totals. But I've ALWAYS counted such running, no matter how short a run is and no matter how slow it is. As mentioned, even those butt-dragging jogs do have some positive effects, and should therefore count as part of your training. Having said that, I'll add that the shortest a REGULAR run should be is 20 min. (preferably between 30 and 35 min.) to provide any real benefit to capillarization. I'd recommend 20 min. as the shorter run of a double only as a stepping stone to those of 30+ min. How much time between runs? After a googolplex seasons of trial and error and observation of others, I say that if the second run is the PRIMARY run, it should usually be done six to eight hours after the first run (a "shake-out") IF you intend to optimize extension of the capillary network. If you just want a warming up effect for your "real" workout of the day, you can reduce the time between runs to about four hours. If your A.M. run is the primary session, you can wait a little longer than eight hours to do your second run. You may need a few extra hours to guard against overburdening yourself if your first run was fairly taxing (in terms of length or pace or both). Finally, there are some intangible benefits to running twice a day several days per week, not the least of which is the sheer familiarity with putting one foot in front of the other - a practice, if INGRAINED in the subconscious recesses of the mind/muscle interactive process, can let you hold form to the finish of some races by operating on sheer AUTOPILOT! |
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Here are the fundamentals of our training approach. We use this same basic outline throughout an ENTIRE CAREER from about age 15 forward, with mileages steadily increasing toward the maximum as a runner demonstrates the ability to tolerate the load and benefit from it (this is BASIC training). We aim for two peaks per year. This policy is more conducive to long term development than is trying to peak three times in a year, as is often done in college (and sometimes in high school). We don't ALWAYS follow a 7-day pattern, either, but since most runners are often constrained by external demands (school, etc.), it's useful to acquire the ability to function well within a 7-day schedule. This is used for ALL track events from 1,500m through 10,000m, with adjustments made along the way as a runner shows a tendency to improve from a particular balance of workout types (this is the ART of training). Just as Lydiard's elite runners trained on the same basic plan until it was the time of the year for them to move toward their specialties, the aim of EVERY runner who races at middle and long distances should be to acquire a high level of aerobic fitness and to handle steadily increasing training loads (read: mileage). We set the paces for timed workouts based on recent time trials or races (also depends on if there is an important race within a few days or whether the week's mileage is planned as high or low, etc.). In any case, we'll almost ALWAYS start SLOWER than the intended average and work into a speed which keeps lactate levels under complete control until the final 2-3 minutes of running. The PACE may be FASTER than the "laboratory GXT definition" of LT pace as "approximately one hour race pace", but the lactate levels THEMSELVES are what we are concerned with, NOT necessarily the PACE. For example, a runner who is in CURRENT shape for a 15:00 for 5,000m may have a theoretical LT pace of 5:15-5:20 per mile and might on one day perform 10 x 3 min. on/30-60 secs. off (so-called "high density") at an average of 5:15 mile pace for the 3 min. runs. Then on a DIFFERENT threshold workout, the same runner might do 3 x 8 min. on/5 min. off (lower density) at an average pace of 4:55 per mile (covering roughly 6.5 laps in each 8 min. bout if done on a track). Or the workout might consist of 20 x 400 in around 75, with 20-25 secs. rest periods - another high density session but run at a different pace than the first high density session. The point is to work at VARIOUS speeds but to stay on the comfortable side of tying up, only feeling like you're really "ripping it" during the last 2-3 minutes of the entire workout - and even THEN not rigging, but getting a "fast flying" feeling - working but not straining. You must train your body to operate under CONTROL while recruiting different muscle fibers, with various ranges of motion, and at different power outputs, thereby stimulating some systems while recovering others. High density repeats use predominantly slow twitch fibers and can be repeated fairly often in lieu of continuous runs. Lower density repeats allow you to spend significant time at or below your LT while running FASTER and are complementary to the high density sessions. 4-8 WEEKS EARLY PRESEASON: This phase is loosely structured, with the emphasis on rebuilding mileage and on running by feel while covering some of the necessary bases. 2-4 days per week - Progression runs (no pace parameters yet - start slow, gradually and spontaneously increase speed to the high end of aerobic effort and stay there from 30-65 min., with a faster finish if feeling strong) 1-2 days per week - Sets of buildups or strides (ex.: 2-3 sets of 5-6 x 15-40 secs., jogging equal distance between reps and jogging 5-10 min. between sets - always do buildups, strides, and drills WITH the wind, if any) + drills and/or hills on occasion + 2-8 min. @ 90% effort (following last set of strides) every 2 weeks 1 day every 2 weeks - Long easy run (getting longer each time, last 1-3 miles gradually faster if feeling good) Phase in doubles 1-2 times per week for 2 weeks, 3-4 times per week for 2 weeks, 4-6 times per week after that 4 WEEKS LATE PRESEASON: Here we get more structured toward Mondays and Wednesdays being faster days and Saturdays being long run days (schedule shifted if needed based on whenever the long run is most convenient). The basic outline below totals 65-80 miles for a week at MINIMUM (depending on average training pace) and totals 125-150 miles at MAXIMUM (depending on pace). Sun. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy ("shake-out" or "super-O2" pace) / P.M. 30-95 min. easy (normal comfortable pace) Mon. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Progression run (spending 30-65 min. at a high end of aerobic effort) OR Tempo run with 20-25 min at LT effort OR High Density LT repeats (ex.: 8-15 x 3-4 min with 30-60 secs. rest periods) Tue. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-95 min. easy Wed. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Progression run (spending 30-65 min. at a high end of aerobic effort) OR High Density LT repeats (ex.: 15-25 x 60-90 secs. with 20-25 secs. rest periods) OR Sets of strides OR Lower Density short LT repeats (ex.: 12-20 x 45-90 secs. at roughly current controlled 3,000m Time Trial pace with nearly equal rest-to-run ratios) Thu. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-95 min. easy Fri. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy / P.M. 35-65 min. easy with 4-10 strides near the end Sat. 125-155 min. easy with last 10-20 min. gradually faster if feeling good OR 95-125 min. with last 30-60 min. picked up to a strong high-end pace OR A.M. 30-35 min. very easy / P.M. Long warmup (25-35 min.), CONTROLLED (deliberately slow start) Time Trial of 3,000m-8,000m - designed to determine critical training speeds and make adjustments (60-65 min. total) 4 WEEKS EARLY COMPETITIVE SEASON (assuming Saturday RACE): From this point on, runners who specialize at 1,500m will gradually gravitate toward the lower (or moderate) outlined mileage levels and will place slightly less emphasis on threshold work, favoring repeats more often than continuous runs and moving toward Lactate Tolerance training slightly sooner than the longer distance runners. Races during the early season are usually overdistance for 1,500m-3,000m runners, underdistance for 5,000m-10,000 runners (unless a time is needed as a qualifier). Sun. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy / P.M. 30-95 min. easy (normal comfortable pace) Mon. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Progression run (spending 30-65 min. at a high end of aerobic effort) OR Tempo run with 20-30 min at LT effort OR High Density LT repeats (ex.: 8-15 x 3-4 min with 30-60 secs. rest periods or 15-25 x 60-90 secs. with 20-25 secs. rest periods) OR Sets of strides (if long RACE previous Saturday) Tue. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-95 min. easy Wed. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Lower Density short LT repeats (ex.: 12-20 x 45-90 secs. at roughly current 5,000m race pace with nearly equal rest-to-run ratios) OR VO2max training (ex.: 6-8 x 2-3 min. at slightly slower than current 3,000m race pace) Thu. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-95 min. easy Fri. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy / P.M. 35-65 min. easy with 4-10 strides near the end Sat. 95-125 min. with last 30-60 min. picked up to a strong high-end pace OR (rarely) 125-155 min. easy with last 10-20 min. gradually faster if feeling good OR RACE of 3,000m-5,000m (10,000m only if needed for qualifier) 4 WEEKS MID-SEASON (assuming Saturday RACE): The 1,500m runners still spend more time on the faster workouts than longer distance runners, occasionally staying in touch with their LT training. Races are usually underdistance or specialty distance for all runners (unless a time is needed as a qualifier). Sun. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy / P.M. 30-95 min. easy (normal comfortable pace) Mon. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Sets of strides OR Tempo run with 20-30 min at LT effort OR High Density LT repeats (ex.: 8-15 x 3-4 min with 30-60 secs. rest periods or 15-25 x 60-90 secs. with 20-25 secs. rest periods) OR Lower Density long LT repeats (ex.: 4-5 x 4-5 min. at roughly current 5,000m race pace with 3-4 min. rest periods or 3 x 8 min. at roughly 10 secs./mile slower than current 5,000m race pace with 3-5 min. rest periods) Tue. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-95 min. easy Wed. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Lower Density short LT repeats (ex.: 12-20 x 45-90 secs. at roughly current 5,000m race pace with nearly equal rest-to-run ratios) OR VO2max training (ex.: 6-10 x 2-3 min. at slightly slower than current 3,000m race pace with equal rest-to-run ratios) OR Creatine Phosphate training (ex.: 2 sets of 2-3 x 7-10 secs. @ 98%-100% effort with 60 secs. walk between each and 8 min. walk between sets) OR Lactate Tolerance training (ex.: 8-10 x 45-65 secs. at slightly faster than current 1,500m/mile race pace with rest periods of about 1.5 times the run periods) OR Lactate Clearance training (ex.: 2-3 x 30-40 secs. at 95%-100% effort with 3-4 min. rest periods) Thu. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-95 min. easy Fri. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy / P.M. 35-65 min. easy with 4-10 strides near the end Sat. RACE of 800m-1,500m (1,500m-5,000m specialists) or 1,500m-5,000m (10,000m specialists) OR 95-125 min. with last 10-20 min. gradually faster if feeling good 4 WEEKS LATE SEASON (assuming Saturday RACE): Time to peak out. Lactate Clearance training is often done by all runners during this stage (if there are not too many races scheduled during the season), but only if regular speed maintenance (buildups and strides) and some Creatine Phosphate training has been used first. Sun. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy / P.M. 30-65 min. easy (normal comfortable pace) Mon. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. Sets of strides OR High Density LT repeats (ex.: 3-4 min. reps with 30-60 secs. rest periods) OR Creatine Phosphate training (ex.: 3-4 x 20 secs. @ 98%-100% effort with 60 secs. walk between each) Tue. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-65 min. easy Wed. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. VO2max training (ex.: 6-10 x 2-3 min. at slightly slower than current 3,000m race pace with equal rest-to-run ratios or 12-15 x 1 min. at slightly faster than current 3,000m race pace with nearly equal rest-to-run ratios) OR Lactate Tolerance training (ex.: 8-10 x 45-65 secs. at slightly faster than current 1,500m/mile race pace with rest periods of about 1.5 times the run periods) OR Lactate Clearance training (ex.: 2-3 x 1 min. at 95%-100% effort with 4-5 min. rest periods) OR Taper Session (ex.: 2 x 2 min. + 2 x 1 min. + 4 x 30 secs., each set of 2 having first rep medium speed and second rep fast with rest periods of about 1.5 times the previous run periods and the set of 4 all starting at medium speed and getting progressively faster) Thu. A.M. 35-50 min. very easy / P.M. 35-65 min. easy Fri. A.M. 0-35 min. very easy / P.M. 35-65 min. easy with 4-10 strides near the end Sat. RACE of 400m-1,500m (1,500m specialists) or 800m-5,000m (5,000m specialists) or 1,500m-10,000m (10,000m specialists) OR 95-125 min. with last 10-20 min. gradually faster if feeling good Oh, yes, don't forget the most important criterion of all: LOVE running! |
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On other forums, Hodgie-San has advised the readers to just get out there and run twice a day and "let the tempo come to you", after which things will all begin to fall into place. This is a very good place to start. Once you use this trial-and-error method (within reasonable guidelines), you'll be able to identify the critical point between maximum repeatable steady state and reckless overtraining BY FEEL. Those reasonable guidelines may restrict you to a certain percentage of sustainable VO2max AT FIRST (to guard against challenging yourself too much) or under other circumstances, but the BEST method of "aerobic endurance" running is personified in the Kenyan-style "progression run". In these runs, the pace often goes well BEYOND any predetermined physical parameters and is done totally spontaneously (actually, we've determined the optimal ultimate achieved speed to be 105% of vVO2max, but that's nothing you need to WORRY about - it'll probably be as fast as you CAN run safely for the final few seconds of a progression run). Even if you spend a mere 100 meters at the end really cranking it, as long as you DO NOT TIE UP, you can eventually improve your running economy at all ranges of running speeds. Parameters are useful at times (particularly if a progression run is planned IN ADVANCE during a phase of training in which other hard workouts are incorporated) to make sure the initial portion of the workout is kept under control. The Japanese use rather strict guidelines for their long progression runs (picking up the pace by x seconds per kilometer every 5K), but this is not entirely necessary all the time. A good progression run is one of those easy days that turns fast because you start feeling really sharp, strong and relaxed, and you can do no wrong, like you're running OVER the ground instead of ON it. By the very end, you can be absolutely FLYING, but you should have the discipline to pull the ripcord BEFORE you experience any tying up. The benefit to running economy comes by virtue of spending some time covering nearly every possible running speed. The Kenyans are well known for using these runs on a near-daily basis in their training camps. The trick to the whole process is that they start at an absolute SHUFFLE - about 9:00-10:00 mile pace for the first half mile and rarely faster than 15:00 through 2 miles - no kidding! But the pace does get faster, and when it does, the fastest Kenyans are hitting sub-5:00 miles for much of the second half of a one hour progression run. The last mile can be in the 4:20 range, with the last quarter at or under 60 seconds (remember that 105% of vVO2max? - there it is in actual practice, and they're doing it without trying to hit a certain speed). That's duly impressive for a workout in itself, but no greater a feat than a national class American (or even an elite college runner) could do - IF running HARD! The phenomenal things is that some of these Kenyans can repeat this same basic workout several days in a row without overtraining! It's in our vain American nature to believe that since this is impossibly intense training for US, it must be for THEM, as well. But the best Kenyan runners have incredibly high economy from learning exactly how to read their bodies on runs such as these. They also know how to REST between runs. Some of them still manage to prove they're human by crashing and burning as a result of COMPETING on these workouts. But for the most part, the Kenyans benefit from such progression runs by starting at a butt-dragging SLOW pace and allowing every system to warm up to a state of equilibrium BEFORE attempting any faster running. And if they feel they need to STAY at an easy pace for the entire run, the smart ones do so. Politically incorrect or not, the white man generally has a harder time adjusting to these near-DAILY progression runs and needs a fairly extensive background of slower high mileage running FIRST. Even WITH such a background, most mzungus need more easy recovery days than the Kenyans do - basically benefiting more from a traditional hard day/easy day pattern - although there ARE some exceptions. Hey, there are some big-boned, SLOW Kenyans, too, so you've got to expect a few outliers in any population! If you are one of those runners who finds it difficult to hit a strong high-end pace and recover enough to do it again within 24 hours, or if 7:30 pace is easy, 5:30 pace is hard and 6:30 pace is too uncomfortable to be a recovery workout but too slow to have a training effect, then you probably need to adopt more of a hard/easy workout schedule. You can always experiment with progression runs during base training in order to find the groove and get comfortable with such training. The general idea is to train at a high-end aerobic pace as often as is functionally comfortable during a base phase, then move more and more toward a hard/easy scheme as the goal races get nearer. If this seems grossly obvious to you, you'd be SURPRISED to find out that many runners (some of them quite serious) do not know that this is the way to approach a buildup and a subsequent racing season. |
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