Allen1959 wrote:
Not snarky at all. I'm just experimenting a bit ... thinking it's maybe a good thing to always touch on all the training paces. Also, I may want to race a few 5Ks along the way. And I am theorizing that as I close in on age 60, regularly stressing all the "systems" may be especially beneficial. But I have no research to back that up! Regarding injury risk, after 45 years of (off and on) training, and a couple dozen marathons, I've learned that long runs are more dangerous for me than a few 800m repeats :)
SDRNNR wrote:This might come across as snarky but I swear its an honest question- Why are you adding in VO2 max workouts? Especially so early in a training program when you are building volume? They offer very little benefit in the Marathon and increase the chance of injury.
Ya know, you might be on to something here. I was flipping through Faster Road Racing last night and I came across the section about Pete Magill. Seems super fitting to your situation-
"The first thing we aging runners have to face is that our fast-twitch muscles will go the way of the dinosaurs if we don't include training that constantly stimulates it," he says. "Too many of us old guys and gals fall into a pattern of mostly distance, occasional tempo, and declining race performance. Sessions of hill sprints, 5K- or faster paced res, and other fast twitch oriented running are essential" (Faster Road Racing, pg 137)