Danielson wrote:
I normally stop to do some drills, strides, and change shoes after the first couple of easy paced miles. Then I do the middle 'workout' section and stop again (3 or 4 minutes to just change shoes again and get my HR down a bit) before the last couple of easy cooldown miles. Is that wrong? Does he prescribe these as one continuous workout? For example:
2E+8x400 at R pace with 400 jog rest+2E.
2E+4x200R pace with 200 jog +3Tempo + 4x200R with 200 jog + 2E
I always do the workout section as continuous, but wondering about the early and late easy mileage. I don't think he describes that in the book.
I read the first one as essentially a 2 mile warm up, reps session, then a 2 mile cool down. As it's a reps workout, I don't think there is any reason for the running to be 'continual' as such - Daniels stresses arriving at the next rep fully recovered from the last; and that in itself would suggest that there is no requirement for the workout to be continuous. In other words, my understanding of Daniels Reps is that if you need more recovery (even if it's walking or standing around), then you take it - running the next rep with good form is the ONLY thing that matters.
The second workout is different in my book - I could be wrong about this, but I always make workouts like that continuous. If it was just 2E + 3T + 2E I would certainly be running it as one continuous run; with the Reps added, I would do the same - I think their main purpose is just to inject a bit of fast turnover in to the workout; so I'd run the first 4 as quick and sharp as I could (keeping the recoveries very slow) - then I'd run the tempo element. I would however then add a mile, or half-mile of easy running before the next 4 Reps - as I wouldn't be recovered enough to run them well straight after the 3T. I could be wrong for doing that; but it seems logical when you consider Daniels general advice with Reps (i.e. you need to be fresh enough to run each rep well, and with good technique - they should be fast, but not hard/laboured).
Happy to be shot down on this one though; if I'm missing something?