There is a real question buried in there. The two extremes of a training day would be a very big single threshold and a large number of very small threshold workouts. Something like 10-15x mile at threshold as a very large single workout could be replaced with 10-15 individual threshold miles.
A lot of triathletes don't do triple threshold workouts, but do a double threshold with an easier workout in between..
I suspect you can cluster training even more so than I normally did.
As shown above, in the correspondence of Tveiten, the coach of Blummenfelt he notes: “Sometimes we can have sessions of all three in one day, threshold swim in the morning, long transition workout on the bike afternoon and then threshold interval runs. We do this not too often, maybe 20-25 of those days yearly. “
On a general basis, two threshold sessions are sufficient but in a crucial period leading into the spring training, it may be a good time to up the training to three threshold runs on an occasional basis, alternatively to place in a midday session of shorter intervals of for example 200/300 meters at 5K float pace – with a threshold in the morning and evening.
Double thresholds are a stepping stone to longer workouts. Because it’s hard to get in 12+ miles of threshold volume in a single session, you break it up into two sessions.
triple thresholds would be best for someone who accomplish that same volume, but for whom the total volume of work would be too daunting to do in two sessions, so you add an extra one in to make it achievable.
it’s similar to someone wanting to do work at goal 5k pace. Workouts like 6 x 1000 or 5 x 1200 may be too difficult at your current fitness, so maybe you do 10-12 x 600 instead early on.
when you reduce volume and add reps, as is the case with double/triple/etc-thresholds, you’re doing it to ease into the longer workouts to come.
I realize it's only 1 week of his training, but if you add up the fast sessions, it's only 10% of the total 300K/180mi, for that week. 90/10; interesting.
Quintuple steady states anyone? Camille would be the best candidate to test out the 5x18 mile, and it would specific work for her to improve on her 48 hour record.
I seem to remember Lydiard stating that his foundational idea was, more or less, that all mid-distance and distance runners can improve by including marathon training. That's paraphrased heavily from something I read ages ago of course.
Maybe he was on to something that still holds as marathon training has evolved, because the physiology was right even if the knowledge of it was mostly empirical at the time, though less so today.
I agree with this. My biggest training break through was brought on by running 10-13 occasionally up to 16 miles daily of super easy miles, true spontaneous fartleks, tempo runs, and strides. I was essentially doing marathon training without the glycogen depletion long runs.
I don’t think 3 threshold sessions a day would work unless you’re sauced up or a genetic freak though.
Yeah, I never considered trying multiple threshold sessions in a day. I did do some doubles, but the second runs were always easy and almost always just a few miles. I was never at a very high level and I'd never even heard of someone doing multiple threshold runs in a day back then.
I did find that running what I thought of as "long tempo runs" in my base, not targeting 1-hour pace, but running by feel, just hard enough to notice a bit of strain, then going for 8-10 miles, seemed to make big improvements in my fitness. That might have been similar to marathon race pace, or a bit faster.
Dave Bedford ran 200 Miles a Week and had the 10000 World Record
Well, his WR came after he was forced to rest a longer period after injury due to training too much. He told in an interview he had train less if he had started as a young runner again. He had a lot of injuries during his career. Often trained 3 times per day and even experimented with 4 times per day a shoryer time🧙♂️🇸🇪
Well, I can tell you that's not correct. During the so called ' Italian wonder ' with Alberto Cova , Antibo and so on, they often ran a LT interval plus a sustained LT session in one day. The only difference they didn't give it the name double thresholds. 🧙♂️🇸🇪
Marius Bakken, the Norwegian 13.08 5k runner who inspired the Ingebrigtsens, studied to be an MD when he was still running. He experimented a lot with his own training to understand the mechanisms at play in the body. He did try triple threshold training, but concluded double was better - I think it had something to do with the muscle tone. He had an interesting blog and has written extensively about his training and research later, look it up!
In literally every runner's forum around the world there is non-stop speculation about the "magic training program", if not the "magic workout" that promises an unassailable advantage. So now it's supposed to be the triple threshold. I find it funny to read reports of current top runners trying to keep their workouts a secret. I'm sorry, but I can't believe it because virtually everything has been tried. Many things can lead to a breakthrough: the decision to turn pro, fewer infections, better recovery, more systematic, boing-boing shoes, better nutrition, and so on. I admit, of course, that training theory is progressing. But the miracle stories about triple threshold won't be believable until statistically significant numbers of athletes make breakthroughs, but without boing-boing shoes, please.
Well, I can tell you that's not correct. During the so called ' Italian wonder ' with Alberto Cova , Antibo and so on, they often ran a LT interval plus a sustained LT session in one day. The only difference they didn't give it the name double thresholds. 🧙♂️🇸🇪
Remember to go to your thread to comment on Josphat's race. We are eager to discuss it.
I remember reading that Bedford was either injured or the best in the world. But I wonder with modern recovery, shoes, nutrition, etc if there are runners who can handle it.
Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win a LetsRun t-shirt.Help us build the best running shoe review site for a chance to win one of 10 LetsRun t-shirts.