The secrets of Parker Valby's cross-training are revealed

Yet here you are on an American running message board.

I love these attempts to equate cross-training efforts to miles run. It’s a fool’s errand. I do it, too.

This is anecdotal, but I can tell you that 120 minutes on an arc trainer is significantly more difficult than a two hour long run. And it’s not just perceived effort. I got injured towards the back end of a marathon training cycle and had to spend six weeks on an arc trainer.

Anything 45 minutes and under is fine, but it gets really hard once you’re up over an hour. And for what it’s worth, I dropped more weight during that time.

Somewhat related, I also find it really funny how the different brands of machines differ so dramatically in their mileage and calories burned readouts. I don’t really pay the info much attention, but I can’t help but notice the readings while I’m on the machines. I travel a lot for work so I find myself in a lot of hotel gyms late at night on ellipticals.

The worst are those newish TechnoGym machines. More hotels are starting to pick them up, and they make you feel so bad about yourself. I will crank on one of those for an hour with the resistance all the way up over 10 and it will tell me I’ve burnt 150 calories and only gone a mile and a half 🤣. Meanwhile, some of the other brands will tell you that you’ve burnt 1500 calories and gone 10 miles with the same effort. It’s like vanity sizing in jeans.

how many miles do you think an hour on the arc is equivalent to?

how many hours do you think an elite endurance athlete could handle on an arc trainer per week once fully adapted to it?

I will turn the question around. How long a run at what pace would cause her to perspire so? I don't believe the answer is 4 miles at 6 minutes per mile.

Sooooo salty 😂

volume of perspiration doesn't equate to miles run otherwise we could just sit in a sauna a few hours a day and be exceptional runners

keep in mind that she is on an indoor trainer, likely with minimal air flow. she is going to be heating up faster than she would if running outside in typical weather conditions. if she is indeed losing a significant amount of fluid and not bothering to replace it then her heart rate will also be drifting due to reduced cardiac output.

again, i don't expect runners that have never taken part in a non-impact endurance sport at a high level to be able to intuitively understand how non-impact training crosses over to impact training.

it's something i've been keenly interested in for nearly 30 years now.

well, most of us don't get our heart rate way up sitting in a sauna, do we? She apparently works her heart rate up higher than when she runs, at least we are told.

Give it a rest, Bro. We all know you’ve been upset that Valby has surpassed your beloved Tuohy, but it’s time to get over it. Prolonged bitterness is not healthy.

in fact, we all get our HR way up when sitting in a sauna for a long enough period of time. even 3 x 15 minutes with 5 minute breaks will push someone with a resting heart rate of 65 up to 130-140. if done for an hour straight with no breaks it would of course climb much further.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Comparison of physiological reactions and physiological strain in healthy men under heat stress in dry and steam heat saunas - PubMed

The aim of the paper was to follow up major physiological reactions, provoked by heat stress during dry and wet sauna baths. A physical strain index and subjective estimation of heat comfort of subjects who had not taken saun...

Open link

anyway, you aren't here to learn and don't actually have anything to share do you? you're just here to argue about something you are not well versed in. typical LR poster right?

The article misses some key ingredients to her success, including: kombucha, tanning for maximum Vitamin D, humidity is the new altitude, and the support and positive vibes from a growing number of fans infected with Valbymania.

Expect Great Things!!!

It is fartlek, not fartleks.

I'm shocked that people are still skeptical on the merits of cross training when the best women's college long distance runner in history is having these types of results. I think some runners are afraid to admit that running less can actually be better in some instances.

It's honestly given me the confidence to reduce my own injury prone mileage in favor of alternative aerobic sources.

No I really want to know how she is achieving her fitness with what you describe as not terribly hard/high volume equivalent running training. Kind of the opposite of what of what Blanks is doing.

Maybe there’s some merit in terms of impact on the legs with that formula. But the heart is also a muscle, a very important one in terms of endurance activities and the ability to efficiently and effectively provide oxygen to the muscles.

60-75 min on the arc trainer at a high exertion level is likely more beneficial to the heart than a 25ish min run (based on the aforementioned formula) due to the longer duration of working at an elevated heart rate. It is probably easier on the legs though. It’s clearly working for her given the results the last few years.

well she ran 10:10 for 3200 as a junior in hs in 2019. then she leaned out significantly between that point and college.

it appears she does about 35-40 miles a week of running based on the posted schedule, none of it being at an easy pace, so it's all quality.

add another 25ish equivalent miles from the arc trainer

someone running 10:10 for 3200 as a junior, then leaning out significantly and ramps up to equivalent load of 60-65 miles a week, with virtually none of it at "junk miles" sort of pace either when running or on the arc, while the muscles and connective tissue are able to recover faster than if running only.

Doesn't bode well for her professional future if a healthy athlete has to train like an injured athlete. Due to her lack of a kick, her best distance going forward is likely the marathon. Don't think anyone has cross-trained to a successful marathon career.