Marius bakken - ”i det lange löp” this week

This is where I get confused. Interval, originally, meant the rest interval not the repetition distance.

With his wording it looks like the interval is the distance you run at threshold pace.

Also- how do you all calculate threshold pace? I use 5k pace x 1.07.

When I say "originally" I meant Igloi in his book on interval training.

You don’t calculate threshold pace. You get a test done to know the specific value for your anaerobic threshold (usually ~4.0 mmol/L but can be way different), then in a workout you measure your lactate after each rep and go as fast as you can while staying ~0.5 below that value. That pace will be dependent on interval length, conditions, surface, elevation change, and fatigue level.

You wouldn't happen to be from Section IV in NY would you?

I was at a session he gave at a running camp. I was a local coach and went to one his talks.

He and I talked afterwards and he told me that the training methods I used for my high school team were his methods "dumbed" down, so to speak, for high schoolers and to accommodate training 40-60 runners of different abilities.

Thanks. That's what I thought.

I'm 64 so high mileage is out but experimenting is fun because I have nothing to lose.

I'm trying to figure out a way to simplify this as much as possible.

If you want to simplify it:

1 minute rest for everything

800m repeats no faster than 10k pace

1600m repeats no faster than HM pace

3-7 mile tempos no faster than MP

These three workouts can be a sufficient stimulus of approximately threshold running. Important to view the paces as pace “limits” rather than goals. Perfectly fine to be 5 seconds too slow, especially early in a workout. Not fine to be 5 seconds too fast (you will likely go over threshold). If you want to do an interval of a different length, keep a 1 minute rest and adjust the pace accordingly. These workouts can be doubled up fairly easily, although I would recommend running the morning workout a bit slower than usual to ensure you don’t go over the threshold. Also if you are not running on a track or flat road, you should adjust the paces to what you could race on the same course you are working out on.

I think it's safe to say that 99% of what you read about interval training considers the work bouts to be the interval and the primary focus.

It's very safe to say that. But, I've been reading about and doing interval training for 52 years. Old habits die hard my sarcastic young friend.

Thank you very much. That is very helpful.

Section V. There was a pretty big IV contingent as well though, made some great memories at that camp! I went a few consecutive summers between 2001-2004, so there's a pretty decent chance if you were there we've crossed paths. Small world! Never got tired of hearing Jack tell the story of Old Grey Boy and why he believes in luck.

If you're being semantically correct, the distance you're running is a rep and your recovery is the rest between reps. But usually when you describe such a session you call it an interval session. You probably could call it a rep session but that name just never really caught on. So if you want be semantically correct you'd say "I did a session of 10 x 400 repeats" but if you say "I did an interval session of 10 x 400" everyone will know what you mean but they still would need you to describe what kind of recovery you took.

Yes, that is correct if we speak about the ”highest level”. Bakken has a marathon program online for normal runners.
(the afternoon is often 25x60s or 10-12x3min)

Extra volume on I1 on one or two of the DT-days (tuesday/thursday). He gives the example of adding 1 hour before going into the 6min intervals, without taking a break as what he recommends.

M,W,F - the same as the standard norwegian week, maybe a bit longer. (12km x 2). Easy.

Saturday - (x-factor) - you could keep the same hill session 2x10*200m (for a while, but not during the specific phase), or you could run a 5k or a 10k as a competition also.

sundays - you should start running progressively the last 2-3 weeks before you enter the specific phase.

You need a muscular surprlus during this phase (you need to keep something in the bank, so you can focus on the muscles in the marathon specific period).

the marathon specific period should start 8-12 weeks before the race, with a gradual progression into those sessions.

The he goes on about the marathon specific period…

Blue Mountain, Aim High, or other? JD spoke at all the camps iirc, a great resource for those interested.

Hi Nordic, do you have a link to Marius’ marathon training talk? Is it in Norwegian, or is there an English interview? If Norwegian, do you have a summary or the main points for his marathon approach? Thanks for posting what you have up until now!

Thank you for this. Any chance you could provide any details on the marathon specific phase?

Here he outlines it pretty well. One thing I noticed is that the x workout on Saturday can also be faster flat stuff depending what phase you are in.

https://www.mariusbakken.com/the-norwegian-model.html

You're right and the reason Igloi called it an interval session is because the interval mattered.

Basically, the shorter rest interval you need at race pace the closer you are to running that pace without resting at all.

I just think the term has been switched and I just wanted to clarify to make sure he and I were on the same page.

I guess with all the down votes some of these young kids are just closed minded or don't understand having a understanding of a topic for years.

By your own admission, you've had decades and decades to get used to the "newfangled" way of referring to interval workouts. Heck, Once A Runner was written in the 1970s and uses the word "interval" to refer to a section of hard running.

The reason you're getting downvotes is that us young people (I'm nearly 50) have only ever heard "interval" referring to "recovery" in one context: people like you pretending that they're not sure what we mean, when really you just want to give us all a little history lesson about the way the word used to be used. Were you truly confused about whether Bakken intends for people to do workouts of 3 x 10:00 of standing around, with 1:00-2:00 of hard running between the rests? Come on, spare us.

bump