anoncowerd wrote:
DirtyT wrote:
We are seeing what ever good coach gives. Weekly threshold and economy work. That’s really the key to running well and improving.
in this economy?
seriously though what even is economy. race-specific pace?
Economy is how efficient you are. Performance in running is mostly explained as a function of VO2max and economy. The best runners in the world have a high VO2max and are incredibly economical. This means their velocity at VO2max will be much faster than everyone else's.
VO2max is the maximal amount of oxygen in mL per kg (body weight) per minute your cells can use to produce energy via aerobic metabolism. If the exercise demand exceeds the energy supplied at VO2max (meaning a speed faster than velocity at VO2max), the remaining energy required to meet the demand is supplied by anaerobic metabolism (glycolysis), which is done by fast-twitch muscle fibers that are much quicker to fatigue.
Both aerobic metabolism and anaerobic metabolism are constantly ongoing during exercise, but the more the exercise demand exceeds VO2max, the faster a runner fatigues due to increased anaerobic metabolism, resulting in increased glycolysis, muscle acidosis, central nervous system feedback, and recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers which fatigue much more quickly than slow-twitch muscle fibers.
The more you run at a given speed, the more economical you will become at that speed. Elite runners train often at speeds near, at, or beyond VO2max without "going to the well" or fatiguing themselves in order to increase their economy at fast paces. This is done with a system like Daniels reps - fast runs with ample recovery.