Best way to raise lactate threshold

skier wrote:

then wouldn't the most effective workout to raise the threshold be a single uninterupted effort 20-60 min (give or take). If we are honest and stay under the threshold, why is there a need to break with rest periods (intervals). And shouldn't we be striving to simulate racing situations, i.e. long single efforts?

Your "long, single effort" idea seems to agree with Pfitzinger's philosophy.

From Pfitzinger/Douglas, Advanced Marathoning p. 21-22

"During these [lactate threshold] workouts, the more time you spend at your lactate threshold pace, the greater the stimulus for improvement ... A typical training session to improve lactate threshold consists of a 15- to 20-minute warm-up, followed by a 20- to 40-minute tempo run and a 15-minute cooldown ... LT intervals are typically 2 to 5 repetitions of 5 minutes to 2 miles at lactate threshold pace with 2 or 3 minutes between repetitions.

For runners competing in shorter races, tempo runs and LT intervals are both excellent ways to prepare. For marathoners, however, tempo runs are preferable to LT intervals. After all, the marathon is one long continuous run, and tempo runs simulate marathon conditions more closely. There's both a physiological and psychological component to the advantage of tempo runs. The extra mental toughness required to get through a tempo run when you may not be feeling great will come in handy during the marathon."

Good points. The steady "tempo" effort is clearly the better approach for improving the mental aspect of learning to deal with prolonged work at a pretty hard pace. Some (usually less experienced) runners have trouble hanging on for more than 20 minutes or so and they can benefit from repeating shorter runs, with such short breaks that lactate really doesn't clear, but just enough to let them go on and spend more time at the desired intensity. What happens with many longer "tempo" runs is that true theshold pace gets sacrificed in favor of spending more time with the continuous effort (which still benefits the psychological component). Another drawback with group long tempo runs is that they sometimes become races and the better runners benefit while the slower ones get wiped out (but that's another issue)

(1) 2 or 3x5000 on the road (personally I hate anything on the track more than 2km)

(2) 15-16km or 10miles on the road very fast.

(3) 5x3000 or 4x2miles on the road at 10 seconds per mile slower than 10km race pace (20 seconds per mile slower than 5km pace)

In Kunming we have a very nice 2 mile loop downtown that is perfect for these workouts. It is fun because it is on bicyclepaths, and the crazy Chinese guys start pacing/racing you on their bicycles, since they think it is so crazy to see a white-guy out running.

Jason

Jason: Are you in Bangkok? I've been there and my brother lived there for 17 years.