I need some help

There's an old Chinese (?) saying that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for one day. But if you teach the man to fish for himself, you feed him for the rest of his life.

Runr, I am deliberately avoiding directly telling you what to do every week in the hope that you begin to figure out for yourself what is the right course to take. I mean no disrespect in saying this.

I won't say much more (hah!), but think of the following:

1. I have gone on at some length to explain that it is how well a distance runner is aerobically prepared that is going to have the maximum effect on how well he races and how well he races all season. It is the training he does between HRmax-50bpm and HRmax-30bpm that will maximise his potential over time.

A runner's VO2max is primarily determined/limited by his cardiac output (Since your heart cannot beat faster than max, you need to develop a large stroke volume so that every heartbeat pumps a larger amount than before). This is referred to as central development.

But the amount, the fraction, the percentage of this high VO2max that a runner can use in an 8k, 10k, HM and M is determined by his Lactate Threshold and his LT is determined by his peripheral development (the capillaries, mitochondria, and enzyme infrastructure in his legs). You MUST train his legs to be able to run fast without lactate build-up.

It is possible for a runner with a very high VO2max to get defeated EVERY SINGLE TIME by a runner with a LOWER VO2max but a HIGHER LT (meaning his LT occurs at a faster pace).

So, a high LT is vital for a distance runner and you better work on that LT. A great deal of that work is initially done between the HR's I have given. If it feels too slow, too easy, go round again, and again, and again...

Run over hilly routes, but easy enough that his HR does not rise too high, and he does not build high lactate. Just running easy over hills recruits different muscle fibres not used on the flat and so helps to develop them. Run over X-country to recruit the fibres used in such terrain since this is different to flat road running...

Now, even while doing this (relatively) easy mileage to improve peripheral development, some central/cardiac development will also have taken place.

As the race season begins to approach, you can then get him onto some HM down to 3k-5k pace work which will raise his HR to high values and thereby increase central development. Since his legs are well trained beforehand, you can be confident that he is not building too much high lactate while doing this.

If he is well-prepared, he will lap up this faster running. Central is easier/quicker to accomplish than the peripheral development (which can go on for years). But at all times, you must (as Lydiard famously advises) protect the fine aerobic ability you have already trained, while adding this faster-paced running on top.

If you do this properly, your runner should never fall apart in a race or go off form for no reason. If you do this WRONGLY, add in too many high lactate runs, your guy's season and performances can fall apart very quickly.

So, as much aerobic peripheral development as you can manage in the time allowed (low HR, low lactate values and as many miles as he can manage). Paces can range from jogging right up to around marathon pace. This whole area of work is where the LT improvement primarily takes place and is often referred to as aerobic conditioning. It is arguably the most important part of preparation.

Then onto what is mainly central/cardiac development with some additional peripheral work (higher HR values and higher?but not too high?lactate values as you maximise aerobic capacity.) Paces can range from HM right up to 3k pace. Always in control. Enough recovery as required, you don't want very high lactate values. This work is often referred to as aerobic capacity.

Now if he is racing middle-distance, you need to introduce him to race paces faster than 3k and allow him to once again build buffers against / learn how to tolerate the rising acidity of 800-1500m racing. This can be done with 200s/400s/600s... and the length of recovery can become important, but he must never crawl off the track. This is referred to as anaerobic capacity.

And that's it... BUT...

2. Look again at your pre-race training week. You cannot train a runner hard and race him well at the same time. Due to school/college constraints, there may be times when you need to get him in a race because he is a point scorer in the team. But no runner likes standing on the startline heavy-legged and getting buried every time in the final sprint (or well before it). If you have to put him in the team when he is doing some heavy training, you better not do it too often or you will sour the guy completely. You should explain to him what you are doing and why and you should make it a point to regularly schedule some races when he is fresh and let him kick some serious butt of his own.

DougC made a good point about blood work, but note that ferritin levels can appear low if the runner has been repeatedly (almost daily) exposed to significant levels of lactate (4mM +). Purely aerobic running would help them to return to normal. But I agree with him, it is never a bad idea to check. Just be sure you understand what you are reading in the report. You might also check the size of his red blood cells. If they are too large (which would negatively affect his racing), get him on some regular B12 (always with B complex).

Same Boat made a good comment about too many hard days in a row in your example week. But without directly commenting myself, I would just like to include what Lydiard thinks is the correct pre-race week for a distance runner. Compare it with your own and see what conclusions you can draw.

Mon: 45m wind-sprints every 100m x 16

Tue: Easy fartlek running for 45 mins

Wed: Time trial 800m

Thu: Jog 45 mins

Fri: Jog 30 mins

Sat: First important race

Sun: Jog 90 mins

Thanks to those who offered appreciate comments on earlier posts, but as any old dude here will tell you, there's nothing new in any of what I said.

I'm done.

Hadd -

Nice information. Thanks for posting it.