I've gotten a lot of questions from people asking me about base building and i thought I knew about base building but after thinking about it I know nothing!
So if any one doesn't mind shining some light on this subject,
And keep in mind it's for highschoolers, 14-19
*For track like the 800 and up
Here are some analogies I use for base building.
Its like building a foundation for a house. The stronger the foundation the stronger the house.
Its like putting money in a bank. The more you put in now the more you can withdraw when you need it later.
Also, some thoughts on base building. The better the base the stronger and more controlled you will be in the middle of the race.
For example, say an athlete has the potential to run a 4:40 mile race. He/she may go out in 70 seconds for the first quarter which is rate on pace. Now if your base is weak most likely the athlete will drop to 75 to 80 seconds for the second and third laps. Then even if they pull off a 70 second last lap they will still be far off that 4:40 time. However, if your base is strong you can go out in 70 and hold 70 throughout the entire race to run a 4:40. Its really as simple as that.
runfastpleasenowsir wrote:
Here are some analogies I use for base building.
Its like building a foundation for a house. The stronger the foundation the stronger the house.
Its like putting money in a bank. The more you put in now the more you can withdraw when you need it later.
Also, some thoughts on base building. The better the base the stronger and more controlled you will be in the middle of the race.
For example, say an athlete has the potential to run a 4:40 mile race. He/she may go out in 70 seconds for the first quarter which is rate on pace. Now if your base is weak most likely the athlete will drop to 75 to 80 seconds for the second and third laps. Then even if they pull off a 70 second last lap they will still be far off that 4:40 time. However, if your base is strong you can go out in 70 and hold 70 throughout the entire race to run a 4:40. Its really as simple as that.
That's a good way to explain it
runfastpleasenowsir wrote:
Here are some analogies I use for base building.
Its like building a foundation for a house. The stronger the foundation the stronger the house.
Its like putting money in a bank. The more you put in now the more you can withdraw when you need it later.
Also, some thoughts on base building. The better the base the stronger and more controlled you will be in the middle of the race.
For example, say an athlete has the potential to run a 4:40 mile race. He/she may go out in 70 seconds for the first quarter which is rate on pace. Now if your base is weak most likely the athlete will drop to 75 to 80 seconds for the second and third laps. Then even if they pull off a 70 second last lap they will still be far off that 4:40 time. However, if your base is strong you can go out in 70 and hold 70 throughout the entire race to run a 4:40. Its really as simple as that.
Of course if you can go 50 flat in the quarter 70 will feel like jogging. "Base building" is certainly important, but is far from the only thing, especially in running 800 - 2 mile.
Never said it was the only thing but it is the most important type of training for distance races. You still need to do faster type of training. However, that type of training is just icing on the cake.
Also, there are plenty of guys who can run a 50 second quarter but would have a difficult time running a 4:40 mile without base training.
Agreed. Even the mile which most people seem to think doesn't really rely on the base is 95% aerobic. When I am doubting why I want to put in 80 miles this week I just think of that percentage.
ktown killa wrote:
Agreed. Even the mile which most people seem to think doesn't really rely on the base is 95% aerobic. When I am doubting why I want to put in 80 miles this week I just think of that percentage.
Whatever. If you want to run fast in the mile you better have some GET-DOWN speed.
http://www.coachr.org/energy_system_contribution_in_tr.htmktown killa wrote:
Agreed. Even the mile which most people seem to think doesn't really rely on the base is 95% aerobic. When I am doubting why I want to put in 80 miles this week I just think of that percentage.