HR-training: can running too fast inhibit aerobic adaptations?

I have a theory too wrote:

I have what I call the 'femur tibia ischium' model of running. I believe the interaction between the hip, upper and lower leg bones are what dictates and controls running performance. These are overlooked in conventional training literature and my theory will answer many question regarding training and performance.

Gosh. Brilliant. Your very own theory. Where was it published and how long did it take before it was accepted by mainstream physiology?

Or you could actually look up the word theory and learn what it actually means?

Let's look at the "problem" of training specificity for the marathon in it's most basic elements: duration and pace. Training has to be *specific* to race demands and *repeatable* in order to direct and stimulate growth. Running a marathon race each day would be very specific, but is not repeatable.

So we must disengage the two parameters of duration and pace and address each in our preparation separately. If we are aiming for say, a three-hour marathon, we ask "Can I train the duration (3 hours) on a repeatable basis? The answer is "Yes, but only if we run slowly enough to operate from a purely aerobic basis that uses fat as the primary fuel source. This is exactly what Ed Whitlock does: gradually build up daily training duration until he can run steadily for the full three hours each day. Elite runners do the same, training for the duration (just over two hours) of their goal race on a daily basis. This is repeatable AND specific.

Once the duration element is mastered (the athlete is able to repeat the event duration daily for weeks and months at a stretch), THEN we can focus on pace. Trying to address pace too much before duration is mastered would compromise the fundamental need for mastering duration.

However, as haddite mentioned, during the "duration training" early phase of preparation, by maintaining speed with strides and short hill reps we keep the tools of faster running close at hand, so that when we introduce more training at goal pace, we are able to run relaxed and efficiently for longer periods. A runner that did nothing to maintain speed would be starting from scratch as they introduce race-pace training, a tremendous waste of precious training time leading to the race.

Once the goal pace can be easily repeated for at least half the race distance in training several times before the taper, then we know the athlete is ready to sustain that pace utilizing the tools of speed and duration that have been developed in the months leading up to the race, and it is just a matter of making sure that we taper properly in order to put the runner at the start line fresh, eager and fully comfortable with both the pace and distance.