Let me say first of all that I would never expect a runner on here to be running 11 min miles. Never in my maddest moment would I advise that. Probably the slowest runner I advise is a female who runs 22:00/5k, 45:00/10k and 3:30 marathon. Her easy runs are about 9.00-9.15 (140-145 HR). Unless you are PR's are like hers, I would not expect you to be running 9.15+ mins/mile. Or anything like it.
I had actually mentioned in the One Approach thread that i did not use the HR's as explained for runners under, say, 18 years old. Work with enough runners and you will see trends. The following are often cases where I have to adjust the initial training paces/HR's of runners who come to me. See if you fit in any of them:
1. Age (usually under 17, maybe 18 tops)
2. Not yet fully developed physically (often allied to young age. Two boys aged 17 can be totally different physically.)
3. Female
4. Lack of previous training background
5. Someone very quick over 200-400m (not an "instant" distance runner-type) who thinks 30 mins is a long run
6. All of the above
So when I see such a runner (and they are always young), and find excrutiatingly slow paces at the HR's they are given, I adjust the HR's upwards and then watch them carefully. This is okay for me to do because I am allying their HR to lactate testing to ensure I am not working them too hard (ie: not relying on HR alone). This is not usually a problem, because in young, not-yet-fully-developed runners, their anaerobic system is not yet fully active. They can often run at high HR's with low-ish lactate. The trick is to keep them easy.
Because that is all we are trying to do here, define what "easy" means for each individual. Because almost everybody gets it wrong. By this I mean a pace that is definitely under 2mmol lactate, and even better, under 1.5mmol (difficult at first). If you are a young runner, and you have never been tested, you will not realise how easy a pace this is. You would call it drag-ass slow and never dream of running such a pace. Which is the problem.
I once read a study (forget the reference, a thing I rarely do) in which they tested a group of normal runners at their "normal" pace. The researchers were surprised to find that this was very close to 4 mmol. Day in, day out. In a highly trained athlete, this would be absurdly high, and a very serious pace. In these ordinary runners it was their just-about-on-the-limit-of-comfortable pace. Improvement on such training is limited.
But, as i have already explained (and don't feel up to explaining again), we need to get to a pace much slower than this. Down where we can recruit our ST fibres in a totally aerobic environment, and just work them individually till fuel exhaustion. And twice per week we will work at the upper limit of this aerobic environment and work (more of them at one time) a bit harder, while still remaining fully aerobic. By doing this, we can edge up the pace at which we stay aerobic (with low lactate) until we reach fast running speeds.
Here's a question: What is the one thing that shows up in all that research comparing black African runners (whether Kenyan or S. African) with white N. Europeans? That the Africans have lower lactate values (are more aerobic) at all running paces. This, as a consequence of having a greater development of aerobic enzymes within their running muscles. That's what we need to achieve.
So. what do I do when I meet a 15 year old girl, 5ft 2in in height, weighing 95 pounds, who only runs 3 x 30 mins per week with her father?
Well, it ain't easy. I have to forgo the lower end HR's, because at 140 and 150 she is barely above walking pace. Asking her to do that for any length of time is sure to kill any love of running she ever has. And if you jog with her she is totally comfortable, able to talk all day. So I move up the HR's. To 155... even to 160. Most often, around this effort level we begin to see something resembling an easy running action. A lot slower than she is used to with her father, but at least a pace that is not calculated to have her screaming aloud in boredom after 30 mins.
With me? I am not here to kill your love of running. And I did remark that young runners were different. A special case. I should maybe have discussed this more since it seems a lot of teenagers frequent this site.
No more 11- or 10-min miles. I wouldn't inflict those on my worst enemy. Not even 9-min miles (unless you are like Natalia, above, the 3.30 marathoner). I would be asking questions of anyone running slower than 5k-pace + 3.00 mins per mile. I could see this as an example of fairly poor aerobic conditioning. In time, I would expect to see this move up to 5k + 2mins at the same HR. Around that pace (with the right HR) is okay. I could understand beginning at a pace of 8.30m/m or so, for someone just starting to train this way, but I would be looking for improvement pretty quick.
But no more screamin' jeebees like some poor schmuck stuck in the slo-mo zone. Okay?
So, do this if the pace is down in the 9-11 min mile zone and you fit one of the descriptions I numbered above. Calculate your 5k PR pace per mile and add 3 mins. Go for a run at this pace and check your HR. If it is higher than I have advised for someone with your HRmax, then use this pace as your easy run pace. Your higher pace for the harder workouts can be this HR + 10-15bpm (but not higher than 170).
When you find that the pace at this low easy HR improves by 20secs/mile, drop down your easy HR by 5bpm and continue. Over time you are trying to run at a reasonable pace at the HR I advised initially for you.
Like this: I told you to run at 145-150 because your max is 195+. This pace is 10-mins mile. You have a 17.00 PR for 5km. Since this is ~5.30m/m, add on 3 mins/mile and do your easy runs at 8.30m/m and watch the HR at this pace. It might be 155-160. If it climbs, you want to know it, because you need to get to a stage where it doesn't climb at this pace. So, take notes.
Think about this for a bit. Your heart is sending all this blood loaded with oxygen to your muscles and you are running this slow. You think top runners run this slow at 155 HR? Two-three mins per mile slower than 5k pace? No way. Last Friday I browsed a number of other forums I have seen mentioned on here (mens-racing, fast-women and Marius Bakken). Never visited some of them.
On Marius' site i came across a little nugget: a post from Marius himself, (go here:
http://www.mariusbakken.com/fo...s%2E%2E%2E)
"Radcliffe. Her training shows 3-4 treshold sessions weekly year around. Her HR at the long, hard, intervalls is right there (175-180 Hr with a max around 195) "
Now, you should recognise that I gave this as the HRmarathon range of someone with this HRmax. I also said that this would be due to some drift due to build-up of heat over 2hrs. If a runner with such a HRmarathon runs this HR for only 30-45 mins in training (and little drift, which happens less in good runners anyway), they will find themselves running somewhat faster than marathon (M) pace. Like M-7 secs or M-10 secs per mile. Right where Marius says Paula's running pace would be.
We can also be confident that if Paula is running 155 HR, she will be running around 5.50-6.00m/m. Definitely not 5k + 3 mins pace.
So, you should be asking yourself, why am I so slow at 155 HR? The answer is that you have not created sufficient aerobic enzymes in your leg muscles. Your muscles cannot yet use all the oxygen that is being delivered to them in the blood. You have to be totally wasteful and deliver wayyy too much blood to get any kind of running pace.
So, to get back to the advice. You might be running easy at maybe 155-160 HR (as above) and 8.30m/m. Now go by HR here, not by pace. Soon you will find some days getting a bit quicker than 8.30 and you are still 155-160. Now when the pace at this HR improves regularly to 8.10m/m or better (and it will), drop the easy HR down (by 5bpm) to 150-155 and continue (this might also cause the pace to slow up again to 8.30, but since it will now be at a lower HR, that is okay, because the lower HR is a sign of improved aerobic capability in your leg muscles and will show itself when you go back up to race pace).
Now don't get me wrong, 8.30m/m is still very slow, but you need to start somewhere. If we do this right, you won't stay at that pace for long.
Any questions... fire away.
Read more:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=134124&page=1#ixzz4ZpqBlbE8