Renato Canova wrote:
I fully agree with Antonio that the "definitions" of every type of training starting from a physiological point of view are useless and, the most part of time, not correct.
The fact is that every kind of training provokes several effects on the physiology, not only one, and these effects can be different for the same athletes and for the same "external load" in different period of the season.
Therefore, a good coach must know the reason of different type of training, but cant consider it as "mathematics", since the final goal (running faster in our case) depends on a combination of factors, each one depending on several variables (weather, shape at the moment, psychological situation, opportunities of competitions, musts with sponsors and organisers, private problems, etc.).
In any case, I want to explain my philosophy about training, valid for every distance where we need endurance.
We have several steps (or stairs) of intensity, every step connected with some physiological effect, and we need to use ALL THESE STEPS, of course with different percentage, according to the event we want to prepare.
A) ANAEROBIC (LACTIC) POWER.
It's the ability to produce the higher quantity of lactate per second. We can measure this ability dividing the total quantity of lactate produced inside the muscular fibres per the time of the performance.
This means that for different kinds of attitudes (for example, for a specialist of 400 vs. 800 vs. 1500m), depending on different kind of fibres (percentage of Fast or Slow, and of Fast II Type), the distance and the duration of the exercise is different.
The practice of training suggests the following parameters for researching the individual Lactic Power :
a) For a 400m runner, a distance between 300y and 300m
(duration 25" / 32")
b) For a 800m runner, a distance between 500 and 600m
(duration 60" / 1'15")
c) For a 1500m runner, a distance between 700 and 900m
(duration 1'30" / 2')
d) For a specialist of 5000m, we don't look at this parameter
The LACTIC POWER is the most important and specific quality for 400m runners, and reduces the importance while the event becomes longer.-
B) ANAEROBIC CAPACITY.
It's the ability to produce the higher quantity of lactate in short time. Under this point of view, it's directly depending on the LACTIC POWER. This is a specific attitude for 800m runners.
When we speak about training, if for example we have an athlete able, in a test, to run 500m in 62", a training for increasing his CAPACITY is 3 times 500m in 65"5 (95% of his Power) with 6' / 8' recovery.
c) ANAEROBIC RESISTANCE.
It's the ability to work with a very high quantity of lactate in the muscular fibres. This quality can be bettered working with two goals :
a) To increase the ability in "saturation" (the fibres can sustain more lactate)
b) To increase the ability in "removing" lactate from the fibres.
The physiological goal is to improve the permeability of the membrane, first of all.
Under the methodological point of view, having as example the same athlete, a training for Anaerobic Resistance is 10 times 500m in 1'12" (85% of the Power) with 1'30" / 2' recovery.
This quality is connected with the AEROBIC POWER, more than the ANAEROBIC CAPACITY. Therefore, I don't agree the definition that we can find in the most part of Training Books, speaking about CAPACITY only.
For example, a training of Steve Cram (10 x 300m in 39" / 40" with 40" of recovery), clearly in the lactic area, was possible because of his very high AEROBIC POWER, that allowed him in removing very quickly the lactate, limiting the its final quantity in his fibres.
One thing is HOW FAST we can produce lactate, other thing is HOW MUCH lactate we can produce in long time, and yest another thing is HOW MUCH ACCUMULATION we can accept having still the possibility to work.
D) AEROBIC POWER.
This is the ability to produce the highest level of lactate, remaining in Steady State (MAX LASS, max lactate steady state). Like the LACTIC POWER, this quality has different level and different duration, depending on the event. For example, in top runners of 10000m (26'30" / 27') the athletes can have a period of about 17' / 20' during which they run at an almost even level of lactate (about 7-9 mml), without the typical graphic we can find in all the books of physiology (continue increase of the level following an exponential line). This is an attitude typical for top specialists, partly genetic, but partly depending on the type of training.
At the end of every thing, the real way for improving in ALL THE QUALITIES bases on very clear principles :
a) Using EVERY type of training (of course in different percentage, according the seasonal period) with every athletes, and for every event
b) Using this training DURING ALL THE SEASON (there is no more a long period WITHOUT some training of speed, or, in case of 800m runners, without some training of Aerobic Power)
c) Using a training of SPECIAL QUALITY, always looking for EXTENDING its volume.
For example, the most important difference between the classic Marathon Training of Lydiard and the current system, for long distances, is that now we don't start every season with long run very slow (in the 60 years, athletes with the WR started their training in November with 3 hours at 8' per mile, for increasing the "capillarization", following the system of Van Aaken). Now we know that, running long, we can reach the max level of capillars in 2 years time, after running slowly is useless. So, while 50 years ago the athletes ran VERY LONG and SLOW, combining with intervals VERY FAST and SHORT, now the best athletes run (VERY) LONG and FAST (the first having this intuition was Ron Clarke in the period 1964-68).