Slow
Down and Get Fast
by
Bill
Wainwright
I
may be dumb, but I’m not stupid. For several
years now, Mitch has been
telling me that if I want to run my IM marathon faster,
then I need to slow down. It sounds paradoxical—even
nonsensical which is why for years I ignored his
advise. The point he was trying to get me to
understand is that my training was focused on improving
the wrong system—not that I actually meant to bypass
maximizing my improvement in my Type I (slow twitch)
muscles, but rather my training regime bypassed the
Type I and was working the Type II (fast twitch)
muscle fibers.
As
long course triathletes, the vast majority of the
work we do during a race must be supported by the
Aerobic System—not the Anaerobic System. All
long course triathletes—especially amateurs have
to balance the requirements of work and family obligations
as well as trying to squeeze in sufficient training
to perform at our desired level come race day. This
scenario sets up a trap which is all too easy to
fall into; you say “I only have 3 opportunities to
run during the week so I’m going to run them as hard
as I can to get maximum value from the session.” This
is a mistake! The key to successful long course
running performance is in INCREASED FREQUENCY (gotta
find those extra 2 or 3 sessions a week) at DECREASED
INTENSITY. Numerous studies have shown that
maximizing the development of the Aerobic system
is done by exercising at/or below the Aerobic Threshold
(AeT). The top of Friel’s Zone 1 is often referenced
as a good approximation of the Aerobic Threshold. Gordo
Byrn’s “Four Pillars” available on line at http://www.gordoworld.com goes
into significant depth in defining AeT. For
our purposes, we’ll assume you know what AeT is and
how to find your AeT.
It
has been said that the most competitive runners in
long course triathlon aren’t the ones that run the
fastest, they are the ones that slow down the least!
Few athletes can even split or negative split the
first
and second half of an Ironman marathon, so for most
of us, that statement is quite accurate. Since
returning to training after my rest month following
a pretty ugly performance at IMFL, I have FINALLY
embraced the concept of training to wring the most
out of my Type I Aerobic System.
Here
is a summary of my training protocol, followed by
some early results and perceptions of my training
to date.
1.
I can find the time to run 4 times a week initially,
eventually building to 6 times a week by the time
I start my third cycle (build I).
2.
I can define two separate target zones to use in
my
running. The first is at, or slightly below
my current Aerobic Threshold. The second is
about 15-20 bpm above my AeT, but still 10-15 bpm
below my LTHR. (note, if you do the math, my
AeT (and probably yours too) is 25-35 bpm below my
LTHR)
3.
I use a Heart Rate Monitor to keep my HR within my
target zones. 4.
I try to use out and back or short loop type
courses
to allow me to take time and HR “splits”.
So
now that I’ve defined the ground rules, how do I
use them in my running routine?
Easy
Runs—some would call these junk miles, but
they are key element to developing durability in
the legs and joints to allow that long, long day
at Ironman to pass with out losing form or incurring
injury. These are ALWAYS done below AeT. When
the run volume hits 7-8 hours over 6 workouts in
a week, these easy runs will never be less than
an hour will often be 1+10 to 1+20 in length. They
are run easy enough so that I can “back them up” with
virtually any other workout on my schedule day
in or day out without a problem. Steady
Runs-similar to the easy run, these runs are
little more flexible than my easy runs—I try and
hold the same PACE (within reason) by allowing
my HR to increase as I climb hills (very little
flat options where I am). I control my HR
so I never exceed that AeT +20, and after cresting
the hill I accept my HR is going to remain somewhat
elevated as I slowly recover back toward AeT HR. Generally
run twice a week, these runs have replaced my “tempo
runs” of old. This is a fundamental change
in my philosophy and worth noting—before starting
this protocol, I was trying to get used to operating
with my quads bathed in lactic acid. Now
I am getting used to running without producing
the lactic acid.
Long
Runs-just a variation of the steady run, I
use classic periodization to increase the duration
of my steady run efforts. Steadily increasing the
duration of the long run during a cycles and then
dropping the duration during my rest week to allow
for adaptation and full recovery. Following the
rest week, the long runs pick up again near where
but not greater than, the duration I left off.
Out
and Back or Loop Courses-are, to me anyway,
one of the key tools I have to see how well I am
doing and to ensure that performance is what I
think it is. There are various tests one
can perform over measured distances periodically
to track improvements, but for me, every workout
is like test as I have only a few run courses that
I tend to repeat. What I do is track my time
and HR to key landmarks or loop completion—religiously
logging them in my training log. Each lap
loop I work for consistent time and, even more
importantly, consistent HR. HR will increase
some as the run progresses—this is natural “cardio
creep” and is to be expected, BUT if your HR increases
by more than 8-10 bpm in order to maintain the
same pace then you’ve run your OUT or your initial
laps TOO FAST. Remember, most people either
run too infrequently or they run too fast when
they do run, OR BOTH!
Here
is an example of a good run from my training log:
Following a 4 hour training ride I slipped on my shoes
and
did my 1 hour out and back course (that I break up
into two timed segments out and the same two segments
back). Note, my AeT is now estimated at about
140 bpm (up from 135 when I started running back
in December) (1out) 16:58@141, (2out) 13:05@141,
(2back) 13:17@144, (1back) 17:15@145. I basically
hit my split times within reason and my HR growth
on the way home was quite modest. This is what
I would expect for a run at or near my AeT. Had
my outbound legs been significantly higher than AeT,
then I would have had to work much harder on the
second half of the run to keep the same pace and
my HR would have increased significantly—this would
be an obvious problem in the second half of an Ironman
Marathon where I don’t have the ability to generate
this additional HR to get me home at my selected
pace.
Tempo,
and beyond- While every modern muli-sport coach
I’ve read about or talked to agrees with this basic
principal, there are two schools of thought regarding
higher intensity efforts. One school subscribes
to the theory that Ironman marathon runners NEVER
need to operate at high intensity to obtain their
desired results. That time spent at or above
LTHR is not necessary for the athlete and this
effort adversely affects recovery time that impacts
other workouts on the training schedule. The
other school of thought considers that the human
machine has two distinct energy generating systems—Aerobic
and Anaerobic and that both need to be developed
to maximize the bodies performance. The jury
is still out on this issue, but some high intensity
work is, in my opinion, not a bad thing. Rather
than inventing ugly painful workouts to tax my
anaerobic system, I prefer to ride hard in the
signature sections of my local club ride and enter
some shorter, faster races to tax this system.
How
do you know if you are improving? It
is actually pretty straight forward—when you run
your favorite courses, as you strengthen your Aerobic
System what you will find is that if you run your
familiar HR range, the time it takes to do the
loop will be decreasing. This process takes
5-6 weeks of consistent execution to allow cellular
mitochondrial and capillary production to develop.
The secondary benefit is that at the same time
your
avg HR/pace per mile is dropping, your AeT value
is actually increasing! A classic TWO FER! If
you feel like your running has room for improvement
and you are training HARDER than ever, why not
take a 8-12 weeks and at least TRY training SMARTER
with this lower stress, lower impact run training
protocol. It really works!
Bill
Wainwright is a CpC coach and can be reached
at bill@counterpartcoaching.com |
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