| THERE IS MAGIC IN THE NUMBERS |
| HIGH VOLUME MILEAGE The principle of high volume of mileage is a key and vital part of my training plan. Though there may not be a set mileage total that will work optimally for everyone, I will tell you that there is indeed MAGIC IN THE NUMBERS and a minimum amount of mileage is needed for all distance runners. Now let's take a step backward and first realize that high mileage is a relative term and each person, through a system of trial and error, must determine what is the correct amount of mileage he or she can handle for any given amount of time. You have to be sensisble and patient with your mileage if you wish to reap the true benefits of such a high volume program. Simply put, you must take control of your motivation and look to manage your running career for the long term. If you are indeed sensible and patient, you can run high mileage without self-destructing. The problems occur when runners want it all right now and try to combine a high volume of work with a high amount of intense work. The human body was made to work and then to recover. By ignoring the latter principle of recovery, you are sure to spiral down the path of injury and/or excessive fatigue THE 18 & 24 MONTH THEORY From working with distance athletes for the better part of a decade I have found that a majority of my runners have followed a similar path of improvement once they embrace the idea of long term progress. Though there is some steady improvement over the course of the initial 12 to 18 months of working together, I have noticed much greater gains in the actual physical capablities of my athletes after the 18 month mark; as they have consistently shown large improvements in all facets of their running. They are faster, stronger, more powerful, and more efficient after following a sensible and well-rounded training scheme. But the one thing I notice is that even though they are physically superior to their former selves after 18 months, they still lack to the mental maturity and confidence to put the entire puzzle together. Once they are given an additional 6 months (24 month mark) to learn to deal with their new phyiscal tools, they are now ready to compete and perform at a much higher level than ever before. CONTROLLED RUNS (Also known as easy runs) The #1, #2, and #3 goals of controlled runs are to sustain a steady 70 - 75 % heart rate (or effort) for an extended period of time to help develop aerobic conditioning. Running too hard or too fast can actually be counter productive and destroy the aerobic effect you are going for. What the majority of runners do not realize is that running in this 70 - 75% zone should never be a strain. You should not be pushing the pace, working hard up hills, attempting to drop your training partners, or simply making yourself feel the intensity of effort. Controlled runs should never be overly difficult besides the mental strain from the day to day grind of real training. Many people are actually under the assumption that if it doesn't hurt it isn't having a physiological effect. I am here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. I am actually here to tell you that if it does hurt then it is probably doing more harm than good.There is no doubt that this is the principle that seperates me from almost every other coach and athlete out there today. For those that feel my athletes run too slowly and are simply logging "junk mileage', I will counter with the guiding idea that we are looking long term and it will be the accumulation of work that will lead to ultimate success. So how do you know if you are actually running at the correct intensity on controlled runs? To answer that question I will seperate runners into two broad categories: experience and inexperienced runners. Because experienced runners have been through the training process numerous times they can rely on "feel" to determine the proper pace, while inexperienced runners will most likely need external data to keep their runs well under control. Your best bet for external data would be a heart rate monitor. This will take the guess work out of the equation and allow you to truly listen to your body. To properly use a heart rate monitor, you must first determine your maximum heart rate. Once you have that figured out, you are only a few simple calculations from determining your controlled run pace. Take your maximum heart rate (an example would be 200 bpm) and multiply by 0.70 and 0.75 (following the example of max HR of 200 bpm, your controlled run range would be 140 - 150 bpm). For those that don't enjoy the restriction of a heart rate monitor, there are a few simple checkpoints you can perform to determine if you are staying within your proper pace, and none of these require the use of a stopwatch. Check to see if you are running relaxed, your breathing is under control, you can easily have a conversation with someone, and your stride has a nice rhythmic flow to it. If you feel strained or are having trouble breathing then you need to simply slow down because I can promise you that you are overworking your system and you heart rate is well above the target range of a controlled run. FORM AND RHYTHM The last portion of your running that you must always be aware of is your running form and your rhythm. Many of your running habits, good and bad, are formed during your controlled runs. If you run with an efficient, quick, and rhythmic stride during your controlled runs, you will carry those attributes over to your higher quality efforts and races. The same can be said if you consistently run your controlled runs with sloppy and ineffective running form. Create good habits by thinking about them every time you are out running. Have a check list of proper running technique in your head and make sure you are mentally revisiting that checklist at least three or four times each run. CONFIDENCE AND BELIEF IN THE SYSTEM Using this method of controlled runs is a tough approach to swallow for most distance runners. You will have to put off instant gratification and look far down the road to see noticable differences in your runnning performance. You will have to stick to your guns while others may not understand what you are trying to accomplish. Believe in the system and believe in yourself. Also, Pick your training groups wisely. Make sure that you are running with like-minded individuals that have the same long term plans as yourself. You must tuck your egos away on training runs and never forget the purpose of each and every run. Work together with your training mates and support each other in a positive and productive manner. You will not become a champion by winning an easy run (or even a workout for that matter). Lastly, leave your watch at home if you are the type that tends to obsessively compare times of certain loops from day to day. Running is meant to be enjoyed and surely being a slave to your stopwatch will take away from the freedom and passion of your runs. EMPHASIS I put such an emphasis on controlled runs for the simple fact that a majority of your training will fall into this category. You will spend more time and more energy on controlled runs than on any other form of training, so it is impertive that you keep these efforts in the proper zones. This is the backbone of our training program and the success of this program relies heavily on the proper implementation of controlled runs. RECOVER WHILE YOU TRAIN Famed University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman was a big advocate of the hard/easy approach to training. Simply put, he believed that the athlete should follow all hard efforts with at least one or two days of easier efforts. This method allows for the athlete to temporarily tear his/her body down by doing higher quality efforts and then let it recover and thus rebuild and become stronger by following with ample recovery. I am in agreement with this type of thinking but I want to take the idea one step farther. I strongly believe that it is not enough to just work hard and then allow your body to recover. Frequently taking the day off (or jogging just a short distance) following a quality workout or a race takes away from positive training effects of that workout or race. The key here is allowing recovery while also further conditioning the body. You can accomplish that with sustained controlled runs on days following workouts and competitions. Controlled recovery runs are the glue that holds then entire plan together. They bridge the gap and also speed recovery by allowing your body to rid itself of the harmful metabolic wastes that build up in your system during hard workout sessions. |
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