Training Manifesto

by Sage Canaday

For example, the speed guy is most likely going to do long runs and tempos at a slower pace than the marathoner even if their 5k Prs are the same. Generally the speed guy weighs more and is more likely to get injured from running high mileage. Most importantly, the speed guy has fewer Slow-twitch muscle fibers than the marathoner. The few slow twitch muscle fibers that the speed guy has are easily fatigued from high/drastic increases in mileage, and very long runs. However, because of their superior reservoir of speed, 6:20/mile pace on Long runs may feel slow on the legs, yet after an hour it becomes somewhat of a chore due to the fact that their muscle fibers are tiring. On the other hand the marathoner feels like his legs are moving somewhat fast, and yet he finds a comfortable groove with calm easy breathing and even feels better and better after 90min at this pace. The speed guy may be running 75mpw and the marathoner needs to be running in excess of 100mpw to fully reach their potential due to the specificity of what their main events are, and determined by their physiological �strengths and weaknesses�.

In the �off season� or �base building� phases of training nearly all runners should be developing their aerobic base through increasingly high mileage and lots of Easy Aerobic Paced runs. However, mileage figures aren�t end all numbers producing instant improvement. One should not become a slave to hitting totals merely for the sake of maintaining a perfect average. The theory of LSD (long slow distance) to build base endurance may initially lead to great improvements for �speed runners� as they simply gain some sorely needed endurance to carry their speed out over further and further distances. However, performance gains from an increase in mileage is a matter of diminishing returns and eventually the speed guy will find that he needs to keep moving up in race distances in order to keep getting PRs. On a larger scale this is exactly what may happen to the versatile runner and marathoner after a period of about 5 years UNLESS a new, more intense and ever- changing training stimulus is introduced. This may simply be a matter of adding more quality miles to the weekly mileage figures by not running LSD on �easy days�, or adding an additional, higher volume track workout per week. While the �marathoner� should look to increasing both mileage and intensity, the �speed guy� should look to mainly increase endurance through Lactate Threshold workouts, Speed sessions, and perhaps a continuance of higher mileage totals (but at a slower overall pace). Since the human body is like any other organism, new stimuli trigger it to adapt� and we must formulate specific workouts for that adaptation that leads to optimal improvement in race performances. This is were Lactate Threshold, V02max, Economy and Speed workout intensities come into play because for races lasting 800m to the marathon they are most specific to developing efficiency in race efforts. I will now discuss how these training terms / workouts illustrate principles of training that have historically been successful.

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