Go Hard

Looking back through my years of training and racing, I've attempted to sort out the common elements that have lead to my successes and the also the what has been a feature of my failures. Unsurprisingly the elements leading into my better races were mostly the opposite of my not so successful events. The usual standards of consistency, good volume and long gradual progression featured. That's all well and good, but very generic. Could I zero in on a certain run or type of training session that was consistent with my better races? Surprisingly I could. That training session is what I tend to call my Threshold Run . Looking back through my training logs it is clear that this particular training session is a consistent leading into my best races. With hindsight, it is also noticeably lacking leading into races that were well below par. So what is my Threshold Run ? First up I will say state it isn't an exact pace or an exact intensity. Over the build up of training the se...

On the plan are a number of runs I've marked as Fundamental . What on earth is a fundamental run? For those looking for a physiology definition there will be disappointment. It isn't based exactly on a threshold, it's not a set heart rate zone, but it is prescriptive in pace. There is probably a better term than fundamental for this type of run, but it works for me. Originally taken from concepts used by Renato Canova, but I don't strictly follow his explanation. I've calculated the pace range to be based on what my recent race results suggest I am currently capable of for a marathon if I modify training for a couple of months to hit that time. This gives me my marathon pace. The fundamental pace is then simply 80-90% of that. For me that works out to be 4:04/km for marathon pace, and fundamental is 4:52-4:28/km. It is clearly aerobic conditioning. How I use this pace range depends on what event I am training for. If my target was a marathon, then I would re...

Under the AnT post I mentioned the difficulties I've had in hitting and maintaining running above the anaerobic threshold. Since that post I've had another two attempts. First up I hit about 3:47/km for 4 out of the 6 repeats plus to two dips down to 3:38-3:39/km. The intensity was definitely up and it was clear my legs weren't used to holding the pace here. The seventh repeat was a blow out to 4:12. Still not on holding 3:42/km for at least 8x1km, but a lot closer. About eight days later I got through to 8x1km. A big improvement. This time the running felt a little more natural and I wasn't as destroyed during the recovery kilometres. The average gave me 3:44/km with a variance between 3:39-3:50/km. These sessions are quite tough, but aren't causing a drop in the rest of my training. In fact there's been a very gradual creep in my recovery and basic running speeds from about 6:30/km a couple of months ago to around 5:30/km at the moment. This is also refl...

Doable on paper. Bit harder in the real world. So far for my AnT runs, I haven't quite reached the mark.   I don't see this as a problem, more as information on my exactly where my fitness is at. I suspected a certain gap after the Coburg Harrier's New Years Resolution 12km, and that's been confirmed with two attempts at the faster intervals. Analysis of my race at Coburg showed I raced at almost exactly the same heart rate from go to woe. That gave me a gradual but consistent slowing over the race. I lacked the ability to push up the intensity and pace in the end. It's like there was some sort of ceiling imposed. The same has happened in the interval sessions since. The good news is that below these speeds (3:53/km and slower) I am excelling. My ability to hold them feels almost comfortable and I can keep going. So what's the problem? Basically it's a simple lack of specific fitness above anaerobic threshold leading to maximal oxygen uptake. Once I hit ...

This is a long post. Yet, is probably as short as I can be when explaining how I am putting together my training. My aim is to strive for continual improvement. A system that builds upon current fitness and from race to race. There are a lot of elements common between 10km to ultramarathon and I aim to improve my abilities across this wide range. Of course that will require times of specific focus. I'll just always keep in touch with the other abilities required at the different distances. My race plans at this stage include: Two Bays Trail 28km - January Emergency Services Games - April Surfcoast Century - September There will be a number of races in between. I just haven't worked out which ones yet. To give myself an objective guide the basis of my training will be aimed at working towards a sub-2:45 marathon. Even if I don't race a standard marathon next year it should give me the basis I need to then adjust focus for my other events. For a 2:45 marathon t...

As an example of why my plans aren't set in stone. No 3.5 hour run due one sick kid and one teething kid. So instead of plenty of kilometers being put into the legs, the day involved no running. Without enough hours blocked together to really get that long run in, I have to make the best of what I have. That meant getting up at 4:30am to fit in 1.5 hours before the wife is off to work, and I look after the kids on my day off work. Obligated to be back inside by 6:30, I really wanted to make up for the lost long run and ensure I am actually prepared for the 50km coming up. The plan, was an anaerobic threshold run plus some hill repeats. A flat 7.6km out & and back loop, that used to be a mainstay in my marathon lead ups took care of the threshold section. Then a handful of 400m repeats up a 7% steady climb. Not exactly a long run, topping out at 15km all up, but a stimulus non-the-less. I had a couple of concerns leading into this run. Firstly I have been getting a bit of pa...

The alarm was very unwelcome this morning. I was feeling stuffed, but managed to push that aside. After all, that's to be expected in the current training phase. The difference this morning was I had a headache. A very rare occurrence for me. Other than the mild not-enough-caffeine or the what-the-hell-am-I-still-doing-working-nightshift almost non-headaches I can get, I really don't get headaches. Getting ready for my run I worked through the checklist trying to come up with a cause. All the usuals such as hydration, food intake and sleep hours appeared to be okay. In the end I put it down to the fact the rest of the family have been a bit unwell and now my body was struggling to keep the germs at bay. Planned was another prolonged threshold run. At no point did I feel even close reasonable during the warm up. So I took my time and waited for my body to wake up before launching into the main set. It didn't happen. Still, I gave it an attempt and everything just felt wr...

The Threshold Phase of training can be very difficult to get right. The balance between enough stress and adequate, but not too much recovery can be elusive. In describing my approach to this phase I originally stated: "This style of training can really hammer me. Not so much in the form of injury, but more in a fatigue, failure to recover or just get sick way." In my second 8-day cycle, I was up early for the prolonged threshold run (60min main set). It didn't go as planned. The short version is, I felt flat to begin with, tried to run solid, then hit the wall and struggled to run back home. On face value the session was fail. I could just write it off as a bad day, and try harder next time, but there needs to be more insight. Just trying harder won't make next week more likely a success. So why did things go wrong? A large proportion on training for endurance races goes into being able to override the body's defence mechanisms. Pain, fatigue, urge to stop, urge...

Time for the second phase of my marathon preparation. This will be the Threshold Phase . For an overview of the overall plan check out Melbourne Marathon 2011 Outline . Let me begin with the straight details: Time: 4 x 8 day cycles + recovery/test week. Aims: Increase the speed and time I can sustain running at anaerobic threshold Enhance ability to run relatively quick at low effort with better substrate use Aim number 2 really just carries over from the base phase. My long run in each cycle should cover that. My plan is to continue on with the same approach from the base phase. That approach is run for 3 hours at about my aerobic zone (70-82%HRmax). The pace won't be pushed on these sessions, that's what the other key sessions are for. I want the speed of these runs to naturally develop. For a more detailed explanation on the ins and outs of my long read The Marathon Long Run . Now for details on Threshold training : I've defined my Threshold heart rate zone as 155-166b...