Caution - bumpy road ahead

Many of our runners are currently enjoying the benefits of good aerobic base training and realize they are much fitter than they have been in a while. Unfortunately, this is also a dangerous time of year as runners try and capitalize on their fitness by training too hard, too often, or by training through injury. We've had examples of both in the last week, and neither worked out very well.

In the first case, pushing it hard on a treadmill on easy days resulted in an inability to perform properly on days with scheduled quality workouts. Clearly this is counter productive, since it is exactly those quality workouts that are the bread and butter of our training. We have to show up for those workouts rested and ready to work hard. In between the quality sessions, easy recovery runs allow us to assimilate the effects of the hard workouts while adding to our mileage base. While it may be hard to keep the recovery runs easy, especially when we are feeling good, it is essential to hold back so that the next workout doesn't suffer. Don't turn those easy miles into trash miles.

The other case we experienced this week was running through injury. While most of us continue to run with minor aches and pains, deciding when to take time off is a more difficult decision. Whether an injury needs time off or not, it is generally not a good idea to perform hard workouts while nursing an injury. Far better to run easy, as long as the injury doesn't get worse, than risk an extended lay off by training too hard.

A third case was an example of a runner making exactly the right call after being off sick for a few days. He cut short a scheduled 32km long run, feeling weak and unable to run well. Clearly he was not 100% recovered and made the right decision to terminate the run. Common sense and caution are the watch words at this time of year.

I'm going to leave you with "The Great Secret" as divulged by Keith Livingstone in his book "Healthy Intelligent training. The proven principles of Arthur Lydiard"

"Whatever you do that is very intense has to be balanced out with a reasonable volume of easy work. The harder you go, the more the volume of easier work required, and the easier the better. Total rest wont do it. Easy aerobic activity will. That's the secret."

Pretty simple eh?

KISS

Or Keep It Simple Stupid! This was the advice of my thesis supervisor prior to me giving a talk on my research. Apparently an audience, even an academic one, is really only capable of concentrating on a few key points, and then for only a few minutes at a time. So the idea is to limit the number of points made and repeat them throughout the presentation. I found that 3X3 worked well - three points repeated three times during the presentation.

This holiday season while putting together a running program for myself and fellow Longboat Roadrunners members, I realized that the same can be applied to training. There are an incredible number of types of runs and variations on these types, but when all is said and done, there are really only a handful of runs that, regularly performed at the right time, are needed to reach your potential as a runner. So, in an attempt to keep it simple, here is my list of Top 5 runs that should be on everyone's training schedule at some point. In future blogs, when specific runs are being introduced into the training, I'll go into each of them in more detail.

5 Intervals: These are short runs (typically less than a mile) done at a pace faster then goal race pace. The goal is to improve the bodies ability to transport and use large amounts of oxygen to produce energy aerobically (i.e. to increase VO2 max).

4. Hills: Hill runs are the best way to build up leg strength outside the gym (and even better than the gym for runners because it is running specific). Regularly running on hills, either as hill repeats, or over hilly courses, has been shown to reduce the risk of running related injuries.

3. Tempo/Anaerobic Threshold runs: As the name suggests these runs are run at a pace at, or just below, the anaerobic (lactate) threshold, which for most runners is a pace that can be held reasonably comfortably for about an hour. The anaerobic threshold is described as the point above which lactate and associated hydrogen ions start accumulating in the muscles and blood. This results in decreased ability of the muscles to produce energy, forcing you to slow down.

2. Easy/Recovery Run: The easy run rates right up there at number 2 because I believe that as soon as you have a hard workout, you have to follow it with an easy day. While the easy run has had a bad rap in the past often being referred to as simply adding junk miles, the recovery benefits of an easy run are now better understood. As has been said many times elsewhere, it is in the recovery after hard workouts, that the real progress is made. The stress/recovery system works well, but only if both parts are used. But beware, those easy miles can turn to trash miles if done too fast. In that case, you may not be ready for your next hard workout which will, effectively, be trashed.

1. Long Run: This really is the most important run for pretty much any runner. It is essential for increasing aerobic capacity and, since even at the 5k distance the running is 95% aerobic, this is the number 1 run on the list.

So there you have it, five simple runs to include in your schedule that will get you in good shape for those Spring races.