Training Principles for Endurance Running Strategies for Success

Carolyn S. Smith, M.D. Executive Director, MU Medical Clinic

Team Physician, Intercollegiate Athletics Long-time distance runner

My Running Background • 37 years of injury-free distance running • 32 marathon finishes • 35 ultramarathon finishes • Olympic marathon trials participant • 24-hour National Champion • Two-time 100KM National Champion • 12-hour U.S. record holder • Still running strong and loving it

Marathon Training • Are you committed? • Marathon distance must be respected • Most anyone can complete • To enjoy and be successful, need adequate

preparation – Discipline (willing to make sacrifices) – Time to train (dependent on previous running history)

• Not a runner/novice: 9-12 months of preparation • No previous marathon but already running 20+

miles/week: 6-9 months of preparation • Training and/or racing consistently: 3-4 months of

preparation • Invest in the “little things”

Running Facts

• Running just to run will make you fitter • Understanding training components and

organizing into a training plan will lead to running success

Getting Started

• First-timers and veterans • C-FITS Principle

– Consistency – Frequency – Intensity – Time – Specificity

Consistency • Sticking to running schedule week to week • Weekly mileage loses its value if there are

constant interruptions to training • Not trying to “make-up” workouts at other times • Avoid rationalizing need to alter training schedule • Consider re-evaluating goal

Frequency

• Number of days spent running • Minimum 3 days/week

– All must be quality runs – Success can be difficult if beginner – Consider making all runs base-building if

struggling with recovery/motivation

• Ideally, 4-5 days/week

Intensity

• How you train can affect performance • Workouts designed to improve physiological

characteristics that will allow you to run further and faster in the future

• Refers to different training components (types of runs) and training pace

• Often determined by individual goal (to finish or specific time) and running experience

Time • Refers to total weekly time spent running and

total time in long run • Equates with weekly or daily mileage • Success can occur with modest weekly totals • Periodization (build-up weeks followed by

recovery weeks) – 3 build-up weeks followed by 1 rest week – Gradual increase in total weekly time – Gradual increase in long run mileage

Specificity • Changes take place in structures that are

stressed with physical activity • Running causes cardiorespiratory, metabolic

and muscular changes • Running is about muscles and movement • Need to train entire movement pattern • To get better at running, you must run (cross

training has value for maintenance of CV fitness)

Components of Training Program • Same for both genders • Component emphasis based on goals, length

of race and running experience • Base-building • Acidosis Threshold Training • VO2max training • Speed and strength training • Recovery • Be open to change

Base Building • Your base is your aerobic fitness • Aerobic system is predominant system used in

distance running to generate energy for muscle contraction

• To develop as distance runner, must do aerobic training

• The bigger your base (or aerobic fitness level), greater your performance capacity

Base Building • To build base need to spend a lot of time

running slow • Ideally, base building should be longest phase

of training program – Takes longer to develop endurance than speed

• Aerobic training (base building) stimulates physiological, metabolic, neuromuscular adaptations

• Volume (i.e. number of miles) of aerobic running, not speed is major stimulus for adaptation

How much mileage do you need? • Depends on many factors

– Genetic predisposition to adapt to aerobic training – Amount of time you have to run – Distance for which you are training – Running goals – Novice/Beginner vs. Advanced

• Beginner/Novice runners and those less trained can expect more improvements with increasing miles of aerobic training

• Mileage should always be added slowly and systematically over time

Increasing Weekly Mileage • More is not always better

– Only better if continue to adapt • To avoid injury, beginners should increase

mileage by no more than one mile per day per week – Don’t add the extra weekly miles to one day – If prone to injury, consider maintaining same

weekly mileage for 3-4 weeks before increasing • Consider decreasing weekly mileage by one-

third every 3rd to 4th week

The LONG Run • Longer than any of your other weekly runs • Most important component of your training • Physiologically prepare the body to handle the

stress of prolonged running; psychologically condition you to run for long periods of time

• Important to do as one run • Don’t need to run full marathon distance • Minimum long run 18 miles; prefer 20-22 miler • Slow, conversational pace

Guidelines for the LONG Run • Generally done weekly • Shouldn’t exceed more than one-third of your weekly

mileage – “Rule” may be broken if only run few times per week – Never make long run 3-4 times the length of any other run

during the week – Lengthen long run by 1 mile each week for 3-4 weeks

before decreasing for a recovery week – New runners may need to run the same distance 2 or 3

times before increasing the distance • Follow long-run with rest day; precede with easy or off

day • Do longest run no closer than 3-4 weeks before event

Acidosis Threshold (AT) Training • Slower running is an aerobic (oxygen dependent)

activity • Faster running relies on anaerobic (oxygen

independent) metabolism for energy production • The acidosis threshold represents fastest speed

you can sustain aerobically before oxygen supply/demand mismatch

• Acidosis Threshold very responsive to training • AT training gets you used to running comfortably

hard for a long time

AT Workouts • Subjectively the pace should feel comfortably

hard but not as hard as interval pace • AT pace is generally 10-15 seconds slower per

mile than 5 or 10K race pace • Pace corresponds to 80-85% of max HR • 2 to 10 mile Pace (or Tempo) runs • Mile or 2-mile repeats with short recovery • Increase training load by increasing the volume

of a single workout rather than increasing pace

VO2 max training • VO2 max represents your ability to consume

and use oxygen • Largely genetic but possible (especially if

beginner/novice runner) to increase it • Goal of VO2 max training is to improve heart’s

ability to pump blood and oxygen to active muscles

• VO2 max can be increased by doing interval training

• Training pace is intense (between 1 and 2 mile race pace for most runners or 95% max HR)

Interval workouts • Work periods of 3-5 minutes and recovery intervals

equal to or slightly shorter than the work period • Typical interval workouts include repeats ranging from

200 meters to 1200meters – Pace will be the same regardless of interval length

– Mile repeats should be done slightly slower (5K race pace) • Always warm-up adequately • Recovery periods should remain a active with light

jogging • Increase training load by adding more reps or

decreasing recovery periods not by running faster

Determining maximum heart rate (HR)

• Perform adequate warm-up • Run 1 mile on a track while wearing HR

monitor • Start at comfortable pace and pick it up each

lap until you are running as fast as you can over the final lap

• Check your HR monitor a few times during final lap – the highest number you see is your max HR

What about (up)hill training

• Enhance cardiovascular fitness and improves leg muscle strength and power

• Come in many forms • Exact pace not as important as effort aim for

comfortably hard effort • Often used as transition into formal speed work • Add variety to training program • Must incorporate if goal race is “hilly”

Fartlek • Comes from Swedish word for “speed play” • Continuous runs during which you run different

speeds for varying amounts of time • Adds variety and fun to training • Useful as bridge before beginning more formal

speed work or intervals

Recovery

• One of (the most) important components • All adaptations to training occur during recovery • Always incorporate rest days or easy running days

into weekly routine – Polarize your training (hard on hard days; easy on easy

days) • How much recovery is dependent on age,

intensity, fitness level, weather, nutrition, stress • Organize your training into three to four week

cycles

Tapering

• As critical as the long run • No work-out during this period will increase

preparedness for race • Do a 2 week taper • 1st week should be 40% of average long week • 2nd week should be ½ of 1st taper week

Practical Tips for Designing a Training Program

• Combine walking and running if you’re a new or recreational runner

• Add non impact cross-training activities to boost cardiorespiratory fitness

• Don’t build your weekly mileage too rapidly (adhere to 1 mile/run per week)

• Increase AT and interval training gradually • Incorporate rest or easy days between hard workouts • Avoid making up “workouts” due to inconsistency • Warm up before interval training • Keep a training log

Questions