Alright, so I'm bringing back the WORKOUT OF THE WEEK segment, but changing it up a bit. Instead of detailing the exact workout I'm doing, I'll lay out the general synopsis of the workout and then try to give some tips on how you can incorporate it into your own training.
What's the workout?
A progression run is any run where you start out at an easier pace and then progress over the course of the run to a faster pace. The beauty of this workout is that it can be anything you want it to be -- want a hard tempo workout? Start the progression a little slower than marathon, then over the course of 20-40 minutes progress down to half marathon or even 10k pace. Want a long threshold run? Start easy and over the course of 60-90 minutes progress down to near marathon pace. (When you're just starting these out, it's always a good idea to begin at the lower end of the range and gradually extend your workout to the longer end). Since this was the first one I've done in a while, and since I'm just coming up to speed after my injury, I did a low-key hour long progression. I started the first 10 minutes or so real easy, and then for the rest of the run I worked my way down to aerobic threshold pace (about 5:45 for me, so a little slower than marathon pace). As with any workout, always finish it off with an easy cooldown to flush out any lactic acid and start the recovery process.
Why should I do this?
You should do this workout because it's a free-form aerobic stimulus that you can do anywhere. It's an effort-based workout where you really get a feel for cycling through different paces; as such, I think it's liberating in that you're not confined to the rigidity of the track or specific pace schedules. I'm a huge fan of running this without too much structure (especially GPS watches), so that you can really feel the effort levels of different paces. It might take a couple times to get it right, but once you do, it becomes a very organic workout: the faster paces build upon themselves so that progressing just feels natural, leaving you finished with a 'full of run' feeling instead of clutching your knees with lactate. In terms of physiology (bear in mind I'm no exercise scientist) this run improves your high-end aerobic fitness. If you do the faster, tempo-style version, then you'll also get in some lactate threshold work, aka clearing lactic acid from your system. It also teaches the body to run faster when tired, which is always a good habit to develop.
When should you do it?
You should do this...all the time! But seriously, because it's such a free-form workout, it can fit any time in your training schedule. In your base phase, do the slower 60-90 minute near-marathon-pace progression. This will give you a high-end aerobic stimulus without building up harmful lactic acid. In your pre-competition phase, do the faster 20-40 minute tempo-style progression. As a substitute for a regular tempo run, it will help improve your lactate threshold. In your competition phase, try going back to the relatively slower one, as it will keep you in touch with your aerobic fitness without beating you up too much -- it's kind of a maintenance workout in this way. But really, I say make it a weekly session (or once every two weeks) and you'll see big fitness gains.
So anyway, that's the new WORKOUT OF THE WEEK. I hope you find it interesting and useful for your own training goals!
What's the workout?
A progression run is any run where you start out at an easier pace and then progress over the course of the run to a faster pace. The beauty of this workout is that it can be anything you want it to be -- want a hard tempo workout? Start the progression a little slower than marathon, then over the course of 20-40 minutes progress down to half marathon or even 10k pace. Want a long threshold run? Start easy and over the course of 60-90 minutes progress down to near marathon pace. (When you're just starting these out, it's always a good idea to begin at the lower end of the range and gradually extend your workout to the longer end). Since this was the first one I've done in a while, and since I'm just coming up to speed after my injury, I did a low-key hour long progression. I started the first 10 minutes or so real easy, and then for the rest of the run I worked my way down to aerobic threshold pace (about 5:45 for me, so a little slower than marathon pace). As with any workout, always finish it off with an easy cooldown to flush out any lactic acid and start the recovery process.
Why should I do this?
You should do this workout because it's a free-form aerobic stimulus that you can do anywhere. It's an effort-based workout where you really get a feel for cycling through different paces; as such, I think it's liberating in that you're not confined to the rigidity of the track or specific pace schedules. I'm a huge fan of running this without too much structure (especially GPS watches), so that you can really feel the effort levels of different paces. It might take a couple times to get it right, but once you do, it becomes a very organic workout: the faster paces build upon themselves so that progressing just feels natural, leaving you finished with a 'full of run' feeling instead of clutching your knees with lactate. In terms of physiology (bear in mind I'm no exercise scientist) this run improves your high-end aerobic fitness. If you do the faster, tempo-style version, then you'll also get in some lactate threshold work, aka clearing lactic acid from your system. It also teaches the body to run faster when tired, which is always a good habit to develop.
When should you do it?
You should do this...all the time! But seriously, because it's such a free-form workout, it can fit any time in your training schedule. In your base phase, do the slower 60-90 minute near-marathon-pace progression. This will give you a high-end aerobic stimulus without building up harmful lactic acid. In your pre-competition phase, do the faster 20-40 minute tempo-style progression. As a substitute for a regular tempo run, it will help improve your lactate threshold. In your competition phase, try going back to the relatively slower one, as it will keep you in touch with your aerobic fitness without beating you up too much -- it's kind of a maintenance workout in this way. But really, I say make it a weekly session (or once every two weeks) and you'll see big fitness gains.
So anyway, that's the new WORKOUT OF THE WEEK. I hope you find it interesting and useful for your own training goals!
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