I just got a text message from one of our veteran runners asking me how much to run. I'm going to answer that text message by referencing the graph you see above.
Before I write about this graph you see up here ^. I want you to go back and read the post from November 22nd. It shouldn't be that hard to find because this is the first post since then.
Scroll down, read the post, then come back to this point.......
Ok, now that you're back let's talk about the graph above. The graph above shows how much any given run at any given pace will take out of you. When reading the graph, you need to assume that at the end of workload 4, you are totally exhausted. To make the math easy, I'll use a total beginner who can only run one mile and then will be sore for the next two days.
Scenario #1
To make the math easy, I'll use a total beginner who can only run one mile and then will be sore for the next two days. That beginner's performance at the end of the one mile would be all the way at the bottom of the graph, where it says "Clear Fatigue". 48 hours later, that beginner might be recovered enough to run another mile. So, in the first 3 days of this newbies's cross country career, he would have covered 1 mile total
Scenario #2
If that same beginner were to stop his run at say, 3 laps, he wouldn't have driven himself into the ground and could probably recover enough to run another 3 laps the next day, and then probably another 3 laps the day after that. By the end of his first 3 days of running in this scenario, our newbie would have covered a total of 2.25 miles. Even if the beginner would have stopped his run after 2 laps each day, he still would have covered a total of 1.5 miles in his first 3 days of running rather than only 1 mile.
So - How does this graph apply to everyone else?
The graph above is totally relative. While 1 mile in 10 minutes might be enough to put a beginner on the floor for the next 3 days, it wouldn't even be a warm up for an experienced kid.
The graph above represents the percentage of maximal duration at any given pace. For an experienced varsity boy, running a "TEMPO" run at 6:00 per mile, maximal duration might be 1 hour. For the same boy running an "EASY" run at 7:00 per mile, maximal duration might be 2 hours. To make a little more sense of the graph above, please see the table below
Table 1
Definition of specific duration domains for endurance-type exercise (modified from Platonov, 1999).
| Workload | Phase | Duration | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 1st phase of stable performance | 15–20% of maximal duration until clear fatigue | Maintaining exercise performance and accelerated recovery |
| Moderate | 2nd phase of stable performance | 20–60% of maximal duration until clear fatigue | Maintaining exercise performance |
| Sub-maximal | Phase of compensated fatigue | 60–75% of maximal duration until clear fatigue | Stabilization and moderate increases in performance |
| Maximal | Phase of clear fatigue | 75–100% of maximal duration until clear fatigue | Distinct increases in performance |
Zone 1 - Low Workload (shakeout) 18-24 minutes at 7:00 pace. Aids in recovery or prevents de-training when cutting mileage before a big race
Zone 2 - Moderate Workload (Easy Run) 24-72 minutes at 7:00 pace. This type of run would be a bread and butter run and would make up the bulk of his training.
Zone 3 - Sub Maximal Workload (Long Run) 72-90 minutes at 7:00 pace. If you do the math, this works out to be 10-12.5 miles. Our guy would do this once a week.
Zone 4 - Maximal Workload (Very Long Run) 90-120 minutes. If you did the math on this, our guy would reach exhaustion at a little over 17 miles! Our hypothetical varsity boy probably wouldn't ever need to do a 17 mile run in 2 hours. It would be too stressful and it would take him too long to recover
What if I want my guy to run at say 6:30 per mile?
Well, then all of those times are shorter than at 7:00 per mile because our guy will reach clear fatigue sooner....If he runs slower than 7:00 per mile, those runs can be longer....you get the picture.
Dang it, Coach! You still haven't told me how much to run!
If you read the post that I put up on November 22nd, you'd know the answer to that question....RUN MORE THAN YOU HAVE RUN BEFORE! Aim for an increase of about 10 miles per week per year of running. So, if you averaged 40 miles a week last summer, aim for an average of 50 miles per week this summer. Make most of your runs fit into your own personal moderate workload zone.
You'll progress much more safely and smoothly with lots of smaller, manageable runs. The really elite runners of the world usually run 10-14 times per week. Some of the Kenyans, when they go to training camp leading up to a major event will train 3 times per day. The majority of their runs also fall into the moderate zone. It's just that what is moderate to them would seem impossible to you.
Happy running this summer, team. I hope you had a good first day!
P.S. If you have questions for me, post them in the comments section below. That way, the rest of the team can see the answers I give. You all have google accounts, so you should be able to post below.
P.S. If you have questions for me, post them in the comments section below. That way, the rest of the team can see the answers I give. You all have google accounts, so you should be able to post below.
