HIGH VOLUME LOW INTENSITY TRAINING: Points to Ponder
Its been a while since I’ve written a blog so I figure I give you guys a little ’somethin-somthin’. Anyway, run training has been the most consistent that its ever been. I’ve been studying African (Kenyan, Ethiopian, etc.) running mechanics for the last few months and have incorporated the style into my own running and the results have been amazing:
I’ve run a 125 mile month, a 145 mile month, and am one week short of completing a 200 mile month (just short of 50 miles per week). AND I’m still swimming and lifting. After seeing the changes, I cannot begin to stress the importance of consistent EASY volume. The most dramatic improvement that I’ve witnessed is my body’s increased efficiency; I am now holding a 10 minute mile pace at a heart rate of 120 bpm, and am able to hit a 9:50 minute/mile pace at just under 130 beats per minute. I’ve never been this efficient before and am SOOOO excited to see where I’ll be by December. (my marathon race heartrate is in the 150s…) I ran a 3:53 marathon and 19:45 5k when 130 bpm was an 11 minute mile. Most of my mileage has been in the 9-10 minute mile range and I am confident that my EZ (130 bpm) will shift to a 8-9 minute mile before the end of this year. I won’t even think of doing speedwork till mid November.
POINTS TO PONDER:
Assume two people go out to the track and perform the same speed interval set, say 16 x 400meters on 1:15 (quarter milers at 5 min/mile pace) with 2 minutes of rest between each one. One person has held an average volume of 25 miles per week for 10 weeks while the other has held a volume of 70 miles per week for 10 weeks (assume that both hold the same pace). Which of the two will recover faster from the speed workout? Which will be able to do more speed workouts per week? Obviously the one who averaged more miles per week. This is the concept that I’m totally pushing for all you endurance athletes. Far too often we talk about how fast we went for one workout when we should really be concerned with our overall volume. The volume you do during your base phase will give your body the recovery capacity it needs when it comes time to really do the speed work. The more volume you teach your body to handle, the better you’ll be at recovering from the speed workouts that you do in the weeks before your race. The faster you recover, the more speed workouts you’ll be able to do. The more speed workouts,….yup that’s right,….more speed workouts = more speed. Don’t be impatient. Pay your dues with the EZ volume and you’ll be faster than you’ve ever imagined.
