Endurance Running & Poker Pacing

Compounding Over Time

The most important part of your run program is doing it.

Sounds simple but many people forget this point.

• Counting

• Tracking

• Optimizing

None of these can compete with the power of doing your program over time. This article covers the vast majority of what you're going to be doing - Green Zoje training.

Your Green Zone training should be:

1. Enjoyable

2. Comfortable

3. Repeatable

4. Effective

This article is also available in video format, which ends with tips for triathletes applying Poker Pacing as a race simulation workout.

Most Runs Are Just Runs

Easy/Steady Pace

90% of my lifetime volume falls into a bucket I call “Easy/Steady.”

Here’s what it looks like:

• 10 Minutes PowerWalk

• Gradually Build To An Easy Pace

• Pace Rises, Naturally, When Warmed Up

• Breathing Stays Comfortable For Entire Run

This protocol will have you negative split your endurance runs. A negative split is when the second half of the session is completed at a faster pace than the first.

• Having the second half of your endurance sessions faster is an excellent habit to build.

• A comfortable negative split is a sign that your early pace was appropriate for your current fitness.

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Easy Pace Isn’t Easy

When we start, it’s challenging to run “easy.” If you are not comfortable running “easy” then:

• Use Cycling For Supplemental Easy/Steady Volume

• Break Up The Run Segments Using Run:Walk¹

The first step in your run development is building the capacity to run “easy.”

My article How To Ramp Run Volume offers insight and tactics for you to apply.

It takes a surprising amount of fitness, and discipline…

• to avoid self-sabotaging with an excessive pace ramp

• to hold Easy Pace over time

It’s normal to start “too fast.” Use my tip on negative splits to learn just how easy you need to start.

It really is that simple. Start easy, let pace rise naturally, finish a little quicker than you started.

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The Poker Pacing Run

My buddy, Jeff Shilt, developed this approach when he took his sabbatical and “trained like a pro.”

This workout is a challenging endurance session that will reveal your stamina and pace control.

• We found Jeff’s method works best for runs of 60 to 120 minutes.

• Swimmers, and cyclists, you can apply Poker Pacing. It works particularly well with open water swimming and flat, continuous bike rides.

Split the duration into thirds:

• Easy Effort for the first third

• Steady Effort for the second third

• Hold Steady Pace in the final third

Intensity:

• If your heart rate is spiking above effort then reduce effort. This is common, particularly for less experienced males. Heart rate should be lagging effort (see my video).

• Keep your heart rate in your Green Zone (Zone 1 & 2) until you have successfully completed this workout many times.

• Jeff’s explanation, quoted below, explains how to use the session as an Ironman Race Simulation run. As a 9-hour Ironman athlete, Jeff would build to his goal race pace.

Jeff explains how he uses the workout.

• He starts by setting a “Low” and “High” heart rate limit.

• My article on Submax Benchmarking explains how to set your limits.

Worth repeating…

Keep your heart rate in your Green Zone until you learn how to execute this session as outlined. This means sticking to your heart rate caps and being able to hold pace at the end.

Over to Jeff…

So what is poker pacing?

I choose my target heart rate for the day, which depends on the duration of the run. For my runs that are 1 hour or greater, this corresponds to my Steady heart rate. Steady being the heart rate I use for Ironman pacing.

In the first third of the run, my effort is under my target rate. For me, especially when fatigued, this usually involves 18-20 minutes of very easy running. This effort is usually 12-15 beats below my goal, and it naturally drifts up into my target range.

In the middle of the run, I elevate my effort until my heart rate matches my target heart rate.

The final third of the run is most crucial and where the most benefit from the effort occurs. My heart rate in this period is never below the “Low” limit. Typically this is challenging during the initial effort, but after overcoming the mental urge to slow down the pace becomes comfortable. If feeling fresh, I will end the run topped out at my heart rate ceiling for the last 10-15 minutes.

I find several advantages in this approach. First, it allows me to ease into each run, relieving the mental stress of hitting a particular pace. I like to take it easy at the start. The more fatigued I am, the longer it might take to reach my target range. I find this relaxing, saving valuable mental energy for later.

Secondly, I find that this more relaxed approach allows me to pace more appropriately. I seldom end up slowing down because my initial effort is realistic, given my condition that day. There is no “pushing” myself to run a pace I likely can’t hold.

The mental benefit of easy pace in the beginning pays off when I feel obliged to keep the commitment of a harder effort at the end of the run. My experience is that the Easy Pace in the first half (when fresh) is not significantly lower than my late pace. I’ve found the second half pace is typically much faster than a failing second half effort in which I went too hard in the beginning.

By repeating the session, I train the ability to gauge pacing and fatigue.

• If my elevated heart rate in final 1/3 results in a faster pace, I think it is safe to say I have the appropriate fitness to run that pace AND that I’ve chosen a pace that is reasonable for that fitness.

• On the other hand, when my extra effort at the end doesn’t result in a faster pace, then I’ve chosen too fast of a pace.

• When I can’t reach a higher heart rate, it generally means I’m fatigued.

This last assumption takes into account that I’ve been using Poker Pacing in training and am familiar with my efforts and paces.

This pacing can be used for the other disciplines and an entire race. This has become increasingly apparent as our training group has experimented with “Big Day Training” and variation of our efforts during our swim and bike sessions.

Additional tips:

• Pace Targets: if you find that you have to raise HR by more than 5% to hold Steady pace, it is best to dial down the middle effort so you don't have to "race" at the end of the workout.

• Progression: Most runners are tempted to crank the speed up at the back end. Far more effective is to lift pace earlier in the workout and test your ability to hold Steady Pace without material decoupling.²

• Every Day: Learn to control early workout emotions³ as it will serve you well on race day.

Remember, the famous maxim…

Train Don’t Strain

These are endurance training workouts, not mini races.

1. Run:Walk ideas are on Page Three of my Run Workouts Doc.

2. Unsure what I mean by decoupling? This video explains.

3. For more on building emotional control, see an interview I did on Non-Reactive Training.