Run Training For Returning & Advanced Athletes

Rowers, Cyclists and Swimmers

Gordo Byrn, Björn Andersson, Jonas Colting - in Sweden this week connecting with old and new friends. The issues facing new, and returning, runners are quite similar.

I’m pleased at how the run section of the eBook has turned out. John and I have taken you through the main developmental phases and provided tools & tactics for you to apply.

Today, we will discuss run training for the advanced athlete. John and I are writing to athletes, who are well developed in another sport such as rowing, cycling or swimming.

The majority of athletes, come to running without the fitness to do much “damage” to themselves. Their main risk is injury.

The advanced athlete, particularly with a large aerobic engine, has the ability to fry themselves. John’s section on The Tired Athlete and my section on Burnout have been written to help you avoid our mistakes. We won’t repeat those lessons here.

Instead, we will focus on:

• The Swim Bro Story

• Breakpoint Volume

• Breakpoint Pace

• John’s Experience

• Optimal vs Healthy

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The Swim Bro Story

Aside from heavyweight rowers, no athlete type can do more absolute work than a large male swimmer.

Work capacity is a strength, it can also be a weakness.

Scott Molina used to give simple instructions to the young male swimmers who’d ask for advice on starting triathlon.

1. Run 10 km

2. Easy

3. Often

4. For A Year

Surely, there's more required?

I ask you to remember this story with your run development.

• If you are plagued by injury…

• If your immune system is acting up…

• If your recovery is erratic…

• If you are tempted to run chronic energy deficits to rush the natural transformation from your old sport to new…

…then come back to Scott’s advice.

Run 10 km, easy, often, for a year.

The first 2,500 km of running is the riskiest for your development.

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Breakpoint Volume

Log the distance you run. Do this in kilometers. A simple calendar, or spreadsheet, will do.

When you start to get niggles, look back into the log and notice…

• Average weekly volume for the last six weeks (Chronic Load)

• Maximum weekly volume (Peak Weekly Load)

• Maximum 7-day volume (Peak 7-day Load, also called Acute Load)

What you are looking for is breakpoint volume. The training load that causes your body to maladapt.

If you come from a rowing, cycling or swimming background then you are going to be amazed at how few hours it takes to break you down.

That’s why I recommend you count in kilometers. The number is going to look “bigger” than if you were counting in hours.

Remember Scott’s advice and stay 20 km (per week) under the breakpoint.

• This will not be many hours.

• That’s OK.

• Use your main sport for supplemental volume.

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Breakpoint Pace

Another attribute that you will bring from your main sport.

Your brain will experience intensity differently than a new athlete. Your tolerance of “race effort” and “high intensity” is off-the-charts compared to a novice runner. As such, you’ll be cooking your immune system at efforts that seem moderate. Because you honestly don’t feel like you are “going hard” this will be confusing to you.

If your recovery starts to go off the rails, then remember Scott’s advice.

Keep 90% of your running minutes slower than LT1 pace.

It’s going to feel like you are always warming up.

Yes.

The connective tissue adaptations take months, and years, to build into your body.

The transformation you are seeking is durability and that takes years.

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John Hellemans’ Experience

I shared an early draft of this piece with John and he came up with additional tips for you. I think these are excellent.

I have seen and coached many swimmers (and cyclists) wanting to become triathletes. Initially they want to train their running similar as what they did as a swimmer or cyclists. The swimmers want to run hard and the cyclists mainly long. This is what they know. This does not work as injury is likely.

For the Returning Athletes reading this article, John’s advice applies to you (and me). We will have a desire to return to approaches that have served us in the past.

If you’ve had a long break from running, or have never run consistently, then John’s next advice is for you.

I usually give these athletes an initial program of 3 or 4 runs per week, not exceeding 1 hour, but soon introducing one of these runs to become a hill run. The hills will train the running accessory muscles and the different loading mechanisms will help prevent injury and add to running strength.

Initially all running needs to be aerobic but am happy with Zone 2¹ over and above Zone 1. Uphill you can’t help getting into Zone 3 and that is o.k. as running uphill is lower impact. All downhill running is done Easy.

How long this introductory phase lasts depends on the build of the athlete and their biomechanics.

I also let them do the majority of running off road on a more forgiving surface. Uneven trails are good to develop ankle strength, with a word of warning for ex-swimmers who easily go over their lax ankles.

I do gait analysis with all of them early in the piece and have learned this can make a big difference in injury prevention. So, the recommendation to find a coach or physio or someone knowledgeable to check your gait can be very helpful.

All new runners need at least 2 recovery days, weekly. This is to allow for tissue adaptation and help prevent injury.

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Optimal vs Healthy

The advanced athlete knows how to train and has been performing at a high level for many years.

So many years, in fact, they may have forgotten (or never known) what it was like to be a beginner.

Most often, mistakes in run training protocol have to be experienced to be believed.

• If you are a larger frame athlete then do not take run training advice from an athlete who has a third less lean body mass than you. You’re not a waif.²

• Similarly, do not seek to make yourself a waif. Your body will change, gradually, under the workloads you perform.

• Remember. Little people can tolerate more relative intensity, and small females even more so. If you’re a big engine, powerful athlete then team up with others who share your profile.

Don’t worry if you make a mistake. We all do.

Learn from those mistakes. The most common have to do with mileage and endurance running pace.

Persist, wisely.

Back To Table of Contents

1. You’ll find John’s approach to defining zones here.

2. Waif: a young person who is thin and looks unhealthy or uncared for.