In Chapter Two, John and I shared our Core Pace and Race Pace Workouts. Inside the chapter we shared that an athlete can build towards these workouts by inserting smaller doses during the general preparation period.
I’ve been fortunate to have John guide me back towards fast running. You'll find my session details on Strava.
The sessions are designed to stress, but not strain, the running muscles. The feeling during most the set is a Zone 3 effort.
8 Reps
Descend 1-4 & 5-8
Rep distance progresses over the training cycle - starts at 400m
Recovery is 1 minute Easy effort
Focus on TECHNIQUE
As explained below, I turn these sessions into a 2nd weekly long run. This is a technique I have used for a long time.
These are not weekly sessions. With C-priority events, occasional illness and a busy schedule… they happen every 14 days, or so.
Four-Part Workout Structure
The workout starts with a bike warm-up.
Following the bike, the run workout has three segments.
Run Warm-Up or Benchmark Run Set
Quickness or Power Set
Main Set
Part One - Bike
Start by warming up on the bike. The nature of the “warm-up” depends on fatigue state and the overall session goals.
Choices:
Ride Easy
Easy Ride with Spin Ups
Submax Benchmarking
When I did this session last week, I used a Submax Test. I rode from 100w to 250w using 10 minute steps and a 25w step height.
The session lasted 1:20 and went from Zone 1 to Zone 4. The goal was a good amount of output before starting running and my total work was 800kj.
Part Two - Run Benchmarking
As an elite, my favorite warm-up before a track session was to run:
3,200m Easy
3,200 at 140 bpm (Steady / Zone 2)
3,000m at 150 bpm (Mod-Hard / Zone 3).
Back then 140 bpm was ~LT1 pace and 150 bpm was ~Tempo (border between Zone 3 and Zone 4).
At 55, the 140/150bpm breakpoints are "too high" for me.
So... I used 10 minutes at each of 9/10/11/12/13 kph. I saw a max heart rate on the final step of 138 bpm, which is the top of my current Zone 2.
At this point, my legs feel great and body is ready to go. As an added bonus, I’ve captured submax heart rate vs pace data.
Part Three - Strides or Tire Drags
Between the benchmarking and the main set, I recommend quickness or power work.
This week, the choice was quickness and I performed “indoor strides” on the treadmill.
4 Repeats
Build to vVO2max (18 kph / 3:20 K Pace)
Walking Recoveries
If you don't know vVO2max then use the average pace from the final step of your most recent Full Profile, explained inside Chapter Two.
These are "easy speed." I was on the treadmill so it's a gradual ramp up, then hold for ~10 seconds then a ramp down.
It takes ~30 seconds for the reps.
There is not much heart rate response (max was 135 bpm)
The 5 reps were done in a 10-minute block.
At this point, you will have over two hours of exercise (including an hour of running). This is a different stimulus than “running fresh.”
Part Four - Main Set
I was running indoors last week so used time rather than distance.
Two weeks ago I simulated “400s” and used 8x2/1 (minutes).
So this week I simulated “600s” and used 8x3/1 (minutes).
2/1 means - 2 minutes “on” and 1 minute “recovery.”
Recovery was done walking.
I am preparing for a Half Marathon race so my pace targets were set as follows:
Descend reps 1 to 4 from Half Marathon Core Pace to “10K Pace”
Descend reps 5 to 8 from Half Marathon Core Pace to “10K Pace -5s per K”
The paces I used were:
Half Marathon Core Pace ~4:12 per K
10K Pace from recent race ~4:00 per K
So...
Reps 1-4 went from 4:12 to 4:00 K Pace
Reps 5-8 went from 4:08 to 3:55 K Pace
With the short rep duration, and the 1-minute walking recoveries, there is a reduced RPE & HR response. The set feels like Zone 3 (until the last 2 reps), but the pace is up. After all that exercise, my coordination is challenged.
As John says… Remember… Technique!
22 minutes of Red Zone pace but only 6.5 minutes of Red Zone heart rate.
Given the total session duration, and the placement of the fast work at the end... this workout is a "very good deal" from a recovery point of view.
I’ll give the final word to John. Here’s his reply when I confessed that I built his main set into a 2.5 hour workout…
These sessions are not supposed to be part of a long run although you can get away with it as at this stage it is just introductory. When we ramp it up and increase the distance up to 7X1 km or 4-5X1 mile, your body might not be so happy if you incorporate it into a long run…