Long Term Training Principle #6 of 6: Don’t just run
Here at South Bank Runners we want all our members to keep doing what they love and make running part of their life’s. To help ensure all our members stay running head coach Chris Hand has laid out his long term training principles to keep you running injury free.
Follow along for the whole Six part series on successful training.
Missed the first principles? Read those first here:LTTP #1: Consistency
LTTP #2: Be Patient
LTTP #3: Warm up and cool down
LTTP #4: Don’t get injured
LTTP #5: Eat Well
You made it. This is the very last principle… Live by all of these pricinples and you will be a running superstar!
Principle #6: Don’t just run
Make sure you drink beer too… and maybe you should get a beer now as this one is looooong. Seriously though, you will never become a better runner if you just go run 20 minutes every day at the same speed. To become a great runner you need to run a few different speeds and distances on a weekly basis.
Before we get started, it’s best to state that this is probably the most debated subject in all of running literature. Every single coach will have different and complex ideologies behind what mix of training makes the best runner. The truth is every runner is different. What works for me, almost never works for another runner. So I’m sorry, this isn’t going to be a customised training plan just for you, it’s the core foundation on which one should be built. These key types of runs you will find in any good training plan:
Speed work
Speed work comes in infinite shapes and sizes, from 10m long “strides” to horrendous 5km repeats. Speed work is performed relative to your running fitness and pace. Effort is what your own body knows—don’t worry what someone else is running! Speed work is performed at an effort that is hard for you, whether hard is a 3:00 minute kilometre or a 10:00 minute km. It completely depends on your current fitness level and what you are training for. Most recreational runners will benefit the most from 2-5 minutes intervals with a long recovery - typically half the interval time. For example, an 800m interval run in 4:00 mins would be followed by a 2:00 minute recovery. The intervals will be in sets, with the entire set usually being 20-40 minutes.
An example set:
Example Set: This workout is a simple Fartlek type session where the runner first warms up with a easy 15 minute jog, then runs 2:00 mins before recovering over a 1 minute. They repeat the on/offs for a total of 5 times before cooling down with a 10 minute jog.
Anything shorter is only going to increase the risk of injury for very little added benefit, especially true for beginner runners. During speed training, you maximally activate your slow-twitch muscles and intermediate muscle fibers, which increases your aerobic capacity. Your aerobic capacity is essential to running any distance, whether it’s a mile or a marathon.
Speed work also increases your production of myoglobin (Make sure you are consuming lots of that sweet iron!), which is a protein found in your muscles. Myoglobin transports oxygen to the mitochondria in your muscles, which in turn produce ATP to give your muscles energy. So, as you increase your myoglobin, you improve your body’s ability to quickly transport oxygen to the muscles for energy, making you run faster. Speed work is uniquely beneficial in this aspect, as research indicates that high-intensity running is the best way to develop myoglobin.
Finally, speed work will help you adapt your body to store more glycogen. This is one of the reasons half and full marathoners should not neglect interval runs, since glycogen storage is essential to long distance running. Glycogen is the form in which your muscles store carbohydrates for easy energy conversion. The larger these stores, the longer you can keep running before hitting the wall. Speed work rapidly depletes your glycogen stores, thus sending signals to your muscles that they need to adapt to store more carbs for energy on future runs. You remembered to eat lots of carbs right?
Tempo Runs
I remember when I first started running and I would just head out the door and run until complete hands-on-knees exhaustion. This is not what a tempo run is meant to be. A tempo run is something you run at “lactate threshold” or more simply put “comfortably hard pace” and varies massively between runners. A good rule of thumb is you should be able to have a conversation but only in broken sentences. The weekly tempo run is a must for anyone training for a run longer than 10 km because the physiological adaptations are most specific to the demands of those longer races. An improvement in lactate threshold is only a small benefit for something like the humble 5K Parkrun, because it’s run well above lactate-threshold pace. In longer distances, however, your performance is determined primarily by your lactate-threshold pace. So tempo runs provide a direct benefit in longer races such as the marathon for beginners and elites alike.
A word of warning, running Tempos is hard. Luckily, there are lots of different variations to trick your brain and maybe even make them fun. SBR runs lots of variations on the Thursday Sessions including Pyramids, Builds, Fartleks… Check out our training on Strava to see more examples.
Run long every week
This can be an hour for some, 2½ hours for others depending on the runner, event you are training for and the stage of your development. The humble long run develops aerobic endurance, musculoskeletal strength and rhythm / cadence which is so essential for the optimal stride length for a runner. Again, remember to run it slow! Long runs can be a great way to get out and see the city or better yet get out on the trails and be “one with nature”.
BONUS: Run long again during the week. This is when you really want to ramp things up from rookie runner to weekend warrior. Exactly the same as above but this run would be 20 – 30% shorter than the long run. Why? Because you need to mentally love running long to do well come race day.
Cross training
Almost all our South Bank Runners do something else other than running. In the group we have footy players, Gym junkies, Cyclist, Triathletes, Yogies, Spartans, alcoholics… cross training compliments running.
if running is your only passion, you should at a minimum look at some form of strength training to build core strength and protect your body from injury. I won’t detail what type of exercises you should be doing but go see a qualified strength and conditioning coach or find a simple beginners program online.
This concludes the Long Term Training Principles series of posts. I hope you have found these principles somewhat helpful and I wish you all the best in your future running!