Sunday, January 17, 2010

Running Training Progression

I run a multi-sport training program. If you sign up for my group training program you have access to swim, bike, running, and strength/stretch sessions. But that doesn't mean I am a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none. I am very proud of my Jan-May run intensity progression.

You see, it is not just what workouts you do, but also how you build your workouts week-to-week, month-to-month. A well designed plan has you constantly accumulating fitness to prepare you for the next level of difficulty. That's what happens on Tuesdays around 5 or 5:30am.

Currently we are on Short Hill Repeats. These are about 2 minutes from the bottom of the hill to the top of the hill. Hill repeats tax your strength and cardio systems to the same degree as fast running, but without the impact on your legs.

In a few more weeks we will progress to Long Hill Repeats. This is an uphill segment of 1 1/4 mile. I have designed a course that takes about 10 minutes to get to the top of the hill and about 3 minutes downhill to get back to the start. These are much more steady and longer. It is the uphill version of mile repeats which is next.

Long Course Mile Repeats helps you hone your sense of pace and progression within a workout. As opposed to Short Course Mile Repeats, with LCMR you get very short recovery (1-2 minutes) and you are running just a little faster than half or marathon pace on average. With Short Course Mile Repeats you are running around 5K pace and you get more rest, 3-5 minutes.


I have enough "pure runners" in my stable that I added a second intensity run each week. This is Thurs at noon in Centennial Park. It is very focus 45 minutes, so you have time to get back to work before your boss misses you. A short, focused intensity run will leave you with enough energy for your long run on Saturday or Sunday.

I cut my teeth on running, in high school, college, and as a triathlon run specialist. Later I branched into ultramarathon. If you are training for a late winter/spring/early summer marathon you could do worse than training with my group.

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