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Tempo training
What are they?
Tempo runs are the simplest of all speed workouts. Just warm up, run at a challenging, steady pace you can hold for the set distance and then cool down. They are also known as lactate, anaerobic or fatigue threshold runs. When you go above your threshold, lactic acid builds up, breathing becomes laboured, running form gets ragged, muscles tense and tighten as fatigue sets in. With tempo runs, you train close to your threshold without exceeding it. As a result, you’ll raise it, enabling you to run faster and farther before fatigue sets in. Holding a tough enough pace is the key to performance.
Tempo runs offer many advantages. Although your lactate threshold can be improved with shorter, faster intervals, tempo runs allow for a higher quantity of threshold training per workout, and at safer speeds. Since the pace of tempo runs is not as hard as other types of speed training, recovery is quicker and injury less likely. Its less stressful than intervals. Tempo running by its nature is controlled so it guards against the tendency to train as hard as you can. Tempo training will help you develop a feel for even pace (hence the term ‘tempo’) so you’ll run more evenly in races.
Tempo pacing
The key to tempo training is to strike the correct balance between speed and mileage. You should be aiming to complete runs (after warm up) between 3 to 5 miles at a challenging pace that you can hold for that distance. You can judge the required pace by ‘perceived exertion’. You should be running hard enough for breathing to become faster but you should not be gasping for air. Tempo pace will put you in a two strides-in, one stride-out rhythm for your breathing. If you are breathing in and out with each stride then you are going at interval pace, so slow down! You should be able to think clearly and talk, but not in full sentences. You should be running in some discomfort but not so much so that it causes you to bring your run to an abrupt end. Tempo pace is usually approximately 15 to 30 seconds per mile slower than your 10K pace or 30 to 45 seconds slower than your 5K pace. If using a heart rate monitor the training should be at approximately 85% of maximum heart rate. A quick and easy rule to use is that of the ’20:20’. Most runners will get a great deal of benefit from a 20 minute tempo run ran at 20 seconds per miles slower than their 10K pace.
You won’t get it right first time! Practice is the key until you find the pace that you can maintain throughout the tempo run that is hard enough for you to get the benefits in respect to your lactate threshold.
You can run tempo runs anywhere. They can be, for example, completed off road or even on a treadmill. Just ensure you follow the pattern of (i) adequate warm up (ii) timed tempo run with a focus on pace and form and (iii) adequate cool down.
Hill training
Hill Training has a strengthening effect as well as boosting your power. In hill running, you are using your body weight as a resistance to push against, so the driving muscles from which your leg power is derived have to work harder. The technique to aim for is a “bouncy” style where you have a good knee lift and maximum range of movement in the ankle. You should aim to drive hard, pushing upwards with your toes, flexing your ankle as much as possible, landing on the front part of the foot and then letting the heel come down below the level of the toes as the weight is taken. This stretches the calf muscles upwards and downwards as much as possible and applies resistance which over time will improve your power and elasticity. You should look straight ahead, as you run (not at your feet) and ensure your neck, shoulders and arms are free of tension. Many experts believe that the “bouncy” action is more important than the speed at which you run up the hills. Hill work results in the calf muscles learning to contract more quickly and thereby generating work at a higher rate, they become more powerful. The calf muscle achieves this by recruiting more muscle fibres, around two or three times as many when compared to running on the flat. The “bouncy” action also improves the power of the quads in the front of the thigh as they provide the high knee lift that is required. It can also mean higher running speeds and shorter foot strike times. Hill training offers the following benefits:
– helps develop power and muscle elasticity
– improves stride frequency and length
– develops co-ordination, encouraging the proper use of arm action during the driving phase and feet in the support phase
– develops control and stabilisation as well as improved speed (downhill running)
– promotes strength endurance
– develops maximum speed and strength (short hills)
– improves lactate tolerance (mixed hills)
Don’t blast up hills in the early part of your workout as this can stop you working through subsequent miles. The idea is to run constantly at a hard but not super fast speed. You should not feel like you are racing but as though you are running just slightly slower than your lactate threshold. Alternatively, if you are using a heart rate monitor this should be at around 85% of maximum during at least the last two-thirds of your run. The benefits of short, medium and long hills are quite different, and can be used at different times of the year.
Short hills
A short hill is one which takes no more that 30 seconds to run up and has an inclination between 5 and 15 degrees gradient. Your energy source on short hills is entirely anaerobic. You should focus on a running technique which has vigorous arm drive and high knee lift, with the hips kept high, so that they are ‘running tall’, not leaning forwards. The session is anaerobic so the recovery time can be long, a walk back down the hill, or a slow jog of 60 to 90 seconds. The total volume (number of repetitions) will depend on your overall fitness and the reason for doing it. A sprinter looking for strength might do 10 repetitions of 15 second duration up a steep slope with a long recovery where as a distance runner who is trying to improve sprinting speed might do 30 repetitions of 15 seconds duration. Example of short hill sessions:
– 8 to 10 repetitions over 50 metres (sprinters)
– 8 to 10 repetitions over 150 metres (middle distance athletes)
– 8 to 10 repetitions over 200 metres (long distance athletes)
Medium hills
A medium hill is one that takes between 30 to 90 seconds to run up. This is the length of hill that is a good distance for the middle-distance runner, because it combines the benefits of the short hills with the stresses on muscular endurance and tolerance of lactic acid. Use a hill as steep as one in six to one in ten, so that you can run at something near race pace. The energy source is both aerobic and anaerobic and you will experience the build up in blood lactate as you go further up the hill. A run up a hill combination along Martins Way in Stevenage, for example. Scuttling up the hill with a short stride and forward lean may be the best way to get up in a race, but in training, we are trying to develop particular qualities. It is better, therefore, to go for a longer stride and higher knee lift: running tall with the hips pushed forwards, keeping the back upright. Generally volume will depend on overall objectives again but a session of between 8 to 12 reps of 60 seconds is suitable with a slow jog back to the bottom for recovery.
Long hills
A long hill is one which takes from 90 seconds to three minutes plus. Here most of the energy comes from aerobic sources, but if parts of the hill are steep and you are running them hard, there will still be an accumulation of blood lactate. There will be muscular fatigue in the leg muscles, and possibly in the abdominal muscles too, but the main limiting factor will be your cardiovascular system. As these hill sessions are aerobic, you will not use as much power per stride as the shorter hills. They are particularly good for the cross country or road runner who is running distances of 10,000m and upwards. A session of, say eight times three minutes, with a run back of four or five minutes will make a good hard workout.
Mixed hill running
The attraction of mixed hill training is that it can be fitted in with the terrain you are running on and can, therefore, be interesting and full of variety. Two advantages can come from this type of hill training:
– Race simulation. It is a good principle to rehearse in training the situations you are likely to meet in a race, such as trying to break open a gap by running hard over the top of a hill and keeping the pace going instead of easing up, as many runners do.
– Downhill running. This is something that often causes jarring and strains. Repeated fast downhill runs are not advised but you should practice them within a mixed hills session to find the most relaxed way of running downhill without strain (see the section below on downhill running for further details on the appropriate running style).
Mixed hill running can also be used to improve running economy and boost your VO2 max level. A typical mixed hills session would be over a six or seven mile undulating hilly course, starting the session jogging at a modest pace and gradually picking up the intensity as you move through the hills.
Downhill running
For most races you spend as much time going down hills as you spend going up them so it makes sense to practice running down hills, even just a little. Used with caution, downhill training can be very beneficial, strengthening the quads and preparing them for the uphill training and racing you will be doing. A runner going down a hill can experience as much as 40 per cent more leg shock than on the flats so it pays to take care in your downhill training. The trick is to develop a feel for good downhill running form by practising it until it becomes subconscious to relax and almost throw yourself downhill at quick paces. That is not to say throw yourself recklessly down hills! For optimum downhill running your body should be perpendicular to the ground and relaxed. That is leaning forward by exactly the slope of the hill. This not only helps gravity give you forward momentum but it ensures that each stride carries you parallel to the running surface rather than bouncing you jarringly up and down. Avoid leaning backwards because this will result in a braking action, increasing impact through your legs and will lead to greater impact through your joints, particularly the knees. It also wastes a great deal of energy and speed.
Kenyan Hills
This is a method of running a series of up and down hill efforts using a constant effort. Unlike their European and American counterparts who tended to blast up hills and use the downhill sections to recover, the Kenyans would train using a constant effort through the ups and downs. This meant that they were not necessarily climbing hills at such a quick rate but were in better form during the downhill sections and achieved better pace overall. Kenyan hills training consists of finding a series of hills and running these as a series of repetitions, usually over a total timed effort e.g. 20 or 30 minutes. The training takes a degree of discipline in order to ensure that the whole session is run at a constant effort, holding back slightly in the uphill sections and using good downhill form (see above) to keep up the pace. These can be tough sessions because there is no perception of a recovery period throughout it if they are completed correctly but they have huge benefits in training the muscles for the hill repeats as well as the mind and body into maintaining a good, consistent running form and pace.
Mental training
Mental Training
Tips for fighting off fatigue and pain
1. Recognise any discomfort and talk your way through it (not out aloud otherwise you may get locked up!).
2. At the first sign of any discomfort or fatigue heighten your awareness in that area. If you feel tightness, for example, in your quads late in a race tighten those muscles momentarily and then let go. This reduces anxiety, helping fight off fatigue with relaxation.
3. Try repeating a relaxation slogan such as ‘calm, calm, calm’ if you feel fatigue or discomfort setting in. Find a slogan or set of words that work for you and be ready to use them at key points in your runs.
4. Control discomfort by use of controlled breathing. If you are struggling focus on deep, steady breathing. This relaxes you so that you are able to concentrate on effort, not pain.
5. Practice talking to yourself!! Remind yourself how well you have trained for this race, how much you have been through, the milestones you have achieved on the way etc. Experiment and find what works for you.
6. Segmenting a race into chunks. Try counting down distances rather than clocking them up. In a 10K work down the remaining distance so that you are coming closer and closer to the end of the race rather than thinking you have completed 2,3,4 and then 5 miles etc. Setting time targets for each mile and then banking those before moving on the next one is another technique you can adopt.
Go on and give it a go. What have you got to lose????
Visualisation
This is a fancy word for daydreaming. The difference is that rather than letting your mind wander, you take conscious control and entertain only thoughts that will help your running. Memorise what it feels like to run correctly then replay that memory over and over again, concentrating on rhythm and flow of good form. If nothing else, this should make it easier to distinguish good form from bad in actual workouts. Visualisation is a great technique to use in race preparation runs and then races themselves. It aids your focus and optimises your ability to perform at your best. However, just like running itself you need to train your mind to make the most of visualisation. Try it in lower key training sessions and perfect it before key races.
Crushing those negative thoughts
As runners we will come across a wide range of situations where negative thoughts and self doubts creep into our heads. The result is impact on our performance and disappointments. Here are some common scenarios with tips on how to deal with them:
Scenario – Pre-race nerves tend to get the best of you
Solution – Laugh it off. The butterflies can stike on the night before a race or on the way there. What we call nerves is actually heightened adrenaline. If you are really nervous before a race you will spend an excessive amount of mental energy thinking about it. If you suffer from race day nerves turn your attention to something that will elicit a completely different emotion. For example, download your favourite comedy moment to your phone and play it before you race. Laughing helps restore emotional balance and reduces stress.
Scenario – You always struggle with hills
Solution – picture yourself. get a running partner to take a picture of you running up a hill. Smile broadly as if you are loving it! (even if you are not!) Save the picture as a screensaver or home page and every time you use your phone/mobile device you will see yourself running the hill and loving it!
Scenario – you’ve hit a racing or training plateau
Solution – get your head in the books. Take comfort in the fact that the very best athletes go through periods where they struggle to reach their performance potential. Read up on famous athletes who have coped with challenges over the course of their career. Learn from the best and get inspiration!
Scenario – you want to give up during a race
Solution – stick it on! Think of a time when you have wnated to give up but have stuck at it and seen it through. Write down those thoughts on a post it pad with comments as to what you did to overcome the challenge. Stick the note inside your running shoes. The note will be there every time you go training.
Multistage Fitness Test or ‘Bleep Test’
The test has become recognised as one of the most popular and valid tests of aerobic fitness and can be used to estimate a person’s maximum oxygen uptake, or VO2 max[1].
Maximum oxygen uptake has been shown to increase with appropriate training. However, for an individual a large component part of their VO2 max level is determined genetically so improvements will reach a ceiling level. The most accurate way of measuring VO2 max levels is in a laboratory but this involves the use of expertise and specialised equipment. The bleep test is a means of obtaining an approximate VO2 max level for individuals through the use of a simple test that requires very little equipment.
The Test
The person carrying out the test has to carry out a series of shuttle runs between two lines exactly 20 metres apart, keeping in time with a series of audio signals (or bleeps). The timing begins very slowly but becomes progressively faster each minute so that it becomes harder to maintain the set pace. When the running speed increases at the start of each minute the test enters a new level. The runner stops when he or she can no longer maintain the running speed and his or her score is recorded as the final level and number of shuttles completed (for example, 4 shuttles completed on level 9, 10 shuttles on level 11 and so on). This score is then used to obtain a VO2 max estimate from the table below and also can be used as a reference point against which future changes can be monitored.
Prior to carrying out the test runners should carry out a thorough warm up and mobilisation programme so that their bodies are ready for the test conditions.
[1] A person’s maximum oxygen uptake value represents the maximum amount of oxygen which can be extracted from the external environment (the air breathed in) and transported to the working muscles. This is measured in millimetres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.
Tuesday
Autumn/Winter training routes
Route E 5.8miles
Route H 7.4miles
Route I 7.4miles
Route J 8.1miles
Route K 8.1miles
Thursday
‘Technical’ sessions
200m shuttles
300m intervals
400m intervals
600m intervals
800m intervals
1000m intervals
1mile intervals
Sunday
Less than 9 miles
5 mile circuit from Marriotts
Graveley loop
5mile circuit from Lytton Arms Old Knebworth
5mile circular route through Aston
6.2miles from John Henry Newman
Chesfield Loop 5miles
John Henry Newman to Great Wymondley loop 6miles
Knebworth loop from Fairlands Valley Showground 8miles
9 to 15 miles
10mile Hitchin loop
10mile circuit from the Lytton Arms
13mile fitness run
14.5miler
11mile circuit of Royston Heath
10mile Aston/Bennington via the Village Hall
11mile Circuit from Sharpenhoe Clappers through Streatley
10mile JHN to Preston
11.5mile Knebworth/Nup End/Shaws Corner
11mile Minsden Chapel
10mile Old Knebworth, Nup End, Codicote and Rabley Heath
10mile Pirton/Hexton
11mile Weston and Halls Green
11.5mile Willian and Weston Hills
Over 15 miles
18mile round trip of Stevenage
17.5miles SMT Cromer Windmill circuit
18 miles Hitchin/St Ippolitts/Gosmore/Preston
Off road
10mile Graveley and Willian
Bragbury End/Beane Valley loop (10.1 miles)
Willian Cross Country circuit (5.5 miles) – an additonal 5-6 miles can be added by running from JS Coreys Mill, Stevenage through Graveley and back
Weston loop via Roman Road (9.87 miles)