More Thoughts on Training

There is a classic book on running, titled “Lore of Running” by Tim Noakes, MD.  It is a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge on running physiology, training and racing.  One section of the book contains short summaries of how the most accomplished and successful runners have trained over history.  There may not be one single best way to train, but Noakes identifies what has worked for these great runners.

I particularly like the description of Mark Allen’s approach to training.  Allen might be best known for having won the Hawaiian Ironman six times.  His three-phase training program began with several months of patient, low heart rate training, never exceeding a heart rate determined by Phil Maffetone’s formula.  By nailing his heart rate to that number, he could see his running time over distance improving by 3 or 4 seconds per kilometer per week.  As long as his performance continued to improve, he would stay in this first phase of training.

There is a saying in engineering management that “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”.  A heart rate monitor and a running watch are important management tools.  If you don’t measure your heart rate and time yourself over distance, you won’t get the feedback (and the encouragement) that comes with seeing that small but regular improvement.

Allen thought the months of relatively easy training in the first phase was the key to his competitive longevity, and thinks that more people don’t train that way because they are too ego driven and too competitive.  For me, the real shocker advice from Mark Allen is that he believes that as he aged, he would spend less time building strength and peak speed for events in phases following this patient aerobic training phase.  For athletes over 50, he suggests they may best spend little or no time at all in other phases.  

Another reason for staying with a long 'patient' phase is that I'm starting with some excess weight. Finding some hills to run repeats on, or doing speed work on the track would add some variety to my workouts, but also beat my body up and add some injury risk.  Just waiting for the time spent in this base phase to do its work removing some pounds will hopefully do just as much for improving my pace as would adding high intensity training at this point in my program.  For now, I plan to stay patient ...