THE FORMULA
Hello all. Here’s yet another “controversial” running thread ; ^ ). Feel free to contribute but please qualify your contribution (personal experience, read in a magazine, so & so said, etc) and try to make light, not heat.
I’ve been working on a “formula” (blatantly stealing JD’s idea) to try to better translate the proportions of training one should be doing. About 6 months ago I came up with a rough graphic to explain how emphasis in training should shift away from intensity and more toward endurance as the race distance gets longer. You can see this here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1600721#1600721
I think it got the basic concept across pretty well, but immediately it fell short in two areas; how does it translate to tri training and what are the specific numbers? I hope I will be able to answer that here:
What I have done is taken a combination of what my college program did (and does), what my college coach recommends for adults of lesser abilities, my own personal experience as an athlete, my personal experience coaching, and double checked this with Pfitzinger’s and Daniels’ training plans. What I ended up with is a ball park figure that should serve as moderate training load. As an example, many who are familiar with Daniels’ Formula will probably note that my program is lighter on the intervals than his. Other programs may be heavier on the mileage. I believe this to be more of a happy medium.
CAVEATS
This is only meant to serve as “ballpark” recommendations for different levels of training. In no way am I attempting to replace the value of a $3,000 a year coach. This is intended more for the less experienced to wrap their heads around the concepts of multi-aced training and how to tailor their plans to the race they intend to run. It also serves as a concrete starting point to potentially open up training discussions among those who are a little more experienced, even if they completely disagree with the approach.
Also, though I may be the best looking guy on the planet, I’m not the smartest or most experienced. I learn new things every day and it is entirely possible that I’ve made errors or that changes will need to be made. So far I’ve been pretty happy with the test plans that I’ve put together.
DEFINITIONS
To begin with, these are how I’m defining my terms:
“Speed” = sessions of 100-400m repeats with equal distance rest done at ~mile race pace, but not sprinting.
V02max intervals = sessions done at ~10-20 minute race pace (3K-5K for most). The intervals are usually in the 600m – 12m range, but I have seen them as short as 400m and as long as 2000m before. I like to see the rest about ½ to 2/3 of the time to complete the interval. (Try running up a long hill for 90sec then jog down 60 sec).
Tempo running = threshold running = LT training = lactate threshold training = sustained running at ~1 hr race pace. If it takes you an hour to finish an open 10K, then that’s the pace you do these at. If it takes you an hour to race 10 miles, then you use 10 mile race pace. These workouts are generally done as a sustained 20-40 minute run (the longer the run, the slower you should do it by ~ 5-10 second per mile for every extra 10 minutes). These can also be done as long intervals with 1/5 rest in between (5min on, 1 min off).
Using the plan as laid out below, you can also substitute this workout with a longer marathon paced run. I’ll leave it up to your own judgment to determine how long of a M.P. run would equate to the prescribed tempo run distance (ie…a 6 mile MP run might be equivalent to a 3 mile tempo run).
PURPOSE
To be able to identify the volume of training for each training mode during the last 6-12 weeks leading up to the “goal race.” This will also help illustrate how training emphasis shifts when training for different race distances.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
1) Decide what race you are training for and estimate how long it will take you to finish that race. This is actually more important than the race distance itself as a 25 minute 10K is really a different race than a 55 minute 10K. Notice on the table that you can pick either an open time, or the time in the run leg of a triathlon.
2) Decide how many miles a week you can run. This assumes that you are only running. For tri training, I want to begin with the assumption that you will be running 80% of the total distance that you could do otherwise. I believe *most* triathletes are doing less than this, but this will be addressed later.
3) Take your run-only mileage (or your tri-run mileage divided by 0.8) and multiply it by the percentages in the table shown above. This will give you the average proportions of each type of training I recommend doing in a given week.
EXAMPLE 1
Joe’s key race this year is a stand alone 10K that he wants to race well for. A 10K typically takes him 45 minutes to race. He expects to be able to run about 35 miles a week.
One look at the table in the run 45 column and you’ll note that 0.8% should be devoted to “speed,” 5.7% to interval training, and 8.5% to lactate threshold training. Multiplying these percentages by 35 (and multiplying by 1600 to get meters), this is what an average week would look like:
“Speed” = 450m
V02max intervals = 3,200m
Lactate threshold tempo runs = 3 miles
So in a given week, Joe might do two workouts:
4x800 (400 rest) + 4-5 x 100
3 mile tempo run
OR, he may decide to break it up differently each week:
Week 1: 6x800, 4 x 200
Week 2: 6x800, 4.5 mile tempo run
Week 3: 4x200, 4.5 mile tempo run
EXAMPLE 2
Joe’s key race this year is an Olympic distance triathlon. The run portion will take him about 50 minutes to complete (if all goes well on the bike). He expects to be able to run about 32 miles a week during tri training (80% of normal running mileage).
Look at the tri run 50 column and you’ll see that 0.45% should be devoted to “speed,” 3.5% to interval training, and 8.6% to lactate threshold training. Multiplying these percentages by 40 (because 32 divided by 0.8 = 40), this is what an average week would look like:
“Speed” = 290m
V02max intervals = 2,240m
Lactate threshold tempo runs = 3.4 miles
Here, because speed and interval volume is much lower, he would likely not do these workouts every week. He may, instead, do 10x100 every 3 weeks, 6x800 every other week, and a 3 ½ mile tempo run every week.
PROPORTIONS & TRAINING LOAD
You might notice that, for example a 30 mile training week when training for a 20 minute race has a lot more intensity than a 30 mile training week when training for a 240 minute race. Or specifically
20 minute race-----------240 minute race
Speed – 670m------vrs------120m
Intervals-4,000m----vrs-----720m
LT------2.3 miles—vrs-----1.8 miles
Clearly the training for the 4 hour marathon is much less intense than it is for a 20 minute 5K, as it should be. But in these examples the overall training load has dropped as well. When intensity drops, mileage needs to increase. The 4th component to this (or first?) is simply the total mileage that you are training. In this case, the very same runner would bump their mileage up to 40 miles a week (hope to explain further in part 2). So instead of simply training less intensely, he would train with less intensity but *more* mileage. Plugging in 40 miles, this person would do 160m, 960m, & 2.4 miles respectively.
HOW TO ACCOUNT FOR TRAINING LOAD
I hope to explain this further in another thread, but for now it lies in your own best judgment to determine what you can handle. So, for example, if you look at your current plan and determine that it is too intense in one area and not enough in another area, readjust based on your current training mileage, and then once the workouts are in place, bump the mileage up or down according to how you respond but trying to keep the proportions.
In other words, say you are running 30 miles a week and hammering these huge interval sessions every week while training for a half marathon. Plug in the proportions according to the table for a 30 mile week. You’ll probably notice that your workout has become pretty easy. More importantly, you’ll notice you aren’t training as hard on a week to week basis. Continue to bump everything up in proportion until you hit your sweet spot in training load.
Here’s another example. Say you are training for a 90 minute half marathon goal and are currently running 30 miles a week (assuming this is your physical limit given your training). Let’s also say that your routine consists of 6x1000m of interval training, 8x300m of “speed,” and a 3 mile tempo run every week. This, IMO, is *very* heavy on intensity for what you are trying to accomplish. What I would consider an equivalent training load would be a plan balanced around 45-50 miles a week. Your workouts would then be cut back to 7x100m every other week, 5x1000m every other week, and a tempo run of 4 miles every week. You would be training just as hard as before, but now better balanced to accomplish your racing goals.
I DON’T HAVE TIME TO RUN THAT MUCH
(….or “80%? Are you crazy?!)
As I stated earlier, many triathletes simply don’t have the time, or don’t want to spend the time to get in the kind of running mileage that I recommend. Rich Strauss and Mike Prevost recently responded to a thread regarding this. I also believe that M2 has been known to get more for less. I still advocate that 90-98% of runners/triathletes still need to build a large base, but sometimes it just isn’t feasible/desirable. To that all I can really say is to continue to keep in mind the proportions of training that you need and the training load that feels right for you. Once you hit your limit in mileage, continue bumping up your “virtual mileage” and use the table. So, for example, I suggested that a triathlete running 32 miles a week divide that number by 0.8 and base their proportions off of 40 miles a week. Ideally if this load was too light, I’d suggest running 33-34 miles a week and recalculating the proportions using 41 or 42 miles as your multiplier. However, if you don’t want to run more than 32 miles a week, don’t simply settle for being undertrained. Continue to bump up that multiplier so that your training load increases to an optimal level (as determined by you).
HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO A LONG TERM PLAN?
There has been some debate over this among triathletes, but I firmly believe that the size of your endurance base is going to determine your overall success more than anything else. I believe Mark Wetmore, coach of the CU Buffaloes once said, “If you want to get faster, run 100 miles a week for a year and then come talk to me.” When you look at the intensity levels of top athletes, keep in mind that they have, by and large, paid their dues through the trials of miles.
Having said that, I like to see at least 1/3 of the year devoted to base building. The proportions laid out above a really meant to be an average across the last 6-12 weeks of training. Leading up to that, however, should be a lot of base building (endurance training) with a nice smooth transition into the more intense training sessions. If your plan calls for 6x1000m, give your self a few weeks to build up to that. Don’t just, all of the sudden, place 3 workouts into the middle of the week. Also keep in mind the tradeoffs between intensity and mileage. A 50 mile week with three workouts is a much higher training load than a 50 mile week with no workouts. You will likely want to cut your mileage back a bit once you add in workouts.
PERIODIZING THE INTENSE PHASES
This is a little beyond the scope of this post. Some people prefer to use a Daniels’ method of speed, then V02max, and finishing with tempo training. Others will balance it out more evenly across the 6-12 weeks. Others, still, will save the last 4-6 weeks to focus on event specific workouts (tempo runs for 10 mile race, intervals for 5K race).
Whether you shift focus of one type of training earlier or later during this training phase, the idea is to keep the average proportion recommended above for this period. So where you might want an average week to contain 2500m of intervals and 3 miles a tempo running, instead of doing 5x1000m every other week, you may decided to run 5x1000m just about every week earlier in the intense phase so that you can focus more on your tempo training as you get closer to your long race.
FAVORS TO ASK
If you’ve been fairly comfortable with your training plan, I’m curious how your plan matches up to the chart I provided. Do you think my plan would be too intense, too easy, or just balanced differently than you typically prefer? Do you have any experience to support those thoughts?
Thanks!
EDIT:
Below I have included some samples to give some more concrete examples. The first is an example of someone who trains 40 miles a week for a 19 minute 5K. It then shows how the proportions change for the different distances (I have a different formula to figure out similar training loads). The second is an example of someone who is training to run an Olympic distance and expects to finish in 45 minutes for the 10K. It shows how that person can adjust their load up or down by changing the mileage and keeping the proportions the same. Note: I took their total mileage and divided by 0.8 and then applied this new value to the chart above.
PS – MATH HELP (for those who need it)
Remember to move the decimal point two places when multiplying by your weekly mileage. Also remember to multiply by 1600 to get meters for track workouts.
Example:
Assume 30 miles a week and a stand alone race time of 60 minutes. This is what the table looks like:
0.60
4.5
8.9
60
32
Speed = 30 x 0.006 x 1600 = 288m
Intervals = 30 x 0.045 x 1600 = 2,160m
Tempo = 30 x0.089 = 2.67 miles
Total mileage = 30 miles (because that’s what you picked)
Total mileage if training for tris = 30*0.8 = 24 miles
This would be training for a stand alone race that takes an hour to finish or a triathlon whose run leg would take about 32 minutes to finish.
Always remember, if the training load is too easy, bump up the total mileage and recalculate. If its too difficult, bump it down.
RunTraining17
-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485
Hello all. Here’s yet another “controversial” running thread ; ^ ). Feel free to contribute but please qualify your contribution (personal experience, read in a magazine, so & so said, etc) and try to make light, not heat.
I’ve been working on a “formula” (blatantly stealing JD’s idea) to try to better translate the proportions of training one should be doing. About 6 months ago I came up with a rough graphic to explain how emphasis in training should shift away from intensity and more toward endurance as the race distance gets longer. You can see this here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1600721#1600721
I think it got the basic concept across pretty well, but immediately it fell short in two areas; how does it translate to tri training and what are the specific numbers? I hope I will be able to answer that here:
What I have done is taken a combination of what my college program did (and does), what my college coach recommends for adults of lesser abilities, my own personal experience as an athlete, my personal experience coaching, and double checked this with Pfitzinger’s and Daniels’ training plans. What I ended up with is a ball park figure that should serve as moderate training load. As an example, many who are familiar with Daniels’ Formula will probably note that my program is lighter on the intervals than his. Other programs may be heavier on the mileage. I believe this to be more of a happy medium.
CAVEATS
This is only meant to serve as “ballpark” recommendations for different levels of training. In no way am I attempting to replace the value of a $3,000 a year coach. This is intended more for the less experienced to wrap their heads around the concepts of multi-aced training and how to tailor their plans to the race they intend to run. It also serves as a concrete starting point to potentially open up training discussions among those who are a little more experienced, even if they completely disagree with the approach.
Also, though I may be the best looking guy on the planet, I’m not the smartest or most experienced. I learn new things every day and it is entirely possible that I’ve made errors or that changes will need to be made. So far I’ve been pretty happy with the test plans that I’ve put together.
DEFINITIONS
To begin with, these are how I’m defining my terms:
“Speed” = sessions of 100-400m repeats with equal distance rest done at ~mile race pace, but not sprinting.
V02max intervals = sessions done at ~10-20 minute race pace (3K-5K for most). The intervals are usually in the 600m – 12m range, but I have seen them as short as 400m and as long as 2000m before. I like to see the rest about ½ to 2/3 of the time to complete the interval. (Try running up a long hill for 90sec then jog down 60 sec).
Tempo running = threshold running = LT training = lactate threshold training = sustained running at ~1 hr race pace. If it takes you an hour to finish an open 10K, then that’s the pace you do these at. If it takes you an hour to race 10 miles, then you use 10 mile race pace. These workouts are generally done as a sustained 20-40 minute run (the longer the run, the slower you should do it by ~ 5-10 second per mile for every extra 10 minutes). These can also be done as long intervals with 1/5 rest in between (5min on, 1 min off).
Using the plan as laid out below, you can also substitute this workout with a longer marathon paced run. I’ll leave it up to your own judgment to determine how long of a M.P. run would equate to the prescribed tempo run distance (ie…a 6 mile MP run might be equivalent to a 3 mile tempo run).
PURPOSE
To be able to identify the volume of training for each training mode during the last 6-12 weeks leading up to the “goal race.” This will also help illustrate how training emphasis shifts when training for different race distances.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
1) Decide what race you are training for and estimate how long it will take you to finish that race. This is actually more important than the race distance itself as a 25 minute 10K is really a different race than a 55 minute 10K. Notice on the table that you can pick either an open time, or the time in the run leg of a triathlon.
2) Decide how many miles a week you can run. This assumes that you are only running. For tri training, I want to begin with the assumption that you will be running 80% of the total distance that you could do otherwise. I believe *most* triathletes are doing less than this, but this will be addressed later.
3) Take your run-only mileage (or your tri-run mileage divided by 0.8) and multiply it by the percentages in the table shown above. This will give you the average proportions of each type of training I recommend doing in a given week.
EXAMPLE 1
Joe’s key race this year is a stand alone 10K that he wants to race well for. A 10K typically takes him 45 minutes to race. He expects to be able to run about 35 miles a week.
One look at the table in the run 45 column and you’ll note that 0.8% should be devoted to “speed,” 5.7% to interval training, and 8.5% to lactate threshold training. Multiplying these percentages by 35 (and multiplying by 1600 to get meters), this is what an average week would look like:
“Speed” = 450m
V02max intervals = 3,200m
Lactate threshold tempo runs = 3 miles
So in a given week, Joe might do two workouts:
4x800 (400 rest) + 4-5 x 100
3 mile tempo run
OR, he may decide to break it up differently each week:
Week 1: 6x800, 4 x 200
Week 2: 6x800, 4.5 mile tempo run
Week 3: 4x200, 4.5 mile tempo run
EXAMPLE 2
Joe’s key race this year is an Olympic distance triathlon. The run portion will take him about 50 minutes to complete (if all goes well on the bike). He expects to be able to run about 32 miles a week during tri training (80% of normal running mileage).
Look at the tri run 50 column and you’ll see that 0.45% should be devoted to “speed,” 3.5% to interval training, and 8.6% to lactate threshold training. Multiplying these percentages by 40 (because 32 divided by 0.8 = 40), this is what an average week would look like:
“Speed” = 290m
V02max intervals = 2,240m
Lactate threshold tempo runs = 3.4 miles
Here, because speed and interval volume is much lower, he would likely not do these workouts every week. He may, instead, do 10x100 every 3 weeks, 6x800 every other week, and a 3 ½ mile tempo run every week.
PROPORTIONS & TRAINING LOAD
You might notice that, for example a 30 mile training week when training for a 20 minute race has a lot more intensity than a 30 mile training week when training for a 240 minute race. Or specifically
20 minute race-----------240 minute race
Speed – 670m------vrs------120m
Intervals-4,000m----vrs-----720m
LT------2.3 miles—vrs-----1.8 miles
Clearly the training for the 4 hour marathon is much less intense than it is for a 20 minute 5K, as it should be. But in these examples the overall training load has dropped as well. When intensity drops, mileage needs to increase. The 4th component to this (or first?) is simply the total mileage that you are training. In this case, the very same runner would bump their mileage up to 40 miles a week (hope to explain further in part 2). So instead of simply training less intensely, he would train with less intensity but *more* mileage. Plugging in 40 miles, this person would do 160m, 960m, & 2.4 miles respectively.
HOW TO ACCOUNT FOR TRAINING LOAD
I hope to explain this further in another thread, but for now it lies in your own best judgment to determine what you can handle. So, for example, if you look at your current plan and determine that it is too intense in one area and not enough in another area, readjust based on your current training mileage, and then once the workouts are in place, bump the mileage up or down according to how you respond but trying to keep the proportions.
In other words, say you are running 30 miles a week and hammering these huge interval sessions every week while training for a half marathon. Plug in the proportions according to the table for a 30 mile week. You’ll probably notice that your workout has become pretty easy. More importantly, you’ll notice you aren’t training as hard on a week to week basis. Continue to bump everything up in proportion until you hit your sweet spot in training load.
Here’s another example. Say you are training for a 90 minute half marathon goal and are currently running 30 miles a week (assuming this is your physical limit given your training). Let’s also say that your routine consists of 6x1000m of interval training, 8x300m of “speed,” and a 3 mile tempo run every week. This, IMO, is *very* heavy on intensity for what you are trying to accomplish. What I would consider an equivalent training load would be a plan balanced around 45-50 miles a week. Your workouts would then be cut back to 7x100m every other week, 5x1000m every other week, and a tempo run of 4 miles every week. You would be training just as hard as before, but now better balanced to accomplish your racing goals.
I DON’T HAVE TIME TO RUN THAT MUCH
(….or “80%? Are you crazy?!)
As I stated earlier, many triathletes simply don’t have the time, or don’t want to spend the time to get in the kind of running mileage that I recommend. Rich Strauss and Mike Prevost recently responded to a thread regarding this. I also believe that M2 has been known to get more for less. I still advocate that 90-98% of runners/triathletes still need to build a large base, but sometimes it just isn’t feasible/desirable. To that all I can really say is to continue to keep in mind the proportions of training that you need and the training load that feels right for you. Once you hit your limit in mileage, continue bumping up your “virtual mileage” and use the table. So, for example, I suggested that a triathlete running 32 miles a week divide that number by 0.8 and base their proportions off of 40 miles a week. Ideally if this load was too light, I’d suggest running 33-34 miles a week and recalculating the proportions using 41 or 42 miles as your multiplier. However, if you don’t want to run more than 32 miles a week, don’t simply settle for being undertrained. Continue to bump up that multiplier so that your training load increases to an optimal level (as determined by you).
HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO A LONG TERM PLAN?
There has been some debate over this among triathletes, but I firmly believe that the size of your endurance base is going to determine your overall success more than anything else. I believe Mark Wetmore, coach of the CU Buffaloes once said, “If you want to get faster, run 100 miles a week for a year and then come talk to me.” When you look at the intensity levels of top athletes, keep in mind that they have, by and large, paid their dues through the trials of miles.
Having said that, I like to see at least 1/3 of the year devoted to base building. The proportions laid out above a really meant to be an average across the last 6-12 weeks of training. Leading up to that, however, should be a lot of base building (endurance training) with a nice smooth transition into the more intense training sessions. If your plan calls for 6x1000m, give your self a few weeks to build up to that. Don’t just, all of the sudden, place 3 workouts into the middle of the week. Also keep in mind the tradeoffs between intensity and mileage. A 50 mile week with three workouts is a much higher training load than a 50 mile week with no workouts. You will likely want to cut your mileage back a bit once you add in workouts.
PERIODIZING THE INTENSE PHASES
This is a little beyond the scope of this post. Some people prefer to use a Daniels’ method of speed, then V02max, and finishing with tempo training. Others will balance it out more evenly across the 6-12 weeks. Others, still, will save the last 4-6 weeks to focus on event specific workouts (tempo runs for 10 mile race, intervals for 5K race).
Whether you shift focus of one type of training earlier or later during this training phase, the idea is to keep the average proportion recommended above for this period. So where you might want an average week to contain 2500m of intervals and 3 miles a tempo running, instead of doing 5x1000m every other week, you may decided to run 5x1000m just about every week earlier in the intense phase so that you can focus more on your tempo training as you get closer to your long race.
FAVORS TO ASK
If you’ve been fairly comfortable with your training plan, I’m curious how your plan matches up to the chart I provided. Do you think my plan would be too intense, too easy, or just balanced differently than you typically prefer? Do you have any experience to support those thoughts?
Thanks!
EDIT:
Below I have included some samples to give some more concrete examples. The first is an example of someone who trains 40 miles a week for a 19 minute 5K. It then shows how the proportions change for the different distances (I have a different formula to figure out similar training loads). The second is an example of someone who is training to run an Olympic distance and expects to finish in 45 minutes for the 10K. It shows how that person can adjust their load up or down by changing the mileage and keeping the proportions the same. Note: I took their total mileage and divided by 0.8 and then applied this new value to the chart above.
PS – MATH HELP (for those who need it)
Remember to move the decimal point two places when multiplying by your weekly mileage. Also remember to multiply by 1600 to get meters for track workouts.
Example:
Assume 30 miles a week and a stand alone race time of 60 minutes. This is what the table looks like:
0.60
4.5
8.9
60
32
Speed = 30 x 0.006 x 1600 = 288m
Intervals = 30 x 0.045 x 1600 = 2,160m
Tempo = 30 x0.089 = 2.67 miles
Total mileage = 30 miles (because that’s what you picked)
Total mileage if training for tris = 30*0.8 = 24 miles
This would be training for a stand alone race that takes an hour to finish or a triathlon whose run leg would take about 32 minutes to finish.
Always remember, if the training load is too easy, bump up the total mileage and recalculate. If its too difficult, bump it down.
RunTraining17
-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485