I was thinking about your thoughts on this subject.
What would be the physical limitations of running a 21k race at 15k race pace?
Assuming that both paces are below LT, there technically should not be any physiological reason why you should not run a 21k race at a pace as fast as 15k race pace - or is there? I would also rule out the basis of glycogen depletion, because for most decent runners, a 15k race may last 1 hour, and a 21k race may last 75-90 minutes, and either race would not elicit a severe amount of glycogen depletion -at least not in the muscles.
Another possibility I am thinking is that 15k race pace uses up blood glucose much faster than 21k race pace, and your liver cannot resynthesize blood glucose quick enough, and you have hypoglycaemia as a result. I don’t have a degree in sports science and this is purely speculation, but I’d like to have a civil discussion about this.
Or - is it all in the head - trying to convince your mind that your body can do it? I guess this goes back to Tim Noakes and his “central governor” theory?
my thoughts are very simple. stop thinking so much and run fast. this level of analysis strikes me as excessive and detrimental to your best performance.
my thoughts are very simple. stop thinking so much and run fast. this level of analysis strikes me as excessive and detrimental to your best performance.
No, this is a question that was borne about from a pub argument. Obviously this is nitpicking to the details but from a scientific perspective, it would be interesting to learn what each of the human body’s limiters are in terms of performance at each distance.
if only Tim Noakes could show up and offer some guidelines!
nobody knows what the limiters are. you want someone to show up and make you comfortable that you’re running at the “right” pace. the right pace is the fastest pace you can cook up on that particular day. you don’t know what that is, noakes doesn’t know it, and neither does anybody else on ST. you have to do the event, learn from the experience, and repeat. eventually, if you do it enough, you’ll know how it works for you, and you will manage, if you’re lucky and attentive, to occasionally get very close to the fastest pace you could actually run (if you’re motivated enough). by then, however, you’ll be a bit older, and it will work differently. repeat till death, or till you no longer run.
my thoughts are very simple. stop thinking so much and run fast. this level of analysis strikes me as excessive and detrimental to your best performance.
No, this is a question that was borne about from a pub argument. Obviously this is nitpicking to the details but from a scientific perspective, it would be interesting to learn what each of the human body’s limiters are in terms of performance at each distance.
You guys should drink beer less and run more.
On second thought, you guys should drink beer more and argue less
Well, Tim Noakes would tell you it’s your Central Governor limiting you. Most every other Ex Physiologist would say it’s primarily the rate at which you’ll utilize glycogen which would make the difference.
My guess is that as you ‘fatigue’ (whatever that really means) your LT drops.
FWIW, when I was a cardio monster training 100+mpw my race pace for both would have been the same…but that would be indicative of a sub-par performance in the shorter race actually. I had no ability to run above my LT.
x3. I think if you just take your 15K race pace and notch the speed down by a few seconds per kilometer (seriously 1-3 seconds per K is huge), you have your half marathon race pace.
