Coach Dean Hebert
A common misconception is that we need lots of miles of running each week to run a marathon. What we need is lots of the “right” miles each week. For instance, physiology literature has pretty well established certain weekly mileages and the affect on VO2max. VO2max is the measurement of your ability to process oxygen. From couch potato to the 20-25 miles per week range will garner a 16% increase in your VO2max. Move that up to the 40-50 miles per week range and you’re looking at another 16%. Move that up to as much as 90 miles per week range and you get only a 3% hike in VO2max. It has been shown in several studies that no improvement to VO2max is made over this mileage range… in fact, one study showed a decrease!
The good news is that VO2max is one of the poorest indicators for performance – your actual ability to run a given distance at a given pace. Why is this important? Because it underscores that miles are not “the” key to massive running improvement. It is of course important to run enough to condition muscles, tendons, connective tissue for endurance events.
Lactate threshold (the pace at which there is rapid increase in lactate) and vVO2max (the minimum pace at which you reach your maximum oxygen uptake)are better predictors of performance than VO2max at almost all race distances. There are now a number of studies even showing sprints of 50 meters with distance runners is a better predictor of marathon performance than VO2max! (No that is not a typo – FIFTY meters. Oh, and we’re comparing distance runners not sprinters to distance runners.)
A primary goal is indeed to increase running mileage within reason. Once you are running over 20 miles per week and are capable of running 6-8 miles in a single run, it becomes far more important to be more run smarter miles than just run more miles. For marathons, gradually increasing your long run is critical of course. Infuse another rest day or two to keep your total mileage reasonable.
Now, to be more effective in your training – change “what” you do with your other days of running. So, key training components are:
– Long runs – Progressively increase the distance of your long run up to 18-22 miles (depending on the experience, strengths & weaknesses of the runner). Do a long run every other or even every 3rd week… NOT every week. These build true endurance.
– Goal paced runs – Progressively over the months of preparation increase the proportion of miles you run at your target pace for the race. You become efficient as a runner by training at higher percentages of your goal pace. These runs build stamina and efficiency.
– Quality runs – These can best be defined as for most runners as about your 10k race pace or faster. Though often performed as a form of track repeats these can also be done on the roads. Contrary to some beliefs, efficiency in running comes not so much in running more miles but from running faster miles. These runs build efficiency.
– Rest days – These are essential to rebuilding your muscles after being beaten down by your training days. Similarly, low mileage and easier training weeks should be scheduled every 6-8 weeks to give your body a rest. These days enhance conditioning.
Putting together a workout schedule that incorporates the right amounts of each of these types of workouts is the effective way to train for a marathon. The key is not just to pile on miles, but to make smart choices about the type of miles that you run and make every workout count.
Coach Dean Hebert, Tempe Arizona, USA
Contributing Editor, Running Advice and News
www.running-advice.com
