training question

The answer....BOTH. Those are two entirely different kinds of runs - the first is a type of speed workout and the second is a distance run. Before adding any kind of speed into your routine, you should have a good base of slow, steady miles. Once you've established that base with several good solid weeks of training, start adding in an occasional speed workout. This can be (1) a shorter faster run, (2) an interval run (ex. 3 mins. hard, 1 min. easy) throughout the run, (3) a long steady interval (ex. 1 mile warmup, 3 miles hard, 1 mile cooldown), (4) hill repeats, or (5) a track workout at your local high school (ex. 6x800 or 10x400). Vary things up and don't do the same workout every week.

Edited by RunningIsFun 2005-07-06 5:24 PM

I agree with the other poster both. Some days slow, some fast, some really fast with rests. My plan looks like this (I am slower than you and no amount of training is going to fix that much : )

Sunday: Long Distance
This is long for me, 10 miles +. I am training for a marathon and no, I did not start out running 10 miles a pop.

Monday: Off

Tuesday: Slow recovery run 3 - 5 miles depending on the weather, time of the month and if the dog can hack it.


Wednesday: Speedwork. Tempo Runs (slightly slower than race pace for me). Hill repeats (up a hill, down a hill, back up a hill, back down a hill). Fartleks. Run fast 4 minutes, walk or run slow one, run fast 3 minutes, walk 2 etc (I always warm up before speed work).

Thursday: Recovery run. Slow and easy and love every minute of it. I don't loaf but I don't bust a lung either.

Friday: Brick

Saturday: Mid tempo run. Keep my heart rate about 70% and walk if I need to.

in my expereince, when I was really slow (praying for 10:XX miles at any distance, HR in the 180's!) I did no speed work. It wasn't necessary, as my base wasn't there, and I was not in the kind of shape to get any good out of it.

Madkat (a member here) turned me on to LSD training. I was 'running' 13 min miles. hard to swallow my pride, but this let me go longer, with my HR capped at 150. after a few months of this, I could run 9's. Now a season and a half of LSD work behind me, and now beginning some speed workouts, i'm in the low to mid 7's.

Clif notes: work on base, form, and time (over). You will get faster with a lower HR, then do speed work.

Your mileage may vary.

What can I say but excellent advice from all.

Once you have a good base to work with do both.

Edited by Rhubarb2 2005-07-06 7:41 PM

in run training, what is a brick?

It not really a "run training" concept.

It is an exclusive triathlon training concept.

A brick is any combination of...

Swim to Bike

Or

Bike to Run.

However, it is most commonly used in reference to the Bike to Run training session.

Basically, you bike for specific period of time immediately followed by a run. This is in simulation of a T2 transition. Same can be said for a T1 simulation with the swim to bike.

Joe Moya

Edited by Joe M 2005-07-06 10:20 PM

I just stuck it in my list because it is what I do and it looked like I did not do anything that day. For me it is a Bike ride followed by a run. They are important because, and I don't know about anyone else, running off the bike my legs feel like Jell-O.