Unless a runner is on a very long run or exposed to considerable ambient heat in a training session, most fatigue can be traced to the effects of acidosis, i.e. hydrogen ion+ produced deterioration of performance. Many examples of acidosis are obvious, such as watching a runner trying to complete a set of eight fast…
Archives for tempo run
Planning the Middle Distance Pre-Competition Period
A properly schemed middle distance training macrocyle should be set up to be between fifteen and twenty weeks in length. For planning purposes the macrocycle is divided into two phases which are called preparation and competitive. In essence, the first half of the macrocycle focuses on preparation, while the second half focuses on competition. The…
Distance Coaching 101: Workout Planning Fundamentals
Training distance runners is similar to other rewarding endeavors in life in that it seems rather daunting to begin with, and then stays challenging throughout. The athletes themselves are in most cases strongly self-motivated, task-oriented, and inquisitive, while the training is based on scientific principles. If the coach is not a strong people-person and well-schooled…
The Tempo Run
The tempo run is a valuable training unit component that should be found in the microcycles of both middle-distance and distance runners, including cross country athletes. The name is derived from a musical term that refers to a recognized “rate of speed”. The rate of speed, or tempo, used in training distance runners is the…