Most Basic Principles of Training

Most Basic Principles of Training. (In the world of middle distance running at least).

Most basic goal is to get use to the effort and secondly to exceed the comfortable effort in order to necessitate adaptation.

Ok. So that is the simple explanation of what an athlete does when he trains. But doing that isn’t so simple. There are as many approaches to doing this as there are athletes competing. Just about anyway.

The Approach I’m most fond off (but failed to take myself as a middle distance runner due to a severe lack of discipline) is in my very simple. It might lack some of the control that more modern methods can give you. But as a recreational sportsman that isn’t a problem. I don’t need to time my peak to an exact day.

Here it is
Your efforts are defined in 5 different categories
1. Base
2. Strength
3. Strength endurance
4. Speed endurance
5. Speed

Base
For a normal human middle distance runner you do 6 - 8 weeks of 80 - 100km a week at about 60 - 70 % of your max heart rate.

Strength
Then next 4 - 6 weeks is strength focused but also a continuation of your base training
Monday is Strength day with LONG hills
Tuesday is just a long run like in the base period
Wednesday is a medium long run on a hilly course. Each hill is attacked!!
Thursday - Sunday is more base training

Strength Endurance
Keep the basic format of the previous section but move Wednesday to Thursday for the next 4 weeks. On Wednesday go to the track and do Long track session.
Things like
6*600m with 1’30 rest between each 600m
4*1000m with 3minutes rest between each 1000m
The basic idea is to adapt to running longinsh distances at a high pace. With the base you have at this point you’d be able to do at least half of the session with really feeling pushed. The last 2 or 3 600m’s might be rather uncomfortable.

Speed Endurance
Basic format of the previous weeks move Monday to Tuesday for the next 4 weeks.
On Monday to Long track sessions as in the previous sections Wednesday. Go shorter towards on the last 2 weeks. Something like 10*400m with 1 minute between each 400m.
On Wednesdays start of with something like the 10*400m on the first 2 weeks and 12*300m on the 3rd week and 16*200m on the last week.

Speed
Week 1
Monday - 8*300m 3 minutes between each HARD
Tuesday - 8*150m Hills walk down HARD
Wednesday - EASY SHORT RUN (3km - 4km)
Thursday - 10*200m 3 minutes rest HARD
Friday - EASY SHORT RUN (3km - 4km)
Saturday - RACE
Sunday - Long EASY RUN 50min - 90min

Week 2
Monday - 4*300m 5 minutes between each HARD
Tuesday - 8*100m Hills walk down HARD
Wednesday - EASY SHORT RUN (3km - 4km)
Thursday - 6*150m 5 minutes rest HARD
Friday - EASY SHORT RUN (3km - 4km)
Saturday - RACE - You should now be in shape

Now the only question is how cycling works?