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Troy M. Smurawa, M.D.
The primary goals of a runner are to: 1) arrive at the starting line healthy and injury-free; 2) to have optimized training in order to be
in the best shape to meet the demands of the race; 3) to finish the race with a great personal performance without injury or illness;
and 4) to recover from the effects of the race. Over-training, under-training or a poorly planned training program are common errors
in a runner’s training for competition. These errors can lead to injuries and problems during training as well as during the race.
PRE-RACE TRAINING AND PREPARATION
The right preparation and training program is the key to a successful race. The basic principle of a training program is designed to
condition your body to improve endurance and be well trained to complete the race, yet to avoid injuries and to arrive at the
starting line healthy.
The primary goals of training are:
1) Improve the body’s ability to supply oxygen and energy to exercising muscles
2) Increase energy reserves
3) Strengthen sport-specific muscles
4) Remove metabolic wastes from muscle tissue
5) Become more efficient in the specific neuromuscular functions required for running.
There are five principles that a running athlete applies to training:
1) Overload
2) Adaptation
3) Progression and Periodization
4) Specificity of Training
5) Training at Intensity Levels
OVERLOAD
The principle of OVERLOAD refers to imposing a demand onto the body’s systems and allowing them to adapt to that load.
Overload is the stimulation for the body to improve its ability to handle a higher levels of training stress. An appropriate level of
stress leads to adaptation while non-adaptation occurs from too high of a stress load. Non-adaptation leads to over-training and
injuries. The fundamental principle of endurance training is to give the body a tough workout followed by the right amount of rest.
A gradual increase in workload, with appropriate rest, stimulates further improvement in conditioning. Gradual increases in
duration and intensity will improve endurance, power and strength.
ADAPTATION
The principle of ADAPTATION refers to the body’s ability to change and adjust to the new demands training imposes. The goals of
training adaptation are 1) to increase the workload that can be performed at the same intensity, and 2) to perform the same
workload at an increased intensity. Adaptation occurs with both the aerobic and anaerobic systems.
Aerobic adaptation is a result of increased oxygen delivery to exercising muscles and improved muscle extraction and utilization of
oxygen. The heart and blood vessels become more efficient at pumping and delivering oxygenated blood to muscles. Exercising
muscles become more efficient at extracting oxygen from blood and also utilize oxygen better by increasing their concentration of
mitochondria.
Anaerobic adaptation is a result of increased muscle fiber strength and recruitment, increased lactic acid tolerance and increased
glycogen utilization. Muscles adapt by increasing the ability to utilize glycogen at a higher intensity and slow down the build-up of
lactic acid. Muscles increase the ability to tolerate lactic acid at a higher intensity.
The body adapts to increases in training duration, frequency and intensity over time. Short-term adaptation occurs during a
specific exercise session. Recovery heart rate is the method of determining if your body has adapted to an exercise interval or
session. Your heart rate should decrease to 120 bpm or less within 1min. 30 secs. after an interval or exercise session. If it takes
longer then your body has not adapted. The next interval or session should be performed at a lower intensity. Long-term
adaptation to new training loads usually follows the “two week, two month” rule. It takes your mind and body about two weeks to
adjust to the new training stress and about two months for you to fully adapt to the added changes. The body will also adapt
throughout longer periods such as a season, a year or years of gradual increases in training. A decrease in resting heart rate, an
increase in lactate threshold and an improved sub-maximal test are objective measures of long-term adaptation.
PROGRESSION AND PERIODIZATION
The principle of PROGRESSION AND PERIODIZATION refers to the gradual build-up and adaptation of the body to a training
stress. The progression in training volume and intensity occurs gradually over different cycles of training referred to as
periodization. Periodization is the structure in a training program designed to produce a progressive increase in training stress from
cycle to cycle. Cycles are divided into weekly, monthly and yearly periods. I break down training periods into microcycles of one
week and macrocycles of four weeks.
The progression from week to week or cycle to cycle should not be a steady increase in volume and intensity, but rather should
reflect a stair case progression with periods of reduced volume and intensity at certain times during a training period, season or
year. This allows the body to have periods of rest to allow recovery and adaptation to the increasing training loads. A common
training pattern is to progressively overload the body for the first three weeks with decreasing the volume and intensity the fourth
week by about 25 – 50%.
Increases in training volume, duration and intensity should be a gradual increase of 5 to10 % per week. Increases more than 10 %
will result in overtraining and injuries. Young or beginner athletes should progressively increase their training volume by only 5 –
10 % per year to allow growth and adaptation to occur effectively. They should focus on technique, form and training principles.
SPECIFICITY OF TRAINING
The principle of SPECIFICITY OF TRAINING refers to improving performance in a specific sport by practicing that sport in
training. Endurance sports such as running require efficient aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, strength, power and
neuromuscular coordination for efficient technique. Running has certain biomechanical and technical requirements to master in
order to develop energy – saving efficiency.
The type of training should be similar to the actions and demands experienced in competition. Training should focus on
improving performance factors such as technique, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, strength, recovery, psychological readiness
and injury prevention. Early stages of training should focus on aerobic conditioning and technique and progress to more sport-
specific training such as speed and endurance.
Specificity of training also requires individualization of training. Each athlete needs to identify areas of weaknesses and strengths.
Target training specifically at areas of weaknesses. Also, every athlete has limitations to the capacity at which he or she can train
or compete. Not every athlete can compete and train at an elite level. Train and compete within your level of skill and abilities.
TRAINING AT INTENSITY LEVELS
Training sessions are performed at different levels of intensities in order to achieve a maximum training effect. Too often, athletes
do all of their training at a medium intensity, medium duration and medium speed. This type of training will produce minimal
improvements in performance. Athletes should train at different intensity levels for each different type of workout. Intensity levels
are based upon training heart rate zones that are a certain percentage of maximum heart rate (MHR) or perceived exertion.
The different types of workouts and corresponding intensity training zones are:
1. Overdistance/Aerobic Recovery: 60 – 70% MHR.
These sessions are long distances that focus on building aerobic conditioning and endurance or recovery and easy workouts.
The training effort should feel comfortable and easy.
2. Intervals: 80 – 90% MHR.
The focus on these sessions is to build anaerobic threshold, improve efficiency and practice race pace.
3. Speed: 90 – 100% MHR.
Speed workouts are typically track workouts and focus on developing race speed, turnover and neuromuscular coordination.
The best way to train using training heart rate zones is using a heart rate monitor. Perceived exertion is another way to determine
training intensity zones.
STAGES OF TRAINING
Endurance training should be planned based upon five different stages of training:
1) Base Training
2) Intensity Training
3) Peaking and Tapering
4) Racing and Competition
5) Recovery and Restoration
Base Training
Base training focuses on overall aerobic conditioning and strengthening. Training sessions should be of low intensity and low to
moderate volume. Gradually increase volume and intensity throughout this stage. Weight-lifting will help to improve strength and
overall fitness. Athletes should also focus on improving technique and form.
Intensity Training
Intensity training focuses on anaerobic threshold training and pace. Training sessions should be of high volume and high
intensity. Athletes are more likely to be injured during this stage and should be careful to progressively increase volume and
intensity. Interval and speed sessions help to improve anaerobic threshold, also referred to as lactate threshold, as well as
conditioning the body to train at race pace. At the end of this stage an athlete should be in top physical condition and ready to
peak for competition.
Peaking and Tapering
During the peaking stage the focus is on tapering training and optimizing peak performance. Training sessions should be of high
intensity and decreasing volume. Speed and interval sessions are utilized to maintain sharpness and efficiency. Lowering the
volume allows the body to fully recover between sessions and races. The emphasis is on restoration and recovery from training so
that the body is fully rested and energy stores completely replenished prior to competition. About 40 to 60 % of total training
volume should be low intensity in order to maintain aerobic conditioning and allow recovery.
Racing and Competition
Ideally, the previous three stages of training have prepared you for top performance racing. During this stage the focus is on
competition and racing. Training sessions are of high intensity and low volume. You should allow adequate rest and recovery time
between sessions and racing. You should continue to maintain about 40 – 50 % of training volume of low intensity. Intervals,
speed sessions and racing will constitute the rest of your training. The racing stage may last anywhere from 2 to 6 months
depending upon your season and goals for racing.
Recovery and Restoration
After many hard weeks of training and racing most athletes will become tired, fatigued, injured and unmotivated to train or race.
During the recovery stage an athlete focuses on restoration and healing. This stage is a period of active recovery characterized by
reduced training volume, low intensity exercise and cross training. Also, any injuries or medical problems should be addressed and
allowed proper healing time. This also is a great time for mental relaxation and time to enjoy family and friends that may have
been neglected during intense training and racing. A period of 2 to 6 weeks is recommended for adequate recovery
MONITORING TRAINING
Endurance training is very intense and demanding on an athlete’s body. It is important to have a well-designed training schedule
to prepare for competing in an endurance event. It is important to take into consideration your level of experience, level of fitness
and available time when designing a training program. Do not try to set unrealistic goals given your level of talent and available
time. Be realistic and develop training goals that you can obtain. A good idea is to have a coach look over your training schedule
to help make the right adjustments.
It is important to be consistent but not rigid with your training schedule. Allow flexibility to deal with unpredictable circumstances
that may arise such as injury, illness, fatigue, or work and family matters. Monitoring your training will help you detect and prevent
over-training. Your resting heart rate is a good indication of your fitness level. As your fitness level improves, your resting heart rate
should decrease. It is not uncommon for well-conditioned athletes to have resting heart rates in the 30s. An increase in resting
heart rate is a sign of over-training.
Using a heart rate monitor will guide you in monitoring your training heart rate. I recommend using a sub-maximal test monthly to
monitor training. Athletes run one mile on a track while maintaining heart rates at 65% maximal heart rate. Your time should
decrease as your conditioning improves. An increase in time would indicate over-training.
Lastly, endurance athletes should keep a training log to monitor training. A training log allows an athlete to carefully monitor
training progression and detect errors that may lead to over-training or poor performances. A training log should include both
objective and subjective measurements. Include how you feel, your health and sleep patterns in your training log. Compare your
data to previous individual measurements to assess the effects of your training. Your log can help your detect training errors but
also training success.
