Cruise Control
by Jack Daniels, PH.D.
In all
my years of coaching, and I've been at this game for almost 30 years, I've had
only one goal: to develop a workout that would help runners achieve the
greatest benefit from the least amount of training. It wasn't easy, but
now, at last, I've put the pieces together.
All along, I knew such a workout would have to be built on equal parts of
motivation, injury prevention and training effectiveness. Motivation, because
you can't succeed at a discipline based sport like distance running unless
you're consistent, and consistency is grandchild to motivation. Injury
prevention because you can't keep getting better if injuries are always forcing
you to the sidelines. Training effectiveness because it's not enough to
stay hungry and healthy. You've also got to do workouts that advance your
fitness and racing potential.
This last, training effectiveness, has always proven the biggest stumbling
block. After all, almost anyone can stay happy and injury free simply by
jogging a couple of miles a day. Fine. But these same anyones
would be even happier if they could run faster. That's simply human
nature. We want to get better. Which brings us face to face with
the quintessential training question.
How can you train hard enough to improve but not so hard that you get burned
out and/or injured?
Answer: Keep reading.
A successful training program has many parts from early season conditioning, to
prerace sharpening, not all of which I can describe in this article. In
fact, I'll concentrate on just one part of the program. But it's a part
so essential, so productive, so mistake proof and so easy to do that I think
you'll want to give it much more attention. In your workout schedule I
call it "threshold-pace" training.
I'm particularly excited about a type of threshold-pace training I've called
"cruise intervals." Cruise intervals, I believe, represent the
biggest breakthrough in training for running since the German coaches Woldemar
Gerschler and Haus Reindell opened the door to modern-day distance running
nearly 50 years ago with the development of classical interval training.
Before I launch into a full description of threshold-pace training, let me tell
you how and why I am such a strong believer in it. The story begins in
the mid-1950s when I was beginning to compete in the modern pentathlon ( a
five-event competition that includes horseback riding, fencing, pistol
shooting, swimming and running. Eventually I became good enough to win
two Olympic medals in the modern pentathlon, but at first my running was so bad
that it held me back. Since running frustrated me so much, I resolved to
study it carefully. Right away, I realized there had to be a better way
to become a good runner than to duplicate the workouts of world-class
athletes. I decided to learn everything I could about the scientific
principles behind good training programs and ultimately, behind racing success.
First, I studied in Stockholm with some of the greatest physiologists of
our time. From them I learned the results of their pioneering studies in
exercise physiology, and how to apply laboratory research to real-life training
and racing situations.
In the 1960s and 1970s, I worked as an adviser to some of the United States'
top runners - Olympians like Jim Ryun, George Young, Gerry Lindgren and Tom Von
Ruden - particularly as they prepared to compete in the high-altitude Mexico
City Olympic Games. From them I learned the importance of dedication and
consistency in any training program.
Later in the 1970s and the 1980s, I worked as a research physiologist for
Nike's Athletics West teams, analyzing the performance of runners like Joan
Samuelson, Alberto Salazar and Ken and Lisa Martin. From them I learned
that the right mind in the right body can accomplish unbelievable running
feats.
For the past four years, I've coached at the State University of New York at
Cortland with nonscholarship runners not too different from many of you reading
this article. Certainly, their previous accomplishments wouldn't project
future greatness, yet they've made incredible progress in very little
time. In the last 12 months, 18 of my runners, male and female, gained
Division III All-American status in distance events.
From all of these coaching experiences, I've come to the conclusion that there
are five crucial ingredients to any training program for distance runners:
1.
The program must be built around basic scientific principles.
2.
All runners can't be treated and trained the same.
3.
Positive results are a function of consistency in training.
4.
The way a training system is presented and the runner's confidence in the
training system are as important as the system itself.
5.
No one has all the answers, and no system is foolproof.
Threshold-pace training build upon all five ingredients. Most importantly, it
holds true to a guideline I followed a few years ago when I developed a
computer software running program: It uses good training principles in a
way that can satisfy the needs of any runner. Threshold-pace training is
individualized and adaptable to changes in fitness. It won't cause you
to over train. It will build your confidence with each workout. And
it will produce results whether you're at the back of the pack, in the middle
or way up front.
The Proper Pace
The
key to great workouts is knowing how to select the right pace. At very
slow speeds, you can run for quite a long time because your body is able to
clear lactic acid as quickly as it is produced. As you pick up the pace,
however, your running muscles begin dumping more and more lactic acid into your
blood. When you run very fast, your body becomes overwhelmed by lactic
acid, and you must stop.
Imagine a car speeding along a heavily policed highway at just under 55
mph. At this speed, the car can go forever. But if the car exceeds
55, it will be forced to pull over by the police.
Threshold pace is the pace beyond which your blood begins to accumulate lactic
acid at an accelerated rate. In the car analogy, threshold pace is 55
mph. Luckily for you, your body is more flexible than the speeding
laws. Find a way to raise your lactate threshold, and you can run longer
at a faster speed. You can set a PR. It's as if the speed limit
were suddenly raised to 60 mph. This is exactly what happens when you
follow my threshold-pace training plan.
Some runners have a good feel for pace, but most need some help. That's why I
created the "Threshold Pace" chart which lets you look up a recent
time for 5-K or 10-K and then find your equivalent threshold pace. A
little less conservative way to estimate threshold intensity is to add about 15
seconds per mile to your current 10-K race pace.
|
Fitness
Level Threshold
Pace Per: |
||||||
|
27:00 |
56:03 |
|
4:41 |
7:02 |
9:22 |
Threshold-Pace
Chart Editor's Note: Jack Daniels later
adjusted these paces downward slightly.
If you look at our Training
Paces you will see the revised rates. However, running 10 seconds per mile
slower using these paces would not adversely impact the workout. |
|
25:12 |
52:17 |
|
4:23 |
6:35 |
8:46 |
|
|
24:08 |
50:03 |
|
4:13 |
6:20 |
8:26 |
|
|
23:09 |
48:01 |
|
4:03 |
6:04 |
8:06 |
|
|
22:15 |
46:09 |
|
3:53 |
5:50 |
7:47 |
|
|
21:25 |
44:25 |
|
3:45 |
5:38 |
7:30 |
|
|
20:39 |
42:50 |
|
3:37 |
5:26 |
7:15 |
|
|
19:57 |
41:21 |
|
3:30 |
5:15 |
7:00 |
|
|
19:17 |
39:59 |
|
3:24 |
5:06 |
6:48 |
|
|
18:40 |
38:42 |
|
3:18 |
4:57 |
6:36 |
|
|
18:05 |
37:31 |
|
3:12 |
4:48 |
6:24 |
|
|
17:33 |
36:24 |
|
3:07 |
4:40 |
6:13 |
|
|
17:03 |
35:22 |
|
3:01 |
4:32 |
6:03 |
|
|
16:34 |
34:23 |
|
2:56 |
4:25 |
5:53 |
|
|
16:07 |
33:28 |
|
2:52 |
4:18 |
5:44 |
|
|
15:42 |
32:35 |
|
2:48 |
4:12 |
5:36 |
|
|
15:18 |
31:46 |
|
2:44 |
4:06 |
5:28 |
|
|
14:55 |
31:00 |
|
2:40 |
4:00 |
5:20 |
|
|
14:33 |
30:16 |
|
2:37 |
3:55 |
5:14 |
|
|
14:13 |
29:34 |
|
2:33 |
3:50 |
5:07 |
|
|
13:54 |
28:55 |
|
2:30 |
3:45 |
5:00 |
|
|
13:35 |
28:17 |
|
2:27 |
3:40 |
4:53 |
|
|
13:18 |
27:41 |
|
2:24 |
3:36 |
4:48 |
|
|
13:01 |
27:07 |
|
2:21 |
3:32 |
4:42 |
|
Don't turn your threshold-pace workouts into competitive efforts. Some
runners do this in an attempt to convince themselves that they're getting
better. Instead, try to become aware of the fact that you're running the
same speed with less effort. Threshold-pace should feel "comfortably
hard."
Use the chart to adjust your training intensity as your performance dictates,
but don't change threshold pace more than once every three weeks. If you
don't have any races to use in monitoring your progress, it's okay to increase
your threshold pace 4 seconds per mile every third week as long as you're
feeling strong. If you use a pulse monitor or like to check your pulse
while you're running, threshold-pace should push your pulse to about 90 percent
of maximum.
There are three kinds of threshold-pace workouts: tempo runs, cruise
intervals and cruise repetitions.
Tempo Running
A tempo run is a steady, controlled run that should last about 20 minutes at
threshold pace. A steady intensity of effort is important. Going
too fast on a tempo run is no better than going too slow, and neither is as
beneficial as running the proper pace. You could perform a
longer-than-20-minute tempo run, but 20 minutes has been shown to produce
positive results, and it will leave you relatively fresh for the next day's
training.
Here's a typical workout: After a 1- or 2-mile warm-up, run for 20
minutes at your threshold pace, then do a 2-mile warm down. Simple
enough. However, a few warnings are in order.
First, it's almost never a good idea to do tempo runs with a partner or group
of runners. To run a tempo run correctly, you must complete it at a very
specific pace, and it's rare that a partner or group of different runners would
need to run the exact same pace as you. In addition, when several runners
get together, they all too often turn the workout into a race. This
destroys the value of the run.
You must also resist the temptation to run each tempo run harder than the
previous one. This is a trap many runners fall into. It's easy to
understand why. Since a tempo run is hard but controlled, you could put a
little more effort into the next one and do it faster. While this might
make your training diary look impressive, it won't add to your fitness, and it
might detract from your next race.
When you run faster than threshold pace, you enter into "no man's training
land," somewhere between threshold- and interval-training pace. This
in-between pace serves no real purpose. So stay cool and keep your tempo
runs under control.
Here's another warning about tempo runs: It's important to run at the
right intensity; speed will vary under different conditions. When
you encounter the wind, hills, even temperature extremes, maintain a steady
effort and don't worry to much if your splits vary from mile to mile. On
occasion, it's a good idea to run your tempo run on a track because you can
measure your intensity exactly.
You might think the ultimate tempo run would be on a treadmill, where
everything can be kept perfect. However, this environment reduces the
concentration required to keep the proper pace, and therefore I don't recommend
it. Learning how to concentrate on your pace, though not a
physiological benefit, may be one of the most important things you can learn
from tempo runs.
Cruise Intervals
Plenty of scientific evidence, not to mention common sense, tells you that you
can run longer at a certain pace if you take short rests than you can by
running that pace nonstop, as in tempo running. This type of intermittent
run/rest approach also reduces the stress level of training. No wonder
the concept many years ago gave rise to interval training - probably the
world's most popular form of high-level athletic training.
Now the same idea brings us a newer, more effective form of training - cruise
intervals. Simply put, cruise intervals are a type of threshold-pace running in
which you divide the workout into several segments that are separated by
recovery periods. As a result, the lactic acid level in your blood remains
quite constant, the same as in a steady tempo run. (I have actually
tested this with my runners, and found it to be true even when they were
running 6 miles of cruise intervals.)
A typical cruise-interval session should include a warm-up, the cruise
intervals and a warm down. I generally recommend the 1-mile distance for
cruise intervals but believe that any distance from 1/2 mile to 2 miles (3 minutes
to 10 minutes of hard running per interval) would prove equally
effective. The short rest between intervals is essential to the
workout; it should last only 30 to 60 seconds.
How many cruise intervals can you do on each hard day? The general rule
of thumb is that your cruise intervals should total no more than 8 percent of
your total weekly mileage. If you run 20 miles a week, do about 1 1/2
miles of cruise intervals; if you run 50 miles, do about 4 miles.
Generally my athletes run just one cruise interval session per week.
Don't let a
low or moderate weekly mileage total hold you back. Cruise
intervals can prove particularly effective for runners in the 15- to 30-
miles-per-week range. For example, a 20-mile-per-week runner might do 3 x
880 yards at threshold pace with 60-second recovery jogs between the
880s. Cruise intervals also make an excellent transition from a
steady-running program to one that includes more demanding workouts.
|
Cruisin'
For A PR As
different as these runners are, all three will find that they'll feel better
if they do four to five strides (not sprints) of 100 to 220 yards after the
last cruise interval. Strides should be run just a little faster than
cruise-interval pace, with complete recovery between them. Runner A
Runner B |
Cruise Repetitions
I
also use threshold-pace training for a third kind of workout I call
"cruise repetitions." These are threshold-pace runs of 880
yards, 1320 yards or 1 mile with full recovery after each, rather than the
short rest used in cruise intervals. Cruise repetitions are for those
weeks when you've got an important race coming up in a few days. You want
to do a little quality training, but you don't want to overstress
yourself. When you do cruise repetitions, you know you did a real
workout, but you feel better after it than you did before. On
cruise-repetition days, stop after just three or four repetitions.
Threshold-pace training has worked for my runners, and I'm certain it can work
for you. If you give it a try for several weeks, I think you'll find more
spring in your stride and an increased enthusiasm for your training.
Threshold-pace running delivers significant training benefits but still leaves
you fresh from day to day. In running, there's little to match the good
feeling and great results of "cruisin'" through a workout.
Jack
Daniels, Ph.D., says that his Cortland runners last year achieved "the
best performances ever by a group of undertrained runners....though I don't
know that they would agree with the 'undertrained' part.
Reprinted by
Florida East Coast Runners
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