PHILOSOPHY
If athletes follow sensible progressions of workouts throughout the course of the season, they will not experience what we often refer to as "peaking out." Workouts must be kept interesting, as well as challenging, to prevent athletes from imagining they are experiencing this phenomenon. However, if early season interval workouts, for example, are made too intense and if too much emphasis is placed on major competitions early in the season:
Although it is important that the athlete establish a daily training regimen, the coach should recognize individual differences and be flexible enough to grant an athlete a period of "active rest" when he recognizes signs of overtraining.
TRAINING MODULES
At Northern Arizona we use the hard day / easy day approach in training. This means:
This removes the staleness athletes encounter when each week's workouts are the same.
We use five methods of training in working with distance and middle distance runner.
1. DISTANCE TRAINING
Over-distance training is essential in the balanced program of a distance runner. This training should be at a level that challenges the aerobic system. The workload should produce a heart rate of between 140-160 bpm. This consists of:
These runs can take place in the morning before school or in the afternoon. The distance and amount of road runs they require will vary as to the aerobic and anaerobic needs of the athlete's primary event.
2. REPETITION RUNS
The purpose of repetition runs is to allow the athlete to sustain a high quality pace for a fairly long period of time, thus approaching the anaerobic threshold creating a positive training effect on that system.
Repetition runs are usually from 600 meters up to 2 miles in length. The recovery or interval between repetition runs is longer than in interval training. An example:
8 x 800m with 4 minutes rest between each
3. FARTLEK
Fartlek training is a Swedish term for "speed play." There are two forms of Fartlek training:
A. Holmer Fartlek is an individual training method and not a group method. It can be as hard or easy as the individual wants to make it. It includes all of the elements of a race in one practice session.
Example: Assume the workout is to be one hour in length
Next, imagine that they are racing an opponent over the last 200 meters of a race:
B. Lydiard Fartlek is a method of gradual increase in pace and decrease in pace without a jog recovery.
Example:
4. INTERVAL TRAINING
Interval training is a system for endurance training which alternates measured runs at a measured pace with a set recovery between each run.
= Distance to be run
= Interval or rest between runs
= Number of repetitions
= Time to be run
= Activity during the rest interval
To vary a workout, any one of these five elements can be changed to give the training effect.
Example: 12 x 400 in 65 seconds, 1 minute jog recovery
5. SPEED TRAINING
The basic reason for speed training is to improve the speed at which the athlete can run relaxed and maintain running form. This training is done mostly at the end of the season just prior to the big meets.
Example: 1 x 600 meters all out with a 20-minute rest interval
Followed by 10 x 100m as fast as possible, with a 100m walk interval between each.
Goal: To increase mileage and aerobic capacity
4 days Distance Run
6 days Recovery Runs
4 days Fartlek
Goal: Maintain aerobic increase fast runs
2 days Distance Runs
6 days Recovery Runs
4 days Fartlek
2 days Repetition Runs
Goal: To maintain aerobic
6 days Distance Runs
4 days Recovery Runs
4 days Fartlek
Goal: Increase anaerobic, become track ready
2 days Distance Runs
4 days Recovery Runs
4 days Fartlek
2 days Repetition Runs
2 days Intervals - SLOW
Goal: Increase anaerobic track ready, become race ready
2 days Distance Runs
4 days Recovery Runs
2 days Fartlek
2 days Repetition Runs
2 days Intervals
2 days Intervals -- FAST
Goal: Maintain aerobic, race ready, increase speed
2 days Distance Runs
2 days Recovery Runs
2 days Fartlek
1 day Repetition
1 day Interval
2 days Speed
2 days Race
2 days Rest
Goal: Active Rest
Swimming
Easy Distance Runs
Hiking
A typical micro cycle will point toward the goals of the macro cycle and will be consistent with the overall training picture. The sample which follows is from the Macro V. It is only 7 days of a 14-day cycle.