Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 110, September 2018 | Page 34

COACHING
TRAINING
on the training adaptation you want. In other words, are you looking for aerobic or
anaerobic improvements? That’s a book on its own, so let’s keep this practical and
give you a few sessions you can use.
BEGINNERS: If you’ve never done track or speed work before, or if you’re
Track work can appear to be mundane, but once you begin
to see the benefits, you’ll be wishing every day was track
day. – BY RAY ORCHISON, REGISTERED COACH
T
rack sessions break the monotony of pounding the same old route and
bring something new to your training, but most importantly, they help you go
faster. That’s because track work changes your biomechanics. For however
long you’ve been running slowly, you’ve been conditioning your body, mind,
muscle fibres and millions of neural pathways to function a certain way. Track work
begins to change your biomechanics to be better suited for running faster – more
muscle fibre recruitment, improved metabolic function and the creation of new
neural pathways are just some of the adaptations that occur. Just remember, these
adaptations take time, and the more gradually you build up the speed work, the
better off and more injury-free you’ll be.
For a distance runner, there are few occasions when a track session will be a flat-
out effort, because the risk in terms of injury is far greater than the reward. Instead,
the pace at which you should be doing your intervals or repeats depends largely
INTERMEDIATE: If you’ve done some quality work before, like hill repeats
or tempo sessions or even a few track sessions, and you can comfortably handle
60 to 90km of training in a week, then these sessions are for you.
•
Intermediate #1: 20min easy, then 8-10x400m at 15-20sec faster than 5km
race pace with 90sec very easy jog between repeats, then 20min very easy.
•
Intermediate #2: 20min easy, then 4-6x1000m at current to 5sec faster than
5km race pace, with 3-4min easy jog between repeats, then 20min very easy.
ADVANCED: For those runners who are aiming to run silver medal times in
races, are capable of handling 100km or more per week, and are currently doing
some track work.
•
Expert #1: 20min easy, then 10-15x400m at 15-20sec faster than 5km race
pace with 45-90sec rest between repeats, then 20min very easy.
•
Expert #2: 20min easy, then 6x1000m at 15-20sec faster than 5km race pace
with 2-3min easy jog between repeats, then 20min very easy.
About the Author:
Ray Orchison is a USATF and NAASFP certified coach. Find him at
www.runetics.com.
BODY SCIENCE
Weighty Matter
The emergence of cross training as complimentary
exercise to enhance running performance has allowed
runners to experiment with various other forms of
training. Weight training is a popular choice, but how
does it affect your running performance?
– BY ERNEST HOBBES
F
irstly, type I slow twitch fibres contain many mitochondria, which
act as power stations within the muscle cell, providing it with energy.
These fibres fatigue slowly, and have a greater dependence on energy
production using oxygen and carbohydrates. On the other hand, type II fast
twitch fibres contain a limited number of mitochondria and lower energy
production, while fatiguing faster. Essentially, type II fibres work best to
produce large forces for short durations, while type I fibres are better suited to
produce lower force over long durations.
34
ISSUE 110 SEPTEMBER 2018 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Track Time
coming back from a long layoff, then here are a few sessions just for you.
•
Beginner #1: 15-20min easy warm-up, then 4x200m at 10-15sec per/km
faster than your 5km race pace, with 200m jog between repeats, followed by
15-20min very easy cool-down jog. Increase by two repeats each week up
to eight or 10 repeats. Once you start to get comfortable with eight repeats,
then begin to increase your speed gradually up to 15-30sec per/km faster
than your 5km race pace.
•
Beginner #2: 15-20min easy warm-up, then 2x800m at 5km race pace with
3-4min easy jog between repeats, then 15-20min very easy cool-down jog.
This type of session can be done every second or third week, adding an
additional two reps every second or third session.