Foundations of Running #3: Aerobic Endurance. Running slower to race faster.

Aerobic means "with oxygen". Training aerobically means running slowly enough so that the oxygen breathed in and the fuel drawn from the muscles will be sufficient to meet the body’s energy demands, causing no "debt". Faster running puts extra demands on the body which exhaust the body’s ability to perform. With aerobic running, everything is steady state, the only waste products formed are carbon dioxide and water, which are removed by sweating and breathing out.

There are indicators you can use to tell if a run is aerobic, e.g. heart rate no more than 65% maximum. A simpler rule of thumb is, can you hold a conversation? If so, you are running aerobically. If not you are probably running too fast.

Aerobic Threshold: the aerobic threshold is the point at which anything faster is starting to get into the anaerobic (without oxygen) range, roughly 65% maximum heart rate, or if you like, where you are starting to breathe a bit heavier and find talking more difficult.

Here are two kinds of Aerobic Endurance:

• Continuous aerobic running
• Aerobic interval training

Continuous aerobic running will increase your VO2 Max, which is your ability to take up oxygen. Therefore continuous aerobic running is essential as a major part of training for anyone wanting to excel from 800m and up. Continuous aerobic runs can be short (up to ten minutes), medium (up to 30 minutes) or long (more than 30 minutes).

Aerobic interval training is useful when you want to focus on pace while staying within the aerobic range. Intervals of 1km, for example, with a good active recovery in between, can be run at about your best current 10k race pace, and probably no faster, if they are to be wholly aerobic.

An advantage of training within the aerobic range is that recovery is immediate, muscle injury is minimal, and energy demands are tolerable. The ability to run long distances comfortably is progressively developed over time. Each session builds on the previous session. Debilitating fatigue does not occur.

It is so important to learn that running slower does in fact make you faster. I took twenty minutes off my marathon time and a minute off my 5k time back in the 1970's by running slower, while developing the ability to run longer. The further I ran in training, the quicker my race times were, and the easier running felt. In hindsight, I ran my weekly kilometer interval session too fast when the emphasis should have been on aerobic endurance, but the bulk of my running was still continuous aerobic endurance training.

This year we plan as a group to focus on aerobic endurance during February, June, and October. [correction: April, August, December. Not a change of plan: I just mis-remembered the plan.] And beginners who join our group at any time will be encouraged to start with this phase of running from the first day they meet with us.

Previously in the "Foundations" series:
#1 Variety
#2 Endurance