hi…i’m training for the 800 and 1500, maybe the occasional 400. Anyway, i recently purchased a heart rate monitor and i’ve been reading up on the different training zones. Such as:
60 - 80% max HR = aerobic
80 - 95% max HR = lactic
For 800/1500 meter training i assume both these systems are vital and both need to be trained. Do you train them seperately like go for an easy long run for aerobic endurance and then on a seperate day do some fast paced inverals?
I went for a run today and stayed between 70 and 80% of max HR and it was just completely different to my usual runs, It was pretty much a walk in the park, the pace was fairly slow and it took me 45 minutes to complete 7kms which is pretty ridiculous. What does this actually mean? I’m not that aerobically fit? I need to run in these zones more?
What i’ve been doing at the moment is having some continuous runs over say 5-8kms and having a couple days per week of intervals of 200. Is this the way to go?
You need to work in the different heart rate zones as they are training different systems and allowing different things to happen.
Work at lower heart rates has some training benefits but also allows yourbody to recover from the more intensive work. Take a look at a book such as training distance runners by Peter Coe and David Martin to see how to structure a week.
Alternate hard and easy days and include one run a week at approximately lactate threshold (count this as a hard session even though it is not as hard as intervals)
How are you going to figure out the response of the individual. We work with sprinters who regularly get their HRs over 200 at times, yet are working at low intensity. I think HR would be a poor indicator unless the running was at steady-state, and, even then, I’d wonder. I feel times are a far better indicator of intensity.
one off season workout to try to get used to before the seasone starts is,
10 x 400’s in 70s with 70s recovery - That will get you aerobically fit. Getting to that shape is the hard part. Once you are there, it will become an easy session (hence the reason to get used to it in the off season) This session to become a Tempo session of sorts.
Remember to be always working on your speed too. Particually in the off season, Minimium is 1 sesson per wk of speed.
I was responding to the fact he had spoken about continuous runs - those are going to be steady state but then, as you say, once you are into intervals times become more of a yardstick.
If he takes a look at the Coe & Martin book he’ll get a good outline of the five paced training principle many distance runners use (explicitly or implicitly). For 800m and 1500m this would roughly mean working at intervals at 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5K and 10K paces.