Lactate Threshold Training

The Forums Fundamentals
1281

For conditioning try

POOL (check with your medico first because some pool work can stress the feet, eg, swimming with a kick can really mess up certain foot problems).

BOXING (pad and mitt work) gives you great upperbody endurance and there may be something in the notion that the protein damage that may come from track-strike and must be adapted to, can be addressed through training for boxing due to the impact of fist-strike on heavy-bag, mitt or pad.

highly recommend boxing and pool (deep-water sprint running, no contact allowed so stay at the deep end).

1282

With a stress fracture to the foot, I reckon the pool work is a terrific substitute but as kitkat recommends, it needs to be with medium 'vigour ’ and not thrashing around.

6 x 3 mins on the speedball will get the heart rate up to a reasonable level (around 150 bpm) and provide a muscular endurance benefit. The major advantage the speedball has over the cycle is it’s a non-resistance exercise and you can turn the arms over much faster than you can the legs on a cycle.

In my opinion cycling is too far removed from the running action to be of any great benefit. It should only be used if there is little alternative.

Throw in plenty of body weight reps - sit ups, chin ups, dips, squats, push ups etc.

Just avoid training that may affect the stress fracture ; and allow it to heal properly.

1283

from left: Blackwood, Steffensen, Kikaya, Xman Carter at Glasgow. Nice weather :rolleyes:

1284

KK,

How would you conduct a boxing workout in this fashion?

1285

Man…I am full of questions tonight.

Oh yes before I right, I would like to update everyone and tell them that my last open of the year, I ran 49.73 and split 49.1 my fitness is not what I wanted it to be for the year but I am working on that now.I also made my conference finals in the 400hurdles in which I fell at hurdle number 4 hahaha but nonetheless improvement.

Although speed is what I planned to work on this summer, I learned that being almost effortless down the backstraight is a must in the 400 meters. How can this be address in training?

1286

We worked with a partner. The puncher must wear boxing mitts or boxing gloves. You don’t want to wreck your hands because then you won’t be able to grip the bar when you go weightlifting, or drinking :stuck_out_tongue: ;

Your partner should hold up a boxing pad (with a hand grip on the non-impact side), or he can just put on a mitt (perhaps even a baseball mitt) to “receive” the punches.

The partner holds the mitt at varying levels to accommodate most comfortably the puncher who is going to punch for at least 30-seconds (then take, say 30second rest before starting up again) and will either throw straight JABS (consecutive with the same hand or alternating).

We used to do 10 x 30sec “reps” jabbing with alternate hands, with 30sec rest between “reps”. That would be one set.

After the first set, then you hold the pad/mitt and your partner does the punching.

This would constitute your “REST” .

Then you can do another set of up to 10 x 30sec UPPERCUTS.

This is a gruelling and heavy sweat block of work. Do it on a tempo day, or as a wrap to your weights session (that’s when we did our boxing).

If you don’t have a partner, use the heavybag. Most gyms have one somewhere in a corner.

1287

You do this “effortless” sprinting as an element in your Tempo running, or you practise it in particular during your Race Modelling sessions

It’s really just a kind of “float” where mostly you mentally go over your “check list” ensuring you eliminate (or at least reduce) Tension in the Neck & Shoulders.

But in actuality, when you are really fit and really locked into a Race, there is still some decent foot strike going on during the “float” stages.

Marita Koch still went 34 for 300 after a backstraight “float” component to her opening 200 in 22.4 (from memory) during her 47.60 WR in 1985 at the World Cup.

1288


South Carolina 400m NCAA hope Natasha Hastings

1289

she has a second on the field… barring injury, even though it is still a race, she’ll win.

1290

1291

Hi,

I’d like to ask a really specific question. I’m getting quite confused by this 6x200m session with a 2 minute recovery. I have read that people targetting 50 secs dead would try and run 6x200 in 26 seconds with a 2 minute jog across recovery

But I have also read that Michael Johnson used to work up to 3x200 off 2 minutes in 23 - that is surely his second half pace. Am I msising something? Is the tarfget not 6 reps in second half pace…?

Also how long would people advise that I continue this sort of session into the competition season. I’m currently coaching a guy who’s run 50.8 very early season and has run recently 3x200 off 2 minutes all 25.5-25.7 then 15 mins and 37 low for 300
His big competitions are now 6 weeks away. Would people advise continuing the 200m tempo running style work. Or should we move to 3x200 and aim for low 25s?

Any help appreciated! And opinions!

1292

The fact is that one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

Michael Johnson doesn’t follow the program advocated by me in this thread.

But there are plenty of people who have tried to follow MJ’s program and have achieved nothing of note.

So who is wrong? No-one. The correct answer is to do the work which helps you run faster. Sooner or later it comes down to an act of faith. Suck it and see. If it doesn’t kill you, it may actually be healthy for you. Trial and/or error.

Having said all that, personally, I wouldn’t advocate doing 6x200 six weeks from your peak.

The advice written earlier in this thread is to break the session down to 2 sets of 200+200 off 2mins/full recover between sets.

This session then is no longer and intensive tempo session (for want of a better description).

Instead it becomes far more race-specific to the point where I would describe it as a form of Race Modelling.

The first 200m can be done at the intended pace of the opening 200m of your optimal 400m race. So if you are shooting for 50sec, perhaps you are talking about going out in 23-low to 23-high pace.

The back-up rep target would be to split the same speed as the opening rep or even negative split. That’s when you know you’re ready to rock.

But if the weather/wind is shitty, perhaps you could tempo the first rep and smash the second rep with the tailwind. This session could be done this way on a back-up day, a day on which you want to challenge strength rather than sheer speed because, presumably, you did all that hot speedwork the previous day.

1293

We actually worked the 6x200@26 until about 6 0r 7 weeks out. Actually we got to 6x200@25 rest 1.45 -2min. Then we did other sessions. One I liked about 4 weeks from major comp was 1x200 @24 rest2min 1x 200@25 rest 1 min and finish with 1x200@24.0 rest 10 min and repeat. All done off 3 step rolling start. These runners were slightly faster than 50point so I would adjust times.

1294

I just looked at WO’s leading up to major comp. One we did about 10 days out was 3x200 @ 25sec 24sec and 23 sec all with 90 sec rest we were targeting a 47 sec 400. Because of hamstring issues I was a bit reluctant to run faster.

1295

OR YOU COULD TAKE SOMETHING FROM CATHY FREEMAN’S OLYMPIC BUILDUP
HER PROGRAM WAS POSTED SOME TIME AGO BY FORUM MEMBER "NANNY’’

Cathy Freeman’s 2000 Olympic Build Up

Hi all will overtime post monthly exerts from Cathy Freeemans build and prep for sydney 2000.

will start with October 1999
Tues 5th
steady run 30 mins
wed
am 30 min run
pm weights / Pool Session
this day was repeated every wednesday for the month.
thurs
am circuit
pm 6 x 200 [3 min reco] rest 8min 4 x 200m [1]
fri
am hills
pm weights / circuit
repeated all month
sat 6 x 300m [5]
sunday hills
repeated all month

mon 11
pm weights
tue
am circuit
pm 2 x 4x 150m [3-7]
wed
standard wed session
thur
am circuit
pm 2 x 4 x 300 [100 walk reco]
fri
standard fri session
sat
500m[3] 2 x 300m[100walk-3] 4 x 200m [1]
sun
standard sunday

monday 18th
am easy run 20 mins
pm weights
tues
am circuit
pm 8 x 200m [2]
wed
standard session
thur
am circuit
pm 3 x 2 x 300m [100w - 7]
fri
standard session
sat
4 x 500m [7] after last rep rest 2min then 200m
sun
standard session

mon 25
am easy run 20 min
pm weights
tue
am circuit
pm 6 x 150 [3-6] 6 x 120 at VP [3]
wed
standard session
thur
am circuit
pm 5 x 3 x 200 [30 secs - 5]
fri
standard session
sat
6 x 400m [6]

summer months here coming into Aus domestic season.

training weeks commence on sunday.

Sunday January 2nd
400 [8] 300 [6] 200 [4] 300 [6] 400
mon
am swiss ball pool running
pm weights
tue
am 3 x 3 x 120m VP [3-6]
pm swill ball & circuit
wed
am resisited starts / overspeed
pm weights
thur
am 3 x 120 [3-6] 3 x 150 [4-6] 3 x 200 [5]
pm pool running
fri am hills x 6 (distance not known)
pm weights
sat
3 x 120 on bend from blocks 4 x 150m [4]

sund 9th
500 [2] 120 [10] 400 [2] 120 [8] 300 [2] 120 [6] 200 [2] 200
mon
am pool runs & swiss ball
pm weights
tues
am 150 [50walk] 120 [50w] 150 [10] x 3 sets
pm swiss ball / circuits
wed
same as previous wednesday session
thur
Melbourne interclub race
fri
am warm up 6 x 100m run throughs - sub max
sat
Canberra GP
200m 22.76 +1.5 3rd 400m 50.91 1st

sun 16
rest day
mon
am pool runs & swiss ball
pm weights
tue
150 / 150 / 100 / 150 x 2 sets [50 w - 10] rest
pm swiss ball
wed
standrad wednesday
thur
am swiss ball & circuit
pm Melbourne interclub comp
fri
am hills x 6
pm weights
sat
2 x 150m blocks 6 x 120m VP each 20m segment

sun 23
500 [8] 400 [6] 300 [4] 200
mon
am rest
pm weights
tue
am 4 sets of 200m [1] 120 [8]
pm swiss ball
wed
standrad wednesday
thur
am swiss ball
pm Melbourne interclub
fri
am rest
pm weights
sat
rest day

Sun 30th
same session as on the 9th Jan
mon
am rest
pm weights

February 2000 Program

follows directly on from previous post.

Tues Feb 1st
am 6 x 100 VP 2 x 150
pm swiss ball
wed
rest day
thur
rest day
fri
am 4 x 100m VP
sat
Victorian State Titles 200m
sun
Vic Titles 100m

mon
am hills
pm weights
tue
am 4 x 60m stand start 5 x 100m VP [10] 300m
pm pool running / swiss ball
wed
am 4 x 40m blocks 5 x 150m VP
pm circuit
thur
am practise warm up
fri
Brisbane GP 200m 22.78 (0.0) 3rd
sat
jog and travel to sydney
sun
Sydney GP 200m 22.94 -3.8 2nd

mon 14th
rest day
tue
am 6 x 200m diminished reco [5-4-3-2-1 min]
pm pool session
wed
am 3 x fly 30m 5 x 300m [4]
pm weights
thur
am 3 x fly 40m 4 x 100m VP 2 x 150
pm pool running / swiss ball
fri
am hills
sat
hills 4 x long 4 x short
sun
2 sets of 150 [50w] 150 [2] 120 [70w] 120 [70w] 120 [15]

mon 21st
am 300 [1] 150 [10] 200 [1] 120 [8] 200 [1] 120
pm weights
tue
rest day
wed
Race model work
thur
Aust Titles 400m heat
fri
200m heat 400m semi
sat 26
400m final 50.00 1st
sun
2pm 200m semi, 4pm 200m final 22.78 -2.3 1st

mon 28
rest day
tue
am 300m [10] 2 x 150 [4-8] 2 x 120 [4]
pm swiss ball

1296

CATHY FREEMAN’S PROGRAM IN 2000 CONTINUED

April 2000 Program

Sunday 2nd
500 [8] 400 [6] 300 [4] 200 [1] 200
Mon
am plyo’s
pm weights
tue
am 3 x 3 x 120 VP [3-6]
pm swiss ball
wed
am hills 3 rep walk back reco [10] 4 reps jog back reco
pm weights
thur
am 4 x 60m accel / 4 x 100m VP / 2 x 150m full reco
pm circuit
fri
pool session
sat
500 [2] 150 [8] 400 [2] 120 [6] 300 [1] 120 [4] 200 [1] 200

Sun 9th
hills 4 long / 4 short
mon
am plyo’s
pm weights
tue
am 3 sets of 150 [50w] 150 [50w] 120 [10]
pm swiss ball
wed
am hills x 6
pm weights
thur
am 4 x 30m accel / 2 x fly 30m / 6 x 120 VP full reco
pm circuit
fri
pool session
sat
3 sets of 300 [1] 150 [10]

Sun 16
hills 4 short / 4 long
mon
am plyo’s
pm weights
tue
am 6 x 150m (17.2 pace) [4-8] 1 x 300 (39.19sec)
pm swiss ball
wed
am hills 3 walk back / 4 jog back reco
pm weights
thur
am 4 x 60m Ins/Outs 3 x 100 fast 2 x 150 fast full reco
pm circuit
fri
pool session
sat
500 [8] 400 [6] 300 [4] 200

sun 23
hills 3 short 5 long
mon
am plyo’s
pm weights
tue
4 sets of 200 [1] 120 [8]
wed
am hills x 6
pm weights
thur
am 4 x 30m 6 x 120 VP
pm circuit
fri
pool session
sat
6 x 200 [5,4,3,2,1] diminished reco

THIS SET OF DIMINISHING RECOVERIES FOR 6X200 WAS A COMMON PRESENCE OVER THE YEARS. CAN’T RECALL WHAT TIME SHE WAS SHOOTING FOR, BUT PROBABLY AROUND 26SEC. NANNY WOULD PROBABLY KNOW. KK

next installment will be the training leading into the games from July until the end of August. **NOTE TO NANNY: DID YOU EVER POST THE TRAINING FROM JULY TO THE GAMES? IF YOU CAN POST IT IN THIS THREAD, THAT WOULD BE GREAT! kk

Races between April and July are below.

May 13 Modesto 100m 11.36 +0.7 5th place
" " 200m 22.82 NWI 1st place
June 10 Turin 400m 51.20 1st place
June 17 Lille 200m 22.90 2nd place
June 23 Paris 200m 22.62 1st place
June 28 Athens 400m 50.04 1st place
July 5 Lausanne 400m 49.56 1st place WL time

1297


Sanya returns with a 400 win at Pre. She looks “harder” than last year when she was the IAAF’s world female athlete of the year

1298

The Freeman training looks good. The problem I have is that it does not give the times that Freeman was trying to run in her W/O’s.

1299

If I knew, I’d tell you. It’s very hard to get coaches with any sort of success to detail everything about their program. That’s what’s so good about Charlie having this forum and putting out his coaching DVDs and downloads.
I am only pretty certain that Freeman’s descending 6 x 200 was trying to stablise her 200 times around 26, maybe into 25s.

1300

As you can see from Cathy’s training schedule, it is very much dominant on the 150s, 200s and 300 reps. There is only 1 session that she does over distance (500/120, 400/120 etc). Cathy rarely did over distance work - but often did long steep hills