As a coach, the one fundamental principle I look to communicate to athletes is that of purpose. Purpose is something every training plan should be built upon and consistently referenced week to week. A training plan full of sessions with no specific purpose is like a complex cake recipe with no set order. The end result may look something like a cake, but the details and intricacies you come to expect are either non existent, or add no value to the overall piece.
So how do you add value and purpose to your sessions?
1. Define the goal of your session. Are you recovering from your weekend long run? Are you working on economy? Are you looking to stress V0 ₂max? Are you stressing lactate threshold? Establishing the priorities within the session will allow you to structure the workout and the rest of your runs throughout the week.
2. Once you've defined the goal of the session, look to maximise the time spent targeting that goal. Remember that the purpose of many workouts is to accumulate as much time running at the required intensity. The goal is not to hurt. If the workout becomes immediately about hurting then chances are you are missing the purpose of the workout and failing to accumulate the desired load.
Eg: going too hard in the first 20 seconds of the first 3 minute rep of a V0₂ max session will do nothing but fatigue your skeletal muscles and subsequently ensure you're not able to produce an effort in the remaining intervals capable of maxing out your cardiovascular system. Remember the goal was not to hurt, the goal was to accumulate time at V0₂ max.
3. Do all my runs have to have purpose? The short answer is no, but even an unstructured run serves a purpose. Keeping easy days easy will ensure you're giving yourself adequate recovery between workouts. It will also ensure you're able to produce the desired effort during your workout days. So if you're popping out for a run for the sake of getting out the door, prioritise easy running and leave the workouts for a different day with a dedicated plan. This will ensure you're able to monitor load during the week and reduce the likely hood of overtraining or injury.
All this talk about intensity, but how do I know I'm running at
the correct intensity?
A simple way of managing intensity is referencing your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and your breathing rate. RPE (out of 10) is a great tool to embrace across all areas of running and particularly trail running as much of a session can be spent on variable terrain and variable grade. Managing your running with RPE also teaches you to develop the metric between your ears, which is very beneficial on race day and during training as watches and other gadgets are essentially trying to quantify what we already know within our brain and body. Of course, specific races with time goals require specific pace targets, so manage your output accordingly by using the tools you have available.
Recovery/Easy
Purpose: Recovery.
RPE 1-3
Breathing: Comfortable
Talk test: Able to tell a story
Long Run
Purpose: Endurance
RPE 2-3
Breathing: Rhythmic, non laboured
Talk test: Comfortable conversation
Steady/Uptempo
Purpose: High end aerobic
RPE 4-5
Breathing: Deep and laboured
Talk test: 2 - 3 sentences
Tempo
Purpose: Lactate threshold
RPE 6-7
Breathing: Deep and laboured - faster than high end
Talk test: 5 word sentence
Intervals
Purpose: V0₂ max
RPE 8-9
Breathing: Short and rapid
Talk test: F@$k.
Next time you lace up, have a think about what you're trying to achieve with your session and how the session may help or hinder your training. Assess each session on it's merit and establish the why (purpose) and your intent before you commence.
