Building Mitochondria for Endurance Training - HADD

My HRmax is 170, read all of the above, but use the following numbers:

Best possible HRmarathon: 154-152 HRav

Easy running: 122 HR or lower (This training HR will not change with time - it may drop, but the pace at this HR will definitely improve.)

ILTHR: Begin with 132-137 and only move it up (only by 5bpm each time) when your pace vs HR is steady and you are able to run 10 miles at the particular HR without loss of pace or rise in HR. You are eventually trying to reach a state (some weeks or months down the line) in which you can run 10 miles at HRmarathon with no rise in HR and finish confident that you could go round again at the same pace with no rise in HR or loss in pace at constant HR.

Perform This Test Every

Once Joe got to 50mpw, I told him to perform the following mini-test (he knew the protocol). Go to a track on a windless day, as rested as if for a race, and do the following:

Run 2400m at a steady 140 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

Run 2400m at a steady 150 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

Run 2400m at a steady 160 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

Run 2400m at a steady 170 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

Run 2400m at a steady 180 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

At all times, adjust the running pace to maintain a stable HR. On each new stage slowly edge the HR up (ie: it is ok if the HR takes the first 600-800m to reach target level), then simply maintain HR. DO NOT start fast and have to slow to maintain target HR.

A prime function of your heart is to deliver oxygen to your active muscles. Your muscles then use this oxygen combined with glycogen or fat to create energy to run. If your muscles are inefficient at doing this, you will not get as much running energy per unit of oxygen as you could.

Think of your heart as a pump that is told what to do by the muscles. "We need more oxygen!" say the muscles and the heart beats faster. "We have enough", they say and the heart rate stays low.

To break one unit of glucose down into energy anaerobically (WITHOUT oxygen) you get two units of energy (let’s say that you get 2 paces/strides up the road before you need more energy).

If you break that self-same unit of glucose down into energy aerobically (WITH oxygen) you get 36 paces up the road before you need more energy. Obviously this is much better. So if you can make what used to be an anaerobic pace into an aerobic pace, you are a much superior runner and can keep this pace up for much further.

But even better, if you were so efficient that you could break down one unit of fat into energy (instead of glucose) you would get 460 paces up the road before needing more energy. And your HR would be wayyyyy low at the same time.

Now 100% fat-burning isn’t going to happen, but I hope you can understand that the higher a percentage of fat there is (along with a percentage of glucose/glycogen) in the fuel mix you burn at marathon race pace, the more comfortable you will be, the longer you will keep up the pace, and the faster you will run.

First off, what I did with Joe was ask him to do a simple (but tough) test to determine his HRmax. I asked him to go to a track and warm up, stretch and do some strides as if preparing for a race. Then (wearing his HRM) he was to run an all-out 800m and note the highest HR recorded on his monitor. He was to rest 2 mins and run an all-out 400m. The highest number he would see as he crossed the finish-line, we would take as his HRmax. Since HRM’s can sometimes be tricky and go blank or haywire at the wrong moment, he was to have someone there to be ready to immediately manually take his pulse for 6 seconds (and multiply by 10). This proved not to be necessary, since his HRM read 193.

I have taken enough lactate measurements and had people wear HRM’s in marathons (even Joe himself, years earlier) that I was able to tell him that based on this HRmax his best marathon HR would be 175-177. Higher than this would not be possible/sustainable. (Note; I just got them to wear them for my information purposes, not to use as a race-pace guide, a practice I do not agree with).

A few days after this HRmax test, I got Joe to run his first 2400m test on 11 May. If you check back at Joe’s results, you will note that the speed at 170 was only 6.05m/m.

The low aerobic pace had to be ~50 bpm lower than his HRmax (70-75% of HRmax). Since Joe's HRmax was 193, this put his easy mileage at 145 HR (or lower). The second HR was to be a bit higher, but still under LT. This one was set at 155-160. (Note here: the LT at this point was still low, and occurring at a low HR. In time, Joe would be able to run at marathon HR 175 very very comfortably, because the lactate at that effort/HR would be low by race time. Until then, he had to work BELOW this effort and ease the comfort zone up until it reached 175+). This second intensity was set at Marathon HR minus 15-20 bpm (for now, it would be allowed to rise as Joe's fitness improved... as will be explained in the example).

As a general guide, and in my experience, this is what I have found works best. Marathon HR will be approx 15-20 beats lower than HRmax (no better). And aerobic conditioning HR needs to be another 30 bpm below THAT (and hence ~50bpm below HRmax) I will qualify this in a more general statement at the end.

What he had to do in effect was find his aerobic upper limit and slowly ease it up, not by working harder, but by working just at the optimal pace/effort to stimulate his muscles to become better at providing energy at this rate. This would cause the effort at that pace to drop, to become easier and the HR at that pace to fall (and usually the pace at that HR to improve/drop). He would then slowly be ably to work at higher and higher HR's while still remaining fully aerobic and working under his LT.

Joe was given schedules to show him how to best get from 50 mpw to 80 mpw.

Mon 60 mins easy 145 HR

Tue 75 mins easy 160HR

Wed Easy 45 mins 145 HR

Thu Easy 60 mins 150 HR

Fri 75 mins easy 160 HR

Sat Easy 45 mins 150 HR

Sun 90 mins easy 155 HR

Approx 60mpw

Mon 75 mins easy 145 HR

Tue 60 mins easy 155-160 HR

Wed 60 mins easy up to 150 HR

Thu 75 mins easy 145-150 HR

Fri 75 mins easy 160 HR

Sat 60 mins easy 145-150 HR

Sun 90 mins easy up to 150 HR

Approx 69mpw

Mon 60 mins jog easy 140-150 HR (or lower)

Tue 90 mins including 70 mins @ 160 HR

Wed 75 mins easy 140-150 HR (or lower)

Thu 75 mins 150-155 HR

Fri 90 mins including 70 mins @ 160 HR

Sat 75 mins easy 140-150 HR (or lower)

Sun 2 hrs easy 145-155 HR (but to include 60 mins @ 160)

Approx 80+mpw

1. Do an HRmax test on yourself (how-to example is in the text) and make every effort to ensure your complete and absolute confidence in the result (note that within 2-3 bpm of HRmax is accurate enough. Whether it is 195 or 197 will not affect how you train).

2. Perform a 2400m test on yourself (from easy training pace to a max of 5bpm higher than your particular HRmarathon- see below).. Once again ensuring you are fit, fresh, rested as if for an important race and all possible variables (wind, etc) are controlled as much as possible. Since you are going to conduct this 2400m test again and again, you must try and ensure that, as much as possible, all tests are done under near identical conditions (or else you start wondering such thoughts as, "am I faster because it was less windy this time?"). Do all you can to control against such doubts having to occur (ie: don’t test in gale force winds).

Once Joe got to 50mpw, I told him to perform the following mini-test (he knew the protocol). Go to a track on a windless day, as rested as if for a race, and do the following:

Run 2400m at a steady 140 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

Run 2400m at a steady 150 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

Run 2400m at a steady 160 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

Run 2400m at a steady 170 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

Run 2400m at a steady 180 HR (Stop 90 secs and record time)

At all times, adjust the running pace to maintain a stable HR. On each new stage slowly edge the HR up (ie: it is ok if the HR takes the first 600-800m to reach target level), then simply maintain HR. DO NOT start fast and have to slow to maintain target HR.

As a general rule, the best possible HR/pace/effort you can maintain for a full marathon (without crashing, hitting the wall, etc) will not be closer to HRmax than 15-20bpm. Getting within 20bpm of HRmax might be hard enough at first, but with proper training it is possible to get even within 15-20bpm of HRmax. Closer than this (as an average over the whole race) I would not expect you to be capable of.

So, HRmarathon is ~20bpm below HRmax, and easy running HR is another 30bpm (or more) below HRmarathon (therefore 50bpm or more below HRmax). Like this:

If your HRmax is 193 OR HIGHER, then the following applies:

HRmax: 193+ (even if over 200)

Best possible HRmarathon: 175-177 HRav (note, this is the average taken from mile 5 to mile 25, not the peak. Your HR might peak to 181 in the final miles as you throw everything onto the fire).

Suggested training HR's: Easy every day running: 145 HR or lower (If you begin really unused to this form of training, initially you might start at 150, but as soon as the pace at this HR improves, it is recommended that you reduce your easy running HR to 145 or lower). This can often feel very slow to begin with, but should improve within 3-6 weeks and continue to improve for months. You may do as much running as you wish at this HR/intensity (always being careful to avoid overuse injury).

Initial LTHR (initial lactate threshold heart rate): As with Joe in the example, begin at 155-160 and do not let the HR rise on the run. Build up the distance you can run for, over time, to 10 miles. At first, you may have to slow down within the run to maintain HR, but over the weeks and months, you should note that the running speed begins to remain more stable and you do not have to slow down (so much) to stop your HR rising. In time, the running pace at this HR (and all other HR’s above it) will also improve. Only move this HR up when your running pace vs HR is rock steady and you (easily) are able to run 10 miles at this HR without loss of pace or rise in HR. At that point, only move the HR up by 5bpm and begin again. The slower you build up the first time, the better your pace at HRmarathon will be. Remain at each HR as long as you are seeing improvement on the 2400m test and definitely until your pace vs HR is stable. You are trying to reach a state where your predicted/expected marathon pace and your 170 HR pretty much coincide in the 2400m test. And that this pace per mile can be maintained in training for 10-15 miles at 170-175 HR without rising effort or rising HR.

For example training weeks (60, 70, even 80+ mpw), go back to Part V (B) and plug your numbers into the example weeks given for Joe's training. (Want to run more mileage? Add in some extra miles at 140-150 HR. This can be as doubles on some days, up to 8miles in the morning and 10 miles at night. All easy aerobic running.)

Rid yourself of any sign of impatience and just knuckle down to the work. Remember, a constantly dripping source of water will eventually erode solid rock. For this to work, you need your muscles to change, and change takes time. Mitochondrial growth takes ~6 weeks. So look for small change every 3 weeks or so, and significant change every 6 weeks or so. It is not suggested you 2400m test more regularly than every 6 weeks. More often is just frustrating, like someone who is trying to lose weight, jumping on the scales every morning hoping to see the pounds drop off. Just do the work and give it time to have an effect. Farmers don’t pull up their potatoes every five minutes to see if they are growing…

If your HRmax is 183, read all of the above, but use the following numbers:

Best possible HRmarathon: 165-167av

Easy running: 135 HR or lower (This training HR will not change with time - it may drop, but the pace at this HR will definitely improve.)

ILTHR: Begin with 145-150 and only move it up (only by 5bpm each time) when your pace vs HR is steady and you are able to run 10 miles at the particular HR without loss of pace or rise in HR. You are eventually trying to reach a state (some weeks or months down the line) in which you can run 10 miles at HRmarathon with no rise in HR and finish confident that you could go round again at the same pace with no rise in HR or loss in pace at constant HR.

If your HRmax is 173, read all of the above, but use the following numbers:

Best possible HRmarathon: 155-157 HRav

Easy running: 125 HR or lower (This training HR will not change with time - it may drop, but the pace at this HR will definitely improve.)

ILTHR: Begin with 135-140 and only move it up (only by 5bpm each time) when your pace vs HR is steady and you are able to run 10 miles at the particular HR without loss of pace or rise in HR. You are eventually trying to reach a state (some weeks or months down the line) in which you can run 10 miles at HRmarathon with no rise in HR and finish confident that you could go round again at the same pace with no rise in HR or loss in pace at constant HR.

If your HRmax is 163, read all of the above, but use the following numbers:

Best possible HRmarathon: 145-147 HRav

Easy running: 115 HR or lower (This training HR will not change with time - it may drop, but the pace at this HR will definitely improve.)

ILTHR: Begin with 125-130 and only move it up (only by 5bpm each time) when your pace vs HR is steady and you are able to run 10 miles at the particular HR without loss of pace or rise in HR. You are eventually trying to reach a state (some weeks or months down the line) in which you can run 10 miles at HRmarathon with no rise in HR and finish confident that you could go round again at the same pace with no rise in HR or loss in pace at constant HR.

Obviously if your HRmax is one or two beats either side of the examples given, adjust the training HR's accordingly. Note that if you are not well-trained aerobically, you will very likely NOT be able to maintain the “best possible HRmarathon” as explained in the race. It is more likely you will crash at some point and be reduced to running at a much lower HR/pace.

In the final example weeks of Joe, he was able to run two times per week for 10 miles at 165-170 HR without loss of pace (all other runs being 145-150). Once he no longer saw improvement in his 2400m tests, he would take ONE of those days and slowly build up to being able to run 10 miles at 175 HR (HRmarathon). The other day would remain at HRmarathon minus 8-10bpm. Once he could handle 10 miles at HRmarathon (without loss of pace to maintain HR) once per week, he would be very close to being race ready.

How will you know when you are ready? When you can run at HRmarathon (or at least HRmarathon less 5bpm) for 10 miles+ with no drop in pace vs HR, and you KNOW you could go round again with no rise in HR to maintain pace, you can be pretty sure that your aerobic system is providing 100% of the energy being used. If you have never trained this way, you will be surprised how “comfortable” this will feel when you get it right.

At that point, and not until then, you can decide whether to aim for a marathon, or to build on top of this aerobic base to aim for some shorter race distances. It should make sense that if you are a young runner the best time to begin this build up is soon after your main competition period of the year. Those who aim for two marathons per year might adopt it as the early part of their 20-week build up towards their next marathon. Note that it was always a Lydiard belief that even middle distance runners should be capable of a fine marathon before turning to speed.

But what about “tempo” runs?

I would suggest that only when you are capable of 10 miles at HRmarathon (without loss of pace) would you think about running at so-called “tempo” pace (marathon pace minus 12 secs/mile). Indeed you might then find the following paces ideal and find a regular place for both of them in your training (like Hinderloppet): a 10-mile run at Marathon pace + 5-10 secs/mile (aka 10k pace + 35-40 secs), and 4-5 miles at Marathon pace minus 12 secs/mile (aka 10k pace + 18-20 secs mile).

Be patient. Do good work. And improvements will come.