Periodization Training is Smarter Training

When researching for marathon training plans, you have probably come across the term “periodization”. Basically, the idea behind this training approach is breaking up a training cycle into blocks of about four to eight weeks in length that serve different purposes. It is tough to work on achieving all goals to be marathon-ready all at once, so periodization training has a focus on working on one or two goals at a time. This is most definitely a more realistic training plan for someone who either has limited time to begin with or has several months before their next race. Even elite and professional runners train this way year round. It not only keeps us sane and less stressed working on one thing at a time but also decreases the risk of injuries and burnout.

Periodization Phases

Base

The first phase of periodization training focuses on building endurance, which is the foundation of any long distance running. This is the phase that builds up mileage using gradually increasing easy runs with only a few short speedier runs mixed throughout. The speed work during the base phase should include of 10 to 20 sets of 20 to 30-second strides at the end of a few easy runs each week. Strides are useful for working on proper running form and to prepare the body for faster running. Each set should be a gradual pick-up in speed to a controlled fast pace while working on increasing your stride length. Performing strides on grass decreases the impact on the body.

Another addition of speed work during the second half of the base phase is the inclusion of mini tempo runs. Pick one easy run per week to include 15 minutes of running at around half marathon pace. This will begin introducing faster paced running so that the next phase of your training cycle will not be too shocking. Weekly long runs are the cornerstone of phase one and should always be done at conversational pace and build up to about 15 to 16 miles in length. Two to three days per week of weight training should also be included in this phase to build strength in important muscle groups such as the legs and core. Since the base phase is the easiest on the body, it can be anywhere from four to eight or more weeks in length.

Strength

The second phase of periodization training focuses on building strength and speed with the inclusion of more specific speed workouts and hill sessions while maintaining mileage and weight training. In this phase, two easy runs per week will turn into two different speed sessions. The first speed session should be an increasing tempo run. Start with 15 minutes of your run at half marathon pace or slightly faster the first week and increase by 5 to 10 minutes each week until you are running 60 minutes at tempo pace. These workouts will help build strength in connective tissue and build muscle endurance to be able to get comfortable with running at your goal pace.

The second speed session can be alternated between shorter, faster repeats and hill workouts. Running on a track works best, but any uninterrupted road will do. After warming up for two to three miles, run intervals such as 4 to 8 repeats of between 1000 to 1600 meters at 5k to 10k race pace with short recovery periods of 1 to 2 minutes in between. Cool down for one or two miles. Every other week can include hill repeats of both uphill and downhill running at half marathon pace. Begin with four sets and build to eight to ten repeats by the end of the phase. Hill workouts are an excellent lower impact way to build strength and speed. Phase two will last about eight weeks in length.

Peak

The peak phase of periodization training is basically where your highest mileage and hardest workouts land. This is where you build confidence and tax your body the most while continuing to build fitness. With proper periodization, you should feel comfortable running at your goal pace for several miles during peak month. Continue with two speed workouts each week—one longer tempo run and shorter, faster repeats. Your track session will include double the repeats you were doing in the strength phase with distances ranging from 200 to 800 meters at 5k pace with one or two recovery minutes in between, for example. Form drills and strides should not be neglected during this phase, as it is a time to practice maintaining proper mechanics when fatigued.

Following the peak phase is two weeks of tapering right before your race. After this tough month of your hardest training, your body will beg for the taper weeks. Many runners usually dread these couple of weeks before a race because they feel they are losing fitness with the scaling back of volume and intensity. With proper phasing in training, you can push your limits during the peak phase and enjoy your taper, as you should. It is a time to let your body recover and focus on good nutrition and sleep to gather energy for race day. Periodization is a useful method to plan your training as it helps to gradually adjust your body to higher intensity and faster paces with a lower risk of overtraining or injuries. You are less likely to experience any setbacks during training using these cycles.

Sources

Trent Stellingwerff, Case Study: Nutrition and Training Periodization in Three Elite Marathon Runners, Journal, July 22, 2020.

Speed Training for Long Distance Runners

Running a fast marathon takes more than just logging a bunch of miles day in and day out. It requires a thought-out plan that includes a long run, shorter easier runs, and faster-paced runs or interval training. Of course, other non-running components are also fixed into the equation such as strength training, stretching, and drills that mainly help with injury prevention, overall strength improvement, and running mechanics. Most runners will incorporate tempo runs as their form of faster-paced workouts, which is crucial for building the endurance needed to hold that faster goal pace for several miles at once. The problem with only using this form of speed work for marathon and half marathon training is that it does little to help improve running economy.

What is Running Economy?

In simple terms, running economy is defined as the relationship between oxygen consumption and running speed. Oxygen consumption is measured by VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of volume of oxygen used during intense exercise. Although VO2 max is often used as a true predictor of fitness, it does not always predict someone’s ability to run a fast marathon. Running economy, on the other hand, is a better indicator of distance running performance because it takes several other factors into consideration. It considers the maximum amount of oxygen consumed at a specific constant speed. Therefore a marathoner who is able to hold a five minute per mile pace for 26.2 miles has a better running economy than a short distance runner able to hold the same pace for only 400 meters.

Why is all of this important? Well, for a marathoner trying to improve their overall pace with every race they compete in, it will require them to incorporate specific speed workouts to improve their running economy. This is even more important as we age since the first thing to deteriorate with age is speed. Rather than focusing on improving specific physiological systems in the body such as VO2 max and lactate threshold, speed development workouts will focus on improving neuromuscular responses. This means improving the speed at which your brain sends signals to your muscles to fire by relying on fast twitch muscle fibers—possibly ones barely used for most recreational marathoners. This type of training will eventually lead to running at your marathon goal pace for longer with less effort. That X-minute mile pace will finally feel doable!

Sample Speed Workouts

1. Run 20-24 x 200-meter repeats at 5k to 10k effort with a 200-meter jog in between. This workout should not feel taxing at all since you are not supposed to be pushing the 200-meter repeats at an all-out effort. The pace should be controlled and faster than marathon pace—about 30 seconds per mile faster. The 200-meter recovery jog should not be a significantly slower pace either—think slowing your pace down by 2 minutes per mile than you ran the hard 200 meters.

2. Run 12-16 x 400-meter repeats at 5k to 10k pace with a 200-meter jog in between repetitions.

3. Run 8-10 x 800-meter repeats at 5k to 10k pace with a 400-meter jog in between repetitions.

4. Run 6-8 x 1000-meter repeats at 5k to 10k pace with a 400- to 600-meter jog in between repetitions.

5. Run 6-8 x one mile beginning with the first mile at half marathon pace and cutting down 10-15 seconds per mile with each repeat. Recover for one mile in between each repetition.

Each of these workouts should always include two to three miles for a warm-up followed by some dynamic stretching and drills. Always finish speed work with a cool-down of one to two miles. A good idea is to switch up the speed sessions each week but always come back to each after a few weeks to check your improvements. Since you are always trying to run at 5k to 10k pace, what you will see improving is your effort. Over time the repeats at your 5k or 10k pace should feel easier. As mentioned this pace should equate to 20 to 30 seconds per mile faster than your marathon goal pace.

As you can see marathon training can include a variety of speed workouts to choose from, unlike 5k or 10k training where you mostly focus on the shorter sessions of 100- to 400-meter repeats. These workouts used to improve running economy are more beneficial to marathoners looking to improve their sustained pace for a race. Most runners obsess over their VO2 max improvements but studies have shown that VO2 max may not be as reliable as running economy when determining marathon ability. Research states that running economy may vary by up to 30% in runners with similar VO2 max values. If incorporating these types of speed sessions throughout your training cycle, you should be able to hold that goal pace with less effort throughout your race. Once you accomplish this, your next race will require you to drop to a new 5k to 10k pace for these speed sessions and on you go with more PRs!

Sources

Kyle R Barnes and Andrew E Kilding, Running Economy: Measurement, Norms, and Determining Factors, Journal, May 8, 2020.

Strategies for the Long Run

A recent running magazine included an article about a professional marathon runner and when asked what their favorite training workout was, they answered “the 20-mile long run”. The assumption is that most readers probably responded with something along the lines of “Are you kidding me?!”. For most runners, the long run, especially when it gets up to that 18-mile point, is dreadful. Yet, the long run is probably the most important session of the week. After all, the race is just one really long run.

It has been recommended in several training plans to perform the long run in a long, slow distance (LSD), which has several benefits for race preparation. Running at 60-70% of 5k pace for these long distances will over time increase glycogen storage in the muscles, which means more readily available energy. The body does this by depleting the glycogen in our muscles during the run, which will cause the body to adapt by storing more glycogen. Another benefit of the LSD run is the increase in oxygen provided to the muscles by the growth of capillaries, where the carbon dioxide-oxygen exchange occurs, and mitochondria, where carbon dioxide and oxygen are converted into energy. These physiological reactions to running are the reason runners get faster and last longer over time through consistent training.

One downside of always performing the long run at LSD pace is boredom. There are only so many routes we can choose to get 20 miles done. A good strategy for these runs is to break it up into quarters on your route and in your mind. For example thinking of 20 continuous miles seems like forever. Breaking it up into four 5-mile segments is more tolerable. This is a good way to run the actual marathon, too! Another downside to choosing LSD is the lack of adaptation to running at goal pace and practicing what really happens during a race.

Many marathon training programs include long runs with at least a few goal-paced miles throughout. The purpose of these types of training sessions is to practice running fast on tired legs to mimic what race day will feel like. There are a variety of options to incorporate goal-paced miles, but it is important to be specific when heading out for these sessions, as it can be very taxing on the body. As after a race, you do not want your body to need days of recovery following your long run. It is an ideal option to alternate between goal-paced and conversational-paced sessions each week.

Goal-paced long run sessions can make these ‘dreadful’ training runs more tolerable, and help the time pass more quickly. Below are some great variations to the long run to alternate throughout your training cycle. As mentioned previously, the interval sessions can be very fatiguing and should begin with a few repetitions and miles, and gradually increase as your fitness improves.

• Mid-run tempo: Run 3-5 miles at conversational pace + 3-5 miles at goal pace + remainder at conversational pace

• Mile repeats: Run 3-5 miles at conversational pace + 3-5×2-3 miles at goal pace with 1-3 minutes at easy pace in between + remainder at conversational pace

• Fast finish long run: Run 75% of the long run at conversational pace + 25% at goal pace. As your fitness improves, build up to 50% at easy pace and 50% at goal pace

• Ladder: Run 3-5 miles at conversational pace + intervals of one to five minutes at goal pace with one to two minutes easy in between each + intervals back down from five to one minute at goal pace + remainder at conversational pace

• Ladder progression: Run 3-5 miles at conversational pace + 4 miles at goal pace+15sec + 3 miles at goal pace + 2 miles at goal pace-15sec + 1 mile at goal pace-30sec, all with one mile at easy pace in between. The goal of this progression run is to begin the first interval a little slower than goal pace, the next segment at goal pace, and then the last two segments of two and one miles even faster, finishing that last mile at a fast tempo pace.

These five workouts are great for building stamina and strength, as well as practicing your desired race pace, especially when your legs are fatigued. Alternating between options such as these with conversational-paced runs will ease your mind when preparing for long runs. The LSD run every other week will reduce the stress on the body and help recover faster than the goal-paced long runs.

In a properly organized marathon training schedule, you will find many different workouts spread out throughout the week, which all serve a purpose. If your goal is to simply finish the race, you technically can skip all of the speed sessions and tempo runs and perform all runs at an easy pace. If you skip the long run session in the training plan, you would have a very difficult time finishing the race. Therefore, the long run is the most important session of the week. The variations mentioned above may leave you somewhat near exhausted, but completing them will be a great asset to getting comfortable at your goal pace and enhancing confidence going into your races.

Sources

Billat, Varonique L. et al, Cardiac Output and Performance during a Marathon Race in Middle-Aged Recreational Runners, Online Publication, April 24, 2020.

Seiler, Steven, and Espen Tonessen, Intervals, Thresholds, and Long Slow Distance: the Role of Intensity and Duration in Endurance Training, Publication, April 24, 2020.

Sanchez LD, Corwell B, Berkoff D, Problems of marathon runners. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Publication, April 24, 2020.