Progress is a good thing, right? We all want to make progress. Being a progressive individual means being forward-thinking, and who doesn't want that? But when it comes to running, being progressive scares me. A lot. Ending a run faster than you started sounds like a great idea, but it's oh, so hard! Is it cheating to start out super slow just so you know you can speed up later??
I'm in week 4 of a relatively high mileage marathon training program written by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald which I found in their hopefully aptly named book Run Faster. They throw in a couple of progressive runs each week and this morning called for 14 miles with the last 30 minutes faster and ending preferably uphill. I think I pulled it off, though my Garmin is broken and I'm going by feel. It certainly felt faster and that has to count for something, right?!
Why put ourselves through this torture, I mean are progressive runs, especially long progressive runs, really worth it?
I think so and here's why.
1. Physiological adaptation requires stress. Long progressive runs are a great opportunity for stress because you pre-fatigue your legs. By the time you start the quality part of your run, your muscle glycogen stores have already been largely depleted from the previous 1.5-2 hours of running. I cruised my first 11 miles this morning, taking it easy physically while concentrating on form and mental focus. Then I picked up the pace for miles 12-14 finishing with a "moderate" effort on a 1/2 mile low-grade hill. While sprinting increases neuromuscular strength and long runs increase endurance, harder efforts on already tired legs increase neuromuscular endurance, which allows you to run faster, longer.
2. The central governor theory of fatigue, as proposed by Tim Noakes, explains that the reason we slow down or give out in a race is not physiological or peripheral (increased lactate, decreased pH, increased temperature, dehydration), but rather psychological. The physiological changes that certainly contribute to discomfort in a race, do not correlate well with performance. In other words, the most dehydrated runner may win. If decreased pH or increased temperature were causing fatigue, how could you speed up and sprint the last 200 yards to the finisher's tape? If fatigue is psychological then, it follows that mental toughness is an important predictor of performance and therefore should be trained. You have to be able to suffer during training runs in order to handle suffering in a race.
3. If you think about it, a long progressive run is actually a very efficient way of training. You more fully deplete your glycogen reserves compared to a long slow run for the same distance and you combine many of the beneficial effects of strength and endurance training into one workout. So yes, they're hard, but worth it.
How many progressive runs do you do each week? My plan calls for 2-3.
How do you prepare yourself mentally? I try to focus on how great it feels to finish strong.
Do you enlist the help of someone faster than you to pull you along at the end? When I can!
Since this is my first post, I would really love for you to introduce yourself.
Run Happy,
Celee
