Running Science

by Owen Anderson

  3,000 meters (1.86 mi) at goal 10K speed followed by 5 minutes of rest

  2,000 meters (1.24 mi) at goal 10K velocity with 4 to 5 minutes of rest

  3,000 meters (1.86 mi) at goal 10K pace followed by 5 minutes of rest

  1,000 meters (.62 mi) at 10K tempo followed by easy cool-down jogging

  The Ondieki-Tulloh workout indoctrinates the neuromuscular system and legs in the art of maintaining goal 10K speed for the full distance of the race, increases the runner’s confidence in his or her ability to sustain 10K speed, and upgrades neuromuscular coordination and running economy at 10K velocity. Tulloh recommends using this workout a couple of times during the 6 weeks leading up to a major 10K competition.6

  The full 6.2 miles (10 km) of work intervals at 10K speed should not be attempted unless the runner is well recovered going into the workout, can allot ample time for recovery following the session (i.e., perhaps 2 to 3 days of easy work or rest), and has established good running-specific strength in advance of the session. Running-specific strength is created by conducting running-specific strength workouts on a regular basis followed by a period of hill training.

  Training at 5K pace

  Workouts at 5K pace are also terrific for 10K runners for a number of reasons. First, 5K tempo, which is usually about 16 seconds per mile (1.6 km) faster than 10K pace, is often a good goal speed for 10K athletes although not necessarily for elite athletes who have already managed to run at close to their top level in the 10K. It represents an improvement of about 100 seconds (1:40) for the race, which is a reasonable improvement. Many 10K runners can improve from 35:00 to 33:20, from 37:00 to 35:20, from 38:40 to 37:00, and from 41:39 to 39:59, for example, with a season or two of appropriate training.

  Interestingly enough, this kind of improvement is usually easier to accomplish for relatively slower runners. For example, runners who are currently running 49:00 for the 10K have an easier time getting to 47:20 compared with athletes attempting to move from 35:00 to 33:20. Part of the reason for this is that it is more likely that the 35-minute 10K runner has previously carried out high-quality training and thus may respond less to the insertion of high-intensity exertion into his or her overall training scheme. In addition, a 100-second improvement is just 3 percent of 49:00—but 5 percent of 35:00. At any rate, conducting workouts at 5K speed specifically prepares the way for future 10Ks at that exact pace.

  Workouts at 5K pace are simple for 10K runners to carry out. The classic 5K session is simply 3 × 1,600 meters (.99 mi) at current 5K pace with 3- to 5-minute recoveries. This workout builds economy at 5K and probably 10K speed, hikes lactate threshold, may have an impact on vO2max, and makes 10K running feel considerably easier.

  Many runners wonder why training at 5K pace would enhance running economy at 10K speed while training at 15K (9.32 mi) to half-marathon tempo would not. There is actually no paradox. Economy is to a large extent a function of running-specific strength and coordination; the stronger and more coordinated a runner is during the running gait cycle, the better will be his or her economy.

  The coordination part of this should make sense: As a runner becomes more coordinated, less energy is wasted on nonproductive, nonpropulsive actions, and the runner begins to function with less energy cost. A runner’s goal is not to expend energy stabilizing an uncoordinated body; optimally, all energy usage should be funneled toward creating forward propulsion. The strength part of the equation operates as follows: The stronger a runner becomes, the smaller the number of muscle cells that will need to be recruited to run at a specific speed. For the stronger runner, each muscle cell is stronger than it used to be as well, and a reduced total number of cells will be required to keep a runner jetting along at chosen pace. Since fewer cells are employed, less energy is expended, and economy is improved.

  The other key factor is that gains in strength and coordination can be very speed specific. Scientific research reveals that when strength is gained at moderate rates of movement, that gain in strength will usually not translate well to higher speeds. The reason for this is that the nervous system has not learned how to optimally coordinate more difficult, higher-speed movements by controlling the muscular system at slower speeds, and thus it functions suboptimally at higher velocities.

  Conversely, science tells us that improving one’s strength at high speeds does translate well to slower speeds. If the nervous system can handle a very difficult task at high speed, it should be able to do the same thing when things gear down. This is one reason why training at 5K pace should improve 10K economy. Similarly, the use of running speeds close to maximal will also have a beneficial effect on 10K economy—and even on the running economy of marathon racing.

  Workout From Herb Elliott’s Training Plan

  Another great 10K workout can be taken from the strategies of Herb Elliott. True, Elliott was much more of a 1,500-meter and mile racer, rather than a 10K competitor, but many of his workouts can be adapted quite readily for longer-distance preparations, and the workout described here is perfect for 10K competitors. To carry out this workout, a runner needs to warm up thoroughly, run 3 × 800 at 5K pace with 2-minute recoveries, run 2 × 800 at 10K pace with 2-minute recoveries, and then finish up with 3,200 meters (1.99 mi) at current 10K velocity without a halt. This session, which involves running about half of a 5K and half of a 10K at the relevant paces, improves running economy and confidence at 10K speed while also increasing lactate threshold and stamina at high speed.

  Superset Training

  It would be remiss not to include some superset training for the 10K. To carry out a great 10K superset session, the runner warms up and then strikes 3 × (200-600-1,600 meters), with 3- to 4-minute recoveries between these super sets. The 200 should be an almost all-out run, the 600 (.37 mi) slightly slower, and the 1,600 (.99 mi) at about 10K pace. There are no recoveries between the 200 and 600 or between the 600 and 1,600. This workout strengthens the ability to run at 10K speed despite ample levels of intramuscular hydrogen ions. It also improves running speed, intramuscular buffering capacity (i.e., the ability to temper rises in acidity within the muscles associated with hydrogen ion production), lactate-clearance rate, lactate-threshold speed, running economy, and—most likely—vO2max. It is quite a package! The superset workout can be blended quite nicely with vO2max sessions during the last weeks leading up to a major 10K, and the fact that this workout also improves a runner’s ability to survive and even run a personal record race after overly fast 10K starts can also be considered as a positive.

  10K Treadmill-Hill Workout

  There is one special hill workout that is a knockout 10K training session, and it is carried out on the treadmill. It is a great workout for cold winter days when icy streets make quality outdoor training impossible—or for torrid summer days when heat and humidity make a high-intensity, true hill workout out of the question. This workout is so high quality that it can be inserted profitably into a program at almost any point.

  The key to this 10K treadmill-hill workout is to set the treadmill speed at current 10K velocity and set the treadmill incline at exactly 3 percent. After a good warm-up, it is productive to hit 3-minute work intervals at 10K speed with 3-minute recoveries. A runner should continue in this manner until he or she has completed four 3-minute intervals and then stop; over time, he or she can gradually work up to eight of these challenging repetitions per session.

  This workout has many strong points. First, because of the treadmill incline, the workout does a terrific job of boosting running-specific strength by teaching a runner to put more force on the ground with each step taken during a race. It also improves economy at 10K pace. Remember that strength and speed are the keys to enhanced economy. In this workout the strength factor is taken care of by working on the inclined treadmill, and the speed is covered by the use of 10K training velocity. In addition, blood lactate and oxygen consumption soar higher with each successive interval, which means that the treadmill-hill training will push vO2max
and lactate-threshold speed upward. Finally, running on these fake hills makes current 10K pace feel considerably easier when it is undertaken on flat ground.

  Interval Workout for Staying Power

  A runner who has trouble with staying power during 10K racing (i.e., tending to fade in the latter half of the race even when the beginning is not overly fast) will benefit greatly from the sequence of 800-400-200-1,000 in this workout. To carry this out, a runner jogs easily for 15 minutes and then runs 800 meters at current 10K pace. After 2 more minutes of light jogging, the runner completes 400 meters at current 5K speed. Following 60 seconds of light jog recovery, the runner powerfully covers 200 meters at current mile-racing tempo, which will be about 3 seconds per 200 faster than 5K tempo. After a brief 30-second recovery, there are 1,000 meters (.62 mi) of steady running at goal 10K speed to face. Following 4 more minutes of easy jogging, this 800-400-200-1,000 sequence is repeated.

  One recommended training approach is to do one of these interval workout sequences for each 15 miles (24.14 km) of running completed per week. For example, runners who complete 30 miles (48.28 km) of training per week are allowed two sequences per workout; at 45 weekly miles (72.42 km), the runner could carry out three 800-400-200-1,000 combinations, and so on. This session heightens stamina at race speed (i.e., improves the ability to run at goal speed while tired), makes 10K races feel easier, enhances economy, and advances lactate-threshold velocity.

  Kenyan 10K Session

  Another fine 10K workout, and one that can be a lot of fun to complete, is the Kenyan 10K session. Used often by elite Kenyan runners preparing to run in the World Cross Country Championships, the Kenyan 10K session should be completed over a route 10 kilometers long in an area where running is truly enjoyable. Forest paths work well, as do parks and firm-sand beaches. The session is beautifully simple: After an energizing warm-up, the full 10K route is covered while spontaneously alternating 2- to 5-minute bursts at what feels like 10K intensity or slightly faster with 1- to 3-minute periods of easy floating.

  Most runners will end up running about 4 of the 6.2 miles (6.43 of the 10 km) of the route at goal 10K speed, which is a fine stimulus for physiological improvement and a superb preparation for a real race. Mentally, the session is not taxing thanks to the breaks and the pleasant surroundings. The workout boosts lactate-threshold speed, economy at 10K pace, confidence, and resistance to fatigue.

  Racing 5Ks

  As mentioned in previous chapters, running a couple of 800-meter competitions is great race preparation for 1,500-meter runners. Similarly, competing in a few 1,500s is productive for 5,000-meter (3.11 mi) athletes. So it should be no surprise that contesting a few 5Ks is tremendous for 10K runners; the 5Ks are in fact as close to the highest-quality workouts a 10K runner can conduct.

  Some veteran coaches frown on this idea, claiming that the 5K, at just half the distance of a 10K, fails to teach the mental discipline required to grind out a topflight 10K. But, as mentioned, competing in a 5K race means that the runner will complete half the 10K distance at a pace that is about 16 seconds per mile (1.6 km) faster than current 10K ability. Thus, running a 5K is a great way to develop the capacity to run continuously at a velocity significantly quicker than that of current the 10K pace; as implied earlier, each 5K is a stepping stone to a faster 10K. As a runner’s economy at 5K speed improves, it will be possible to run longer distances at current 5K pace and eventually to run 10Ks at present 5K speed.

  It doesn’t hurt that 5K racing is also great for lactate threshold and probably boosts vO2max a bit. When 5K races are completed with full effort, average intensity comes close to 97 percent of maximal heart rate near the finish and averages 95 percent of the maximal rate of oxygen consumption. It is also nice to know that most runners recover very quickly from 5K races provided they haven’t damaged their neuromuscular systems with overly high-volume training leading up to the events. As a result, it can be very productive to compete in two 5Ks before a major 10K, one 4 to 5 weeks before the big day and another 2 weeks in advance of the 10K.

  Additional Training Strategies

  Many of the sizzling workouts recommended in previous chapters are also sensational for the 10K. The vO2max workouts (chapter 26), of course, as well as greyhound running (chapter 28), lactate stacker exercises (chapters 27 and 32), all of the superset exertions (various chapters), circuit training (chapter 13), mile-pace 400s (chapter 33), and also hill workouts (chapter 15) are outstanding 10K preparations.

  Sometimes runners need a specific workout to get them over a hump in their 10K race performances. Many runners, for example, become stuck with performance times around 41 minutes or so—and have considerable trouble reaching their goal of breaking 40 minutes. A sound approach to this problem would be to continue to work toward optimizing maximal running speed, vO2max, lactate threshold, running-specific strength, and running economy, but some specific workouts can also be very helpful.

  For example, if a runner has been running 10K races in the range of 40:00 to 41:30 and would like to push his or her time down to 39-something, this runner could simply use 1,000-meter (.62 mi) work intervals in about 3:55 to 3:56 each with 3 to 4 minutes of jog recovery. A good start would be four such work intervals per session, with a goal of gradually and cautiously building up to eight intervals over time. A sound strategy is to pare down the recovery times as fitness improves.

  A more challenging session would involve running 2,000-meter (1.24 mi) intervals. For example, the runner might start with just 2 × 2,000 in 7:50 to 7:55, with 3 to 4 minutes of easy jogging between the intervals. Over time, it is optimal to progress to four intervals and trim the recoveries a bit.

  It is productive to use this same approach for other goal 10K times. For example, if a runner would like to break 30 minutes for the 10K and has been running in the 30:30 to 31:15 range, this runner could hit 4 × 1,000 meters (.62 mi) in 2:56 to 2:57 each with 2-minute jog recoveries and gradually progress up the ladder to 8 × 1,000 at 2:56. If a runner wants to break 36 minutes he or she would start with 4 × 1,000 in 3:32 to 3:33. A runner who wants to get under 45 minutes would begin with 4 × 1,000 in 4:25 to 4:26, and so on.

  Racing Strategy: Know Your Pace

  An interesting feature of 10K racing is that almost everyone goes out too fast. For example, runners who are attempting to break through the 40-minute barrier for the 10K, which represents a 6:25 average pace, will often fly through the first mile (1.6 km) of the race in around 6:10 or so. During the first few minutes of the race, they don’t feel much discomfort associated with this overly fast pace; adrenaline and the excitement of racing drown out all possibilities of pain and fatigue.

  After 3 minutes or so, basic human physiology begins to take over, however, and even though the first distance marker is passed in a great time, the going gets tough. Intramuscular pH has drifted just a bit too low, and self-talk, instead of revolving around positive statements such as “I’m going to do it,” is instead posing confidence-harming queries such as “Did I go out too fast?” The second mile is often covered in 6:40, and so the 2-mile point (3.2 km) is attained in 12:50, right on the desired 6:25 average. Nonetheless, such runners are hardly on schedule for the planned 40-flat 10K.

  That’s because the first mile of a 10K competition almost always feels too easy at goal pace—and the third mile is usually a mirror image of the second mile. If the runner goes too fast for the first mile, the second mile is inevitably too slow, and the third mile is too slow as well. There are several reasons for this, but the key factor is that the extra fatigue associated with the too-fast start usually lingers for at least 2 miles (3.2 km) into the race. This makes it very difficult to achieve an overall goal for the race since in the last 3.2 miles (5.2 km) the runner will be struggling to do more than sustain the planned pace—he or she will also have to make up ground lost during the second and third miles.

  Mo Farah’s success in the 10K hinges on his ability to run at a fast but sustainable pace for t
he duration of the race.

  David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images

  A 10K runner can avoid this jam by using more patience and restraint during the first mile (1.6 km) of the 10K. It is also good to become an excellent judge of pace so that target pace can be sustained during the crucial first mile. Bob Williams, a former All-American steeplechaser at the University of Oregon, recommends fartlek-style training on the track to improve one’s sense of race pace.7 The idea would be to run 400, 800, or 1,200 meters (.75 mi) on the track at what is believed to be goal race pace while staying relaxed and concentrating on how the pace feels. Once the segment is completed, a quick check of the watch will disclose whether the pace has been faster or slower than goal speed. After a couple of minutes of active recovery, the runner can then try another 400, 800, or 1,200, adjusting pace if necessary. By slowing down or speeding up on subsequent runs, a runner will eventually find race pace and develop a good feeling for the leg-turnover rate and perceived effort associated with it. In the overall program, this pace-judgment session can be substituted for an interval workout.

  It is also possible to include race-pace segments within some easy runs. Toward the end of an easy 6-miler (9.7 km), for example, a runner can stride out at what he or she thinks is goal 10K pace over a measured half-mile (800 m) section of the course while timing the effort with a watch. Including a few of these in the program each week does not harm recovery or the ability to perform subsequent high-quality workouts since the amount of quality running is slight, but it does improve a runner’s sense of race pace and increases the chances of running a great 10K.