lexel wrote:
Casualty of Pork wrote:
It's pretty simple stuff. Just accumulate a significant amount of work at or just below LT. Running this as intervals is probably easier on both body and mind for the majority of athletes. I have read the book and, in my opinion, it is similar to how swimmers and cyclists train: lots of repeatable efforts simulating racing intensity and broken up to relieve monotony.
1) Long runs are long runs. Utilizing surges or incorporating intervals may be useful with regards to lactate shuttle (see George Brooks' and Peter Thompson's work) and possibly provides better stimulus than just slogging through two plus hours well slower than MP.
2) Stenson and you other coach fan boys just need to relax. There are many paths to the top and no coach working today is utilizing their own original ideas - just tweaking and refining old ones.
You addresses a lot of interesting points.
1) I did the long run in the past as easy continues run. But this run addressed mostly only the slow twitch fibers (type 1 fibers). If had not the feeling that the type 1 fibers got tired and the intermediate fibers (type 2a fibers) were taking over more and more. Opposite to the interval methode. Much more stimulus is for sure a more intense running in between (intervals), You address more intermediate type 2a fibers and use the easy pace in between to recover. So the overall load is similar, but at the end of the day more different muscle fibers got recruited.
2) True and there is a lot of indivual response to a training program. The key or problem is to try to find a good training method working for yourself.
Regarding point 1), I have experimented, with myself and with some of my athletes, including Lactate Threshold work in the long runs. I usually do it in one block, like 20 to 40 minutes at LT pace within a 90 minute run, for example (could be something like 50+ 30 LT +10).
I have had good results with this but I will try to split it into shorter intervals and see how it goes.