Three paces of running

?Your long distance condition must be improved but you want to run faster as well?

Long distance pace (pace 1) Zone 1 and zone 2: This training pace is very low. You can compare it to a warming-up or cooling-down pace. You run deliberately on a very moderate pace. A lot of race-focused runners have difficulty with training at such a low pace. At a duration run (or long distance run) you don?t train to become faster but you train to increase your endurance level. That?s why you should be able to hold on to this pace for at least 20-30 minutes without problems. Talking is obligatory. Also when you train alone. When you don?t have enough breath in order to talk then you go too fast. By this way of training you?ll be better able to cope with interval exercises and you?ll have less muscle ache after training sessions or races. The time it takes to recover is shortened this way.

Interval pace (pace 2) zone 3 en zone 4: ?I can still talk but don?t feel any need for it? ? pace.

Try to avoid panting, suffering and a turning sour during interval training sessions in the park on Tuesday. The turning sour is of less importance for us. We (long distance runners) will become faster and stronger when we don?t turn sour. The more we keep below the counterpoint (the point at which your breathing goes faster and the sour turning process sets in) during training sessions, the faster we?ll become on long distances. So, almost no suffering and still becoming faster. This sounds good and it is good. In the early days, trainers had different opinions about this. Until 10 years ago the main way of training in the athletics world was as fast as possible with a lot of panting athletes whose faces had turned sour. Nowadays the main way of training is training below the ?counterpoint? at which one can talk. Pace 2 is just feeling smoothly. Between the intervals you should be able to dribble.

Character pace or injury pace (pace3) zone 5: Race/test pace. This is the pace at which you?ll suffer and will feel a sour feeling in the legs; by the way: this sour feeling enters your legs in order to protect you against running too fast/much. You hardly ever run at this pace. Starters even never run at this pace the first year. Race contestants do run at this pace. The first 6 weeks we won?t give attention to this. After this, you might participate in a race or test, under the condition that you?ve been without injury. Keep in mind that at this pace injuries are looming. Now and than it?s good to feel what?s happening with you during a race. You should have experienced this. This pace will make your more robust. That?s why running tests and races are good for your pace-robustness.

Dave Baars,

Runningholland.nl