Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan T
Well Pfitzinger for instance has tempo runs called lactate threshold runs, but basically it is like Higdon's 3/1 long runs but in reverse. Instead you would have say a tempo run scheduled for perhaps 10 miles, but what it means is:
2 miles warmup pace -> 7 miles at your lactate threshold level (generally 15k-half marathon pace) -> 1 mile cooldown. Where just like higdon, over the 2 mile warmup you gradually speed up to your tempo pace.
With Higdon's progressive tempo runs, it feels more like an overly long stride instead, where I'm only at my lactate threshold level for a shorter period of time (maybe 5 minutes tops) and the majority of the time is gradually speeding up or slowing down instead.
For me I guess I like to have every exercise have a purpose.. either 1) Aerobic training 2) Lactate threshold .. 3) Speed work. The Higdon tempo progression seems to be a mix of #1 and #2 but not necessarily hitting on either solidly.
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I see but as I said about Higdon's progression runs, I don't really do them the way he prescribes them. Instead of increasing the pace and hitting my goal pace only for a couple minutes then slowing down the pace, I only increase then drop back at once for the last 5 minutes of cooldown only. Doing that, I hit a little bit of everything and don't lose much time slowing down. It's probably not specific enough for you and this might change for me over time but for now, I like that. Maybe I'll get more specific with how I want each workout to help me in the future, who knows...
FM