Building a Base
One of the more underappreciated aspects of training is aerobic base building. Aerobic training occurs when you run at a 60-75 percent of maximum heart rate or at a pace than is 1 to 2 minutes slower than 10K race pace, a pace in which you can easily keep up a conversation without gasping for air. I believe that going through an aerobic training phase at least once a year will help runners to run better times both at the marathon distance or at shorter race distances.
When most of us first took up running as a sport, we probably spent months, if not years, doing slow, easy runs, mainly because we were so out of shape that we could not run very fast. Once in shape, we started going to races. Many of us started going to the track to get faster. Others started running marathons and are now going from one marathon to the next. Some of us fear that if we take time off or stop racing that we will get out of shape. It seems that the only time we ever do take time off is when we are injured. Even then, once recovered, we try to get back to the track and racing as soon as possible.
I am always listening to other coaches and runners, trying to pick up training tips. As a result of what I learned while coaching this summer at running camps, I have become even more convinced of the value of going through an annual eight to twelve week aerobic training phase. I had the opportunity to speak with Libby Johnson Hickman's coach. (She is the first American woman to win the Bolder Boulder 10K outright in 14 years). He described how each year she spends each winter going through a rest phase and then a long aerobic base period to prepare for anaerobic threshold track work for her racing season. Now in her early 30s, she is running the best of her life, not only winning Bolder Boulder, but also making the U.S. World Championship team in the 5000 meters and finishing seventh in the Worlds.
Aerobic training makes sense for several reasons. It allows runners coming off a marathon or racing season to recover from the rigors of training and racing. It provides runners with a mental break so that they can begin the next racing season refreshed and with renewed enthusiasm. Finally, aerobic training allows runners to build additional leg strength by increasing mileage while running at a low intensity. I do not believe that runners can increase their mileage and do track work and tempo runs without risking injury. This increased leg strength from aerobic training will pay dividends with faster racing times.
Aerobic training is an absolute must for runners coming back from an injury or layoff. Again, you need to build up some leg strength before tackling track work and tempo runs. The proof is in the pudding. Just ask John Sissala who in a ten-month period went from a 5-10 mile per week runner in early 1995 who could barely run a 9:00 minute-mile to a Boston Marathon qualifier in 3:33 at the Northern Central Trails Marathon eleven months later. As John's coach, I forced him to do a lot of aerobic training before he started the harder stuff.
The goal of aerobic base work is to run a lot of very easy miles (keeping heart rate below 70 percent), but many more miles than normal, i.e., if you average about 40 miles per week during normal training, you may want to build up to 70-80 miles per week over a twelve-week period. The only speedwork consists of aerobic intervals such as running the straights of the track at a 10K effort while jogging the curves, which effectively keeps the heart rate below 75% while working on leg turnover. All other runs including the long run are kept at 60-70% of maximum heart rate.
My January column will discuss what to do after completion of this aerobic training phase.
Coach West is a licensed coach, affiliated with MCRRC, and available to coach motivated adult runners. A portion of his coaching fees for MCRRC members is returned to MCRRC. For further information about personal coaching opportunities, contact Coach West at kirtwest@comcast.net.
