ACE and I had taken over the “distance running advice” thread with 5th Avenue Mile chatter so I am starting a new thread for specifically middle distance training and racing.
Today I did my 1st official mile specific workout. I had been staling due to a hamstring issue.
Did 8 x 200 on the track just to start working on my speed/ turnover. There were 3 of them in 35 and they ranged to 37. Thats about as fast as I get so that is good to see at this point in the game!
What is interesting is my training has mostly been sub maximal tempo work. As a triathlete, my focus is lactate threshold training, not speed. In fact in many of my interval sessions I would actually slow myself down, so as to stay focused on my specific task. So, how is it I am fast?
When I was coaching the collegiate track team middle distance runners, the head coach was subscribing a lot of this sort of thing (sub maximal intervals, lactate threshold zone, higher volume of intervals). I remember thinking “how are these kids gonna race a mile doing all this sub maximal work at 2 mile race pace?”. I would think they need to train for speed and do a lot of work at or faster than mile race pace. However, they would get out there and pull these huge personal records out of nowhere!
Now I can see the same phenomenon in my own training. I think training for both the mile and a half ironman is actually going to work just fine. I can continue with the lactate threshold work which will benefit both efforts… and also sprinkle in the lactate capacity stuff (max efforts 400s and 600s) to get specifically ready for the intensity of a 1 mile race.
“lactate capacity stuff”
What?
Lactate threshold is the effort at which lactate begins to accumulate but your body is still effectively processing and clearing it. This is a sub maximal and sustainable effort. Lactate capacity training is a maximal effort which pushes the upper limits of lactate tolerance.
To put it all in perspective, there are 4 components in a training program.
Aerobic conditioning
Aerobic capacity (VO2max training)
Anerobic conditioning (lactate threshold/ tempo)
Anerobic capacity (lactate capacity)
Thanks KMD! 
I’m happy to give advice to those that never, ever want to run a mile.
Do you give out free 0.0 bumper stickers too? I like those…
I’m a little confused on how these interact. Below are my guesses, am I right?
Aerobic conditioning: Running at a comfortable pace for an extended period
Aerobic capacity (VO2max training): Running for as long as you can at a comfortable pace
Anerobic conditioning (lactate threshold/ tempo): High frequency interval training
Anerobic capacity (lactate capacity): Sprinting as fast as you can for as long as you can
I signed up for a 5K race tomorrow. I really wanted to do a road race on July 4th and was planning on doing a base run for 1mi distance, but the race director said it was not chip timed and more of a fun run, even though they had 1st place M/F overall awards. I don’t really like fun runs. I like blowing everyone out of the water for fun, but not little kids lol. I can’t even imagine doing a serious start trying to hit 5:20 for a base run with a bunch of kids at each side. I don’t even live near this event. Would be just my luck. So… signed up for the 5K. I wanted some competitive element and maybe I can get 1st in my age group or something. Im just aiming for 18:XX. I haven’t trained at all for this distance though, so just seeing 6:XX on the splits would be relatively ok with me. I’d kind of like to hit a 5:40 first mile though and then just hold on at 6:XX pace. Now that I’ve said these times on here, I’ll probably get 22 minutes. hahahaha. Oh well, we will see. I didn’t run that much outside this past week as my legs were a bit torn up from the concrete. They feel ok today though and I had to make a decision on Active.com by noon to get the free T-Shirt. They said it was a ‘high quality shirt’…oooo… fancy… You always have to get the T-Shirt. One of the most baller shirts I’ve gotten was from a charity cycling event called the PMC Challenge in MA. They gave us some really cool cycling shirts.
@jmh
You have the first and the last basically right. What these categories are is just focus groups for the two main metabolic pathways in endurance sport.
The aerobic department is about targeting the training of oxygen dependent pathways. This incudes training fat burning efficiency and oxygen transport/ delivery mechanisms (stroke volume, capillary, lung and blood adaptation). Long slow running works to build your fat burning efficiency, but also stimulates adaptations in the other elements mentioned.
Aerobic capacity training tests the limits of your oxygen delivery system. These are typically 95-98% efforts of 3-5 min intervals. Recovery between intervals being 2-3 min. Longer efforts cannot be intense enough to focus on the upper limits of the system. Through multiple intervals you can maximize the time spend at the target stress level for the aerobic system.
Now, anerobic training focuses on the non-oxygen metabolic pathway. The main limiting factor is lactic processing and H+ buffering. For “anerobic conditioning” your focus is the conditioning of this pathway. To do this you maximize the time your body spends using this pathway by getting up to “lactate threshold” and no harder. Since this is about a 90% effort, longer sub maximal intervals and tempo runs live here. If intervals, short recoveries given.
Finally, to train the upper limits of the lactate processing/ buffering system, yes, sprinting or all out efforts under 2 min would target that objective. Long recoveries given.
HIIT could be designed to focus on either aerobic capacity, anerobic conditioning, or anerobic capacity. It is a matter of effort, interval time and rest given.
@ACE
Thats awesome! Let us know how it goes. I expect a full race report complete with sprints past little kids and getting “chicked” in the final stretch 
haha ok
176.8lbs, 14.1% body fat today
I feel fast … I hope I’m fast lol
Ace is who I want to be when I grow up.
Thanks for the support, bro. I appreciate it. You think I can run in the race tomorrow without a permit for these guns?
Don’t underestimate the kids. More than once I’ve had 8-12 year olds blow past me at quantum speeds while I’m struggling just to breath.
I appreciate the detailed reply.
Looking good ace!! Tremendous change from when I last saw you!
Bring the beard back
oh ACE… vanity variable are the positive externalities of an effective competitive training program… but very poor indicators of performance in and of itself. 
I have no idea what I weigh or what my body fat is …but I DO know my aerobic conditioning pace over the past two months has improved by 3% and my max aerobic capacity intervals have improved by 4%. On the bike, for a given heart rate, I have improved by 2 mph. Oh, and also, I look freaking hot!
That being said, you do look good ACE… nice work!
Ran a 6:06 mile today. That is pulled from Strava though so not sure how accurate it is. Also it was with an elevation gain because it wasn’t on a track and it was the first leg of a 10k I run in town.