Get a Fast 10K Finish Time Using Anaerobic Threshold Training

The aerobic/anaerobic threshold is the point at which the body changes from the aerobic system (sustainable almost indefinitely) to the anaerobic system (limited sustainability).

It is also the point at which lactic acid, our bodies EXHAUST FUMES, begin to build up faster than the body can dispose of them. This point is thus variously referred to as the aerobic threshold, the anaerobic threshold, or the lactate threshold.

For an athlete, understanding what it is and how to use it is critical if you want to run faster.

What it has to offer:

Why is the Anaerobic Threshold (AT) so important to runners and other endurance athletes? Because when you train at this point you are holding your body right on the edge of breakdown, as long as you are using the aerobic metabolism, you can keep going for an extended period.

However, once the anaerobic metabolism begins to kick in, excessive lactic acid begins to accumulate in the body, and your days are numbered!

By regularly training around the AT you will increase your lactate threshold, this means that you will be able to run faster for longer. In other words, the higher your lactate threshold, the faster you will be able to run in an endurance event such as a 10K race.

How to use it:

Fashions change in running, and that tends to affect how runners train.

In the 1970s and 80s, most coaches and athletes believed that long, slow distance (LSD) was the most effective way of training the aerobic system for endurance events such as the 10K. They did include speed work (intervals), but the emphasis was often on racking up the miles.

These days, there is much more emphasis on efficient workouts, how can you achieve the maximum benefit in the least time possible? Thus many coaches now advocate using anaerobic threshold training to push the AT upwards.

However, before you can train the AT, you have to know where it is! There are several methods of determining where your AT lies, the most accurate ones involve testing under laboratory conditions.

For most people this is neither practical nor affordable. Fortunately, there is an easier way. An analysis of the various rigorous and expensive methods of testing shows a curious thing, no matter how you test the AT, you come up with a figure that is around 85% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).

Thus, if you know what your maximum heart rate is, you can quickly figure out where your AT lies.

Many people base their maximum heart rate on the published charts, these use the formula of 220 minus your age to give you a MHR. The problem is that this formula is not very accurate, particularly for trained, experienced athletes, thus if you have been working out hard for years, chances are your MHR will be up to 10 beats per minute higher than the charts estimate.

The only accurate way to train using the AT is therefore with a heart rate monitor. Using a monitor it is pretty easy to get a figure for your MHR, warm up, do a series of sprints, and on number 7 and 8 go flat out. The reading you get at the end will be your max heart rate. Multiply that by .85 and you have your AT.

To improve your AT you need to train at around 5% below your known threshold. The aim is to keep your heart rate there without ever actually going over your AT.

Those of you who have been training for a long time will recognise this type of workout, these are tempo runs. The difference is that rather than estimating what seems a good tempo, you will be working out at an exact pace that will maximise your gains.

If you are not familiar with this type of running, here is what you do.

Begin by running with one or two 5 to 6 minute repetitions, working at keeping your heart rate at around 80% of your MHR. So if your max heart rate is 180, you will be running with a steady heart rate of around 144 BPM (Beats Per Minute). Your AT would be around 153 BPM, so your goal is to keep your heart rate below that point.

Building up from there is easy. Perform these tempo, or AT workouts once per week, and add one minute per week until you can perform two ten minute intervals.

From here, you can play around a little, you can either add more intervals (e.g. 3 or 4 X ten minutes) or more time (e.g. 2 X 15 to 20 minutes).

Between the intervals, slow the pace down and jog an easy five minutes recovery.

This is great method of training for 10K runners, as it teaches the body to run at just a little below race pace for an extended period, bridging the gap between long slow runs, and intervals.

You can also use the AT in your hill training. Choose a long, easy hill, and try to run up it without ever going over your AT. Record your time and final heart rate, then on subsequent weeks, try to lower your time without ever going over your AT.

This is an intense workout, so limit it to once per week. When added to your distance work and intervals, it will give you the perfect balance in your training.

Article Source: http://www.freetextarticles.com

For more information on Training for a 10K Race and to download a FREE Report on Common Running Injuries please visit our website 10K Training www.10krace.co.uk Article by James Pilgrim

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