Running Physiology

Running is one of the most common activities that people will engage in. It is not uncommon to meet someone training for distance races from 5K up to a marathon. The great part about running is that anyone at any level of fitness can begin to participate at their own level. The problem is all of the different training approaches used by runners at once. Often, novice runners will listen to several different online sources or from people they know and end up in an inefficient training cycle. Committing oneself to a solitary program is the best way to make long term progress in their running careers. The work of exercise physiologist and running coach Jack Daniels has outlined a proven evidence based approach to training providing runners with the best program to get faster and to run for longer. Long term commitment to this program will yield the greatest results.

Training Paces

This program is split up into 5 paces that train different energy systems each with their own purpose.

1. Maintenance pace - These are your typical runs done at a pace where you can keep a conversation at.

2. Tempo - This pace is roughly marathon pace. It should be slightly faster than maintenance pace but still manageable over moderate distances.

3. Threshold - This is roughly 5k race pace. This pace is where are bodies switch from using fats as a fuel source at slower paces and using carbs as a fuel source at faster paces.

4. VO2 - This is a much more uncomfortable pace. Here we are going to be working on our body’s efficiency at oxygen consumption. These intervals should last no longer than 5 minutes with equal time between the interval and the recovery.

5. Economy - This pace works on your overall speed and should be at your mile pace or faster. Running at this pace should be as fast as possible without losing proper running form.

All of these paces should be done at specific quantities at different phases during training. The percentage of your weekly mileage and the pace itself can be calculated with a consultation with Dr. Pungello.