So to answer your question: "you haven't indicated how any of that actually informs your training".   As I explained in my other post from earlier this morning, I also had the same thoughts as the OP.  So how has the science part helped me?

 

...

I think the point others have made is basically that there's a pretty big gap between the cellular biophysics stuff and knowledge you actually use in training, which comes more from empirically determined rules of thumb, experience, and a healthy dose of common sense.

I'm with you; I read all I can about the physiology of running, in an attempt to understand it better, and see what I can leverage in my training. And that makes it fun and interesting. But if I'm honest, it's mostly the other factors I mentioned that determine how I train and race. Not only is the fundamental science just not really completely understood yet, but connecting that to your own performance is hampered by lack of good personal data. It would be cool to know, real time, what my blood lactate, blood glucose, blood sodium, and a million other things were. Then maybe I could try to correlate that to what I did, how I felt, and what my results were. But we're not there yet.

The one exception, in my personal experience, might be the results I've seen from going low-carb for my ultra training. I've read all the... uh, "science"... and I have models in my head that connect the putative physiology to things I actually experience. But I have no real evidence that the models are right, or that they are playing out in me as I think they are.

Sorry, was just trying to be funny.

 

I'm sorry. I thought you were only interested in serious replies.

I can appreciate humor as well.  I did laugh when I first saw when someone posted that pic from the BM and said -It worked for this guy.

 

Sometimes I have a sense of humor too (like every time you type BM I think "BM"). The point is that you have done a lot of reading and understanding and memorizing and running and do you or don't you want to move onto the next stage of being a runner. If you would just slow down a second and open your ears and eyes you might see that some folks around you are trying to show you The Way and you're not paying attention.

 

Never too early, brah!  

 

I am a firm advocate of analyzing the heck out of my performances in order to get faster!  ...hasn't worked well yet, though......yrt..

You can't fool us. I heard you are going to the trials this year.

Some insight from Jeff

http://www.logicoflongdistance.com/2009/02/keep-it-simple-yo-distance-training.html