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Lactate Lift-off by Owen Anderson (Read 876 times)

jEfFgObLuE


I've got a fever...

    This book is really wordy, and wading through some of the science was tough sledding without illustrations, but the workouts themselves, when you get to them, are excellent. The book is sold at Anderson's website, Running Research News, as a downloadable PDF. Anderson has some interesting opinions about improving one's lactate threshold, the primary being the fact that he's not a big fan of the LT staple, tempo runs. (He says they're too slow. Running at LT doesn't boost it nearly as much as running faster than LT pace). One thing about his writing that is both funny and somewhat annoying is his tendency to overuse synonyms. I realize that when you're writing about running, you tend to use the words "run" and " "pace" a lot. So he tries really hard to substitute other words to avoid what my AP English teacher called TCU (too close usage). Consider this sample:
    This means that training at 10-K-race pace, 8-K tempo, 5-K speed, 3-K alacrity, one-mile intensity, 800-meter quickness, and at maximal velocity will be beneficial.
    Ok, I get it! You don't want to say speed or pace over and over again. It gets a little silly. You see words like amble, scoot to substitute for run. And since the goal of the book is to raise your Lactate Threshold, he talks about something playing a large role in aggrandizing [LT]. Confused But underneath all of this is a solid foundation of workouts to improve core strength, running economy, and lactate threshold.

    On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

      Sounds like it was written by someone that just finished 8th grade english. What type of workouts would he recommend in lieu of, say, a 5 mile/30-35 min tempo run? Also, what type of core workouts does he recommend?
      jEfFgObLuE


      I've got a fever...

        Here's a super-set workout for boosting LT as well as something called MCT1 (a muscle protein responsible for moving lactate)
        (1) On a day when you are feeling rested and energetic, warm up until you feel loose and totally ready to run intensely. (2) Move along fluidly for 1200 meters at your current 5-K pace. (3) Recover with just one minute of light jogging, and then blast 800 meters at close to all-out intensity (or at least faster than your vVO2max). (4) Enjoy three minutes of easy-jog recovery, and then hit 7 X 400 at faster than 5-K tempo (shoot for four to five seconds quicker than 5-K alacrity), with equal-in-time-duration recoveries (if your 400 takes 90 seconds, jog for 90 seconds to recover). (5) Jog lightly for two miles to “cool down”.
        Here's a circuit training strength workout:
        (1) Run 400 meters at what feels like 5-K pace (if you don’t know your 5-K pace, simply run the 400 meters intensely; on an exertion scale from 1 through 10, with 1 representing the easiest-possible intensity and 10 corresponding with maximal effort, your 400 should feel like a 9). (2) Do 3 chin-ups. (3) Complete 40 sit-ups. (4) Perform 15 squat thrusts with jumps (burpees). (5) Do 15 push-ups. (6) Complete 30 body-weight squats (fast intensity). (7) Run 400 meters at 5-K intensity again. (8) Do 12 squat and dumbbell presses (with 10-pound dumbbells). (9) Perform 40 low-back extensions. (10) Complete 10 feet-elevated push-ups. (11) Do 15 bench dips. (12) Complete 15 lunges with each leg. (13) Run 400 meters at 5-K effort. (14) Repeat steps 2-13 one more time (for two circuits in all), and then cool down with 2 miles of light running.
        For the core: (1) Arm Raises: (2) Exaggerated Arm Swings (3) Side-to-Side Arm Swings (4) Dumbbell Curls with Added Ab Tension (5) Dumbbell Presses with Added Ab Tension (6) the Kenyan Core Routine (which involves a lot of lying down, supporting your body with one arm and one leg while tucking your pelvis. Very Pilates / Yoga like (and quite hard). Some other key LT workouts: ►5x3 min at vVO2 max with 3min recovery (vVO2 max is your velocity@VO2max -- the fastest speed you can sustain for 6 minutes. To determine it, run as hard as you can for 6 minutes, and based on the distance, figure out your pace. That's your vVO2max) ►3 miles at 10k-pace. Sounds like a tempo run, but traditional tempo runs (if you want to be technical about it) are run at LT, which is 10~20sec/mile slower than 10k pace. So this is a slightly faster tempo run (above LT) ►Lactate Stackers: one minutes intervals at close to top speed with 2min recoveries ►Hill repeats. He's big into those. Short steep hills as well as long gradual ones.

        On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

          thanks for all the details. I can't imagine doing the circuit workout-I'd have to go back to HS or an indoor track to have access to all that stuff near a track. Do you buy the theories? Or are you more into the traditional LT training methods? Are you going to try this out?
          jEfFgObLuE


          I've got a fever...

            I can't imagine doing the circuit workout-I'd have to go back to HS or an indoor track to have access to all that stuff near a track. Do you buy the theories? Or are you more into the traditional LT training methods? Are you going to try this out?
            I've never tried the circuit workout, but I plan on trying it sometime using my treadmill for the running part. Otherwise, I'd say it's damn near impossible to do it. Reading his book, a lot of what he says makes sense to me, particularly the idea that running above LT (red-lining it) is more effective than just running at LT (like a traditional tempo run). I plan on trying a lot of this stuff out during the second half of '08, after I've built a really solid base. BTW, his does believe in traditional tempo runs if you're running 15k or longer (since tempo pace is faster than race pace for those distances).

            On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

              I've done super sets for marathon and marathon circuit training. Will be running Frankfurt marathon late this week. One of my friends ran Berlin Marathon where he'd used super sets. He was much faster for this event (3.07) than the other running pals who had done conventional training and who are faster on other distances.

               

              Note that it is possible to do the circuit training for marathon if you have access to a track:

               

              http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/running-training-workouts-for-a-variety-of-running-events-118

               

              Do you think that it is too much to do the super sets and marathon circuit training if you have two quality sessions in a week and the average mileage is about 75 km?

               

              I feel pretty sure that Anderson's training ideas are just right for me. Jack Daniels' ideas are also fantastic but I really love the above challenging training types. Do any of you have experience with Owen Anderson's training? 

               

              Cheers,

              Paul