The Marathon Support Unit at Brighton University was set up to help local athletes get the best training advice, and at the same time give the students real life guinea pigs to try and test on. The chance to be an experiment was something I couldn’t resist!
I’m 44 and have a marathon PB of 3:12:23. I’ve managed to rank at number 41 in the country for my V40 age category. I’d like to run sub three and get in the top 10 for may age – I believe in setting the bar high!
Want to run faster? See How to Improve Your Race Times here.
The MSU package includes two or three lab tests where our V02 max, Running Economy and Lactate Threshold are officially assessed, as well as seminars on nutrition and other relevant subjects.
For more information see V02 Max Testing, TRX Training and the Pain of Circuits
The first test was carried out at the beginning of November. I was in reasonably good shape having run a half marathon PB in Amsterdam two weeks previously in 1:28:30 and I’d fitted in consistently good training and a positive mindset prior to the test.
The test involved running on a high tech treadmill whilst wearing a mouthpiece and nose clip so that my exhaled breath could be measured in a Douglas Bag. The first test was to assess my lactate threshold. I ran for around 10 minutes and had my finger pricked every three minutes or so to take some blood. My heart rate and RPE (rate of perceived exertion, where I told the students how hard I felt I was working out of 20) was recorded and the pace gradually increased. Once this test was complete, I had a brief rest and then did the V02 max test. This time I was started on level 10 and the incline was raised by 1 percent every minute to get the heart rate up. The goal is to keep going until you cannot stop. I had hoped I would be told to stop but grabbing onto the bar and struggling to breathe, it was me who said, time up.
VO2 and lactate threshold are good ways to measure your potential for endurance events. ‘But VO2 max is less important than used to be thought. Elite level athletes do have a high V02 max, but it doesn’t predict performance, running economy and lactate threshold play the more critical roles,’ explains the organizer of the MSU programme Alex Bliss, MSc. ‘Research has shown that for a marathon, athletes will run at an intensity that correlates very closely to their lactate threshold. Running economy refers to the amount of oxygen you take in a during sub maximal running.’
My test confirmed some things I knew. My max heart rate is low, just 164 (if I used the 220 – age formula it would be 177). I also discovered that my lactate threshold occurred at 13.5km/hr at a heart rate of 148bpm, which pleasingly equated to a marathon pace of 3:07 – faster than my current PB, which is good news. And I was told that training at this intensity should be my priority if I want to achieve my goal for the Spring of sub 3:05. My V02 max was 54.08ml.kg.min-1 and my aim is to raise it by 5% to 56mL.kg-1.min-1. My running economy was 195.04 which is good, but as a high mileage runner in the past, I’d benefit from some hill rep sessions to lower this (lower is better in this case).
Click here for more information on Breaking Time Barriers: sub 1:30, sub 40, sub 3:15
With my baseline established I was raring to go. Research has shown that in eight to 10 weeks in moderately trained (not elite) level endurance runners V02 max can be improved by 5% with one or two interval sessions per week at intensities of around 90% of HR max. High intensity training can improve lactate threshold by around 10% in 10 weeks in moderately trained runners.
It’s now nine weeks on. Life really did get in the way, with a few unexpected upheavals that put training at the bottom of my list and meant I actually ran less mileage than I had for a long time (an average of 44 per week compared to 55 in the previous nine week block).
But despite the extra life pressures, the MSU schedule and tests remained in the back of my mind and I was pleased to run a 19:36 PB at 5k followed by the Brighton 10k in 40:20 and the Bedford Half Marathon in 1:30:39. I also ran four 5ks around the Christmas period with a 19:40 best and 20:40 worst! The long run is a staple part of any marathon schedule and even with what felt like an impossible time with work, and Christmas and other stuff, I was pleased to squeeze in three 15 milers, a 13.5 mile run, a half marathon, a fast 13, a slow 18, with just two of the nine weeks including long runs of just 10 miles.
What I missed in training volume I made up for with intensity and I only did this because I knew that I would be facing my students and treadmill again soon! The schedule recommended a race a week on Saturday morning, and I managed six out of nine weeks (four park-runs, a 10k and a half marathon). I also added in some longer threshold running as the MSU believed this would help me boost my lactate threshold. I ran a 10 at 7:27; 7.5 at 7:09; 9 at 7:03; 9 at 6:53; and a 13 at 7:35! This is a new type of training for me and I hope is the thing that will make the difference.
I didn’t exactly follow the schedule but I have felt the benefits of adding in some faster training and now have made the long threshold run and weekly race part of my training. The next test is coming up soon, but the real test is on April 22nd. I’ve got my number on the Championship Start and I’ve signed up to three half marathons and a 20 miler and a New Year’s determination to stick to the schedule and achieve a PB.