Of the many possible combinations of speed and distance that you can do in training, a few provide the optimal stimuli for physiological improvements for the marathon. The most effective types of marathon training are described below. These workouts form the key sessions in Pete’s training programs.

Train hard. Race well. Train hard. Race well. The runner's basic instinct. Everything we do is based on hard work. We train. We brave the elements. We endure. We run through blizzards and bronchitis. We do not wimp out. We do not rest.

Achieving your marathon goal requires numerous factors to come together on race day. Much more than in shorter races, the decisions you make during the marathon often have a large impact on your result. That is one of the reasons that the marathon is not just another race.

The snow melts. Your Gore-Tex suit is back in the closet. Spring marathons loom on the horizon, and runners everywhere are putting in long runs to prepare. But, why run long? What do these annual rites of spring do for you?

When RT Editor Gordon Bakoulis and I discussed “listening to your body” as the topic for this month’s column, I hesitated because it sounded a bit soft for my tastes. After further thought, I agreed and, as usual, searched the scientific literature for supporting information. Not surprisingly, there was no data on the benefits of listening to your body for athletes because those benefits are impossible to measure. Thus, the insight that follows relies on over 30 years of runn

Youth brings with it boundless energy and enthusiasm, and the opportunity to make mistakes. Age brings experience, scar tissue, and occasional glimpses of wisdom. During 34 years of running, I have made many mistakes and learned many lessons (some of them, unfortunately, more than once). Through hard work, determination, and a healthy dose of luck, I enjoyed a successful competitive career. Good luck was definitely involved in reaching peak fitness for both the 1984 and 1988

You head out the door for an eight-mile run. Right from the start, your energy level is down, and your legs feel heavy. After 2 miles of uncharacteristic drudgery, you stop-then jog and walk home.

The best distance runners in the world train from 100 to 160 miles per week. Yet, the belief has developed among some runners that high mileage is not necessary for high level running performance. Scientific evidence has even supported this belief-studies show that you can maximize your VO2 max on less than 40 miles per week. So, why does almost every world class distance runner do high mileage? Are they wrong?

Like any tool, a heart rate monitor only helps you if you know how to use it. The more experience that I have working with runners who use heart monitors, the more I realize that many athletes are training too hard or too easy because they do not realize the variety of factors that can affect heart rate. Let’s look at five points to help you use your heart rate monitor effectively to improve your running performance.

Heart rate monitors are a simple and effective training aid. By running within specific heart rate training zones, you help ensure that you train at the appropriate intensities for optimal results. Without realizing it, however, you may be training harder or easier than planned unless you know your true maximal heart rate, your resting heart rate, and take into account the various factors that influence heart rate while running. In this column we will look at how to determine

At the September 1999 Pre-Olympic Sport Science Congress in Brisbane, Australia, I met with Mike Lambert, PhD, who is one of the world’s leading experts on using heart rate monitors during training and competition. Mike is an exercise physiologist who also has impressive running credentials, having run South Africa’s 56 K Comrades Marathon many times. Mike and I discussed the key factors that affect heart rate during running, which are explained in his excellent article publi

Elite endurance athletes around the world train at high altitude to try to improve performance. Assuming you are a serious runner, should you train at altitude? To help determine whether high-altitude training is right for you, consider the following questions and the answers that follow.

With the 3rd Millennium upon us, it seems appropriate to dream grand dreams, reach for the stars, or at least set a goal to reach a personal best. The problem when reaching for the stars, however, is knowing how high to reach. How much can you realistically hope to improve in a few weeks, a few months, a year?

Capillaries. Myoglobin. Slow-twitch fibers. Glycogen. These are the stuff of long-distance running. The Kenyans have lots of them. President Bush (#1 and #2) has them. And you have them too. This is also the stuff of exercise physiology.

Improving your running performance requires you to set goals and develop plans to achieve those goals. Your training plan describes the steps involved in reaching your goal. Your progress as a runner, therefore, is only as good as your ability to plan.

Please answer the following question: When you take a break from training, your body starts to turn to mush: a) after a few months; b) after a few weeks; c) after a few days; or d) almost immediately. Most runners apparently believe the correct answer is (d), and that the fitness gains of years of running are in danger of quickly vanishing into thin air. This behavior is manifested in phenomena such as running streaks, double workouts, and a propensity to run through such pot

Overtraining is a danger for any motivated distance runner. In striving to improve your performance, you progressively increase the volume and intensity of your training. When races go well, the positive reinforcement spurs you to train harder. When races go poorly, you figure you aren’t fit enough, and train even harder. At some point, you hit your individual training threshold. This is the amount of training stress above which you start to break down.

Several forms of cross training can help you maintain or improve your cardiovascular fitness while avoiding injury. Other types of cross training can enhance your running performance too, by improving your muscle balance and running technique. Long distance running develops muscular endurance in specific leg and hip muscles and is wonderful for your cardiovascular system, but tends to make some muscles strong and tight while others remain weak. “Proximal stability” training,

As I rode the exercise bike in the lab this morning, it occurred to me that there are 3 good reasons to cross train:

The running mentality lends itself to extremes. But the motto “Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess,” ultimately leads to disaster. To fulfill your potential as a runner, you either need a seasoned coach who can prescribe and monitor your training, or to learn to design your own well-balanced training programs.