A universal training session

Amongst the training libraries of many athletes and coaches you'll find a range of "go to" sessions which are the ones they most often do, for all kinds of reasons. Some will be complex and some will be simple, and some in between, but the bottom line is they work for that person/people.

One of my "go to" sessions is simple, 1 min 'on' / 1 min 'off' repeated a certain number of times, but the beauty is in the universal way a simple session like this can be used, at any time in training year and with almost any level / fitness of athlete. The key to it is the emphasis of the 'on' and 'off' intervals and the number of reps. It could equally be described as "timed fartlek"…as opposed to a "free form fartlek" where you use things like trees, posts, and other landmarks as the delimeters, but the effect is similar. I'll explain this further with some examples, using running as the sport.

The pre-requisite for this session is having sufficient fitness to be able to consider doing a session beyond just easy running, something that will take a new runner some time to build up to. Once you have, the sky is the limit in using this session.

The first example in using this session is for a runner who is new to any form of interval type training, and are more familiar with just easy paced running. For this runner using their watch to time out 1 min at a "faster" pace, then 1 min at a "slower" pace introduces them to simply running at different speeds. They could do it for a certain number of reps, around a particular course to set a duration for the session, much like a race is a defined length.

The key detail is the "faster" and "slower" pace, which is expressed that way to help the runner develop a feel for their own ability, and pacing during a session. For new runners it is part of experience to know what it feels like to run faster, and to align that with their ability to maintain a pace for duration…this session introduces them to that which is why it is important not to set any specific pace target and let them work it out themselves.

This approach can also be used for a runner returning from a break to get back into interval training in a gradual way rather than aiming for specific targets before their fitness is at that level.

Moving on to a more experienced runner, the session can be used for speed development with high emphasis on the 'on' interval and using the 'off' interval for very easy recovery. In this way, there is a large discrepancy between the 'on' and 'off', and keeping it time limited means you also control how much recovery the runner gets rather than leaving it open-ended, eg, 200m recovery, by contrast, can take minutes if they slowly walk it.

A further variation is to make it a threshold/tempo session where there is only small variation between the 'on' and 'off', so that the emphasis is on the overall duration of session rather than the individual reps. For example, 10 x 1 min on / 1 min off, becomes a 20 min tempo session featuring surges for each 'on' minute, but still maintaining a high pace during the 'off' minute. In that case, they key is not slowing down too much in the 'off' interval…if you execute it will you will find the total distance covered in the 20min will only be slightly less than if you did a 20 min effort.

A beauty of using the session in a tempo style is that the runner can choose the effort / pace depending on how they feel that day, and it's a good way to break up a 20 min effort if you're a little unsure of your capability to do 20 min straight…the 'on' and 'off' allow you to build the effort to achieve a productive session rather than potentially abandoning it if you feel ordinary from the start.

A final example for this session is during a taper, where you can use it to keep some intensity in training without the session being too stressful in the lead-up to an event. In this scenario, the 'on' could be at goal pace, and the 'off' at an easier pace, which helps the runner be in tune with how they want to run in the upcoming race. The duration could be something like 10-20 min total (ie, 5-10 reps), just enough for them to feel a little effort but short enough not to fatigue them.

So the key points of the session are the use of individual feel for the 'on' and 'off' intervals, and how the variance in pace between those intervals can change the nature of session. While I've based this on a 1 min base, you can use all kinds of variations to the length of the 'on' and 'off' intervals - a favourite is 2 min 'on', 1 min 'off', which has been a favourite amongst Kenyans for many years.

This is just one session that I use, where the key point is how you can use and control the 'on' and 'off' intervals to vary the nature of the session depending on the season, athlete ability, how they are feeling on a particular day and more. Being flexible is crucial to getting the most from any session, and choosing a session which allows this - while still being aligned to the training objective - helps piece together a great training program.

Terenzo Bozzone running form analysis

Terenzo Bozzone graced the Australian shores for a rare race appearance at the Shepparton IM 70.3 race, and showed the class act he is in swim, bike and run with a convincing victory over a quality field of Australian contenders. Bozzone has real pedigree, evidenced by multiple IM 70.3 victories in USA and around the world, including a World Championship title a few years back. His progress came to a halt 12 months ago, however, undergoing Achilles surgery...and having had 3 Achilles operations myself can say that his comeback has been fantastic, seemingly reaching top form late in the US season.

If he does have an “Achilles heel”, so to speak, it is in IM races where he hasn’t quite put together a race that reflects his capabilities over IM 70.3 distance. Often it has been in the run leg where the IM race has got away from him, a leg where he is arguably at his best over the half distance. There could be all range of reasons for this fade, but regardless, I took some good footage of him running at Shepparton which provides great material for analysis of his running form...and believe me, he was going very fast in the first 2 (of 3) run laps, eventually running 1:12 on an accurate course.

This video was taken at the start of the 3rd lap, so at the 14km+ mark, with a clear and safe lead. The following are some comments / observations of what I see, using my experience in running form analysis:

• He is very smooth, with little vertical movement.
• His arm swing is compact and relaxed.
• His core stability is strong, with little non-linear movement or body rotation.
• Further to that point, his hip stability is also very good, with minimal hip drop upon landing. However, he does twist his hips a little.
• He torso is nicely vertical...although I’ll touch on this again in a moment.
• He is mid/flat-foot runner, and to see him in real-time speed, is quite light on his feet.

So those are all the good things about his form. Now to be really harsh and picky, there’s a couple things I’d point out that might be coming back to bite him in an IM run leg:

• His foot landing is a little in front of him, meaning he is “behind” his stride rather than on top of it...this would really noticeable if you put him alongside the likes of Cam Brown, Crowie, etc. Refer to my article post IM Melbourne analysing the run form of the top-10 men.
• In conjunction with this, his hips are slightly back and “in a bucket” to a minor extent. The effect of these two things is that when he fatigues this will be exaggerated and he’ll sit back even more rather than being forwards and on top of his stride, which is momentum that is critical to maintaining form and speed in the depths of fatigue such as in an IM.
• Also, his slight hip twist would become more pronounced.

What I’m talking about is very subtle, but at that level it’s things like this that make the difference, even to a Formula 1 engine like Bozzone.

So what would I do if I was his coach...work on getting his weight over his stride via combination of drills, run form practice and incorporating it into his default form. The effect would be to introduce an ever so slight forwards lean, from the ankles (rather than from hips) and he would roll along, over the ground using momentum to his benefit.

Terenzo Bozzone is a world class athlete, proven by results over recent years, in particular IM 70.3 format, and he obviously has the calibre to compete over IM...but has not quite cracked it so far. Perhaps a little tweak to his running form might help in that quest, to see him compete with the best guys over IM. These were just my thoughts on that aspect...I wish him all the best.

One of those days

Another little piece for www.newbreedrunning.com.au

It was one of those days, you know, when you wake up and are not sure which side of the bed to get out on…the good side or the 'other' side...which reflects the uncertainty about how the day might unfold. Nonetheless, you get up and lace up your shoes in preparation for the run session you've got planned. Part of your mind is suggesting to can it and either not start or just take it easy, competing with the other part that says just get out and get started. So you do.

As you expect, the first km feels awful…tired, dead and heavy. Urgh!!! But you haven't gone far enough for it to 'count' as a session, so you keep going. As you do something happens. Whether it was stopping at the traffic lights to cross, or passing over some imaginary line, or even that you've just woken up, you're not sure what it is. But things start feeling better.

Your stiff joints loosen up. Your breathing levels out. Your stride finds a groove. Your rhythm becomes smoother. Things just seem to click into gear and your body warms up. Your running actually starts feeling good, much to your surprise, and you start thinking about doing a proper session of fartlek, or tempo, or intervals…there's a range of options.

As you run on you find yourself losing track of how long you've run for, or how fast you're going, until you realise how hard you are breathing - this is equating to a good, hard session, and it feels effortless. Why don't race days feel like this? You go on further, relishing your fitness and endurance to be able to do so, taking all the little side tracks you usually only selectively go down. It's surreal to be feeling so good.

Eventually you look at your watch with surprise to see how long and how swiftly you've run, not to mention how much you're sweating. You could continue on forever, but decide to head home, still skipping over the ground albeit with some fatigue creeping into your legs…the adrenalin is keeping you going.

Arriving back at your front gate and you come to stop, euphoric about how good the run was and how surprising it was considering the way it started. These are the times you love being a runner. It was just one of those days.