I am a voracious animal at the table, eating with my hands, pre-dinner dinner, seconds, and thirds. Any excuse to bake a cake and crumble what’s left in the breakfast cereal (to the delight of my son).
Welcome to the middle of a 3 month block devoted to fortifying aerobic capacity. Lots of vert, time in the mountains, long skis, long runs—high volume, low intensity and the resulting caloric deficit.
Prelude
When I study the data from sessions before for Les Templiers, what sticks out is the elevated heart rate, reckless consecutive high-intensity workouts, and neglect of LIT (low-intensity-training).
Sure I was running faster, making PR’s, but in retrospect, that was merely a function of trying harder. Better times and paces were not signs of progress, but a sharper whip.
In conversation with training partners I justified my excessive time in Z3 as “race-specific training,” but that’s a poor excuse for overindulgence. As the great sport scientist Stephen Seiler notes, “threshold intensity is the intensity range requiring the least discipline to achieve.”
Beneath the training was a kind of panic. Strength for strength’s sake, willing to burn it down to save the season.
The race played out as the training suggests. I relied on talent and a try-hard attitude and my result is as far that goes.
In order to make real improvement, I had think about how to optimize my physiology, specifically raise my aerobic threshold and sustain higher pace with less effort.
My goal in 2024 is to close the gap to the sport’s top performers. Counter-intuitively this has meant slowing down.
The Intensity Piece
During the winter ‘preparation’ block, I am spending about 90% of time in Z1/2, below the aerobic threshold. Re-establishing intensity hygiene is yielding results. Volume feels sustainable, paces are good, training is going into the body.
At first it can be frustrating to regulate intensity, but over time becomes natural. Comparing paces on the same loops, segments, and treadmill workouts to a year ago, I am moving faster at a lower intensity, critically moving swaths of time from Z3 → Z2.
This is progress. This is what I saw in Jon Albon, when he destroyed us at Les Templiers.
The cheaper it is for the body to run race-pace, the longer you can do it. While others are in the process of self-immolation, you are relaxed, making smart tactical decisions, staying on top of nutrition ect.
The Z2 Effect
Everyone benefits from working in Z2, but highly trained individuals with lots of time to train will be the ones who really profit.
Some observations:
Z2 begets Z2: The more you do, the more the body responds to the stimulus and integrates the ‘feel’ for this intensity.
Fuelling: The body uses a good mix of carbs and fat to make energy. This means you can go far without bonking and teaches the body metabolic efficiency.
Pacing: The goal of this training is to bring your speed up and effort level down. It may take a long time (months to years), but we shouldn’t be in a rush anyway.
Recovery: Because you can do a lot of volume, muscles get sore, but recovery is swift and efforts repeatable.
The Long Game
Fundamental to the practice of ultra-marathons is long duration, without a solid base, performance is always limited. This preparation phase is part of a sequential plan. As race season approaches, training intensity distribution will shift.
Creating a training pattern which continues to move physiological metrics over the course of years is the objective, and it feels I am on the right path.
Still plenty of work to do, so for now I’ll be in the mountains.