AEROBIC VS. ANAEROBIC:
✨BY RACE DISTANCE✨
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If you are training for the 1 mile all the way up to the marathon and beyond (which is most of us amateur runners!), you should be training your AEROBIC system far more than your ANAEROBIC system
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🔥AEROBIC SYSTEM: This is the predominant system used for races longer than 3 minutes. This system produces energy via OXYGEN. The aerobic system doesn’t create nearly as much power as other systems, but its capacity is virtually endless. It just keeps creating ATP! 😱
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🔥ANAEROBIC SYSTEM: This is the predominant system used for races less than 3 minutes. This system does NOT need oxygen to produce energy. It uses energy stored in the cells. There are limited amounts of stored energy in the cells, which is why you can only use this system for very short periods of time⚡️
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✅1 Mile: 80% aerobic, 20% anaerobic
✅5k: 84% aerobic , 16% anaerobic
✅10k: 90% aerobic, 10% anaerobic
✅Half Marathon: 97.5% aerobic, 2.5% anaerobic
✅Marathon: 97.5% aerobic, 2.5% anaerobic
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You can see why it is more helpful to train your AEROBIC system for 1 mile to the marathon and up 👍
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(**This research was done by Paul Gastin in 2001 → “Energy System Interaction and Relative Contribution During Maximal Exercise”**)
⚡️TOP FUELING PICKS⚡️
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Finding what fuel works for YOU for long runs and races is KEY! What works for your friend might not work for you. Finding the right combination of water, sports drinks, and gels/chews can take some time to figure out. Experiment with different fuel on your long runs so by race day, you’ve got your strategy DOWN❗️
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IMPORTANT THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:👇
✅CONSISTENCY: All of the gels, chews, and drink mix options have different consistencies! Some might gross you out while others you can easily tolerate. Find what you like!
✅CONCENTRATION: Taking in a super concentrated gel can be troublesome for the stomach! Taking gels with water helps dilute them, and some runners even prefer a fuel source like Maurten that is already less concentrated than a typical gel
✅FLAVORS: Some flavors might make you gag while others you can easily tolerate! Everyone is so different with this. Find what you like!
✅ENERGY SOURCE: What is the main energy source in your gel? Some brands have a mixture of glucose and fructose. Some utilize maltodextrin. You might better tolerate one over the other!
✅CAFFEINE: Some gels have caffeine in them. Many runners swear by the boost they get from a caffeinated gel during their long runs and races!
✅”REAL” FOOD: You may opt for real food instead of the traditional gels! You certainly don’t HAVE to use the packaged gels or drink mixes. Options like dates and applesauce are popular. The purpose is to take in an easily digestible carbohydrate source, which you can do with real food 🧃🍬🍌
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TOP PICKS:👇
✅Maurten
✅Huma
✅Skratch Labs
✅Gu
✅SIS (Science in Sport)
✅Spring Energy
✅Clif
✅Honey Stinger ❓What are YOUR favorite brands or foods to eat during long runs and races❓Drop them in the comments below!👇
VIRTUAL RACES Q&A 😃
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❓SHOULD YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE VIRTUAL RACES?
✅There’s no right or wrong answer here! These virtual races are great for fitness checkpoints to see how you’re progressing. They also help to prevent getting rusty from racing! Practicing that mental race preparation and the physical act of racing is important to do every few months 💪
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❓HOW CAN WE MAKE THESE VIRTUAL RACES FUN?
✅Get creative with the planning! Utilize mapmyrun.com or another route planning app to find your perfect route. Give yourself a sense of freedom to choose the course you want. Talk to other runners and see what courses they have used in your area! Decide if you want to challenge yourself on a hilly route or get a fast time on a flat or downhill route 🙌
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❓DOES THE PR COUNT?
✅The PR is for YOU! If you feel that it counts, then YES! As amater runners, it’s all about 🔥YOU vs. YOU🔥
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❓SHOULD YOU STOP YOUR WATCH?
✅The best option is to find a route with minimal need to stop, so one with less intersections, pedestrians, etc. If you can’t do that and have to stop your watch, then use your ELAPSED time instead of your MOVING time (you can find the two different numbers on your GPS watch or Strava) •
❓HOW MANY VIRTUAL RACES IS TOO MANY?
✅You can sign up for all the virtual races that you want and run them, but choose a select few as your “A” goal races and run the other ones easy so you aren’t overdoing it! It can be easy to jump into all of them, so choose the ones you are most excited about to actually “race”!
A CASE AGAINST RUNNING LONG RUNS AT RACE PACE🏃♂️🏃♀️
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Raise your hand if this thought has crossed your mind: “If I want to run my race at a certain pace, I need to run that pace during my long runs in practice to know I can do it on race day.” 🙋♀️ It seems logical, right⁉️
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👉HOWEVER, long runs at an easy pace are already a huge stress on the body. Adding in race pace work is just an additional stress. Having a hard workout or two during the week PLUS a long run workout should be done sparingly to not cross the line into overtraining 🙅🏼
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👇WHAT TO DO INSTEAD:👇
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✅FOCUS ON QUALITY WORK DURING THE WEEK: On the weeks that you are doing your long runs at EASY PACE (which should be most of them), focus on the quality race pace work during the week
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✅EMPHASIZE THE TRAINING PLAN AS A WHOLE: Many runners put too much emphasis on the long run. The training plan as a WHOLE is what’s most important. Those easy miles during the week aren’t “junk miles”. They are incredibly important for building your aerobic base so you have a strong foundation to then be able to RUN FAST! 🙌
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✅REMEMBER THAT EASY PACE AND HALF/FULL RACE PACE ARE ALL AEROBIC: Easy pace is aerobic. Half marathon pace is aerobic. Marathon pace is aerobic. All of these paces are working the SAME cardiovascular system. Marathon/half marathon pace is just at the TOP end of that aerobic system. Running easy WILL help you achieve your goal! 🔥
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✅YOU CAN STILL DO SOME OF YOUR LONG RUN MILES AT RACE PACE: You can do SOME race pace work during SOME of your long runs. Not during every long run, and certainly not for the entirety of the run. There are several different workouts that incorporate race pace. Your body does need to get a feel for what that pace is, but you don’t need to be doing miles upon miles at that pace. Doing so will push you over the edge into overtraining or an injured state. ❌Don’t leave your race in a workout!❌
