[Scott Johnston]

Hey Quentin.

Thanks for asking his very good question.  That’s a great training plan you have that Mike and I wrote.  It is one of the most popular plans we used to offer and many people have had great success with it.

First, the Anaerobic efforts.  The quote you mention from TftUA is correct. This training does make up a tiny fraction of the overall yearly volume.  These are essentially longer hill sprints.  They combine the training effect of power you were getting from the hill sprints with some of the muscular endurance benefits.

The debate about using aerobic endurance training (Z3, tempo) vs aerobic power training (sometimes called maxVO2 or Z4) is one that has no black-and-white answer.  What we’ve been seeing for the past few years with ultra runners, especially top-level ones like Tom Evans, is evidence that the benefits of being able to spend more time in Z3 during these “tempo”  workouts simulate more closely the intensity of the harder efforts during ultras.  Z4 training entails longer recovery and lower volume in individual workouts.  The athlete’s recover faster from the Z3 work than from Z4; it affects their overall training volume less than when we add Z4.

Where possible, we’re controlling the intensity of this training using lactate monitoring.  But with others, we’re giving them the guidance that these efforts should feel like 85%.  Like they have another gear if they wanted to run faster.

I think it would be easier for you to handle one long hill sprint workout and one long Z3 tempo run (for example, 3x15min on the terrain you feel the weakest on) in a week than the long hill sprint + Z4 intervals.

I hope this helps.

Scott