[Quentin]

Hello,

What should be prioritized between anaerobic endurance intervals and aerobic power intervals during the last specific training phase leading up to an ultramarathon race?

My question rose after I bought Mike Foote’s Big Vert plan from Uphill Athlete (sorry guys I bought it just before Evoke released Luke Nelson’s 100 Mile Plan). For information purposes, I prepare for a mountain marathon (42K / 2300m D+) in early August as I said in another post.

In the Big Vert plan, there are during the last specific training phase what seem to be anaerobic endurance intervals (following hill sprints during the base period) and no aerobic power intervals. As far as I understand (maybe wrongly), the high-intensity stuff is therefore composed of Z3 intervals and anaerobic endurance intervals. I don’t know if it’s the same for Luke Nelson’s plan.

However, in TFUA, it is stated on page 183 that “for most endurance athletes, [anaerobic endurance] training will make up only a tiny fraction of the yearly volume” and that “the benefits are small and the risks are high”. The guidelines are to add Z4 intervals when we can handle 10% of the total weekly time in Z3. I don’t know if the Z4 intervals encompass in this context anaerobic endurance intervals. When I first read TFUA, I understood Z4 intervals as aerobic power intervals / vo2 max workouts.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

Quentin.

[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

 

 

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