Determining Training Pace

This fall I am shifting from 100% easy running following the principles of the Maffetone training principles to an 80/20 approach. So with up to 20% of my training volume allotted for harder speed work, I share in this video how I determine the appropriate or target pace for my hard workouts.

Where I use a heart rate monitor to control the effort for easy runs to ensure I am running in the appropriate recovery and aerobic capacity building zone. For hard efforts I use a HRM to monitor the effort but I rely on pace as the primary driver for my speed work.

By using a recent race or hard effort I leverage the research and aerobic profile tables developed by Jack Daniels in his book, Daniels' Running Formula, to determine the appropriate training paces for the various types of hard workouts I incorporate into my training.

I've got my sights set on running another half marathon this October with the goal of running at a 7:30 pace.

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QUESTION OF THE DAY
* What is your approach to speed work?
* How do you determine the appropriate pace or effort?

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction
01:25 - Summary of My Fall Plan
03:16 - Pace Is My Primary Driver
04:13 - Use a Recent Race or Hard Effort to Calculate Pace
06:24 - Video: My Hard Segment Test
07:45 - Why I Use Daniels' Running Formula VDOT Tables
10:01 - My Projected Race Times Based on My VDOT
11:00 - My Training Paces Based on My VDOT
12:23 - Learning to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
14:21 - Final Thoughts

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#8020 #HalfMarathon #Running

[KeepRunningwithBK]

What is your approach to speed work? How do you determine the appropriate pace or effort?

[fishedits]

veryvery informative and helpful video. extremely useful to me as someone who is starting to take running a bit more seriously! great quality and planning for the video, it was exactly what i was looking for and needed help with 👍

[juliemckie]

Great informative video thanks BK - also some great camera angles, very impressive! I’ve spent the past 10 months training mostly slow building my mileage for my 100k ultra. But now that’s done I’m thinking about what’s next so I found this video very helpful - I’ll have to check the JD book out, I have a collection of running books but not that one!

[marykunes]

Interesting! Even the ducks are joining in. Really Aerobic conditioning, segment times and using hard pace. All inter-related. Cool aerial views!

[Burps___]

Hi BK. At 13:48 in your video, you mention that Daniels suggests 4 weeks before retesting or bumping VDot score by one. Has it been your experience that the actual testing does, in fact, translate to bumping the vDot score by one? That is to say, assuming no other variables like injury or unexpected breaks in training protocol, could a runner simply bump the VDot score by one point per month over, say, three months as part of a training protocol and be accurate with what the 1mile test would determine? I ask because the 1 mile test seems aggressive speed-wise, but short distance-wise, making in rather tough to shave much time from it month to month. If the VDot adjustment reality turns out to be one point per month, maybe more meaningful 1 mile test runs with more striking differences would be conducted every third month rather than monthly. Sorry so long lol. What do you think? Thanks.