VO2max

The monthly newsletter of RunCoachJason.com

Jason Karp, professional coach, consultant, freelance writer

September, 2005

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In this issue:

Integrating Science with Application—Tapering

VO2max and Altitude

Research

In Press

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Integrating Science with Application—Tapering

If you’re planning on running a marathon this fall, chances are you’re already thinking about your taper.  Research has shown that tapering results in changes in biological markers that reflect a reduced training stress and an increased recovery, and that improved performance (from 0.5% to 6%) is more likely to occur after a period of reduced training. 

 

Most studies on tapering in runners have examined the effect of 1-week tapers on short distance events, and have found that the intensity of training is more important than either the training volume (weekly mileage) or frequency.  Reductions in mileage up to 60-90% have been found to be beneficial.  So you can reduce both your weekly mileage and the number of days you run per week as long as you keep the intensity high.  For example, studies using a low volume/high intensity taper for 1 week (e.g., an 85% reduction in mileage and 5x500 meters at 800-meter race pace with 6-7 minutes recovery, decreasing by 1 rep each day for 5 days) have found improvements in running economy and 5-K performance, and increases in aerobic enzyme activity, blood volume, and time to fatigue at 1,500-meter race pace compared to a moderate-volume/low-intensity taper (e.g., 6 miles at 60% VO2max, decreasing by 1.25 miles each day for 5 days) or a taper with no running at all.  There has been little research on the effect of tapering on long-distance running, with one study finding that tapering (85% reduction in mileage for 1 week) did not affect half-marathon performance (run on a treadmill to control for other variables), and that performance was similar to that of runners who didn’t taper.    

 

The duration of your taper is one of the most difficult aspects to determine since the answer will vary for each runner.  It depends on the severity of the training load, your level of fatigue, and the distance of your upcoming race.  Also, the time frame separating the benefits of a successful taper from the negative consequences of insufficient training has not been clearly established by research.  Research on swimmers has revealed that 2 weeks seems to be the longest time to receive the benefits of a taper before detraining begins, with many athletes needing longer to fully recover from hard training.  Before a marathon, most people taper for 2 to 3 weeks, using a 1-week taper before shorter races. 

 

In addition to the research, many of my decisions concerning the taper depend on the strengths and weaknesses of my athletes and what has yielded positive results in the past.  I typically have my athletes begin cutting their mileage 3 weeks before the marathon (or up to a week later if they haven’t been running high mileage), with the first week at 70% of peak training mileage, the second week at 50%, and the week of the marathon at 35% (not counting the marathon itself).  I keep the intensity high during the first week, including one interval workout at 3K-5K race pace and one moderately-long run (13-15 miles) with about half at lactate threshold pace.  I begin to decrease the intensity slightly during the second week, including two short- to medium-distance runs (5-10 miles) at marathon race pace.  The week of the race, I include one interval workout early in the week at either lactate threshold pace or slightly faster, cutting back on the distance of the intervals and the number of reps.  The final week also includes a daily progressive reduction in mileage that mirrors the pattern of the weekly reduction.

 

So if you’re running a marathon this fall, take care in planning your taper—and good luck on race day!   

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VO2max and Altitude

If you’ve ever run at altitude, you know it can be a humbling experience.  Ever wonder why you run slower at altitude than at sea-level?  The decrease in performance in endurance events (1,500 meters and longer) at altitude is largely attributable to the altitude-associated decrease in VO2max.  Because there is less oxygen available to the muscles at altitude (because of the lower barometric pressure) and maximal cardiac output is lower, VO2max is lower than at sea level.  The reduction in VO2max at altitude is greater in better runners because they exhibit a greater decrease in hemoglobin’s oxygen saturation.  In other words, the more an athlete has to begin with, the more he or she has to lose.  Since your VO2max is lower at altitude, running at the same pace as at sea level will feel harder because you’re running at a higher percentage of your (new) VO2max. 

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Research

My recent research examined the efficacy of drinking chocolate milk for recovery between long, intense workouts.  The full scientific article, Chocolate Milk as a Post-Exercise Recovery Aid, co-authored with five of my colleagues, has recently been accepted for publication in International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

 

The full scientific article of my research on the athletes who qualified for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, Training Characteristics of U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifiers, has recently been submitted for publication in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.  

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In Press...

Much has been written about strength training for the runner—everything from lunges while holding dumbbells to calf raises on the edge of a stair to endless repetitions of abdominal crunches while balancing on a big, lime green exercise ball.  Does anyone else reading these training suggestions ever wonder if they will really lead to a new 5-K or marathon PR?  Strength Training and the Distance Runner: A Scientific Perspective, my article on how strength training for power can improve your running, with sample programs for strength and plyometric training, appears in the October, 2005 issue of Running Times, on newsstands now. 

 

Many coaches tell their runners to focus on breathing rhythmically. Chances are they already do that, as many animals coordinate, or entrain, their breathing patterns to their locomotive rhythm.  Lungs and Legs, my article on the entrainment of breathing to stride rate in distance runners, appears in the Fall, 2005 issue of Track Coach magazine.

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©2005 Jason Karp.  All rights reserved.