Polarized training

91 watchers
Oct 2021
2:56pm, 28 Oct 2021
1,220 posts
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Big_G
I really like that beats/mile stat. Don’t think I’ve seen it anywhere else, except here.
Oct 2021
3:06pm, 28 Oct 2021
1,915 posts
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Brunski
Agree BigG, I used to work it out myself sometimes to compare runs and track progress so was made up when it got added to the training log.
Oct 2021
3:55pm, 28 Oct 2021
371 posts
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Bowman
I Looked at som faster runs I’ve done lately, and they where in the high 170
So yes, maybe I won’t look in to that to much. Just to have in the back of my mind. Thanks guys for the help!
Oct 2021
4:10pm, 28 Oct 2021
14,932 posts
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Cerrertonia
When I run faster, I have a higher cadence.


(Statement of the obvious coming) - running faster, pretty much by definition, has to involve higher cadence, or longer stride, or both.
Oct 2021
4:22pm, 28 Oct 2021
15,913 posts
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larkim
When I run faster, I have a higher cadence. (Statement of the obvious coming) - running faster, pretty much by definition, has to involve higher cadence, or longer stride, or both.

Indeed, that was more or less my point! I don't think about what I'm doing I just "run faster" and I can now see from Garmin data that that is both stride lengthening and cadence increases.
SPR
Oct 2021
4:35pm, 28 Oct 2021
35,554 posts
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SPR
Yes, I think Larkim was making the same point as me. IIRC correctly, Larkim runs at a high cadence though.

I can be running at 160-170 at 7mm+, ~180s for 5000 races, ~ 188 for 1500, 230s for hill sprints. Should check some track sprints data out actually.
Oct 2021
4:45pm, 28 Oct 2021
75,043 posts
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Gobi
I run most of the time around 180

But 5kms effort over 200

1500 up by 210

800 is up by 215

I peak up by 240

My stride length hits about 1.5m at full tilt and that's it
SPR
Oct 2021
4:50pm, 28 Oct 2021
35,555 posts
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SPR
Sounds similar to Larkim IIRC Gobi

scienceofrunning.com
Oct 2021
7:00pm, 28 Oct 2021
15,914 posts
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larkim
And there the similarity ends SPR ;-)

I consider my natural cadence my superpower - but it isn't pretty!
Oct 2021
7:22pm, 28 Oct 2021
75,046 posts
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Gobi
Lol

About This Thread

Maintained by Canute
Polarised training is a form of training that places emphasis on the two extremes of intensity. There is a large amount of low intensity training (comfortably below lactate threshold) and an appreciable minority of high intensity training (above LT).

Polarised training does also include some training near lactate threshold, but the amount of threshold training is modest, in contrast to the relatively high proportion of threshold running that is popular among some recreational runners.

Polarised training is not new. It has been used for many years by many elites and some recreational runners. However, it has attracted great interest in recent years for two reasons.

First, detailed reviews of the training of many elite endurance athletes confirms that they employ a polarised approach (typically 80% low intensity, 10% threshold and 10% high intensity. )

Secondly, several scientific studies have demonstrated that for well trained athletes who have reached a plateau of performance, polarised training produces greater gains in fitness and performance, than other forms of training such as threshold training on the one hand, or high volume, low intensity training on the other.

Much of the this evidence was reviewed by Stephen Seiler in a lecture delivered in Paris in 2013 .
vimeo.com

In case you cannot access that lecture by Seiler in 2013, here is a link to his more recent TED talk.

ted.com
This has less technical detail than his 2013 talk, but is nonetheless a very good introduction to the topic. It should be noted that from the historical perspective, Seiler shows a US bias.

Here is another useful video by Stephen Seiler in which he discusses the question of the optimum intensity and duration of low intensity sessions. Although the answer ‘depends on circumstances’ he proposes that a low intensity session should be long enough to reach the point where there are detectable indications of rising stress (either the beginning of upwards drift of HR or increased in perceived effort). If longer than this, there is increasing risk of damaging effects. A session shorter than this might not be enough to produce enough stress to achieve a useful training effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GXc474Hu5U


The coach who probably deserves the greatest credit for emphasis on the value of low intensity training was Arthur Lydiard, who coached some of the great New Zealanders in the 1960's and Scandinavians in the 1970’s. One of his catch-phrases was 'train, don't strain'. However Lydiard never made it really clear what he meant by ‘quarter effort’. I have discussed Lydiard’s ideas on several occasions on my Wordpress blog. For example: canute1.wordpress.com

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