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[[File:Supercompensation-small.png|right|thumb|500px| [[Supercompensation]] is the idea that exercise initially weakens the body, but it repairs itself to become stronger.]]
There is a natural human belief that if some is good, more is better. This idea is all too often false, and can be destructive with training. There's an old adage that "running does not make you a better runnerfitter, it's the rest that follows running that makes you a better runnerfitter". Getting the right balance of running and rest is a critical part of your training.
=Supercompensation and Monotony =
It's well accepted that exercise improves is a critical part of improving fitness, and there are many different [[Endurance Adaptations]] that occur. The primary mechanism for these adaptations is that exercise causes damage and this damage is repaired to be stronger than before the exercise. This is seen in the fatigue that occurs after exercise, and the need for rest. The term for this mechanism is [[Supercompensation]], and is a key principle for creating training programs. One way of evaluating a training program is {{TrainingMonotony}} which looks at the variation in daily training stress. Higher values of {{TrainingMonotony}} indicate that each day's training is similar, while lower values indicate greater variations. Higher levels of {{TrainingMonotony}} are associated with reduced benefits and a greater risk of [[Overtraining Syndrome]]. This need to optimize the ratio and timing of exercise and rest has been known for many years. Weight training regimes have exercised particular muscle groups on alternating days and most endurance training programs have used harder days and easier days.
=Easy Days and Junk Miles=
=Running Patterns=
There are various patterns of running that I would generally recommend. I'll use an abbreviation for the patterns, where each day is a character, with 'R' for a running day and 'x' for a day off or a cross training day. So "RxRxRxx" would be running the first, third and fifth days with the other four off.
* '''3 days/week (RxRxRxx)'''. This is the pattern used by [[FIRST]], which is the only marathon training plan I've found that has performed scientific studies to evaluate its effectiveness. Running 3 days/week requires that every days day is hard, and typically involves a [[Long Run]] and two speedwork days. The ratio of running to rest gives 2 days of rest, and these typically follow the long run.
* '''4 days/week (RxRxRRx)'''. Having two back to back running days allows for one training day that has incomplete recovery. Typically these two back to back days are used for long runs, so that the second day simulates a longer distance [[Long Run]].
* '''4 days/week (RRxRRxx)'''. It is possible to arrange 4 days/week as two sets of back to back days, but this is not common. If all the running days are [[Long Run]]s then fatigue will build up over the five RRxRR days, and the two consecutive rest days will be needed for recovery.
* '''3.5 days/week'''. Running every other day is a great pattern, but logistically it is hard to organize.
=Exceptions=
If your running is not hard enough to require 48 hours recovery, you may be better off running more often.
* If you have [[Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness| DOMS]], such as after a long race, more frequent [[Recovery Runs]] may help.
* During a [[Practical Tapering| Taper]] it may be appropriate to increase frequency while dramatically reducing intensity and duration. Currently there is insufficient evidence to reach a recommendation.
=Mental Health Runs=
One of the complaints concerning running 3 or 4 days/week is that every run is hard and therefore there is no running for fun. Sometimes a short, easy run can provide mental benefits, and these can be worthwhile overall, even if these "mental health runs" degrade the overall training program effectiveness.
=Overload Training=
Running hard or long everyday will build up cumulative fatigue as the body does not have sufficient time to recover. If this is kept up too longer, then some type of failure will occur; either injury or some form of [[Overtraining]]. However, it is possible to run for a number of days consecutively, building up deeper cumulative fatigue, and then taking a longer rest period. This is one of the principles of the [[Three Phase Taper]].
=Doubles=
Running 3 or 4 days/week does not mean running at most once per day. It can be effective or necessary to run more than once per day while running fewer days per week. Running more than once in a day can provide some of the training stress of a single longer run.
=Cross Training=
Running is different to many other forms of exercise because a [[Downhill Running| large portion of the training stress is eccentric]], and eccentric exercise tends to require a longer recovery period. Performing some non-eccentric cross training such as cycling may be possible between running days without unduly compromising recovery. The research performed with the [[FIRST]] training program suggests that this cross training may be useful.
=Training Plans=
The [[FIRST]] plan is based around running three days a week, and is the only plan I am aware of that has undergone scientific evaluation about its effectiveness. Hal Higdon's Advanced II Marathon<ref name="Hal"/> plan has 6 days of running, but two days are trivial. Jeff Galloway<ref name="Jeff"/> uses four days/week. The Runner's World beginners plan <ref name="RW"/>is four days/week. (The RW intermediary & advanced are 5 days.) [[Jack Daniels Running Formula| Jack Daniels]] defines just two work outs a week, and leaves it up to you how you fit in the other miles.
=Training Frequency, Recovery, & Gains=A study of six untrained subjects looked at how training frequency effected both recovery and gains in fitness<ref name="Busso-2002"/>. The study compared intermittent cycle training three times per week (low frequency) with training five times per week (high frequency). The low frequency training had a recovery time of 0.9 days, but the high frequency had a recovery time of 3.6 days. In addition, the high frequency training produced lower benefits from the training effort.
=Active Recovery=
What about 'active recovery'? This is the idea that low intensity exercise improves recovery from high intensity exercise. In the context of easy exercise on the day after hard exercise, I've only found one scientific study <ref name="neuro"/><ref name="ActiveAndersson-2008"/> and that indicated that active recovery does nothing to help. An analysis of the evidence on active recovery noted that "evidence that active recovery enhances recovery between training sessions is currently lacking"<ref name="Barnett-2006"/>. Note that "Active Recovery" can have other meanings:
* 'Active Recovery' can refer to doing low intensity exercise between the work periods of [[Introduction to Interval Training| Interval Training]], which is effective.
* Doing gentle exercise immediately after intense exercise as a [[Cooldown]] may have some benefits. There is anecdotal evidence that walking for 20-30 minutes after a [[Long Run]] reduces [[Muscle| muscle]] soreness.
=How Often I Run=
I did my first ultra in 2005 using a fairly conventional pattern of running. I would run six days a week, with two days as the long run back-to-back days. Around July 2008 I started to focus on making my hard days harder and my easy days easier. Gradually this became more extreme, and I won my first race in April 2009. In August 2009 I started running 4 days/week and I found my performance continue to improve. I tried [[Notes from a high mileage experiment| running more frequently]] for six months and found it ineffective and counterproductive.
* I have found the most effective pattern for me is to run four days a week. I aim to run 16-27 miles, which gives me lots of long running, with enough rest to support that mileage.
** If I'm recovering, either from a race or injury, I will often run short distances more frequently. This sometimes includes recovering from [[Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness]].
* Occasionally I will run twice a day, but typically the second run is for [[Heat Acclimation Training]] rather than to fit in extra miles.
[[File:RunningFrequency.png|none|thumb|500px|This is a histogram of how frequently I've been running in 2013. As you can see, I normally run 4 days/week, though I sometimes run more frequently as noted above.]]
=The Psychology of Running Frequency=
Running 3-4 days a week is not just tough physically; it's tough mentally as well. Obviously it is tough to run hard enough to need the 48 hours recovery. However, the feeling that days off mean not doing enough, or that a rest day will cause fitness to dissipate is corrosive.
=See Also=
* [[Supercompensation and Why exercise does not make you fit]]
* [[Recovery Runs]]
* [[FIRST]]
=References=
<references>
<ref name="neuroBarnett-2006">A. Barnett, Using recovery modalities between training sessions in elite athletes: does it help?, Sports Med, volume 36, issue 9, pages 781-96, 2006, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18202563 http:16937953 16937953]<//wwwref><ref name="Andersson-2008">H. Andersson, T. Raastad, J.ncbiNilsson, G.nlmPaulsen, I.nihGarthe, F.gov/pubmed/18202563 Kadi, Neuromuscular fatigue and recovery in elite female soccer: effects of active recovery., Med Sci Sports Exerc, volume 40, issue 2, pages 372-80, Feb 2008, doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31815b8497 10.1249/mss.0b013e31815b8497], PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18202563 18202563]</ref><ref name="ActiveBusso-2002">T. Busso, H. Benoit, R. Bonnefoy, L. Feasson, JR. Lacour, Effects of training frequency on the dynamics of performance response to a single training bout., J Appl Physiol (1985), volume 92, issue 2, pages 572-80, Feb 2002, doi [http://evidencebasedfitnessdx.doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.blogspot00429.com2001 10.1152/2008japplphysiol.00429.2001], PMID [http:/02/rest-vs-active-recoverywww.ncbi.nlm.nih.html Rest v Active Recoverygov/pubmed/11796666 11796666]</ref>
<ref name="Jeff">http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html</ref>
<ref name="Hal">http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/advanced2/advancedII.htm</ref>
<ref name="RW">http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-2-3X5X7-4,00.html</ref>
</references>