Importance of Roadwork

[Bauer]

I would like to clarify that I was not suggesting training only interval instead of long distance. If you only train interval, you are selling yourself short and the same for distance. I believe that a well-trained fighter would train both.

For you guys out there with knee issues, I know it was said earlier, but the elliptical machine has been a lifesaver for me in the past when I was having knee pain, and it is a great alternative to running. One thing about the elliptical, however, is that you can do a lot more "distance" on it than you can outside, so make sure to crank up the resistance and go until are really gassed out.

I briefly mentioned swimming in one of my previous posts, and am thinking about writing a separate thread about it. Swimming can do so much for your cardiovascular fitness and build on some muscles that are important to MT, most notably the shoulders. Also, if you typically experience any sort of pain, it will not be an issue in the water.

[bigred389]

It's interesting to note (though a little off topic) that Roger Banister never actually ran a full mile in training when he was training to break the 4 minute mile. He did lots of wind sprints over shorter distances in order to make his cardio endurance as strong as it could be.

Excellent point.

Anybody trying to improve speed quickly trains by sprinting.

Chugging out mile after mile at the same easy pace only conditions yourself to get more and more comfortable at that pace.

I've also taken a break from sprint and interval roadwork, and i've also noticed my cardio during training has gone down the tubes. I can't hit with good power for sustained periods of time any more...maybe about 20-30 seconds of full speed per round then I'm forced to go defensive b/c I gas. Not fun.

[Tom Yum]

It's interesting to note (though a little off topic) that Roger Banister never actually ran a full mile in training when he was training to break the 4 minute mile. He did lots of wind sprints over shorter distances in order to make his cardio endurance as strong as it could be.

I've come to this conclusion by trial and error.

Here's a wikipedia account of Bannister's training:

"As a medical student at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, Roger Bannister chose to use his lunch hour for a 9 minute jog to Paddington track, where he ran 10 X 400 m in about 60 s (each) with two minutes rest, then he ran back to work. The whole procedure took 46 minutes, leaving him 14 minutes to eat his lunch."