3 Powerful Ways PRO Athletes Run Faster for Longer

[@JamesDunne]

If you're interested in the science behind the research I mentioned, I've linked to a document containing references in the description of this video!

[@user_qwerty1990]

C A D E N C E ! I just got mine from 166 to 182 (with the help of a new watch). Got a sizable speed boost and even greater heart rate effect. Did 30k with heart rate of 155 instead of habitual 170 while still breathing through the same nostrils)) Hamstrings were on fire afterwards 😅

[@inatehex]

I am absolutely loving the content on this channel. Thanks again!!

[@JamesDunne]

Glad you enjoy it! Thank you for the support :)

[@tommytp85]

Hi James! Great presentation, you're great when you're talking to the camera like this.

[@JamesDunne]

Thanks, Iain! I'm pleased to hear you enjoy the format :) Thanks for the support.

[@irishmusiccentral]

This video is so accurate, my 5K time is 22min yet marathon time is 4hr17. Thanks for the training tips

[@IFoundGodInEminem]

Do you run the whole marathon? Or walk at times?

[@irishmusiccentral]

​@@IFoundGodInEminemwalked several times in the last half. Under fueling is prob another area to improve on.

[@adamlarson9692]

Loving all the recent videos James. It’s just what I’ve been needing

[@adventuredogs8773]

Thanks James, looking forward to trying these. I am only experienced in interval training HIIT and Tabata style dealing in seconds rather than minutes. I've never tried VO2 Max run training, but really keen to see how I get on 😊

[@keithfletcher5024]

Thanks James,love the content,will be doing your examples especially the VO max.

[@mattheworr7059]

Excellent summary of all important items

[@HristoGochev]

Hey James, first I wanted to let you know I found the video from an email you sent me. I love the channel and I recently for the BPR programm! So to the question- how does "building the engine" translates to trail ultra marathons where you can spend days in the mountain. You can't talk about target paces at all. What do you think should be done in training for 100K or a 100M race with lots of climbing? Should it be all about endurance?

[@kinchma]

For low HR training - Do you target the "average" heart rate of your run in zone 2 or the ENTIRE run not exceeding zone 2?

[@ttb1513]

I believe the goal is to not exceed zone 2 for the entire run. At least according to folks like Peter Attia. The idea is that once your lactate levels build beyond those in zone 2, the mitochondria building benefits, etc. are no longer the same as zone 2. It can be so hard to stay in zone 2 tho.

[@suppersday]

Great video. Something I'm struggling with though, I can run 5km+ comfortably at 6:00/km, with 5:00/km being my "race pace", and it feels pretty easy and aerobic, can keep a conversation going but it's obvious I'm working out. But my HR is ~160 which would be way over my zone 2. If I run at zone 2, so down below 140bpm (I'm 30) I am crawling, like 8:00+/km, so I've been doing Maffetone training so not going above 150bpm where I can run between 7-7:30/km. And yes this feels really easy, but this means there's a huge gap between zone II ish speed, and tempo speed. And how do I then do tempo/threshold training when 6:00/km feels really easy, but is wayyy above my zone II? The gap seems huge between zone II speed and race speed, and it's really hard to determine how fast I should be running for different types of workouts.

[@mikiks12]

Hi James, I'm preety new to running but I'm quite dedicated to improving my technique. Can I kick with my knee, so it's completely straight for a second or should I try to avoid such a movement? All the best

[@rubarb1275]

I’ve followed the 80/20 approach for the last 18 months, and have seen some small improvements. But this has been undone by a couple of periods (both about 1 to 2 weeks) where I couldn’t run through illness or injury. It is disheartening to find myself now back at the same fitness before I started this nearly 2 years ago. Will my aerobic fitness return quicker than before? At nearly 50 years old I don’t have time to spend another year or two making slow progress!

[@wertacus]

Depending on the injury, consider cycling or rowing for aerobic fitness maintenance. It's less specific but much better than sitting around. You can do significantly less volume to keep from making injuries worse at a maintenance level without losing fitness

[@rubarb1275]

@@wertacus Thanks. I walk everyday and have specific physio exercises to do twice per day, and I do non-impact training (swim, cycle, and weights). The cardio work though just doesn’t seem to maintain running fitness unfortunately.

[@wertacus]

@rubarb1275 well your heart won't shrink and your blood volume comes back pretty quick, so hopefully you'll be in good form much faster following your injury. Best luck!

[@SRangerMtl]

Yes it will return quicker than before. As for improvements: do you do long intervals at threshold pace every week? Tempos are not enough: you'll remain stuck at the pace you're already able to run at. Hard long intervals are key. But they incur a higher risk of injury.

[@bigstick8699]

With that mindset you're doomed.

[@paulfulbrook8220]

I'm 49 yrs old and use a Garmin Fenix 7...I wonder if my VO2 max level will jump up when I hit 50yrs old? My VO2 Max is currently 47 and has on,y just teacher "excellent"....

[@Marathoner_RC390_NEXONowner]

Well proved things ❤

[@Stigmah]

I've been told recently by a high level biomechanics coach that when I race my arms dont come down and cross the midline of my body at the same time that my foot on the same side strikes and my hip drops. Apparently my arm swing is slightly delayed. How important is this for running economy as I have been working hard recently to fix this?

[@koen-2160]

Isn't 4 minutes at "max 10 minute effort" a very hard interval? I'm currently training for a 17.30 5k, with my hardest training being 6x 1k. Your suggestion would mean my VO2 max intervals would be faster than my 5k speed, but also longer intervals. That's a killer

[@miketkong2]

Pretty sure that’s what he’s saying. Blast it out for 4 minutes straight. Yes, it’s very hard. Definitely faster than your 5k speed. It sucks. My least favorite kind of training.

[@ian4iPad2]

I don’t get lactate threshold. What am I looking for to tell me I’m approaching it without exceeding it? If I manage to run well in zone 4, should I push through into zone 5 looking for the threshold? There’s no way I can afford lab testing so I need an intuitive sense of where it’s at (like conversation pace for zone 2).

[@perman07]

I think "comfortably hard" is the tag line, because in principle you're clearing your lactate. I get really warm ans sweaty working around that pace, and it's kind of a pace you feel like you can hold for a long time, but don't want to. A common LT test is an all out steady state 30 min time trial. Average heart rate the last 20 minutes is about your lactate threshhold heart rate.

[@ITIS2000MAN]

​@@perman07 can I just ask what you mean by 'all out steady state'. Thank you.

[@bigstick8699]

Zones are generalized and a rough point to go of but don't rely on it exclusively. Let me give you an example with BMR. at 5'6 and 180lbs your considered obese but if you're a professional football player or wrestler, this may not mean the same. Regarding lactic threshold, the way you feel it is slight burning sensation in the muscle. When you enter anaerobic, you're entering the non-oxygen stage which will release lactic acid. On a severe case if you're running fast, you'll feel that burn kick in much faster and harder I've several 100 feet and are forced to stop running while breathing hard. So the lactic threshold is on somewhere on the lower end where you feel a tiny tiny burn but can push through it got long distance. Training in this specific range is where overtime you can faster and longer. Pulse is also very generalized and I think I've you start running you should focus more on how up feel and internalize those feelings for what works.

[@tacoyaky8872]

You said that an 8 out of 10 is an effort you can maintain for max of 10 minutes? Isn't 8-9 RPE the recommended effort for a 5k race? So the max most people should be able to hold that should be 20-30 minutes, right?

[@Jcuzz88]

Yeah I’m gassed after a 8-9 effort 5k

[@rexdub1040]

Yeah but 5k at race pace isn’t something you should be doing every week. Too intense

[@rexdub1040]

Doing intervals at 5k race pace is actually more like a lactate threshold session but this is splitting hairs (and the session will definitely increase your vO2max)

[@bensonvong]

I have always thought of effort as the entirety in that it is pace + duration. So if you can sustain 3:30 for 10 minutes and you run at 3:30 for 10, that would be 10 RPE. But if you ran 3:30 for 5, that might be 7-8 RPE. Like in lifting, say 8x225 lbs is 8-9 RPE, that is looking at the effort of the entire 8 reps. If you just do 1 rep of 225, obviously that wouldn’t be 8-9 RPE/effort.

[@Im_Procrastinating]

​@rexdub1040 but, parkrun!

[@MrJDeJesus]

I have tried the Zone 2 running pace to be able to run faster at a low heart rate and every single time it leaves me with sore knees and worry about future consequences if I continue. Can I do the same training with swimming and biking and if so…how? Thanks

[@bigstick8699]

Yes that's what you call cross training.

[@lindsaybelderson7735]

I'll have to look at doing "killer K's" then as this would take about 3:45 for me

[@scoobysnaks94]

Here from an email

[@SuccessMentalitywins]

im new to running i started this week, today i did 6k and woke up at 6am to do it, but i dont have shoes to run in so i have been running in crocs and im not sure if its actually that important, but if someone could lmk that would be appreciated

[@dudeshiya]

This is a very misleading content. Zone 2 for most beginner runners and even recreational runners if based on HR is basically walking pace, which puts loads of stress on tendons, etc. If you want to run faster, then DO LONG RUNS of at least 1H (but ideally more than that) to improve endurance and interval sessions & tempo to improve speed and threshold. Don't run based on HR cause it is not a very reliable, as it depends on too many factors such as sleep, hydration, temperature, etc. Run based on pace or power zones are accurately measurable.

[@ashleysanders1472]

Since May I have been training for a half marathon. My hr is 175-180 average. I am making no gain in pace. Yes I can go further in distance but my pace is continuously getting worse. I took a small couple day break and it was catastrophic. Basically square one. I can not run at a lower heart rate but increasing the pace increases my heart rate to the point I can't breathe. Lower heart rate is the only way I'll improve

[@dudeshiya]

@@ashleysanders1472 That means that you had no structured program. You only run at high intensity always, which was bad. When I started running, I couldn't even finish a 5k without stopping. Then after 3-4 weeks I managed to run a whole 5k without stopping with a 7:45mn/km pace ish, but with high hr around 172. Six months later, I run a 10k with 6:02mn/km pace with a hr average of 164. Now, I run a 5k at 5:00 pace easily with a heart rate averaging 160. My program is 80-20 program. 80% of my runs will be done at low intensity to increase mileage and therefore have consistency. But the 20% will be done at high intensity, either interval, threshold or fartlek. These high intensity really helped me. But you can't abuse on them and do them every training session, as it will stress your body and will not help in reducing your hr if abused. Finally, each of these low intensity and high intensity sessions need to measurable. For instance, if you have an easy run at 7:00 mn/km, in two weeks, you should increase that pace by no more than 10%. Similarly, for the high intensity. Also, never skip your long distance run. It is critical.

[@ashleysanders1472]

@dudeshiya you are absolutely correct. When I signed up for the race (It's a charity event), there was a provided training plan however the way it was structured was a row that told us the intensity for that run(easy, hard, or long) and then the date with how many miles. So ideally enough information for the person that understands the fundamentals of running. Me just starting everything was just hard for me to do and I assumed it was to be that way because I wasn't strong enough. Until I started researching the science of running. I definitely was going our way way way too hard. In the last two weeks I've spent more time in zone 1,2, and 3 and my average pace for my long run last week was at around 12:30/mile and my only stipulation I followed was I need to do all breathing through my nose(for me that's a sure fire way to gauge my effort without constantly looking at my watch). This week I structured my hard day into a fartlek and my plan for it actually ended up being easier than I thought. Two weeks ago it would not have been achievable. And learning as a runner I have "permission" to walk was huge. I had so much information at my finger tips but I think it would have been more beneficial if with the schedule there would have been some information of what easy meant besides "conversational" pace and hard having examples.