Speed Training

Speed training can improve efficiency Home News Tribune Online 11/3/05 VERA C. STEK Speed kills. That's what we're taught about driving, but some runners have taken this message to heart and say they don't or won't do any speedwork because they fear getting injured. Coach Tom Schaefer of Keansburg believes that running faster improves efficiency and running form. "I have heard people say "don't do speed training, you'll get hurt.' But by improving efficiency and form you can run farther and faster before succumbing to fatigue where running mechanics become compromised. Once fatigue sets in, the chance of an injury increases." Schaefer, 47, was a high school track and cross country runner in the early '70s who didn't start running again until his three children began doing cross country races. He's a grandfather now and his kids run for fitness. From 1995 to 2004 he ran and completed 24 marathons, among hundreds of other races, and retired from the distance at the age of 45 after he finished 10th overall and first in his age group in the Charlottesville (Va.) Marathon. Now he competes in track and road races in distances from 800 meters to 5 miles. A USATF-certified coach, Schaefer was founder and coach of the New Jersey Road Runners Youth Running program from 1999-2004. Since 2002 he has successfully coached hundreds of first-time and veteran marathoners and other runners, many of whom have achieved personal records under his program. It's all a matter of heart, or heart rate, and of performing the speed training properly. "By reducing foot contact with the ground by 1/100th of a second," Schaefer said, "you can reduce a 10K time by up to a minute. Again, the less time spent running, the chances of injury are reduced." The problem with speed training, generally referred to as interval training, is that athletes tend to approach it like a competition. "Proper interval training is done well within an athlete's capability; it is not a race." Schaefer explained that interval training originated in Europe in the 1930s by the coach-physiologist team of Waldemar Gerschler and Hans Reindell of Germany's Freiburg University. "Their belief was that in interval training the cardiovascular improvement occurs during the recovery phase when the heart rate is reduced from 170-180 to 120-140 beats per minute. "Interval running, when done properly, is not only scientifically sound, but is also the quickest and most efficient way to bring an athlete up to a high fitness level. Improperly applied interval training has led to this well proven system being blamed for athletes experiencing all kinds of difficulties and injuries," Schaefer said. "This is because careless application of interval running can cause injury." Schaefer offers some guidelines for interval training: The pace should be such that the athlete is able to complete the session without too much difficulty. The distance run in the fast interval should not be longer than the athlete can comfortably achieve at a required pace. The athlete should be able to repeat a distance during an interval session fairly comfortably. The recovery phase should be run at a comfortable pace between the fast intervals to assist in recovery, in other words jog the recoveries. Athletes should do their speed training individually to avoid the competition factor. During an interval session, Schaefer said, the fast interval should be run about 10 times, with the recovery interval determined by the time required for the athlete to recover physiologically, calculated by the pulse rate. "The aim is to run with sufficient speed to stimulate a highest pulse at the end of the fast interval of 180 beats per minute. When the heart rate has fallen to 120 beats per minute, the recovery is complete and the next fast interval can be run," he said. The distance of the race you are training for should correspond to the distance of the interval training, he said. "For example, a middle distance runner may do 100-400 meter intervals whereas a long distance runner may run 400-2000 meter intervals." This is Schaefer's busy season as a coach. "After Nov. 20 (Philadelphia Marathon), my work is done for this season," Schaefer said. He is head coach of the Asha Marathon Team based at Rutgers University and is currently coaching 37 people who are running marathons this fall, including 30 first timers. "For a first-time marathoner, the goal is to get to the starting line healthy and finish the marathon," Schaefer said. "Veteran marathoners usually are looking to improve their finishing times and some may wish to qualify for the Boston Marathon." Schaefer offers these tips for first-time marathoners: Follow a training plan, either with a coach or one of the generic plans from a Running magazine (Runners World) or running club (New York Road Runners). Even a bad plan is better than no plan. Stay with the training plan; don't change because you hear something different from another runner or source. During training eat healthful foods, drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest. Go to a reputable running shoe specialty store to insure you have the right shoe and the correct fit. Use two pairs of shoes and rotate them during training. The week prior to the marathon get extra rest and don't do any strenuous running or cross training. During the week prior to the marathon there's no training that will help you perform any better; too much will only hurt your performance on race day. On marathon day, don't do anything different than you've done during training. Make sure you eat the same things and wear the same shoes and clothing you have trained in. Already among his students Schaefer has a success story this fall. "Diana Burton of Middletown, at 60 years young, ran the Steamtown Marathon on Oct. 9 and finished in 4:25. She is a first-time qualifier for the Boston Marathon; that was her goal. I'm one happy coach," he said. In his own running, Schaefer said his goals are now in 800-meter to 5-mile races. "I'm relatively new to short distance racing. My 800-meter and 1 mile times continue to improve and I hope to continue to be competitive in my age group," he said. A production supervisor at Engineered Precision Casting in Middletown, Schaefer volunteer hours of time to the running community. He's the race director of the CJRRC 2006 Hangover Run 5K in Tamaques Park, Westfield, on New Year's Day. On Saturday mornings, he and his friend, Gerard Pearlberg, conduct free track workouts at Point Pleasant Beach. "I do not solicit athletes. If someone is interested in being coached by me, they will come to me," he said. He sums up his coaching philosophy this way: "Long term gradual progression training will produce significant improvement." For more information on the Asha Marathon Team, see www.ashanet.org/centralnj/events/marathon/index.htm. For more on coach Schaefer, see www.runningcoachtom.com. ATTENTION RUNNERS: Do you prefer the loneliness of the long distance runner, or do you like to do your long runs in a group? For a future column on the pros and cons of running alone versus with others, email your thoughts to runvera@verizon.net.