JUNE 2017 89Jim Ryun, the last American to
hold the mile world record, did
the same workout in the 1960s
(and also did as many as 40).
The 400m repeats were ideal, he
says, because it’s short enough
that you can run pret y fast, but
you can recover and do it again
and again. Here’s how to harness
the power of repetition in your
own training.- BUILD GRADUALLY
Start with a more modest
workout like 10×400, and
repeat the workout every
week or two, adding two to
four repeats each time. Plan to
hit 20×400 four to six weeks
before a goal race.
Alternatively, if you’re
focused on shorter races like
5km, you might start with
shorter, speedier intervals,
progressing from 20×200 to
20×300 to 20×400, each time
with a 200m jog recovery. - BE CREATIVE
Of course, there’s nothing
magical about 20×400. While
the symmetry of running
exactly one lap around the
AA few years ago, a team of
researchers combed through
four decades of training studies
to determine the most e ective
type of interval workout. The
sweet spot for boosting aerobic
fi tness, they determined, was
repeats that lasted three to
fi ve minutes each.
So it was a surprise when the
leader of that team, Mayo Clinic
physiologist and training guru
Michael Joyner, promoted a
very di erent workout in a
recent blog post. He suggested
building up to doing 20x400m
with a 200m jog after each
repeat. Depending on your
pace, each repeat might take
somewhere between one and
two minutes – shorter than
the “optimal” length.
But the benefi ts, he argued,
are as much “spiritual or
philosophical” as they are
physiological.
So many stops and starts
demand a hyperfocused
state of mind and cultivate
a meditative rhythm – and
the physical challenge of
completing the workout
leaves you with a sense of
mastery that you’ll bring
to your next race.
This type of workout has a
long and colourful pedigree. Emil
Zatopek, who won the 5000m,
10000m and marathon at the
1952 Olympics, reportedly ran
20x400 with 200m recovery
every day before the 1948
Olympics, with hard 200m
repeats before and after. Before
the 1952 Games, he upped it to
40x400 daily.
The actual
distance
covered isn’t
crazy; it’s
the mental
challenge of
breaking it up
into so many
pieces that
makes it
daunting.
UPGRADE
YOUR
STRIDE
MAKE THESE TWEAKS FOR
A MORE COMFORTABLE
RUN AND TO REDUCE THE
RISK OF INJURY.Defy gravity
Reduce the amount of
time each foot is on the
ground. While you run,
think about pulling your
leg backwards just as
your foot makes contact
with the ground. A
typical plodder lands,
stands and then thrusts
backwards.Bounce less
Imagine a low ceiling
5cm above your head. It'll
keep your gait smooth
andecient. You don't
want up-and-down; you
want forward.Shorten your stride
Around eight in 10
recreational runners
overstride, according to
Alan Hreljac, a professor
of biomechanics
at California State
University at Sacramento.
This creates a thudding,
braking ef ect. To correct
it, lean your entire body
slightly forward as you
run. Your feet will land a
lit le closer to your body.- Ma Fitzgerald
track is appealing, you can also
hit the roads or trails for a
comparable session like a 20 x
one minute hard, one minute
easy fartlek. The exact details
and terrain aren’t the point.
One year, my teammates
and I did a weekly Saturday
morning hill workout that
started with six ascents of a
steep 55-second hill in January
and progressed to 20 in April- with the pace undiminished.
- PACE YOURSELF
PATIENTLY
How could athletes like Emil
and Jim possibly run 40
repeats? It’s simple: They
ran them at a sustainable
pace. Learning to distribute
your e ort over the course of
the workout is one of the keys
to success.
One helpful trick is to divide
the workout into four sets
of fi ve repeats each, with an
extra 200m of jogging after
each set. (This will also help
you keep track of how many
you’ve done.) Run the fi rst
set at 10K pace, then try to
make each successive set a
lit le quicker.
Still, the overall e ort
should remain controlled.
Michael recommends
following the “no-bend-over”
rule: If you have to stop and
put your hands on your knees
to catch your breath before
starting your recovery jog,
you’re going too hard. - KEEP PERSPECTIVE
As hard as this workout
sounds, it’s worth
remembering that 20×400
only adds up to around 8km
of hard running – no di erent
from a common workout like
fi ve times 1.6km. The actual
distance covered isn’t crazy;
it’s the mental challenge of
breaking it up into so many
pieces that makes it daunting.
That’s why Michael
emphasises the importance
of fi nding the right head
space, with a mix of self-
control, relaxation and
focus. When you can fi nish
the workout feeling tired
but triumphant, rather than
shat ered, you’ll know you
are ready to race.