Virtual Racing and work capacity? (5 min read)

Virtual Racing

I've struggled to become motivated for the virtual racing, but did take part in the Milton Keynes 'Semi-Virtual' Half Marathon as part of the re-arranged Inter-Services Championships. Semi virtual meant that we ran the actual course on the same day as others, but set off at different times in small groups to ensure social distancing. The race app would monitor our times and give us race directions around a twisty course. This meant with had the extra annoyance of carrying our phones, while we dodged other walkers and attempted to navigate the route. Never the less, it was good to get the racing flats on and run with others. I ran a controlled race at marathon place and finished 1st in 70min (Although Mike Kallenberg was going quicker until he took a wrong turn). Thanks to MK running events for this race. 

Results

What's next? After the Wrexham elite marathon, being the latest event to be cancelled. I'm going to salvage my training by running a Half Marathon in Newbury as part of a Run Through event on 17 Oct 20. After that I will take a break before starting a winter block of training, for what ever races may happen in Dec/Jan.

MK HM Trophy

Work capacity is the amount of specific training you can complete and recover from in order to super compensate and positively adapt the body.

Plan A:
Is it better to go very hard in one training session a week, with amazing splits and be unable to do anything other than easy running for the next 3 days?

or,

Plan B:

Is it better to run 3 of your sessions that week, at a pace within yourself (85%) and are able to easy run on the days in between?

Keepers Pond, Black Mountains, Wales

I would argue that plan B is better. Even though you will still get adaptations in Plan A, the session may take too much out of you. If this pattern continues for a month, you may only really get 5 or 6 quality sessions. Whereas for Plan B you would get double to around 12 quality sessions and have a lower risk of injury, illness and over-training 

The 'dosage' of plan A is too high. The overload should be progressive as the weeks of training accumulate. By pushing too hard the body may become too exhausted that it doesn't adapt to the training stimulus and therefore it has a negative effect of training. Gains are made during the recovery phase and is not be a linear progression, rather peaks and troughs. 

Park Bryn Bach, Wales

Therefore it is best to run within yourself during sessions. Depending on the distance you are training for the sessions should be of appropriate speed and distance. However, some days speed is effected by weather, terrain and how you feel. So try and go off effort and RPE. Your body responds and adapts to the stress and effort rather than the relative speed.

The training you do today is effected by what you did yesterday, and it will effect tomorrows training. Don't think about what one session will look like, think about what you want the next 10 or 20 session will look like.

Also, you should recognise that work capacity includes stretching, S&C, drills, yoga and cross training, along with daily stresses, work and other commitments.

There are arguments for plan A and it may look like top athletes are doing them, but you need to look at their progression to get there. Having a 'B' race may allow you to go 100% and have a good session to give you confidence, but this is supplemented with lots of recovery and it's the training routine. 

Ensure that the easy days are very easy and don't work about what Strava will look like. I do a 'drills' session each week and just leave the watch running and it probably takes an hour to do 5 miles, just tag Strava saying drills or slow run.
Runners tend to find it harder to take a rest day or a slow run, but bare in mind what the aim of that session actually is?