Training Runners is Simple

Footraces are contests which measure an athlete’s speed and endurance against both competitors and the distance itself. A race is a simple game of who can get to the finish first. This is the primary function of an athletic enterprise — let’s compete to see who will win. 

Through the standardization of distances and venues we can compare times across continents and generations. This is a fun secondary focus of races. It opens the door for competition against oneself as well as others throughout history. 

Once the question, “Can I go the distance?” is answered, many wonder how fast they can cover the distance. This duality of competition, against others and the clock, is what makes running great and a life long sport for many.

Perhaps the most pressing question to runners of all levels is, “how do I best prepare for the race?” It’s a simple question which produces answers from overly simplistic to unnecessarily complex.

The best answer for every runner will be both sophisticated and nuanced. There is not one-size-fits-all training program, every runner is unique. However, there are timeless guiding principles the successful runner follows. When you understand these basic principles you’ll be able to construct effective solutions to each runner’s “how do I best prepare for the race?” question.

To understand training of runners, one must realize the primary objective is to elevate the runner’s stamina. 

What is stamina? 

Stamina is the fastest speed you can run over a given distance or time before getting tired and slowing down — more technically it is called Aerobic Power.

It differs from endurance which is the absolute maximum distance you can run, regardless of speed, before stopping due to total exhaustion. And it differs from speed, which is the absolute peak maximal running velocity you can achieve. 

Stamina is the in-between on the Speed — Endurance spectrum. In distance circles, it is sometimes thought of as Speed-Endurance, or the fastest you can run for a given period (of time or distance) before you slow down.

All footraces have a speed component. And all races have an endurance component. The shorter the race distance the more influence speed has as a limiting factor, and the longer the race distance the more influence endurance has as a limiting factor.

Sprinters are best served by doing far more speed work than endurance work. Ultra Marathoners are better served by concerning themselves with heavy amounts of endurance work and little speed work.

These concepts are simple. And clearly defining Speed, Stamina, and Endurance is important. 

Today, there are a lot of well-meaning coaches and trainers who have a fuzzy concept of these qualities and how they relate. This creates unnecessary confusion among athletes and other coaches. 

Some coaches say you need to run more mileage to get faster. Does extending endurance abilities alone increase speed abilities? No, it doesn’t. It will extend how long you can run before you start to tire, which does influence stamina, and make runs shorter in distance feel easier. However, you won’t be able to run as fast as you want on race day over relatively shorter distances because the force you can produce when striking the ground every step to run faster is limited without regular speed work. 

On the other hand, some coaches say you need to focus primarily on speed work so you will fatigue less at relative slower race paces over relative longer distances. Does intensifying speed abilities extend endurance abilities? No, it doesn’t. It will intensify the peak velocities you can run, which does influence stamina, and make slower running speeds feel easier. However, this will only last a relatively short time as you’ll fatigue rather quickly without an ability to endure running at these faster speeds.

Stamina is context specific.

Here’s a simple fictional example to illustrate basic concepts:

Jake is a senior in high school with a 5K XC best of 16:00. His typical high school training week includes 1-2 workouts and 1-2 races. Total volume of all running per week is 50 miles. His non-workout runs are 3 - 8 miles in length at around 7:00 mile pace.

When Jake graduates high school he goes to High Mileage University. He is asked to run 100 miles per week at an easy pace in the summer as training for 10,000m cross country races in the fall. He runs 10-20 miles a day, at 7:00-8:00 mile pace all summer.

The training at High Mileage University significantly increases his endurance (he is running farther than ever before), but not necessarily his stamina abilities specific to 10,000m XC races. In order to complete the length of runs asked of him on a daily basis the speed of his runs are slow, not quick. By ignoring how fast he is running and focusing only completing a certain length, he is not doing a good job of advancing his stamina. 

Let’s say next summer Jake transfers to Speed City College. The coach at his new school cuts his weekly mileage to 30 miles to prepare for the cross country season. In the summer, Jake does 4 workouts a week and his non-workout runs are 2 - 4 miles in length at 6:00 mile pace. 

The training at Speed City College significantly evaluates Jake’s speed (he is running faster, more frequently) but his stamina specific abilities for 10,000m XC does not improve much because there is no training done which extents the amount of time he can run at these faster speeds.

At both programs, the coaches were well intended and wanted to see Jake improve his performance on race day, but due to their overly simplistic understanding of training principles, each neglected to advance Jake’s stamina in any significant way. One race day, at High Mileage University Jake’s relatively speed was a limiting factor to performance, while at Speed City College, an underdeveloped endurance ability was holding him back.

Training of runners is simple, the primary objective is to elevate the runner’s stamina. This is done by blending and balancing speed and endurance work throughout the year. The longer the distance of the target race, more attention to extending endurance abilities is most likely needed. As race distances become shorter, improvements in speed become more of a training focus. However, completely omitting either speed or endurance work from any runner’s training will limit their stamina and hurt race performance. 

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Thx for reading. | jm