Endurance Training
Endurance training can mean a lot of different things. When I was playing soccer, endurance training meant a 30 minute run. Now 30 minutes is a recovery run and I can run for 3-4 hours. We are going to focus on going long. Basically meaning being "aerobic" for long periods of time. This can be in the core disciplines of adventure racing such as mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, river-boarding or swimming. It also carries over to marathoning, roller-blading, skiing, wherever you can go long! Aerobic does not mean slow however. When I first started training in adventure racing, I thought "aerobic" had to be slow. I began doing LSD (Long Slow Distance) all the time. I became very going at LSD, slow being the key word. I now incorporate intervals and speed work with endurance to build a speedy aerobic base. Below you will see the factors that influence your aerobic speed and how to get fast!
VO2 Max
When we talk about endurance training VO2 max always comes up. VO2 Max is an indicator of how much oxygen is taken in during exercise. As exercise intensity increases oxygen demand increases. When an athlete reaches his or her peak level of oxygen use, a plateau is reached called the maximum volume of oxygen consumption, or VO2 Max.(1) VO2 Max seems to be determined genetically. It was once believed you must have a high VO2 Max to perform well. But recent studies have shown a discrepancy in VO2 Max in top athletes. Frank Shorter was 70.07 inches tall weighing in at about 134 lbs, with a BMI of 19.2, similar to Marco Pantani, one of cycling's greatest climbers. His VO2 Max value was 71.3 ml/kg/min. Derek Clayton, the world's marathon record holder for 12 years had one of the lowest VO2 Max values of elite marathon runners at 69.7 ml/kg/min. Alberto Salazar recorded VO2 Max values of 76.0 ml/kg/min. Steve Prefontaine recorded an 84.4 ml/kg/min, and Dave Bedford had a 85.0 ml/kg/min as the two highest men. For woman, Grete Waitz recorded the highest mark at 73.0 ml/kg/min. By training the correct way you can increase your VO2 Max by 5-15%. If you are naturally slow you can improve over 15%! If you are untrained you can reach up to 20% more VO2 max than you have now. Though VO2 Max will not determine the winner, to put it in simple terms. The higher your VO2 Max, the faster you will go.
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