Coaching Corner
Welcome to Coaching Corner! This is a new series we will be running on Indiana MileSplit where we talk about topics related to coaching: training, culture, racing, and other similar topics. While titled, Coaching Corner, the topics and content should be interesting and insightful to all interested in the sport- coaches, athletes, parents, and fans!
We are going to start with a topic that has taken the distance running world by force over the past several years -- double threshold. Over the next few weeks, we will focus on double threshold by defining it, giving details on training methods, discussing the pros and cons of using it with high school athletes, and giving some examples from coaches around the state who are using the training methods in their programs.
We hope you enjoy it!
Double Threshold - The Origins and Background
While the terminology and training philosophy seems somewhat new to distance running, the theory and practice dates back over 25 years. Many groups, including other endurance sports like triathlons and cycling, have used double runs and workouts in the same day as part of the training programs but referred the concept by different names, like "stacking" or "overloading." Athletes on every continent have employed similar training methods to gain fitness. But the specific double threshold --as many call it now -- became more defined and organized through the training and study of Marius Bakken.
Let's define the term to give us a common understanding of the training method. Double threshold training can be loosely defined as using two training sessions in the same day where the focus is staying just below or at your individual threshold level.
There are various methods to discover the individual's threshold level, but loosely it is defined as a pace you can hold for about a 60-minute race, 83-88% of your VO2 max, or 83-90% of your max heart rate. You will admittedly find slightly different parameters depending on the training system and the belief of the authors, but generally speaking this will cover the zone. As we will see over the next couple of articles, Bakken would have the runner be at the bottom end of this range for true Double Threshold.
The origin of the system came from the question of how to catch up to the East Africans who were dominating the sport during the 1980s and 90s. Bakken essentially wanted to find a way to offset inherent advantages like altitude. He wanted to find a way to train at a level that gave the highest benefits, repeatedly, with the least risk to the body. The limiting factor, he found, for runners compared to swimmers and cyclists, for example, is the load placed on the musculoskeletal system.
Basically, we pound on the pavement and put a hard load on our bones, muscles, and other connective tissue each time we land. This prevents the aerobic system from growing as much as it does with swimmers and cyclists who can often go for hours and two long times daily for an extended period of time simply because runners cannot train that much. The aerobic system can train for hours but not with the force of running.
Another way to understand this came directly from Bakken's book, The Norwegian Method Applied, when he made the case that you should spend more time developing the systems that allow the runner to stay at race pace longer, instead of just developing race pace work. Both are necessary, but the threshold system allows a runner to develop the systems to spend more time at the pace -- which is essentially what we want. So all types of workouts are necessary, but the focus should be on the system that develops the body the best overall for racing.
For a little background, Bakken is a physician and his athletics background is amazing. He was a world class runner with a 13:06 PB in 2004, a two-time Olympian, and had stints at Indiana University and York High School when he was younger. He was additionally coached by Peter Coe, father and coach of all-time great Sebastian Coe. With this resume, let's take a brief look at what Bakken believes you are developing when we use the terms "threshold" and "systems".
Bakken outlines the Five Mechanisms for distance running that improve running economy and can be developed strongly through threshold training specifically: mitochondria, lactate handling, glycogen, hormonal responses, and muscle recruitment.
The theory here is that threshold training allows for growth and regulation of each of the mechanisms at the same time as opposed to focusing on one or two of the mechanisms with a different type of workout. And since threshold training allows for the quicker recovery and less load on the muscles, you can repeat this training frequently- even twice in a single day with proper rest.
This is obviously the 30,000 foot view and only a starting point for understanding the system and beginning to study double threshold. Over the next few weeks we will dive into the system in more detail and look at the positives and negatives of the system for high school runners!