Track Training – Middle/Long Distance
March 5, 2020 @ 6:45 pm - 8:00 pm
This week’s session will see everyone do the following:
- Cooper VO2 Max Test, followed by 5 minutes recovery.
- 20 minutes of Fartlek
The Cooper VO2 Max Test
Details can be found in the link above, but essentially it is a best effort run that lasts for eponymous 12 minutes, during which the runner aims to get as many laps completed as they can.
At the end of the 12 minutes, the coach will blow the whistle and the runner stops at the nearest cone which will mark every 10 meters.
The coach will move around the track taking results from each runner. Results will be assessed and distributed with suggested pacing targets.
The Challenge:
Running hard for 12 minutes isn’t natural and for those that have not tried it before, it is very easy to run hard for 2-3 laps then fade into obscurity. The best exponents of the test are those that are used to pushing hard for a long time or simply punishing themselves. Regular attendees at races are often in this clique.
Results will naturally be skewed in favour of those types of athletes, while it is often a betrayal of an individuals true condition if they are not so inclined or equipped to run that hard for that long.
What does it mean?
In General, the following results are considered as a ‘good’ guide:
- For adult men in their 20s and 30s, between five laps is a “fair” (indicating a rough VO2 max of 33.8), six is a “good” (42.6) and seven is an “excellent” (51.6). Eight correlates with a VO2 max of (60).
- For women, basically subtract one lap from each range—four laps is fair, five is good and six is excellent.
- By middle age, five laps for a woman or six laps for a man would be considered excellent.
There are more precise results charts that shall be made available on the day and with results.