AboutRick Karboviak, CSCS Expertise First things first: I WILL NOT ASK QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO AN INJURY OR SORE AREA ON YOUR BODY, please seek medical advice from a doctor, physical therapist, athletic trainer, or chiropractor.
I can answer questions specifically for mile to 5K distances, preferably in regards to HS and recreational runners, since I coach JH/HS age athletes, and train recreationally-based runners (those who simply run for the enjoyment of it, not super-competitive).
I am also an expert in doing training with the assistance of a GPS speed & distance monitor, in tracking speeds, paces, and distances for measurements in intensity & volume of your workouts precisely.
My main running site is http://endure.speeddialcoach.com
Question Ok for our High school cross country program our coach has us do 2 tempo runs and 2 critical threshold runs and only 2 easyruns a week. And i was reading that 80-90 percent of training should be easy runs. And i was just wondering why 80-90 percent of your running should be at easy pace. I also was wondering what is wrong with our program in which we only have 2 easy runs and 4 hard to medium runs a week with only monday and saturday rest days. And which way is better way to train.
Answer Well, there's a reason why a large % of your runs should be easy, its because too many hard runs will not allow your body the proper recovery time to rest correctly & make the right adaptations it needs to attain from the workout's goal/purpose. I prefer a 50/50 approach to hard/easy days, but I wouldn't make every day a super-hard day on the hard days. My former training plans for runners would be 1 main speed day, with repeats done at race pace or faster. Then, for any other hard days, I do hard/high intensity runs for 1/2 to 3/4 of the race distance, with some easy recovery jogging/walking in-between such intervals. I would alternate hard days with easier days. There is no perfect race plan for any team, but there are better strategies to take for each team's abilities. Just because a state championship team had 'those kinds of runs' or 'that program' doesn't mean that any regular team will be able to turn into a state contender by doing so. Its a tough thing to figure out, I know, but really what it comes down to is running your hard workouts at your expected/goal race paces, and resting when you can't handle those speeds any more. You rest with either full rest, or lighter running workouts.
