The Three Energy Systems

After going on about the benefits of long, slow running, I got some feedback on the validity of some of my claims.  I still honestly believe that if you do nothing else but log a ton of miles, you will be better off than a low-mileage, high quality counterpart.  But to keep it honest,  I don't just run slow miles.  I am pretty consistent with my Tuesday progression runs, and have been known to attack a hill or two. In fact, you can find me at the Minnetonka High School track at 5 am, a month or so out from my goal marathon, fine tuning the speed component.  Why do we do this?  Well, we have three energy system in play when we do any activity and they certainly do not work independent of each other.   So, it only make sense to work all three, even if the sport you are in, in this case long-distance running, overwhelming uses just one of those systems.

Lets take a look at the first of these, the Alactic Anaerobic system.  This uses the existing, small stores of ATP in the muscle, and can only last for around 10 seconds.  Used for small bursts of speed, sudden strenuous activity and functions completely void of oxygen. So, a workout to strengthen this system would be 50 to 60 meter sprints, 10 second hill sprints or an intense weight session in the gym.  Six to 10 reps with significant rest between each set ought to do the trick and I prefer hill sprints, and would only do this type of workout once a week.  Not only does it strengthen the energy system, but is a great workout for bettering form, running economy and adding strength, something that you cannot get from a long, slow slog.  To put a workout like this in perspective however, think about the percentage of total volume a work out like this would make as part of a standard 80 to 100 mile week.  It's so small, but not insignificant.  The key is to do it on fresh legs and not to do it in such a degree that it may interfere with your ability to complete a long or medium long run or cause injury,so be sensible about how many and how intense you perform these workouts.  A little goes a long way

Next week we will look at energy system number two, and how best to improve that.

Happy Running!

Rick