80/20 Training – Run Faster by Training Slower

80/20 Training – Run Faster by Training Slower

In recent weeks the term 80/20 training has appeared in a number of feeds across social media, so, with many of our members training for the Adelaide Marathon in May, we thought we’d give you some information about this style of training.

Hardly a new concept, New Zealander Arthur Lydiard pioneered this style of training in the 1960s. Whilst the majority of winners of international competitions adopted his method, scientists dismissed slow running as being ‘junk miles’. This began to change when Stephen Seiler began an exhaustive study analyzing training methods of world-class rowers and cross-country skiers. Top athletes in these sports consistently used 80/20 training. Seiler extended their experiments across other fields including runners, swimmer, triathletes and cyclists. This research backed his original findings; 80/20 training delivers greater success than intensive training.

But what is 80/20 and how do you incorporate it into your training?
Simply put, your 80% training needs to be at low intensity with the other 20% comprising of moderate to high intensity sessions, such as speed work, interval training, hill repeats. Chances are you, like the majority of recreational runners, do most of your running at a moderate intensity; a pace that your body is accustomed to settling into on your long runs. Whilst not necessarily causing you to go backward in training, your rate of progress will not be as rapid as it would be if you had do these sessions at a truly low intensity.

So what does low intensity look like? The boundary line is between your ventilatory and lactate thresholds. Think of the lactate threshold as being the highest point where conversation is comfortable while running is comfortable; your breathing rate deepens and conversation becomes slightly harder without struggling for breath. Low intensity could be considered being able to sing whilst running, or being able to breathe comfortably through your nose.

The table below clearly shows how your rate of perceived exertion, (RPE), heart rate and pace equate to the different levels of intensity.

There are numerous pages on the net where you can find further information, for example

• https://www.runnersworld.com/rt-web-exclusive/train-at-the-right-intensity-ratio
• Matt Fitzgerald’s book “80/20 Running” is a comprehensive resource that includes training plans

It may take some time to learn how to run slowly, but it’s certainly worth trying this approach to your training.