Gray Guys/Girls Master's Focus Triathlon Mentor Group--CLOSED (Page 26)

This sums up the distance/duration debate in a way that I think everyone will understand.  Let's imagine two runners, one that runs 8:00/mile at threshold and another that runs 12:00/mile at threshold.  Have both of them run the 5 mile workout that Dan referred to above.  The 8:00 runner will take about 40-44 minutes while the 12:00 runner will take about 60-64 minutes.  They both ran the same distance, but they did not have the same workout.  Nowhere near the same workout.

You can argue that both runners experienced the same intensity during their runs - running at threshold is about a 7 RPE or low zone 4 effort, doesn't matter what your pace is.  But that is where the similarity ends.

The 8:00 runner started out with +/- 20 minutes running aerobically followed by 24 minutes at threshold.  Meanwhile, the 12:00 runner began with 28 minutes running aerobically followed by 36 minutes at threshold.  The slower runner actually had the more intense workout even though they run slower because they spent a greater duration of time at the same intensity during the workout.  8:00 runner was at threshold 24 minutes - 12:00 runner was at threshold 36 minutes.

This is why it is better to plan your run and cycling workouts using duration rather than distance.  Instead of mileage, if this workout were written using duration it might of looked something like this:  Run 20 minutes in zone 2 followed by 30 minutes in zone 4.  That workout would be the same for anyone that does it.  Yes, the faster runner would have run further, but the intensity of both workouts would have been the same and the training stress to both of the athletes would have been the same.  The faster you are, the more you shortchange yourself by doing distance workouts versus duration workouts.

Swimming is a bit of a different animal because swimming is largely planned around intervals of a specific distance.  It has been shown repeatedly that getting in the water and swimming long durations will not apply the same training stress as swimming intervals.

So I will ask the question one final time.  Are you training by duration or are you training by distance?

This sums up the distance/duration debate in a way that I think everyone will understand.  Let's imagine two runners, one that runs 8:00/mile at threshold and another that runs 12:00/mile at threshold.  Have both of them run the 5 mile workout that Dan referred to above.  The 8:00 runner will take about 40-44 minutes while the 12:00 runner will take about 60-64 minutes.  They both ran the same distance, but they did not have the same workout.  Nowhere near the same workout.

You can argue that both runners experienced the same intensity during their runs - running at threshold is about a 7 RPE or low zone 4 effort, doesn't matter what your pace is.  But that is where the similarity ends.

The 8:00 runner started out with +/- 20 minutes running aerobically followed by 24 minutes at threshold.  Meanwhile, the 12:00 runner began with 28 minutes running aerobically followed by 36 minutes at threshold.  The slower runner actually had the more intense workout even though they run slower because they spent a greater duration of time at the same intensity during the workout.  8:00 runner was at threshold 24 minutes - 12:00 runner was at threshold 36 minutes.

This is why it is better to plan your run and cycling workouts using duration rather than distance.  Instead of mileage, if this workout were written using duration it might of looked something like this:  Run 20 minutes in zone 2 followed by 30 minutes in zone 4.  That workout would be the same for anyone that does it.  Yes, the faster runner would have run further, but the intensity of both workouts would have been the same and the training stress to both of the athletes would have been the same.  The faster you are, the more you shortchange yourself by doing distance workouts versus duration workouts.

Swimming is a bit of a different animal because swimming is largely planned around intervals of a specific distance.  It has been shown repeatedly that getting in the water and swimming long durations will not apply the same training stress as swimming intervals.

So I will ask the question one final time.  Are you training by duration or are you training by distance?

Originally posted by EchoLkScott This morning I registered for the Black Diamond long course triathlon (half iron distance). It isn't until mid-September, but now I'm committed. Scott I.  

Good for you Scott.  Out of curiosity I checked out the Black Diamond website and it looks like a nice race.  Looks like some fair hills on the bike but not too much for the run.  What is your weather like in mid-September?

Hey Everyone -

Here is the more detailed breakdown I promised for the Weight Loss/Workout Challenge.

How you earn points -

• +5 points for no weight gain
• +/- 1 point per pound lost/gained, or fraction thereof
• +1 point for every 30 workout minutes