So when do you know you reached lactic acid threshold? Is it a matter of distance, intensity or both? Do you feel it, or do you just know it from the numbers? Is it that burn that spreads in your quads while you put effort? ( this is so very familiar in prolonged non-stop skiing downhills ).
I like to get into running again now that the weather improves. But i am not into long distances, i like to do a mile at ~80%, and then either tempos ( something like 10-15x100m ) or max sprints ( about 5 max-out runs, distances varying from 80m to 300m ). But a longer run seems interesting too for aerobic fitness and fat loss, just don't want it to have any consequences at recovery and endurance muscle fiber adaptations. Is 5K at a moderate pace 'safe'?
hey vag, sorry for the late reply.. so ya basically like you and LBSS about the burn. When you hit lactic threshold, lactic acid starts to accumulate:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactate_threshold. So, it's more a matter of intensity than duration.
Would be nice to have all of my notes/research to back up whether short distance runs are not detrimental to strength/power or not. But basically, they would be detrimental if you made them your primary training focus; every day with less of a focus on strength/power training. If you are getting in a 5k run 3-5x/week, it will have positive effects on body composition/general fitness like you mentioned, so that's a plus. As long as you are getting in your strength/power training, you are not very likely to see significant endurance adaptations to your muscle fibers. That's why 5k a few times a week is good, it's not 'enough' to cause serious adaptations which benefit endurance events; type IIa/b to I fiber transformation etc. You're still hitting those intermediate/fast fibers with more of a stimulus with your strength/power training, so the volume of your distance work is not enough to cause a shift. I used to walk for ~1-2 hours alot back when i dunked, helped me get much leaner and made me feel really good. ~2 hour walks are a pretty significant slow twitch stimulus. If anything, the walking helped my vert more than hurt it. Was a great way to burn some fat, clear my head, relax, drop some water weight, recover cns, etc. ha.
Maybe we should start thinking about it like, "If it feels like a real event instead of an extended warmup, then it's maybe a bit too long of a run." So maybe 1.5mi (~2.5k) etc would be better to start with etc. Eventually 5k should feel fairly easy. For example, if I go outside and warmup for a few minutes then do pushups/pulups, I perform much worse than if I go run ~5k and then do pushups/pullups etc. I feel really loose and ready to go after my 5k runs. If I run for > 1 hour I don't want to do pullups/pushups -> it's too long of an event and that's where the anti power adaptations will really occur.
Give it a try! Just keep an eye on it and really try to see how you feel during your lifting sessions. I imagine you might even feel better with a bit more fitness work. Vert always enjoys body composition changes.
You can also mix in some sprints during your 5k.. it's extremely difficult I think, but feels really good when you do it. It's basically like sprint->walk, instead, it's sprint->light jog. I wouldn't do that for a while though.
pC!
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