Economy of efficient ?
So I'm back at it trying to be efficient with my SBR . The run however is sort of an issue, with my coming back from a pulmonary embolism I literally get a second chance and a start over.
My start over has been hit and miss this and that in training so I pulled the trigger and jumped into the JOS week three. The run is Short distance so I have the time for economy / efficient running and I'm finding out there's a whole lot going on.
As it's extremely difficult to measure efficiency while running. Second, you cannot say someone is a more efficient runner by just looking at them. SO I look at videos count cadence read running books have experimented with Pose method , sneaker inserts " orthotics ", and meth, just kidding..
I'm finding efficiency is a word that is often used in conjunction with sports/athletics, but in many circumstances it is used incorrectly. We use the word to express the ratio of the amount of work we are doing to the amount of oxygen we require to do that work. Efficiency is something that can easily be measured in cyclists, because we can measure a cyclist's power output watts or using fancy machines in a lab that can measure power and oxygen uptake.
Efficiency cannot be measured in running or swimming, because the runner or swimmer's work (power) cannot be measured directly. We can measure oxygen uptake while running, but it’s very difficult to measure a runner's power and economy. So I run with a good cadence 90, mindful to pick my feet up swing my arms correctly and not over extend myself/ gait. I feel like I look good anyway it feels good. I guess as the distance grows I will know or may be not.
However , this is my kicker, If a high Vdot runner were running a half Mary @ 6 min mile and I were too as well, at a lower Vdot, I'd require more oxygen to maintain that pace therefore the higher Vdot guy is more economical. Even though I may look more efficient that doesn't make me a better runner.
I guess the bottom line is just raise your Vdot and the rest falls into place.
Your thoughts ?
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It took me the longest time to realise that when economy or efficiency is used in reference to running, it does not refer to making the fewest movements possible, or doing them with the least wasted motion. Rather, as you describe, it is about using the lowest possible O2 for the work done. I guess speed (pace) is a proxy for work. So while you can't describe an absolute number for running efficiency, you can do compariative descriptions, between various versions of yourself, or yourself compared to someone else who is going the same speed.
There are a number of ways to get at that number. The crudest is to use HR. If, on the same course in the same conditions of temp and wind, I am going faster at the same heart rate, or having a lower HR at the same speed, then I am more efficient.
Then, there are those devilish treadmill VO2 max tests, or worse yet, blood lactate tests.
I think the underlying physiology relates to the two different energy pathways for powering running: fat burning and carb-burning. At a given speed, the more one is relying on fat-burning alone, the more efficient he is. That is reflected in the HR, the O2 uptake, and the production of lactate.
The VDOT, though it sounds like VO2 max, is not really a measure of efficiency. It is simply a reflection of the speed at which you are able to run a given distance, allowing some normalization for training and race pacing purposes. Two people with an identical VDOTs may not be equally efficient, due to one's willingness to "suffer" more than the other. The one who is suffering the least at a given VDOT is probably the more efficient.
The VDOT, though it sounds like VO2 max, is not really a measure of efficiency. It is simply a reflection of the speed at which you are able to run a given distance, allowing some normalization for training and race pacing purposes. Two people with an identical VDOTs may not be equally efficient, due to one's willingness to "suffer" more than the other. The one who is suffering the least at a given VDOT is probably the more efficient.
I also find the idea of fat burning and carb burning interesting too. Since I'm on a do over, and happy to be playing, my distance will expand "some" and since I'm not in a hurry or have a pending race up front I can experiment with that concept. So I'm guessing here, would that mean just run at our EP ? My intention would be to go for my run with intervals then hang on for X to get the body acclimated to fat burning, what is the X ?
I'm not an exercise physiologist, and don't really understand the nuances of how muscles get "fitter". So my ideas may not sync with what's actually happening in the muscles as we train. But I do have a couple of thoughts on your query of "what type of training should I do to become more efficient?"
My experience, and that of many others here is that, especially for us OFs, doing a judicious (sparing, but hard) amount of run interval training at hard efforts/higher speeds is essential for improving running efficiency as I have defined it. True, it is important to do more of the miles at MP >> EP, but doing nothing but long, slow distance will not improve efficiency as well, nor will it help manage weight as well as throwing in 1-2 hard efforts of 20-40 minues of work time each weak, in the range of 5K>>10K pace. As well as another 30-40 minutes at tempo or HM pace.
In other words, an OS-type running program (after a "break in period" of 2-4 weeks) is the way to go to get better at running, not just a lot of miles at slow speeds. When I did that (did all my runs at LRP) last fall after my PF injury, I started to get slower almost immediately, and ran my marathon 10 minutes slower than previous efforts. Then I took three months off to heal, did a couple of weeks of easy running going from 10 >> 15 miles in a week, and after 2-3 weeks of OS work, I am getting back the race speed I used to have. I see this every year in myself, the only thing that gets me better (or, realistically, close to back where I was the year before) is to do the hard fast stuff.
To stray into speculation, efficiency is about having more ability to generate energy from both sources, maybe by increasing blood vessels to deliver more oxygen, growing more mitochondria to create more ATP, increasing the number of nerve-muscle junctions or the number of brain neurons involved, or actually growing more muscle fibers. If you just work on getting more fat-burning muscle activity going, you'll miss half the boat.
You won't break if you work a little harder, but you will get fitter (more efficient).
You may not be a Exercise Physiologist but ending with,
that about sums it all up nuts to bolts. Thanks Al !