The Importance of Base Training

You want to start training for a race that is a few months down the road. This race is important to you because you want to set a personal record for yourself.  So, you hop online or open a recent issue of Runners World and start reading about how to get faster.  The same type of training advice keeps reappearing: Vo2 max, interval, tempo, lactate threshold, and fartlek runs will make you faster!  You continue reading and the information tells you that each run has to be completed at a high intensity, usually 80% or higher of your maximum heart rate (MHR), depending on the type of run.  Is this true? Each of the different types of runs mentioned will make you faster, but you will not receive all ofthe benefits that those workouts provide without having periodized your training with a base or foundation phase first. 

We have all heard time and time again that the most important aspect of run training is the building of a solid base or foundation.  But why is this so important?  Why do we need to put in all these miles at a controlled pace, before we do interval-based workouts at higher intensities?  Well, the answers are very simple and you probably learned about them in high school biology.

The first thing that must be addressed is whether or not the race you are competing in will be the last race you will ever run. If it is, then by all means do as much speed work as possible because you will get more bang for your buck and have some short term success.  But if you plan on running and racing for the rest of your life, then short term success will only hinder development and obtainment of your long term goals.

Ok, get your notebook and pen ready because we are headed back to biology class. Running at lower intensities, while gradually increasing required mileage during the base period trains very specific physiological factors.  First, it increases the amount of red blood cells you have, which in return gives your blood vessels greater oxygen carrying capabilities.  Second, base mileage increases your muscle capillary volume (transportation system for your muscle fibers) which allows more oxygen to be delivered to each individual muscle fiber. And third, base mileage increases the amount of mitochondria and aerobic enzymes, which allow for a greater use of oxygen.  Mitochondria are little factories in your muscles that help produce aerobic energy.  When the amount of mitochondria is increased you will use less energy to obtain a given intensity.  A good example of this would be an athlete who has not trained for a few months due to injury. The first few weeks back the five mile run that was once easy will be exhausting. After a few months of base training the athlete says to him or herself, “this five mile run is easier and my pace is faster than when I started training.”  This is because the body has produced more mitochondria, red blood cells, and capillaries, therefore increasing the economy of the athlete’s cardiovascular system.

Let’s go back to the example of the athlete who is coming back from an injury.  This time he decides not to worry about building a strong foundation and jumps right into higher intensity interval workouts.  For the first few weeks he feels great and is seeing fairly quick results.  But as the weeks continue he is noticing a few discouraging points regarding his progress. His times are not getting much faster, he can only complete a few high intensity intervals before fatigued, and he is not recovering well after the workouts.  What happened?  When the foundation phase is skipped for higher intensity-based running, the body does not increase the production of mitochondria, red blood cells, and capillary density as quickly since it is now targeting a different physiological factor of training.  Interval workouts train the heart’s stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped each beat) and cardiac output (amount of blood pumped each minute). What good is sending all that blood and oxygen to muscles that are not equipped to use it? That’s why building a physiological foundation is so important; the base provides the muscles with the foundation they need to move on to more intense training.  In return, the athlete is able to perform longer and faster intervals with less rest time between.

The last benefit of base training is injury prevention.  Having a solid foundation prevents injury by decreasing susceptibility to the stress of high intensity training.  During the base training phase the muscles and bones are preparing to withstand the stress of running.  This strengthening is done by periodically increasing the volume of running miles.  The general rule of thumb for increasing mileage is to increase no more than 10% every three weeks.  For example, if an athlete is running 20 miles a week then she would increase to 22 miles for the next three weeks.  However, this rule does not apply to everyone. Some people increase faster and some slower: it’s a trial and error process to see what the body can handle.  So by increasing miles the body adapts to the stresses, making higher intensity workouts less of a shock, thus reducing the risk of injury.

 Jason is a USAT Level 1 certified coach as well as NSCA-CPT (National Strength and Conditioning Association-Certified Personal Trainer). He holds a degree in Health and Exercise Science from Rowan University. Jason competed at the collegiate level in cross country and track. He has been a personal trainer for five years and a running coach for three.  Among the talented athletes he has coached are those who qualified for the Boston marathon, NJ high school meet of champions, and several athletes who have completed their first triathlon. Jason feels his education and triathlon experience will help him in becoming a successful coach for many years to come