How to pace yourself when pace doesn’t matter

In our previous post, we touched on using the Breath Runner Method while running on a treadmill.  Let’s dive into that specific topic a bit more intently, in order to gain a better understanding of what the goal(s) of the Breath Runner Method really are.

The basis for all endurance training comes down to two things: VT1 and VT2.  “VT” stands for Ventilatory Threshold, a point at which the body shifts gears on how it responds to increased effort.  Obviously, there are two threshold points.  Below the first Ventilatory Threshold (VT1), the body is primarily using fat as its preferred fuel source.  This is a highly sustainable and metabolically efficient way to create power for the muscles, but it’s also a bit time consuming, all things being equal.  As efforts ramp up, the need for more fuel coming in more rapidly ramps up as well.  This “breakpoint” as it’s known, is where muscle glycogen starts becoming the favored fuel source.  While it’s quicker for the mitochondria — the muscle cell’s power generation factory — to grab and burn, it's also metabolically dirtier.  That means that the amount of time we can sustain such effort changes from hours (below VT1) to tens of minutes (above VT1).

If we keep pushing the effort, we then cross the rubicon known as VT2, or the Second Ventilatory Threshold.  We’re approaching and/or reaching maximal effort, and this will only be sustainable for a few minutes (for the well trained) or possibly only a few seconds (for the un-trained).  Above VT2 we are creating metabolic waste products far faster than our body’s ability to clear them out.

There are a bunch of other terms that exercise scientists and researchers use while investigating human exercise and all its marvels.  One you may have heard of which is used similarly to Ventilatory Threshold is: Lactate Threshold.  This is used in the same manner, with two breakpoints to delineate the production of lactate and its level in the bloodstream.  Lactate Threshold and Ventilatory Threshold are very tightly correlated, but there are significant differences between them.  Not the least of which, for us, is the fact that in order to properly determine LT1 and LT2, one must undergo continuous blood sampling while exercising.  There are efforts underway to create non-invasive Lactate monitors, but as of this writing, they are still in prototype stage.  VT1 and VT2 can be determined based on exhaled gases and breathing rate.  Currently the “industry standard” method of determining Ventilatory Thresholds are with a metabolic cart, operated by a qualified coach or exercise scientist.  But there are a few portable versions out there, with many more expected to be available in the near future, but their testing validity remains questionable.

Let’s get back to that first sentence: The basis for all endurance training comes down to two things: VT1 and VT2.  This creates what is known as a 3-Zone model; below VT1 being Zone 1, in between VT1 and VT2 being Zone 2, and above VT2 being Zone 3.

For athletes, the 3-Zone model leaves a lot of room for interpretation when it comes to actually executing a given workout on a given day.  With very few exceptions (i.e., professionals), not many of us undergo routine metabolic cart work-ups as a part of our training structure.  So a little more granularity has been found to be helpful, so most coaches and training programs (Breath Runner Method included) have opted for a 5-Zone model.

• Zone 1 is generally used for Warm-Up, Cool Down, and Recovery workouts.

• Zone 2 is our “deep aerobic” or “Fat Burning” zone (below but close to VT1).

• Zone 3 is our “Race Pace” or “Sweet Spot” zone (between VT1 and VT2).

• Zone 4 is our “Threshold” or “High Intensity” zone (at or just slightly above VT2).

• Zone 5 is our MAX effort or “VO2max” zone (well above VT2).

A unique feature of the Breath Runner Method is that it does NOT dictate a pace or heart rate value to designate a given training zone.  Something that never really gets talked about by most who talk about training zones is that by virtue of our being carbon-based bipeds in an ever-changing environment, the metabolic breakpoints of VT1 and VT2 are ever variable, defying precise, fixed numerical values.  There are dozens of influences, both internal and external, which can change the numbers on a day-to-day basis (and even minute-by-minute basis in extreme situations).  You can read more about these in the Breath Runner Handbook.

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