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Below we have two of the world's greatest athletes. Both have set world records in their respective sports. Can you guess who they are?
The first you may have heard of. His name is of course Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man.
The second is equally accomplished although a little less well known among the general public. His name is Eliud Kipchoge and he is also the world's fastest man.
The fastest marathoner.
Both have achieved incredible feats of athleticism with Bolt running the 100m in 9.58s and Kipchoge running the marathon in 2:01:39.
To put that second number in context, Kipchoge ran 26 miles at a pace of 4:39 per mile.
To achieve these times, each athlete had to train in very different ways. While most of us are not trying to break world records in either sprinting or marathoning, there's a lot we can learn about their training methodologies and underlying physiology to help us reach our more humble goals.
When we think about the difference between sprinting, running, and jogging often what we're talking about are three different types of endurance.
From a physiological perspective each type is going to have slightly different demands and therefore will require different training approaches.
For optimal health you'll want to incorporate all three however if you've got a specific athletic goal then it helps to understand where to focus.
Ever notice when running or cycling etc. how you can actually push yourself to go faster without breathing faster?
This is possible because you have the ability to create energy without any oxygen.
When you are sprinting or pushing it really hard you actually reach a point where your body can't bring in oxygen fast enough to meet it's energetic demands. Once you've passed this point you're in an anaerobic state. Therefore you're training at a level beyond your VO2 max.
Most people cannot do this for very long and even for the super fit the upper limit is around 2-3 minutes.
Among other things, world class sprinters like Bolt have exceptional anaerobic capabilities.
The key training variable here is going to be your work to rest ratio. The longer you rest between sprints the more you'll be able to improve your max output whereas the less you rest the more you'll be able to improve the length of time you can spend at a high level of output.
In terms of overall health this is type of training is fantastic. The downside is that it's really hard.
The major difference between running and sprinting is that when running you are more likely to be able to remain in an aerobic state. In other words, you can get enough oxygen through your breathing to produce the energy you need.
Most people will be able to maintain a level of effort at their aerobic peak or at almost exactly 100% of their VO2 max for about 3 - 15 minutes at a time.
The best example of this type of training is 1 mile repeats. In other words, run a mile, rest. Then run another mile, and rest again. The goal when training for this type of endurance is to be able to go as fast as possible while remaining aerobic.
While also fantastic for your health, you want to be sure you're going fast enough, long enough. If you're not going fast enough or if you stop too early then you're not gaining the full benefit.
This type of training, unlike sprinting or running involves far more metabolic fitness than strict cardiovascular fitness. This is because you'll be training at level below your VO2 max where you have plenty of oxygen.
This is the type of endurance where athletes like Kipchoge really excel. They can sustain very high levels of output over a long period of time.
A super fit endurance athlete will be incredibly efficient at burning fat and will require less oxygen for the same speed as a lesser athlete.
Naturally one of the best ways to build this type of endurance is to train for long periods of time below your VO2 max. This type of training can have immense benefits for your metabolic health however it can be very time consuming.
The truth is that they're all important. Obviously it depends on your goals, however I would make the case that in terms of overall health and fitness you'll get the best returns by doing a combination of lots of jogging and occasional sprinting.
By sprinting you're taxing your system at every level from the musculature, to the vasculature, to the liver, to the lungs.
By jogging a lot you train your metabolism and improve your entire body's energy efficiency at a cellular level.
And there you have it ... the hardest and most time consuming, taken together, are the best combination.
A bit annoying right? I suppose if it was easy we'd all look a lot more like Bolt or Kipchoge. Just gotta get after it!
Happy training 🏃♀️
Nick