Aerobic Power Day

It's Saturday and today was aerobic power day! After an easy 75 minute spin on my bike trainer I hit the tready for my first aerobic power set. In the case of the Run, my "Aerobic Power Sets" are very much like a "fartlek" run except that the variable running speeds/distances are much more structured. The speeds are designed to cover my full competitive range from slightly faster than 5K pace to 1/2 marathon pace. The speed sessions are kept short enough to not make it an anaerobic suffer-fest and all the recovery is on the run--in other words the whole workout is one continuous run albeit at variable speed. i also kept the fast stuff short as I'm just trying to introduce faster than 5K pace running into the mix for the first time. Here's what it looked like:

10 min warm-up @ 6.2-6.5 mph

10 min as 2 X (3 min @ 8.0 mph (7:30/mile)/2 min @ 6.2 mph)...1.5 to 1 speed/easy ratio

10 min as 2 X (2 @ 8.5 (7:03/mile)/3 at 6.2)...1 to 1.5

10 min as 5 X (40 sec @ 9.2 (6:31/mile)/80 sec @ 6.2)...1 to 2

10 min as 5 X (30 sec @ 9.5 (6:19/mile)/90 sec @ 6.2)...1 to 3

10 min as 10 X (15 sec @ 10.0 (6:00/mile)/45 sec @ 6.2)...1 to 3

10 min warm-down

The fast stuff works out to be 2.7 miles at an average pace of 6:47/mile

In the pool, an aerobic power set is less structured than my standard interval set. There is less rest time so it's more aerobic but still faster than a continuous swim. I swim at 3 speeds: Fast which is my sprint race pace, Moderate which is my Olympic/half IM distance race pace, and Easy which works out to be 0:48-0:50/50 yards. Here is what it lookes like:

250 WU

5 X 100 F/0:10 rest

5 X 50 E/0:10

400 M/0:45

4 X 100 F/0:10

4 X 50 E/0:10

200 M/ 0:30

2 X 100 F/0:10

4 X 50 F/ 0:20

1 X 100 M/0:30

1 X 100 F/0:10

4 X 50 E/0:10

250 WD

Total: 3250 yards with 2100 yards (1/2 IM distance) at or faster than 1/2 IM race pace.

The great thing about Aerobic Power Sets is that they are high quality wotkouts that don't punish you anaerobically and as such are real confidence builders that you can wake up the day after and have another great work-out day!

Onward and upward.