Middle Distance Training: How Different Athletes Approach Training Differently at the Highest Levels
In track and field, middle-distance runners compete in events between 800 and 1500 meters. However, the way runners train for such events varies drastically, as athletes seek to balance the development of speed and endurance. While in sprinting and long-distance running, training is very formulaic, in elite middle-distance running, training is incredibly individualized to best suit each elite.
To understand the varying approaches to middle-distance training, one must understand the basic physiological demands of each event. In all middle-distance races, athletes, running at their maximum abilities, reach a point where they primarily rely on the anaerobic energy system rather than the aerobic energy system. The aerobic system requires the delivery of oxygen to cells to create energy, while the anaerobic system does not. While the anaerobic system supports intensity exercise and allows for large muscle contractions to occur, one cannot sustain this effort for more than about a minute, while depending on this system. It is generally accepted by sports physiologists that the energy demands required for the 800m distance are met 50% through the aerobic system and 50% through the anaerobic system, while the 1500m race demands are met 70% through the aerobic system and 30% through the anaerobic system. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the United State’s Matt Centrowtiz took home the gold medal, while Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi took home the silver medal. While there are some similarities in their training, they have very individualized approaches.
During his buildup to the race, Centrowtiz ran up to 90 miles each week with two workouts, one focusing on speed endurance and another focusing on aerobic development. Speed endurance sessions he completed included track repeats of 600-1000m at his 1500m race pace, while aerobic workouts included tempo runs of up to 6 miles in length at a pace of 4:50/mi. In addition, Centrowitz completed the bulk of his mileage near 6:30/mi pace, a fairly reasonable recovery effort for a runner of Centrowitz’s caliber. Blessed with tremendous natural speed, Centrowitz ran an uncharacteristically high volume of mileage to develop his aerobic strength, a comparative weakness. He also completed traditional gym exercises two days a week including squats, deadlifts, and medicine ball throws. In all, Centrowitz runs about 540 minutes each week with an 85 minute long run on Sundays.
On the other hand, Makloufi ran no more than 62 miles per week. Like Centrowitz, he completed two workouts each week. As opposed to investing significant training time on high-end aerobic development, Makloufi primarily focused on speed endurance, completing a hill workout once a week, while introducing track workouts such as 3 sets of 3x500m at 1500m race pace. In fact, it seems as if the only aerobic workouts Makloufi completed were the occasional fartlek (a continuous workout that consists of variation in pace, either at random, or in a way that is more structured). An example session would be 10x2 minutes hard, with a 2 min recovery. Makloufi also lifted extremely heavyweights up to 3 days per week, developing incredible anaerobic power, which is key in the final 150m of a 1500m race. However, perhaps most striking is the fact that Makloufi ran much of his easy mileage near 9:00/mi, a practical jog for someone at his level. Ultimately, this allowed him to recover from his other sessions, and to capitalize on his strength––speed endurance. Nonetheless, Makloufi ended up running for roughly 520 minutes per week during his base phase, a training volume nearly identical to that of Centrowitz. Ultimately, Makloufi developed both the speed and endurance he needed to acquire the silver medal at the Rio Olympics, though his mileage was lower than Centrowitz.
Every middle-distance athlete has a unique approach to training that best suits their physiological attributes. There is no one way to train a middle distance runner. The ability to take on a particular training load depends on an athlete’s age and injury history. When planning an athlete’s training programming, coaches must take all these factors into account in order to create a plan that best suits the athlete.
