Hobbies And Interests
Distance Running
Distance running is in the eye of the beholder. Some people call a two-mile run a distance run, while others scoff that anything under five kilometers is middle distance. In terms of training, most people associate steady-state running with cardiovascular training. The idea is that steady running maintains the pace of the heart, which is considered beneficial to heart health. For competitors, however, distance running is about endurance combined with speed ̵1; the ability to run fast for a long way. Championship marathoners often maintain a pace of 5 1/2 minutes a mile.
Interval Training
Interval training should not be understood as opposed to distance running, since many distance runners use interval training as part of their training program. Intervals are short, high-intensity runs (sprints) alternated with short cool-down periods, performed repeatedly to a state of near exhaustion. Often called HIIT ̵1; for high-intensity interval training ̵1; this kind of training builds muscle strength, raises the heart rate well above cardiovascular training targets and develops greater speed.
Weight Loss
The physiology of exercise is complex, and different kinds of exercise have variable effects on multiple bodily systems. The popular idea that sustained cardiovascular activity, like long-distance running, uses up sugars and then forces the body to consume fat, is not supported by recent research. Canadian scientists, led by Angelo Tremblay, tested weight loss between subjects who did exclusively cardiovascular exercise and those who did exclusively HIIT. For reasons they do not yet understand, the HIIT subjects lost substantially more subcutaneous fat than the cardio subjects.
Heart Health
Long-distance running certainly doesn̵7;t hurt your heart, but the popular wisdom that steady-state running is the key to heart health is also now under critical review. Dr. Al Sears, author of ̶0;The Doctor̵7;s Heart Cure,̶1; speculates that what the heart needs may not be what we supposed. He and others suggest that the heart is adapted for ̶0;chaos,̶1; periods of rest punctuated by periods of high stress; and that HIIT may actually be far more heart-beneficial than previously believed. The intense stress of HIIT may recruit more muscle fibers and stimulate greater heart strength in the same way stress forces muscle growth in striated muscle.
Racing
If you race, whether short distance or long distance, you need both kinds of training. During long distance runs, however, the object is not to maintain the same pace; it is to decrease your long-distance run times. The development of long-distance endurance can be developed only by running long distances. The acceleration of your pace depends on you forcing yourself beyond a state of comfort. Whether competing at short, medium or long distance, alternate your training between distance and intervals.