Coach’s Clipboard

By Mark Lorenzoni

I’ve proudly served, on a volunteer basis, as the head coach for the CTC’s 10 Miler and Marathon/Half Marathon Training Programs since kicking off the club’s first program back in 1987. These programs have helped to safely guide over 15,000 folks to their personal goals. Each issue, I’d like to share a thing or two that I’ve learned along the way…

Perception of Effort (POE) is one of the single most important concepts for any distance runner to have in their kit. I tell all of my athletes, whether they’re training for their very first race or prepping for the Olympic Trials, to run at a pace that feels totally effortless for most of their weekly mileage. Because distance running is an aerobic activity you should never hear yourself breathing at a rapid pace at any time throughout your run, regardless of terrain or environment. This “conversational pace” or Aerobic Heart Rate (AHR) should be your breathing partner. Even when in training for a race and adding speed to your regimen, about 80% of your total weekly mileage should still be kept in AHR mode. Grasp and successfully execute this concept of letting your effort, and not your pace, be your north star and you will enjoy your running that much more and, ultimately, be successful safely attaining your personal race goals.