La Sportiva Running Team - Athlete Training Tip

Athlete Training Tip - Paul Low

Paul loves to train right out his back door, wins events all over New England, and prefers to race internationally. He is one of the most prolific and successful mountain runners in the US: a seven-time member of the US National Team and three-time USATF Mountain Runner of the Year.

Training Advice
#1 Have fun! When some people hear how much I run, they think that I must be really dedicated to train so much. The truth is that I really just like to run and I live in an area (not by accident) where I look forward to running (almost) everyday because it is fun and inspiring to be out in the woods.

#2 Try to experience lactic acid at least a few times a week. Even when I am getting close to my most important races, I do not do much structured speedwork. I do, however, run the uphills on my two+ hour training runs hard enough to "feel the burn" anywhere from two to five times per week. When it come to running well in the mountains, the most important factor in performance is not how fast you can run but how fast you can run before your legs start filling up with battery acid. Anything that you can do to improve your lactate threshold will make you faster on the mountain.

#3 Find out what works for you and do it. There is probably a "right" way to train for the marathon or a 10k on the track. For mountain and trail running, however, this is probably not the case. I have spoken with several different mountain runners over the years (many of whom are really fast) and the different training regimens are pretty amazing from one to the next. It may require a few years of experimentation but it is worth it in the end.

What Keeps Me Going
#1 See (1) above

#2 Goals (positive): I have many goals that I still want to accomplish. Most of these involve either specific times on specific courses, high places in international events, or weight loss.

#3 Goals (negative): Sorry, I keep these to myself.

What's Next
My first big race will be Mt. Washington. This is a both the national championship and a selection race for the national team but even without both of these factors, it would still be my most important domestic race for 2006. The real focus for the year will be on running well at Sierre-Zinal, a 31km race in Switzerland in mid-August and on getting a team medal at the WMRT in Turkey in early September.

Notes
Most of my training is done in the Barr Trail. It is a great all around trainer that can go fast or long and it is named after the trail/race where I met my wife. The new upper is a definite improvement on the old one. I am also currently training in the Pikes Peak and the Rajas - both solid trainers and both very different. The Rajas are nice and flexible and pretty light while the Pikes Peak is a bit more solid.

Sample Training Log
The following four weeks were run between setting new course records at the Merrimac River Trail Race on April 4 (10 miles at 5:39 pace) and the 7 Sisters Trail Race on May 7 (~12 miles at 8:30 pace). As you can see, there is not a lot of speedwork in during this part of my training cycle. This was a period of early season strength training with a primary focus on strength and endurance. Besides, do you really need speedwork to run at 8:30 pace? I do run with other people on occasion but all of the running for these four weeks was done alone, mostly out of necessity.

For the most part, my runs consist of variations on five different courses:

1. Bike path to work: we live a few miles of 75% singletrack and 25% road from the Belchertown terminus of the Norwattuck Rail-Trail Bike Path. The path is paved but there is a grassy shoulder and offers pleasant views of the Holyoke Range and Lawrence Swamp. I can take the bikepath to Amherst College, through Amherst Center and to my office on the Campus of UMASS for a pleasant but flat 60-70 minute run.
2. Bike path home: very similar to bike path to work but in reverse.
3. M&M South to the Notch to work: This is a great run! The M&M (Metacomet Monadnock) Trail connects Connecticut to New Hampshire mostly via the Pelham Dome.
4. M&M North: The M&M Trail to the north has longer, more gradual climbs than too the south.
5. Quabbin: Anytime that gates are mentioned (gate 6, gate 11, et cetera), the run goes through the catchment area directly surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir. The Quabbin (mother tongue for "big water") provides drinking water for Boston (about two hours away) and provides some great running on the carriage trails that are used to manage the reservoir.
6. BLT: Belchertown Land Trust Trail a reclaimed rail bed that is now an unimproved rail trail. Very flat but a good, soft running surface that is smooth enough to run fast but rough enough in places to keep things interesting.