Starting Your First Run! Aerobic Threshold Training

          Have you ever tried to start running after not exercising for a long time? Did you lace up your shoes, head out the door and after a few minutes you had a burning sensation in your lungs and legs? You were most likely running at too hard of an effort and not training the appropriate energy system for your first run.    

Aerobic threshold training is one of the two components that help develop endurance in an athlete.1 “Endurance is defined as the capacity to sustain a given speed of work rate for the longest period of time.”1 The energy system you primarily use when training your aerobic threshold is the oxidative system. Your goal as an endurance athlete is to increase your aerobic threshold because this allows your body to delay the usage of glycogen as an energy source. Fatty acids are stored in muscle cells while glycogen is stored in muscle cells and the liver. Training at your aerobic threshold is when your body starts changing main fuel sources from fatty acids to glycogen. The longer you can delay using glycogen as an energy source the longer duration of exercise you can accomplish.2 Your aerobic threshold is typically 65-75% of your current vo2 max, depending on the athlete.1 When starting training for an endurance event you want to be training in this specific training zone for the first few weeks. This allows your body time to adapt physiologically to the stress you will put it through during harder efforts.

When an athlete is training at his or her aerobic threshold they should still be able to carry on a conversation while running. This might be difficult for your first few runs, but in time it will become easier.  

References:

1Freeman, W. (Ed.). (n.d.). Track and Field Coaching Essentials / USA Track and Field

2Barder, O. (n.d.). The Aerobic and Anaerobic Thresholds. What Is the Aerobic Threshold? Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://www.runningforfitness.org/book/chapter-10-putting-it-together/threshold