Aerobic Training

Aerobic Training and Why it’s Important to Runners.

When it comes to running we have two main systems that we use. Aerobic which means “with oxygen” and anaerobic which means “without oxygen”. Aerobic training is when our body uses oxygen as its main source of energy. Anaerobic training is when our body begins to burn carbohydrates instead of oxygen. Our body also starts to produce lactate. An easier way to differentiate the two is thinking of aerobic running as training for the marathon and anaerobic running as training for a sprint event.

Did you know that distance running is mostly aerobic training? When racing a marathon we’re 99% aerobic. Half marathon at 97%. 10K at 90%. 5K at 85%. Since distance running is primarily aerobic, we want to make sure the majority of our runs are working our aerobic system

Here are benefits of aerobic training:

• Increase in capillaries: Capillaries supply blood to the muscles. The more capillaries you have, the more blood you can get to your muscles.

• Increase in mitochondria: Mitochondria turns fat and carbs into fuel.

• Increased aerobic capacity: Aerobic capacity is how much oxygen your body can use efficiently. An increased aerobic capacity will allow you to run faster paces while still staying aerobic.

• Burn fat instead of carbohydrates: When your body burns fat your blood sugar and energy levels stay more constant. Your body has much more fat stored than carbohydrates, which means you will have more energy to burn.

The more you know, the faster you will run!