Understanding Critical Speed and VO2 Max in Running

John Davis is a running coach, researcher, and the author of the blog Running Writings. He combines scientific thinking and computational skills with practical coaching, and has developed popular tools and calculators for distance runners. In this episode, John discusses his run training principles, and we discuss his calculators and why they could be a great tool in any runner's toolbox. 

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 

• The story behind Running Writings and John's motivation for starting it
• John's calculators and how they differ from others
• John's coaching philosophy and core training principles
• Using physiological models and race-goal models in training design
• The value of long steady runs
• Thoughts on training durability and minimising late-race performance decline
• Listener questions

DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES: 

• We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode. Naturally, as great as they are, they do not cover absolutely everything in as great detail as we can do in a 45-90 minute podcast episode.
• The shownotes for today's episode can be found at www.scientifictriathlon.com/tts464/

LINKS AND RESOURCES: 

• John’s Instagram and Twitter
• Running Writings - John's website
• Running Writings Newsletter
• All of John's calculators
• The 5k to Critical Speed calculator discussed at length in the episode
• Modern Training and Physiology for Middle and Long-Distance Runners - John’s book

WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?

If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following episodes: 

• David Roche – The training and racing strategy behind his epic Leadville 100 course record | EP#444 - inspiring episode about ultra-running, with lots of interesting thought experiments for any endurance athlete
• Michele Zanini (part 2) | EP#394 - a deep-dive into Renato Canova's training methods, from somebody who spent a lot of time working together with Canova
• Run training talk with Jon Green | EP#315 - a great interview on run training with the coach of Molly Seidel, bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics

You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.

You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes. 

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• The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
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