10 x 10” Hills + 4 x 1200m SuperSet

Designed for XC runners

Intensity

10” Hills at Max Velocity Sprint (100% effort)
1200m Super Set: 1st 400m at 3K pace, 2nd 400m at 5K, 3rd 400m at 10K

Recovery

2 - 3 minutes between each 10” hill rep and 1200m SuperSet
6 - 9 minutes, or 1 mile very light jogging, between 10” hills & SuperSet segments

Exertion

8/10

Periodization

Specific Period

Context & Details

Running training is a form of learning — for both the body and brain.

Modern endurance coaching and sport science have focused on training that advances the physiology of runners. This is an intelligent practice, but it’s incomplete — leaving major gaps in the overall development of runners. To run faster for longer, runners need to concurrently develop the efficacy of both their physiology and neurology. When this is done, the result is improved organ function, like the lungs, heart, liver, and brain — which is measured by improved running paces, lower sensitivity to training stimulus, and higher resiliency (ie: quicker recovery or rebound) from stressful events, like races.

Training is a complex activity because the human body and its reaction to stimuli is complex. Some try to make the complex simple — that is a mistake. Simplification of complexity results in a loss of nuance. Instead, it’s far more valuable to clarify our understanding of the complex.

The brain and the body operate in partnership in a co-dependant feedback loop. Signals from the brain influence the body as well as signals from the body impact the function of the brain. However, it is becoming clearer and clearer today that the master organ is the brain. And one of the main stimulants for the brain is movement, which is essentially learning. Every movement we make is an opportunity for the brain to learn, refine, or consolidate a pattern of muscle firing and limb propulsion.

With that understood, workouts then can be seen as learning events.

There are 3 main types of physical learning:

Maximal Learning — requiring maximum (95%+) effort and focus
Sub-Maximal Learning — requiring a sub-max amount (~75-85% of max) of effort and focus
Consolidation — requiring little (below 70%) effort and focus

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In today’s workout, repeat 10” Hills can be understood as maximal learning and the 1200m SuperSets as sub-maximal. The combination of two or more different types of learning situations, as well as energy systems stimuli, classifies this type of session as “complex” or what I call a Mixed Session.

This workout takes place in the Specific Period of training when the runner focused on rapidly advancing their race-specific fitness before their target performance period. Training and fitness compounds, so the most difficult, highest intensity, highest volume workouts should be done late in training when the athlete is their fittest.

Repeat 10” Hills on a moderate grade provide a powerful boost to the runner’s brain by teaching their neuromuscular system to operate with greater motor-unit activation, which advances power outputs by the leg muscles and top-end running speed.

Race Pace specific SuperSets are high-octane fitness fortifying events.

SuperSets are difficult to perform but yield significant fitness gains by fortifying runners with a higher degree of fatigue resistance than traditional constant pace repetitions. The design of SuperSets spikes Lactate production early in the set which forces the runner’s body to buffer high degree lactate throughout the duration of each set.

As a reminder, SuperSets are run without stoppage. The easiest way to interpret this SuperSet is as a continuous 1200m rep divided into three 400m segments, each with a different pace assignment.

This SuperSet starts out with 3,000m pace, on the 1st 400m, the next 400m is run at 5K pace, with the final 400m at 10K pace.

Some may worry about teaching runners “bad habits” by scheduling a progressive slow down, however, the slow down from 3K to 5K to 10K pace is very slight with the descending paces still of high quality. This design address the realities of the internal state of the runner, an overwhelming injection of lactate, with a realistic game plan to foster fitness improvement, holding a relativity high output of pace despite a high level of fatigue.

Iron sharpens iron. Hard work that makes us better is different and difficult work — like SuperSets.

Don’t shy away from the tough stuff in training, just do it.

Any questions? Direct Message me on twitter.
Thx. | jm

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3 Good Books on XC / Neurological training

Brain Training for Runners by Matt Fitzgerald
The Performance Cortex: How Neuroscience Is Redefining Athletic Genius by Zach Schonbrun
The Physiology of Training for High Performance by Duncan Macdougall & Digby Sale