How to improve your running skills through fundamental endurance?

Basic endurance is the foundation, the base on which all progress in running must be built. Running most of the time in training at a pace corresponding to your basic endurance is the assurance of being able to run longer and with more pleasure, it is also the sine qua non condition for being able to progress. Running at basic endurance is the first necessary step to be able to progress. This pace, which is a comfortable pace, where it is still possible to talk without being too out of breath, has indeed many advantages.

A more efficient cardio-respiratory system

As you do core endurance sessions week after week (usually at 65/70% of your maximum heart rate), you will increase and improve the efficiency of your cardio-respiratory system. This translates into a lower resting heart rate. However, you must be patient. For a beginner, the first effects can be felt after about a month with 2 to 3 core endurance sessions per week. The factors that most influence the decrease in your heart rate are regularity (which is more important than intensity), weekly volume in core endurance, sleep and recovery. The decrease can be 2 to 5 beats per minute after a few months and for the most consistent and persistent, 5 to 10 beats per minute after 6 to 12 months.

Improved fat utilization

By training in basic endurance, we accustom our body to using fats and saving glycogen. This is very useful during long runs. In a marathon, this can help, after several months of specific training, to avoid the famous marathon wall. Fat oxidation requires a significant supply of oxygen and when we run at a slow pace, the body has enough oxygen available to transform lipids into energy whereas at a moderate or high pace, the body will favor carbohydrates (glycogen). In basic endurance, the body will therefore seek energy more from fat reserves. It 'learns' in a way to use more fat reserves.

Physiological adaptations

Our bodies are programmed to adapt. This is the result of the slow evolution of the human species. With regular endurance running, the body adapts by developing more small blood networks or capillaries around the muscles to improve blood circulation and oxygen supply. It also adapts by becoming more efficient at converting fat into energy, which makes it easier to burn fat even at moderate effort. This allows you to run longer and longer without hitting an energy 'wall'.

Gentle muscle and tendon strengthening

When we run, we put stress on our muscles and joints. And the faster the pace, the more this stress increases. By running the vast majority of the time in basic endurance, we accustom the muscles and joints to the effort without overloading them. This helps avoid possible injuries. The impact on the ground, which is absorbed by the muscles, tendons, and joints, remains more moderate. There is less mechanical stress compared to a high pace. The tissues of the tendons and ligaments become more resistant, stronger, and more elastic because they are stimulated frequently but gradually, in moderation. This adaptation is necessary to be able to withstand more violent shocks during more intense sessions (interval training or hill training). For beginners in running, it may be advisable to initially run only at basic endurance for one to two months to give the body time to adapt before working on speed with sessions that are more demanding for the cardiovascular system and the tendons and joints. This can help reduce the risk of injury.

Aim for 70-80% of your weekly training in basic endurance

To benefit from the many advantages of basic endurance running, you should aim to run at this pace approximately 70 to 80% of the time. As a simplified example, for a weekly volume of 3 hours, you should plan to do at least 2 of the 3 outings in basic endurance and for the third outing, after a 20-minute warm-up, only 30 to 35 minutes will be run at a higher intensity (in fast sets with active recovery between each set or continuously at threshold). You should also ensure that you increase the weekly volume very gradually, with an increase in weekly volume that will not exceed by more than 10% the weekly volume of the previous week. To go from a weekly training of 3 to 4 hours, for example, you should allow approximately one month with a first week at 3H15, then a second week at 3H30, a third at 3H45 before arriving at a week of 4 hours. Once your basic endurance training is well established, adding quality work with interval, hill, or tempo sessions will be more effective. You'll also want to make sure you increase the intensity of these quality sessions very gradually. Finally, don't hesitate to do some of your basic endurance sessions in a group with runners of your level. This is a pace where you can run and talk at the same time, and it helps motivate each other as a group.

In short, basic endurance is your best ally for progressing in running, avoiding injuries and making the pleasure of running last as long as possible.