A Testing Day

Here we are, fresh into another week. Like last week it looks like it is going to be another seven days of new experiences and functioning outside my comfort zone. My level of comfort is going to be a bit higher than last week, but in many ways this week is simply a lull between last week and when things ramp up again next week.

Several days this week are actually pretty quiet on the coaching front, but there are still a few sessions on the horizon. Coaching wise the week looks like:

• Today: Coaching a corporate run group 
• Tomorrow: a bit of swim coaching
• Wednesday and Thursday: nothing
• Friday: Swim coaching and athlete consult
• Saturday: Athlete Consult
• Sunday: Nothing

So certainly enough to be keeping busy with.

The Corporate running session tonight in particular is looking interesting. The session for the group tonight is what is known at the Cooper Test, which is a session used to determine threshold pace.

When it comes to determining threshold pace Front Runners use two methods, the Critical Velocity Test and the Cooper Test. These two tests are a bit different in execution, but they both use a similar method to determine threshold pace. The tests are both made up with a sustained effort in which a runner tries to cover the maximum distance possible. In the Critical Velocity Test the runner covers as much distance as they can in 30 minutes, in the Cooper Test they do it for 12 minutes. You then apply an algorithm to the distance and it gives an approximation of a person's threshold pace. The threshold pace can then be used to determine the five pace zones that Front Runner uses, Easy, Steady, Tempo, Threshold and VO2 Max. These pace zones can then be used to give a person a yard stick by which they can judge and pace their sessions, ensuring they are pacing a session correctly. Quite useful really.

On the surface the tests seem quite different, I mean 12 minutes is very different to 30 minutes. However, studies have shown that both tests give relatively accurate results, the key thing is that the test is long enough that it forces a person to run at threshold and not above. If the test was too short (a couple of minutes) a person would be able to run above threshold and the results wouldn't be accurate. On the flip side, the longer you make the test, the harder it is to get the pacing right. If you did the test over one hour it would be very hard to pace well and it would really skew the results. Even an 30 minute effort is hard to pace right. The 12 minute test is potentially less accurate because it is shorter, but at the same time it is easier to pace well. In the end all it sort of balances out.

Anyway, so that is on the cards for tonight. I have never run a testing session before so I am quite looking forward to it. It will be nice to be the one watching rather than doing for once.