General endurance is aerobic endurance, which means the cardio-respiratory system can
supply all the oxygen required for the exercise. Event-specific endurance is a combination of aerobic endurance and anaerobic endurance, where the cardio-respiratory system cannot meet the oxygen requirement of the exercise. The longer the race the greater the importance of aerobic endurance; the shorter the race the greater the importance of anaerobic endurance.
The most important methods of training for middle and long distance runners are:
• The continuous method: Running relatively long distances at nearly constant speed
without rest. Continuous training is used to develop general endurance and for regeneration.
• The interval method: Sets of runs or efforts for which the pace, distance and rest
intervals are prescribed. Interval training can be divided into two main types: extensive and
intensive. When the training emphasis is on general endurance, extensive interval training is
used; when the emphasis is on event-specific endurance, intensive interval training is used.
Developing General Endurance
General endurance is developed mainly by applying the continuous and extensive interval
methods. The ideal environment for this type of work is cross-country. The pace used should be
based on the athlete’s aerobic pace. (To determine aerobic pace and the pace for general
endurance training see page 30.) These methods should be applied throughout the training
year as per the following guidelines:
• Slow Continuous Runs (Goal: regeneration)
Pace: 70% of aerobic pace; Volume: up to 30 minutes; Rest: not applicable.
• Long Slow Distance Runs (Goal: general endurance)
Pace: 80-85% of aerobic pace; Volume: 90-150 minutes; Rest: not applicable.
• Medium Continuous Runs (Goal: general endurance)
Pace: 85-90% of aerobic pace; Volume: 45-90 minutes; Rest: not applicable.
• Fast Continuous Runs (Goal: general endurance)
Pace: 90-97% of aerobic pace; Volume: up to 30-45 minutes; Rest: not applicable.