I think that the next time I hit the track I’ll run my first Hadd mini-test. The mini-test is a free and easy way to determine where your lactate threshold (LT) is at the moment. (Your LT should change – that’s the whole point of the training. ;-D ) Once you know your threshold effort (as a heart rate), you can then train more effectively. A key point expressed by many coaches, including Hadd and the world renowned marathon coach Renato Canova, is that training harder does not mean training better. There are ideal efforts at which to conduct various types of workouts. I suspect that the mini-test will show that I’ve been training at slightly too hard an effort. Knowing this more concretely will help me reduce the effort of my workouts and be more patient in my training. I’ve got five and six months until my focus races and I’d like to aim to show the most improvement over that time period rather than showing maximum improvement over the next month or two (which might occur if I train at a harder than advised effort right now) at the expense of being at peak fitness in late autumn.
Read more regarding Hadd’s training plan and mini-test procedure here.
