I’ve long been a fan of threshold workouts (or tempo runs or whatever term you want to use). However, I’ve also been intrigued by the concept of polarized training, which essentially says threshold workouts are not all that productive.
So this debate between advocates of polarized training and advocates of threshold running struck me as quite interesting.
In short, while the idea of polarized training is still intriguing, I’m going to keep doing my tempo runs and other threshold type workouts. I know they work well for me and I strongly believe they are beneficial for runners in general.
Marathoners need to be able to run fast. This is something I’ve been saying forever. At the very least, you should be working some strides into your workouts to get the turnover up.
Want to avoid chronic pain later in life? Another thing running is good for. Once again, when it comes to the body and an active lifestyle, use it or lose it.
Should you change your running form? Probably not. What you naturally find is probably the most efficient form for you. As your fitness improves through training, your form will adjust to the most efficient for your new fitness.