
In every workout description you should see the following key words: Easy, Moderate, Hard, Zone 2, Tempo, Threshold, Gray Zone 1, Recovery, Aerobic, Anaerobic... The list goes on and on and depending on your Coach and also what type of Zones you are using is what words you start becoming familiar. No matter what the terminology and coach/athlete relationship...it is up to you as the athlete to know going into the workout at what pace/speed, HR zone, Power zone or Rate of Perceived Exertion you should be doing and for how long! If you don't get fidelity in the workout description ask for it. If your workout says 10 minutes in Z3 Tempo then you better know an EXACT range for your workout goal for those 10 minutes or how to find it in your personal zones.
Lastly, another common error I see is TOO TIGHT of a range of speeds, paces, or HR range in athlete's training. Let's spread that Zone range out! An example: if your threshold run pace is 8:30 min/mile then you should be running your easy Z2 runs at 10:15 - 10:50 pace and your FAST Zone 5 sprints sub 8:00. A range of close to 2:30/mi. Not 9:00 for easy pace and 8:00 for sprints with a range of 1:00. Same goes for swimming and cycling. Easy means EASY and fast means FAST. Look up your range that fits you and if you don't have your zones up-to-date or have never been tested to determine your zones, ask your coach for more information!
- Coach Mace