Exertion Builds Ability

The Hard-Easy System is the most effective system for training endurance athletes. Of course, no system can describe the training process completely because systems reflect a collection of ideas, rather than the training reality. In the final analysis, the efficacy of a system depends entirely on its usefulness in guiding training decisions.

For starters, an effective training system must account for exertion. An athlete cannot build racing ability without exerting an effort. The Hard-Easy System (HES) deals with this conceptual issue by measuring and describing five components of exertion: heart rate, breathing, power, tempo, and intensity (see below). An athlete plays his/her body like a musical instrument, exerting effort within a workout to build racing ability. 

The most successful athletes realize the necessary role of effort in the ability-building process. They strive to structure their workouts to build five racing abilities: stamina, power, tempo, speed, and endurance. Remember, dear reader, these ideas cannot be right or wrong—only useful or not useful. Some people ask about the difference between stamina (the ability to run long and slow) and endurance (the ability to sustain uncomfortable exertion). I ask how to structure exertion to build each ability. 

Imagine a musician blowing air into a clarinet. An athlete does much the same by playing his/her body during a workout. Instead of creating music by blowing air through the clarinet, however, an athlete builds ability by modulating exertion from moment to moment on these five, 6-level components. Effective athletes are intimately acquainted with each, and the highs and lows within them. They relate constantly with their sensations of exertion, as a clarinetist hears the music issuing from the clarinet. 

Moreover, effective athletes know how to structure exertion deliberately to practice abilities needed to perform. They understand training related principles, such as intensity increases with duration—even at a very slow pace. By becoming uncomfortable during training, they adjust their body to that discomfort and thereby build endurance. Alternately, by remaining comfortable, they build their base of stamina. 

Experience doesn’t matter when it comes to exertion, as a beginner can learn to experience it as well as a master. Even masters practice constantly, often deriving enjoyment from their practice, as you will using the HES—the best training system yet. In the next article, I’ll consider how to optimize the effort of every workout.