VO2 max mesocycle before the race - why?

panic2

Hi,

Why do most marathon schedules have a final mesocycle (before the race) of VO2max where I understand you cannot improve your VO2 max to any significant degree (Pfizinger & Douglas) and if you read P&D, they tell you the priority and importance of sessions are: long / endurance followed by tempo / lactate and then VO2max?  I have no doubt these guys know what they are talking about (!) but I do not understand why it would not be better to replace VO2max with tempo / lactate (up to 40 mins) where you can improve lactate significantly?  P&D tell you the success of your marathon is based on your ability to run just below your lactate levels but then lactate training is dropped from approx. the 5 week block / final mesocycle before the taper, hence the confusion.  I also see it as more beneficial to run hard for 40 mins and understand where that limit is for a race, rather than a 90%+ effort for a few minutes, several times.  Plus I think I recall P&D suggesting it takes more time to recover from VO2 max sessions, than tempo.  Thanks.

cougie

I din't think I've seen a plan with it ? Maybe I've looked at the wrong plans though ? 

panic2

OK thanks anyway.  These are the P&D advanced schedules and unfortunately not on-line either (book only).

Nayan

maybe they are trying to keep you sharp and stave off lethargy ahead of race day

Magna Carter

Everyone is different... I find that a big taper really knocks my performance, so tend to go still reasonably hard until quite close to my event... I've learnt this through trial and error and paying a lot of attention to data through Training Peaks...

Tommo81

I've asked the same question before on the P&D thread to find others similarly unsure. I can only think that you can't really improve aerobic or LT in that last mesocycle (I read somewhere it takes four weeks for long run aerobic adaptations to occur) but gains from vo2 max sessions have a much quicker turnaround - hence perhaps being the only meaningful adaptation that can occur at the end of the entire schedule. 

My guess anyway. 

HA77

Tommo is spot on. According to p&d VO2 max is most quickly trained system so it's left towards the end of the program. LT and endurance sessions are maintained throughout the program. During the final 4 week mesocycle before the taper there are 2 tune up races and a long run with 14 miles at mp, so plenty of LT stimulus. The VO2 max sessions in p&d are pretty light too so I found them easier to recover from than LT sessions. It says they are relatively short so you can stay fresh for the more important endurance sessions.

Come over onto the p&d tread if you want to have regular p&d discussions.

panic2

great, thanks for the responses.  Now I realise there is a P&D thread, I will move over.