What Are Junk Miles

[Antisocial]

CL has an issue with mental health and has made several sweeping inaccurate statements causing distress in the past.

[daz h]

CL

I asked you two questions

One - relating to your post 22 - a simple yes or no question - is it your view that Vo2 max is synomous with aerobic conditioning, or have I misintrepreated what you said?

Two - relating to your post 25 - as per Hanks' post - what are the vital chemical resources that are drained from the body

Neither of these has been answered

Saz Id be guessing CL meant electrolytes. Thats the chemicals hes talking about.

[daz h]

Depends on what the runner is trying to achieve surely? Are you suggesting an ultra runner would be best served by a few short fast track sessions a week?

As has been already asked, what are these "vital chemical resources" that are drained by running for a longer time at a moderate intensity, vs a short time at a high intensity?

Surely you provide nutrition for your body based on it's output.




There have been a number of TdF cyclists who have taken drugs to get the edge. Back in the day it was the done thing. There's no secret if you get into any drug, for many people that can lead to various health problems. It's not confined to cyclists, look at the iron curtain athletes from back in the day.

Your last sentence is junk.

Christopher has a point
Proffesional Cycling has always had a high proportion of suicides, depression, and health problems within its ranks. There must be some tie up with this and the effects that either doping or riding 20odd thousand miles a year has on the brain. Im sure of that

[Deadlegs]

Christopher has a point
Proffesional Cycling has always had a high proportion of suicides, depression, and health problems within its ranks. There must be some tie up with this and the effects that either doping or riding 20odd thousand miles a year has on the brain. Im sure of that

Are you sure about that? The only cyclist I can recall commiting suicide was about to be arrested for badly injuring and his father and feared jail. Anyway, why not long distant runners and swimmers?
I know you read a lot about cycling. You are more likely to read about those with problems than those who retire quietly and have a happy life. There are always people who struggle .

[Hank]

Saz Id be guessing CL meant electrolytes. Thats the chemicals hes talking about.

Isn't that why God invented Nuun tablets?

[nikalas]

Christopher has a point
Proffesional Cycling has always had a high proportion of suicides, depression, and health problems within its ranks. There must be some tie up with this and the effects that either doping or riding 20odd thousand miles a year has on the brain. Im sure of that

I just don't think that's right and don't believe that cycling has any more of a doping problem than Track and Field. Any sport played at an elite level has incredible demands and cases of athletes going off the rails are not just limited to cycling or even endurance sports. Look at young tennis players and swimmers burning out, eating disorders in aesthetic sports such as gymnastics, footballers doing totally mad things and Tiger Wood's shenanigans.

I think Deadlegs has hit the nail on the head that you've just read more about cycling and have a skewed view... for every Paul Kimmage or Joe Parkin exposé on cycling I can guarantee you could find an equal number for a lot of other sports.

[nikalas]

Depends on what the runner is trying to achieve surely? Are you suggesting an ultra runner would be best served by a few short fast track sessions a week?

That's the key point.

What constitutes Junk Miles to an individual athlete is directly related to what their training goal is. Any training that does not contribute towards moving towards that goal is junk.

[nikalas]

I haven't forgotten the time you got Graham-B to indirectly criticise me in the fell runner magazine for giving good advice. .

You gave good advice :w00t: ?? About what?

[jtinnion]

That's the key point.

What constitutes Junk Miles to an individual athlete is directly related to what their training goal is. Any training that does not contribute towards moving towards that goal is junk.

Judging it that way means I don't do any junk miles, because my primary goal is to get outside on the hills and enjoy myself. I can't remember a mile that I haven't in some way enjoyed or at least derived satisfaction from.

I'm sure, though, that not all of my miles contribute to the secondary goals of being able to go longer or faster.

Jim

[CL]

There seems to be considerable excitement over my comments on here, particularly in regard to the 'vital chemical reserves.' It really isn't important to know the names of all the chemicals involved. What is important and can be grasped by even a 'tree hanging Sloth,' is the principle.

Nobody knows what gravity consists of, but everyone is aware of its consequences. And if you attempt to jump off a skyscraper without a parachute because no one has named the components of gravity, you'll find yourself coming to a very abrupt emergency stop. The witnesses of your fall will also discover that the human skull wasn't designed to be an airbag.

Everything in the body exists in finite quantities. Fuel, oxygen, water, vitamins, hormones etc. Therefore it makes sense to use what exists as economically as possible. Constantly using up those 'vital chemical reserves' in overcoming longer and longer training sessions is the worst training mistake an individual can make.

One last point. The fact that concepts like recovery, compensation and overcompensation are used by sports scientists implies the existence and depletion of 'vital chemical reserves.'