Early 2011 saw the launch of a completely redesigned version of My ASICS, the popular online running service. At the heart of the new My ASICS is a suite of training programs developed by Takehiro Tagawa at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science in Kobe, Japan. Tagawa-san talks about the science of running and his own testing of the training method.
Anaerobic Threshold
Takehiro Tagawa, manager of the Performance Development team at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science in Kobe, Japan, was responsible for developing the new My ASICS training programs. A scientific concept he used is the so called Anaerobic Threshold (AT), an index that can be used as a measure for training intensity. Tagawa-san explains: “The effectiveness of training depends on three basic elements: length of training time, frequency and intensity. While time and frequency are easily measured, the right intensity is more elusive. In other sports, it might just be a matter of going full steam, but this doesn’t work with long-distance running.”
“When the body is stimulated, its physical condition actually deteriorates. At that point the body needs rest and the right nutrition in order to recuperate and improve. Resting is part of training too.” — Takehiro Tagawa
It turns out that the optimum speed to run a full marathon can be expressed physiologically as AT. “So by focusing on how to improve AT, we can understand the kind of training that’s necessary for running a marathon.”
Common superstitions
Despite the scientific approach Tagawa-san advocates, he still meets a lot of misconceptions and superstitious ideas among runners. “People tend to believe things like the more you run the faster you become. This may sound logical when you see how fast runners tend to run longer distances while slow runners don’t run as much. But it's not necessarily correct in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of training.”
Another common misconception is that you need to run on a daily basis in order to improve. “It’s important to understand that when the body is stimulated, its physical condition actually deteriorates. At that point the body needs rest and the right nutrition in order to recuperate and improve. Resting is part of training too.” This also goes for running when you're in pain, Tagawa-san stresses. “There’s no point in running when something hurts.”
With this idea of training quality over quantity in mind, running every day is not necessarily the best way to improve your AT. In fact, Tagawa-san's method makes it possible to train for a marathon with as little as two runs a week.
The importance of logging
My ASICS also lets you keep a logbook of your runs. Tagawa-san emphasises the importance of logging as a training tool, which again relates back to training intensity. “Intensity can be understood in terms of pace. Logging your pace enables you to grasp at what kind of intensity you ran on that particular day.” However, as he is the first to point out, such numbers don’t necessarily tell you whether you were in good or bad shape. “It’s important to gather facts to analyse your performance. We tend to become too sensitive to other people’s opinions, and end up not being able to do what we set out to do. By logging additional information, such as amount of sleep and diet, you gain a better and more objective understanding of the results of your training.”
Moreover, a running logbook becomes more effective as you use it longer, because it becomes increasingly unique to you as a runner. “It allows you to compare your performance with that of past seasons, so you can maybe say, 'Ok, it’s fine to be in this condition at this stage'.”
In the real world
The training method Tagawa-san developed was, as he likes to say, the outcome of “logical reasoning”. But he also has the practical experience of individually coaching over 200 athletes of all levels, from beginners to advanced runners. While this helped him refine his method considerably, he also decided to test it himself. “It had been 20 years since I graduated from university and stopped doing any kind of physical exercise. When I started running I struggled to keep it up for even 10 or 15 minutes. Luckily, though, we have running facilities. So I put myself through scientific training, and after six months I managed to run my first marathon in 3 hours 39 minutes.”
Now that the new My ASICS is live, Tagawa-san is curious to see how it will perform in the real world. “We can’t complete My ASICS ourselves, so it’s really dependent on how much our users will work with it. What interests me most is what kind of results they will get compared to what the theory would predict. And if the results are different, I’d be interested in what the causes may be.”
Besides his scientific interest in further improving My ASICS, Tagawa-san is also proud to share his knowledge with the running community. “Training allows people to change their body. That makes people feel differently, and that feeling can sometimes be very profound. I feel lucky to be able to contribute to such a process.”
Comments
Raphaël(ASICS staff):
To all of you commenting, thanks for your interest in My ASICS! With any questions about My ASICS and your training plans, please visit our support community. ASICS staff as well as fellow runners can help answer your questions here: http://getsatisfaction.com/myasics We also post updates to the service there, and all content is archived so you may find answers to your questions there already. Of course we welcome any other feedback you may have too! With any product related questions, please visit a running store in your neighborhood or use our online shoe advisor. Thanks again! Best regards, -Raphaël
Jan. 25, 2012
Chris Welton:
Your program seems to have similarities to the FIRST training program. Have you made any comparison between the two? If so, what conclusions did you come to? Thanks for the input.
Oct. 19, 2011
ian parry:
I find this tool has great potential, however it seems too limited in restricting runs to 4 times a week - Im trying to move from a 3hr to 2:50 marathon and usually run 5 to 7 times a week
Sep. 13, 2011
Andrei Krylov:
Hi all in myAsics! The program is great and I am following it to run my first half marathon. But I don't see any value from the graphs in the performance tab. What is the purpose of that? They don't show that I am better or worse. They just reflect the same stuff as in my running. I believe the performance should show how the average pace increased compared from the beginning, HR decreased, etc. Just to show that I am on my way to the goal - to feel better, etc. To be honest, to show the distances every day - I can see it from my running log. Or time - what is the purpose to compare the time of running 3 miles and 10 miles. Definitely, 10 miles will be longer. Sorry, for writing it here - it is not related to the article. But I couldn't find the way how to send my feedback on the log itself. Again, thank you for the program - hope it will help me to reach my goal. Thank you, Andrei.
Aug. 12, 2011
Kate:
Hello, I'm looking for a running shoe that does not bend my big toe in towards the others. I have visited a number of specialist running shops but not been able to find such a shoe as all the shoes are shaped so that the toe area tapers in to the centre. I cannot believe that it is good for the foot to run in a shoe that distorts the toes. Someone suggested Asics to me. Do you have a running shoe that doesn't push the big toe inwards? Thank you.
Jun. 24, 2011
jigs shah:
i am looking for a good shoes for cricket. . can you suggest me which of the asics shoes are good enough for spinners?
May. 30, 2011
Lesley Kane:
I have been running in asics for a few years now and love the ladies gel 2140 but cant get them anywhere. Have bought 2150 but cant run in them and had to move to mizuno wave inspire which i can run in but not 100% comfortable. Is there anywhere i could purchase 2140's or can you recommend another shoe Thanx Lesley Kane
May. 22, 2011
Ole:
I am trying to improve my running after som injuryes and have looked at this training programe. And I am a bit confused. At this moment I run about 5m15s pr. km on a 5 km route, and if I would like for example i 6 weeks time to run 10 km in 50 minuts, this programe tells me that I should run very slow in most of my traning runs: 1 run 1 week 5km with 7:49 min/km Jog 2 run 1 week 5km with 7:49 min/km Jog 3 run 2 week 8km with 7:15 - 6:41 min/km Comfortable 4 run 2 week 5 km 1 km with 5:22 then jog for 2-5 min and so on. Interval 5 run 3 week 5 km 1 km with 5:22 then jog for 2-5 min and so on. Interval 6 run 3 week 7 km 1 km with 5:22 then jog for 2-5 min and so on. Interval 7 run 4 week 7 km 1 km with 5:22 then jog for 2-5 min and so on. Interval 8 run 4 week 10 km with 5:55 if it is to fast reduce speed to not les than 6:16 Fast 9 run 5 week 10 km with 5:55 if it is to fast reduce speed to not les than 6:16 Fast 10 run 5 week 10 km with 5:55 if it is to fast reduce speed to not les than 6:16 Fast 11 run 6 week 10 km with 5:55 if it is to fast reduce speed to not les than 6:16 Fast 12 run 6 week 5 km with between 6:41 and 5:55 Race-Pace 13 run 6 week 5km with 7:49 min/km Jog 14 event run 10 km with 5:00 min/km I think that the interval traning looks very easy as well as the Jog, and would think that the speed should be higher in the interval traning. What amazes me most is that I should not run faster that 5:55 i any run besides Interval. Will this realy give me the effort to run 5:00 on the event day ? If it works it would be very esay to improve your running, but to me it looks to esay. I am hoping that You can explain a little more about why this kind of slow training shold improve your speed. Best regards Ole
Apr. 20, 2011
Bill Papantoniou:
Thank you Tagawa-san! The program has kept me away from injuries and steadiliy improving! What more can one ask?
Apr. 11, 2011
shaun moyser:
This sounds very exciting as a development and tool for monitoring performance. Many thanks.
Mar. 11, 2011
Andy:
I began running as a means to lose weight and feel better about myself, and like most people who stick with running for a length of time - the desire to engage with others in a race became my driving force. Having completed a few races and half marathons I found that my results had stagnated and I was not seeing any improvments in my finishing times, and worse, injuries were becoming more prevalent (hindering my training). So I decided to change my approach. I have been following the training plan for a half marathon and have found that I was completely over-training in relation to how many miles i was completing each week and neglecting the pace-training aspect of my preparation. Since I began this training plan several months ago I have not been injured once and have even begun to see an improvement in my times. Thankyou Tagawa-san! I look forward to lining up for any future events confident in my ability to run swiftly without fear of aggravating my injuries, and thankyou ASICS for providing this service for free!
Feb. 24, 2011