New Researchโข Highlights ‘Time on Feet’ as Key to Endurance Performance
Forโข competitive runners, the total time spent running-rather than โขdistance covered-is emergingโ as a critical indicator of success, accordingโข to recent findings.โ A 2023 study published in PubMed demonstrated that training volume, specifically time, is the โคmost meaningful predictor of โฃmarathon race times.
the concept, often referredโข to as “Time on โFeet” (TOF), centers on building an aerobic base. Ron Hammett,โ a coach at Simulatedโข Running, explains this base is like an engine: “If it’sโ a small engine,โฃ you can only โฃgo so fastโข and soโ long,”โ he says. “The more volume you can do,โฃ theโ more it expands that aerobic engine-your capacity toโข get faster, to go longer, to be more โคefficient.”
TOF isn’t solely about physical gains; itโ also benefits โmental โapproach.Focusing on โฃtime insteadโค of distance encourages a slower, more purposeful pace and allows runners to โฃfully experience the โadvantages of easy running. Experts recommend approximately 80 percent of training โขshould be dedicated to relaxed zone 2 activity. When the goal is time, rather than mileage, โrunnersโ are less likely to rush workouts. For โinstance, a โrunner with a scheduled five-mile recovery run mightโ be tempted to increase speed, but a 60-minute easy run promotes maintaining the correct pace.
Evan Hoyt, an exercise physiologist at Human Powered โฃHealth, emphasizes that TOF reduces training stressโ and allows for better body awareness. “If you don’t have any specific goals involved, โคitโ takes โฃallโข the stress out of achieving a tangible goal at the endโ of it. It just makes it aโข little bit โฃmore enjoyable,” says โขHoyt. โ”It’s also โa really good tool toโค not overtrain.” โฃTOFโค also provides flexibility to โincorporate low-impact cardio alternatives-suchโ as biking or using an elliptical-when experiencing discomfort.
For beginners, Hoyt โขadvises a gradual increase in TOF.”If someone wants โคto โrun their first 5k but doesn’t haveโ aโ specific time goal, then I would write a plan around the estimated time that we’ll run it in,” heโค says. A runner โaveraging a 10 to 15 minute mile would aim for a 30 to 45 minute run,โฃ focusing on building the body’s ability to โฃsustain movementโฃ for that duration.
