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Go the distance in the Men’s Health Urbanathlon™ with this 12-Week conditioning plan

Francis Bellamy can help you run faster than ever before. He’s not an Olympic coach, or a genetic engineer. He was a Baptist minister, born in 1855, who probably never even heard of a 10-K. But in between sermons and baptisms, Bellamy created the ultimate training tool for runners: the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Science of Speed
Before we get to the Pledge, a lesson in lactate threshold. Lactate is your body’s buffering agent for the acid that builds up in your legs and causes them to burn during a run. The faster you run, the faster your acid levels rise. At a certain point, there’s too much acid to neutralize, and you have to slow down. This is when you’ve crossed your lactate threshold.
You can also think of your lactate threshold as the fastest pace you can run that allows you to start and finish at the same speed, without feeling any burn. “By pushing your lactate threshold higher, you’ll be able to run faster, longer,” says Ed Coyle, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas. That’s where the Pledge of Allegiance comes in: It’s the tool that will help you raise your threshold.

Training Days
In this program, you’ll run 3 or 4 days a week, usually resting a day after each run. You’ll vary the distance and intensity of the workouts, with each designed to build on the preceding one. Follow the guidelines below for performing each workout at the ideal intensity.

Volume Training On volume days, you have just one goal: Log the miles. “Volume-training sessions are designed to develop your cardiovascular system’s ability to perform prolonged exercise, as well as to prepare your muscles and joints for the repeated impact of running,” says Marks.
Intensity: Run at a pace that allows you to recite the Pledge of Allegiance easily, even if that means you have to do a combination of running and walking. (This is the ideal workout for lunchtime brainstorming with your colleagues.)

Maximal Steady-State Training You’ll perform these runs as close to your lactate threshold as possible. “Maximal steady-state training simulates race pace and improves your body’s ability to clear speed-limiting acid from your blood and muscles,” says Jerry Mayo, Ph.D., an exercise scientist at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.
Intensity: Run at a pace that allows you to recite the Pledge of Allegiance with difficulty, in spurts of only three or four words at a time before gasping for air. (You’ll inhale at the natural pauses.)

Interval Training You’ll intersperse short bouts of high-intensity running that’s above your lactate threshold with longer periods of running that fall below it. “Intervals train your body to tolerate higher amounts of acid, while providing ample time to recover after each high-intensity bout,” says Marks.
Intensity: Start by running at your volume-training intensity for the first 5 minutes. Then increase your speed until you can’t recite a single word of the Pledge. Maintain this pace for 30 seconds, then slow down to your starting pace for the next 3 minutes, before beginning another 30-second high-intensity stint. Start with five intervals and try to do more each time you repeat the workout, while shortening the duration of the recovery periods.

Your 10-Mile Plan
Determine which program is appropriate for your level of fitness, then print out the chart below and use it as a guide for your day-by-day workout calendar. Next to each mileage amount is a corresponding letter that indicates whether you perform volume training (V), maximal steady-state training (M), or interval training (I) that day. Once you’ve completed the entire plan, simply repeat it to continue to push your fitness levels higher and race times lower.

Beginner: Do the Beginner program if you perform any aerobic exercise or participate in any recreational sports such as tennis, basketball, or soccer at least 2 or 3 days a week.

Advanced: Follow the Advanced version if you currently run at least 20 minutes or 2 miles 3 or more days a week.