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It has become clear to me that we must view a training program as a balance with the aerobic phase, the Fulcrum, and the anaerobic phase
Coach Joe Vigil
Coach Joe Vigil is a living legend. He is a scientist and coach whose unique combination of physiology and sports science with motivation and decades of experience have produced incredible results.
Here is a shortlist of his coaching accomplishments:
- Coach of Meb Keflezighi, Deena Kastor and Brenda Martinez to name a few famous American runners.
- 20 different medalists at the World Cross Country Championships
- 19 NCAA and NAIA collegiate team championships
- A perfect score at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships which means that the runners on his team finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th
- A meet-winning percentage of 94.2 percent with over 3000 wins
- Coach of the US Olympic Team, twice. And was named to the coaching staff of the World Cross Country Championships, the Pan American Games, and numerous other international coaching staffs
If you’d like to learn more about Coach Vigil, Spartan Life did an excellent profile on him which you can read HERE. If you’ve never heard the name Joe Vigil before today, make sure you read the profile!
The focus in this post is how Coach Vigil transitions his runners between the aerobic and anaerobic phases of a training program. In earlier posts, we learned about the methods used by Arthur Lydiard and Jack Daniels. Coach Vigil calls this phase the Fulcrum, and he describes the concept in his book Road to the Top.
The Vigil Fulcrum
Coach Vigil credits the idea of the Fulcrum to coach John Anderson, former Scottish national athletics coach. Anderson observed the high numbers of runners injured during the transition from aerobic running to anaerobic running. Anderson incorporated specific workouts to progress from one phase to the other more seamlessly. After hearing these insights, Vigil religiously implemented and refined the Fulcrum, and the results were far fewer injuries to his runner.
According to Vigil:
In practice, the Fulcrum involves extended runs at a faster pace with reasonable recoveries. The two sessions principally used in this area:
a. 6 x 1mile repeats with three-minute recoveries
Coach Joe Vigil
b. Repeat 800’s or 1000’s with three- to five-minute recoveries. The faster the run the longer the recovery
6 x 1mile Repeats
For his distance runners, Coach Vigil includes this workout in all three of his phase: aerobic, Fulcrum, and anaerobic. There are always 6 miles. There are always three-minute recoveries. But, the speed target changes.
During his base phase, Coach Vigil would have you complete the workout at 80% of your mile time – which is roughly equal to your Marathon pace. This workout is an excellent way to practice faster-than-easy-pace running without overly stressing the body or the mind during the base phase. Note that runners whose long run is less than 90min would benefit from starting at 3-4 x 1mile at 80% and increasing by one rep every one to two weeks.
During the Fulcrum, you would then progress to 6 x 1mile at 85% of your mile time, which is roughly your Threshold pace – a speed you could maintain for 60min non-stop. This recommendation is very similar to the T-pace runs in Jack Daniels’ Phase II Program.
You would stay at this level until you completely adapt, which can take anywhere from three weeks to three months, depending on the runner. Coach Vigil uses the following “test of adaptation”:
- If you can run your target 1-mile time comfortably for two miles, you are ready to move onto the next percent intensity.
You must be very honest with yourself when it comes to the word “comfortably.” If you complete the two miles and are not entirely sure it was “comfortable” stick to the 85% intensity for a few more weeks. To progress too quickly is to miss the whole point of the Fulcrum.
In the anaerobic phase of training, the pace target increases to 88%, 91% and 94% of your mile time. The same “test of adaptation” of a “comfortable” two-mile run at your target 1-mile pace in this phase is used to decide when it’s time to increase the intensity by 3%.
Below are examples for different mile times. Coach Vigil uses “Levels” which groups runners into 15s brackets. I highlighted the 85% pace targets that are part of the Fulcrum in bold. And I included the 80%, 88%, 91% and 94% targets too for you can get a feel for the speed increase.
Level I: 4:00 – 4:15 Mile
| Mile Time | % | Pace (per Mile) | Pace (per Km) |
| 4:00 – 4:15 | 80% | 5:00 – 5:18 | 3:06 – 3:18 |
| 85% | 4:42 – 5:00 | 2:55 – 3:06 | |
| 88% | 4:32 – 4:50 | 2:49 – 3:00 | |
| 91% | 4:24 – 4:40 | 2:43 – 2:54 | |
| 94% | 4:15 – 4:31 | 2:38 – 2:48 |
Level II: 4:15 – 4:30 Mile
| Mile Time | % | Pace (per Mile) | Pace (per Km) |
| 4:15 – 4:30 | 80% | 5:18 – 5:37 | 3:18 – 3:29 |
| 85% | 5:00 – 5:17 | 3:06 – 3:17 | |
| 88% | 4:49 – 5:06 | 3:00 – 3:10 | |
| 91% | 4:40 – 4:56 | 2:54 – 3:04 | |
| 94% | 4:31 – 4:47 | 2:48 – 2:58 |
Level III: 4:30 – 4:45 Mile
| Mile Time | % | Pace (per Mile) | Pace (per Km) |
| 4:30 – 4:45 | 80% | 5:37 – 5:56 | 3:29 – 3:41 |
| 85% | 5:17 – 5:35 | 3:17 – 3:28 | |
| 88% | 5:06 – 5:23 | 3:10 – 3:21 | |
| 91% | 4:56 – 5:13 | 3:04 – 3:14 | |
| 94% | 4:47 – 5:03 | 2:58 – 3:08 |
Level IV: 4:45 – 5:00 Mile
| Mile Time | % | Pace (per Mile) | Pace (per Km) |
| 4:45 – 5:00 | 80% | 5:56 – 6:15 | 3:41 – 3:53 |
| 85% | 5:35 – 5:52 | 3:28 – 3:39 | |
| 88% | 5:23 – 5:40 | 3:21 – 3:31 | |
| 91% | 5:13 – 5:29 | 3:14 – 3:24 | |
| 94% | 5:03 – 5:19 | 3:08 – 3:18 |
Level V: 5:00 – 5:15 Mile
| Mile Time | % | Pace (per Mile) | Pace (per Km) |
| 5:00 – 5:15 | 80% | 6:15 – 6:33 | 3:53 – 4:04 |
| 85% | 5:52 – 6:10 | 3:39 – 3:50 | |
| 88% | 5:40 – 5:57 | 3:31 – 3:42 | |
| 91% | 5:29 – 5:46 | 3:24 – 3:35 | |
| 94% | 5:19 – 5:35 | 3:18 – 3:28 |
Level VI: 5:15 – 5:30 Mile
| Mile Time | % | Pace (per Mile) | Pace (per Km) |
| 5:15 – 5:30 | 80% | 6:33 – 6:52 | 4:04 – 4:16 |
| 85% | 6:10 – 6:28 | 3:50 – 4:01 | |
| 88% | 5:57 – 6:15 | 3:42 – 3:53 | |
| 91% | 5:46 – 6:02 | 3:35 – 3:45 | |
| 94% | 5:35 – 5:51 | 3:28 – 3:38 |
Level VII: 5:30 – 5:45 Mile
| Mile Time | % | Pace (per Mile) | Pace (per Km) |
| 5:30 – 5:45 | 80% | 6:52 – 7:11 | 4:16 – 4:28 |
| 85% | 6:28 – 6:45 | 4:01 – 4:12 | |
| 88% | 6:15 – 6:32 | 3:53 – 4:03 | |
| 91% | 6:02 – 6:19 | 3:45 – 3:55 | |
| 94% | 5:51 – 6:07 | 3:38 – 3:48 |
Level VIII: 5:45 – 6:00 Mile
| Mile Time | % | Pace (per Mile) | Pace (per Km) |
| 5:45 – 6:00 | 80% | 7:11 – 7:30 | 4:28 – 4:39 |
| 85% | 6:45 – 7:03 | 4:12 – 4:23 | |
| 88% | 6:32 – 6:49 | 4:03 – 4:14 | |
| 91% | 6:19 – 6:35 | 3:55 – 4:05 | |
| 94% | 6:07 – 6:22 | 3:48 – 3:58 |
Repeat 800s or 1000s
In Road to the Top, Coach Vigil does not say much about the 800m or 1000m repeats that are also part of the Fulcrum. His entire focus is on the 6 x 1mile repeats.
However, reading between the lines and using comments from other sections of the book, my best guess is that the 800s or 1000s would start at 90% of your mile time and progress to 100%.
The purpose of the 800s or 1000s during the Fulcrum would then be to progressively increase recruit the fast twist muscle fibres and practice fast relaxed running at future mile repeat paces. Both these element will play a vital role during the more difficult anaerobic phase.
Let’s look at potential progressions for these repeats. Similar to the previous section, the percentages are % of your mile time. You can do the calculations based on your mile time. In general, 90% is roughly your 5k-pace. 95% is around your 3k-pace. And 100% is your mile-pace.
- 6 x 800m at 90% (about 5k pace) with three-minute recovery
- 5 x 800m at 95% (about 3k pace) with four-minute recovery
- 4 x 800m at 100% (mile pace) with five-minute recovery
- 5 x 1000m at 90% with three-minute recovery
- 4 x 1000m at 95% with four-minute recovery
- 2 x 1000m + 2 x 800m at 100% with five-minute recovery
This progression respects the faster the run, the longer the recovery requirement. Also, as the intensity increases, the number of reps decrease to ensure the training does not become too strenuous as you move through the Fulcrum.
Sample Fulcrum Programs
Now let’s construct a Coach Vigil style Fulcrum program. Below are examples of five-days-a-week and six-days-a-week training using two-week cycles.
Before the Repeat 800s or 1000s and the Mile Repeats workouts, warm-up for 10-15min first. Adding in 5 Strides at the end of the warm-up is a good idea too. Cool-down as long as you like after.
Five-days-a-week Program
- Medium Aerobic Run: Out-and-Back or Two Loop with a Negative Split
- Repeat 800s or 1000s workout
- Rest Day
- Short Aerobic Run with Surges during (“Fartlek”)
- Mile Repeats workout
- Longer Aerobic Run: Steady
- Rest day
- Medium Aerobic Run: Progression, increase pace every mile
- Repeat 800s or 1000s workout
- Rest Day
- Short Aerobic Run with Strides after
- Mile Repeats workout
- Longer Aerobic Run: Alternating speed – 1 mile easy, 1 mile 30s faster
- Rest Day
Six-days-a-week Program
- Medium Aerobic Run: Out-and-Back or Two Loop with a Negative Split
- Repeat 800s or 1000s workout
- Medium Aerobic Run: Steady for Active Recovery
- Short Aerobic Run with Surges during (“Fartlek”)
- Mile Repeats workout
- Longer Aerobic Run: Steady
- Rest day
- Medium Aerobic Run: Progression, increase pace every mile
- Repeat 800s or 1000s workout
- Medium Aerobic Run: Steady for Active Recovery
- Short Aerobic Run with Strides after
- Mile Repeats workout
- Longer Aerobic Run: Alternating speed – 1 mile easy, 1 mile 30s faster
- Rest Day
For the Repeat 800s or 1000s start with workout 1 listed above and then work your way to workout 6. If you complete all six workouts but are not ready to progress on your Mile Repeats yet, then restart at workout 1, but increase the rep count by one rep.
After completing two to four 14-day cycles, you may start feeling that you have adapted to the Mile Repeats. On your next scheduled Mile Repeats workouts, complete Coach Vigil‘s “test of adaption” described above: run for two miles at your target 1-mile pace. If the two miles was honestly “comfortable,” then you increase your Mile Repeats the intensity by 3%. Or consider moving to the next phase of training altogether.