The Peak Run Performance Color Continuum helps guide our training plan design and helps our athletes gain a better understanding of their own ability to gauge their speed and effort for training and racing.
The continuum describes the purpose of each activity type -- starting with complete rest, or inactivity, and working our way up to maximal effort. The Peak Run Performance Color Continuum is based on a 10-point Relative Perceived Exertion scale (RPE) with 1 being complete rest and 10 being a maximal effort. The perceived effort and activity type concepts overlay with the 5-zone heart rate scale.
When we start at the bottom with complete rest, the purpose is to recover and rejuvenate energy lost through activity. In the blue range the goal becomes increasing endurance as a greater priority. As we approach the red line, or the threshold zone, the purpose moves toward increasing stamina. As we near the yellow line, the goal of these activities is to build speed, strength, and running economy.
While each of these activities builds endurance, stamina, speed, strength, and running economy to some degree or another, the varied efforts help us prioritize and maximize gains in each of the energy systems required in endurance athletics.
There will, of course, be rest and recovery built into our training plans around aerobic and anaerobic efforts. We use this color continuum to distinguish between training activities and the varied efforts and purposes of each activity in our comprehensive tailored training.
To learn more about how the Peak Run Performance Color Continuum works, and for more instructional running videos, please subscribe to the Peak Run Performance You Tube channel by clicking the subscribe button on the bottom right.