Benefits and Monitoring

Pros

• Physiological: Delays the onset of acidosis, expands aerobic capacity, shifts lactate curve rightward.
• Performance: High sustainable training load potential, leading to consistent PBs across various distances (especially 5k-HM).
• Sustainability: Reduced injury risk and burnout compared to traditional high-intensity or VO2max-focused plans (assuming intensity is properly controlled).
• Practicality: Effective for time-crunched runners (5-9 hours/week often cited), repeatable and relatively simple structure.
• Demographics: Notably effective for masters athletes seeking continued improvement.

Cons

Requires discipline to control intensity, can be monotonous for some, less focus on top-end speed/VO2max (may need occasional strides/races), adaptation takes time and may involve plateaus.

Monitoring

Use regular (4-8 weeks) races or time trials (e.g., 5k) to gauge fitness and update training zones/paces. Track CTL to monitor load progression relative to your history. Listen to your body for signs of excessive fatigue or needing to adjust intensity down (RPE, motivation, recovery between sessions, sleep quality).