Intense forms of exercise such as running, cycling, cross-country skiing and basketball require basic fitness. But simply being "in shape" is not enough. Because your effort varies between very easy and rigorous, these activities require both aerobic endurance which is the ability to use oxygen in a "pay-as-you-go" manner, and anaerobic endurance, your capacity to sustain exercise that takes you into oxygen debt. Training to increase the latter is a mental and physical challenge requiring both finesse and determination.
Anaerobic Endurance
In the words of longtime UK athletics coach Brian Mackenzie, anaerobic endurance is what you rely on when performing all-out exercise for up to about two minutes. During this time, lactic acid begins to accumulate because you're working so hard that oxygen alone cannot fuel your efforts and you instead burn loads of glucose, a by-product of which is lactic acid. Once you approach exhaustion, a break-in activity allows you to repay your burgeoning oxygen debt, and you can resume work. A half-mile race is an example of an event relying heavily on anaerobic endurance.
Interval Training
Pete Pfitzinger, an exercise physiologist and two-time Olympian, recommends runners work on raising the limits on their anaerobic endurance by doing repetitions of 200 to 400 meters at the pace you can run in an all-out mile. This type of interval training is vital for athletes in races lasting up to about two miles -- it produces high levels of lactic acid that your body "learns" to buffer and improves your ability to produce energy via glucose metabolism.
Lactate-Threshold Workouts
Athletes in "pure" endurance sports in which success is predicated on holding a fast, steady pace, such as cycling, running and cross-country skiing, frequently do lactate-threshold workouts. These are 20-minute efforts at an intensity level you could hold for about an hour if necessary. They train your system to metabolize lactic acid more efficiently. When you enter the "red zone" between aerobic work and anaerobic work, lactic acid accumulates faster than the body can clear it -- pushing the threshold at which this occurs back extends the limits on your anaerobic endurance.
Hill Repeats
According to information on the U.S. Army's Physical Readiness Training website, running uphill repetitions builds both leg speed and anaerobic endurance. Use a short, steep hill that takes you 15 to 20 seconds to cover at an all-out sprint, then recover by walking for 60 to 90 seconds back down to the start. Start with six repetitions and work up to 10. Lean slightly forward and lift your knees higher than you normally would in order to keep your stride length reasonably long.
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