I had been meaning to do a blog on this but Rich gave me a push and so here it is…
I am a huge believer that the devil of racing fast is that you need a training system and not to just be running a lot and tossing in some random workouts.
It is like cooking. Making a meal we can all pretty much figure out the ingredients and you can do pretty well as long as you put in good quality ingredients. But the key to really making a great dish is to balance the ingredients properly and to mix them in at the right times.
There are a number of great training programs out there and it is no secret that I had my greatest success using Renato Canova's program. Although I actually set my 10k best off Joe Vigil's system and honestly if I had the time on weeknights I would love to use that again. However time is a serious issue for me particularly on weekdays.
My next issue is that I like simple repetitive training. I am a creature of habit and I like to keep to a routine. With all that in mind I settled on the idea of using Australian complex training. This system was started by Pat Clohessy who coached 2:07:50 man Rob de Castella as well as 2:11 and sub 28' 10k man Chris Wardlaw. Wardlaw in turn would use the system to coach Steve Moneghetti who would run 1:00:07 and 2:08:10. A number of other of great runners came out of this system.
The basic system is workouts on Tuesday and Thursday tempo or race on Saturday a medium long run on Wednesday and a long run on Sunday. The key is in the details of this system. The track and fartlek work is almost all alternation or 'bounce' threshold style- which means the recoveries are fast enough that you get a huge improvement in your threshold when using them. The long run involves either hard climbs or a fast finish and should be run at the quicker end of your training pace. Also some form of sprinting and hills would be mixed in.
The way you adjust this program from season to season or event to event is to make twists in the sessions themselves. So when getting ready for a marathon you would do a set of Aussie quarters with slower reps but faster rest then you would when getting ready for a 5k.
Anyway I used this as my jumping off point. I love that the standard weekday workouts tend to work multiple systems and don't take too long so I can get them done and still get to bed in time to be ok to get up for the morning run the next day.
My two week cycle
Week 1
Monday- AM 6 PM 10 to 12 miles
Tuesday AM 6 PM Mona Fartlek http://nateruns.blogspot.com/2015/01/monaghetti-fartlek.html
Wednesday PM medium long run 15 to 18 miles
Thursday AM 6 PM 3 miles of sprint float sprint
Friday AM 6 PM 10 to 12 miles
Saturday - Fundamental paced tempo(5:50 down to 5:20 pace depending on conditions and fitness) run of 15 to 25 miles
Sunday 6 and 6 double
Week 2
Monday AM 6 PM 10 to 12 miles
Tuesday AM 6 PM Mona Fartlek
Wednesday PM medium long run 15 to 18 miles
Thursday AM 6 PM 3 mile tempo 4x400 hills- After the winter is over I'll do Aussie Quarters http://nateruns.blogspot.com/2014/12/workout-wednesday-australian-quarters.html
Friday AM 6 PM 10 to 12 miles
Saturday AM Tempo run or race PM 6
Sunday AM 22 miles with last two miles fast- goal 5:00 pace.
So obviously the fundamental paced run is a Canova session. It is a session I love to do and I have finally got my coordination to the point where I can do them again. Also it is a session I get huge fitness from.
Also if I start to do marathon training I'll do marathon workouts for the long runs. I have always felt that the Aussie system was good for the marathon but not perfect. For example if you look at Steve Moneghetti's PR's he slows at just about 5 seconds per K as the distance doubles from 3k to the half marathon. If he continued this to the marathon he would have a best of 2:04:11. I think with specific work he could have run the marathon in that range off his fitness. To be clear I don't think he could have actually run that time in the early to mid 90's when he was racing at his best. He would have needed pace setters and competitors willing to chase that sort of time and that didn't exist at that time but he certainly could have been closer to it. I could and should write a whole blog on the basic idea but the short story is look at the top times in the 5k, 10k, half marathon from the 1990's and early 2000's and the times in the marathon. Look at the times today. The change in the marathon is stunning. The other events are close to the same, actually on the track a they are weaker with the drop in epo use and decrease of money in those events. Road race times are roughly the same. What happened? The kenyans and Ethiopians embraced the Italian style marathon program and began to run within 3 to 5% of their half marathon performance in the marathon.
That is my basic cycle. I can do it cover all my bases and stay healthy and almost get enough sleep to keep myself together.
Showing posts with label long run. Show all posts
Showing posts with label long run. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Sunday Long Run "The Kenny Moore"
Kenny Moore is largely remembered for as a writer but just how great he was as a marathoner is often forgotten. He had a lifetime best of 2:11:36, set in 1970, held the American Record in the event before a fella named Frank Shorter came along to break it. He finished 4th in the 1972 Olympic Marathon, one of two he competed in. Kenny had some of the more interesting marathon training I have seen. Coached by Bill Bowerman who made each athlete an experiment of one rather than fitting guys to his program. Kenny was not nearly as exceptional at the shorter distances though he was an effective runner he was truly world class in the marathon.
This long run was one that Kenny would do in his marathon build ups. It is super hard and should not be attempted unless you are very fit. It is a great session for both the aerobic system and for teaching the body to burn more fat while running marathon pace.
Kenny would run 30 miles, not a typo, at about 7min pace as a consistent 2:11 to 2:13 marathoner this can only be described as a very easy pace. After 30 miles of very easy running he would run 6 miles at 5:00 pace, his marathon pace. This workout is not the most intensive you will ever find but it is one of the toughest extensive type workouts you can do. You will completely run your tank dry on this one for sure.
Most people will not be able to just go from regular long runs and traditional workouts to completing this session. I would suggest that in building up to this session you should do at least one 30 mile long run in advance of this session. Also you should do a "Rothlin" long run, http://nateruns.blogspot.com/2015/01/sunday-long-run-rothlin.html
Finally you may have to do the 6 miles as a 10x1k or 6x1mile at marathon pace the first time you do this session. Frankly you have to be quite close to ready to run your marathon at goal pace before you can succeed at this session so it isn't worrisome if it takes you a few workouts to build up to completing this session.
Why do this workout? The 30 miles of easy running burns the vast majority of your glycogen stores and tires you out muscularly, mentally and emotionally. In short it simulates the kind of exhaustion you can expect late in the marathon. When you shirt gears and start trying to run marathon pace your body is very aware that its glycogen stores are very low so it will automatically try to run the pace as efficiently as possible, meaning burning as much fat as it can. Once your body learns it can run a pace on more fat it will likely run that pace that way in the future. This will enable you to avoid the dreaded "wall" where you run out of glycogen and are reduced to training pace in the final miles of the marathon.
So if you are getting ready for a marathon and you are really fit why not give the Kenny Moore a try. Just be sure you have plenty of time to recover. You don't want to be doing a hard 36 mile workout a couple weeks out from your marathon. That would be a recipe for disaster. However 3 to 6 weeks out this may just be your secret weapon to fly by "the wall" to the finish.
This long run was one that Kenny would do in his marathon build ups. It is super hard and should not be attempted unless you are very fit. It is a great session for both the aerobic system and for teaching the body to burn more fat while running marathon pace.
Kenny would run 30 miles, not a typo, at about 7min pace as a consistent 2:11 to 2:13 marathoner this can only be described as a very easy pace. After 30 miles of very easy running he would run 6 miles at 5:00 pace, his marathon pace. This workout is not the most intensive you will ever find but it is one of the toughest extensive type workouts you can do. You will completely run your tank dry on this one for sure.
Most people will not be able to just go from regular long runs and traditional workouts to completing this session. I would suggest that in building up to this session you should do at least one 30 mile long run in advance of this session. Also you should do a "Rothlin" long run, http://nateruns.blogspot.com/2015/01/sunday-long-run-rothlin.html
Finally you may have to do the 6 miles as a 10x1k or 6x1mile at marathon pace the first time you do this session. Frankly you have to be quite close to ready to run your marathon at goal pace before you can succeed at this session so it isn't worrisome if it takes you a few workouts to build up to completing this session.
Why do this workout? The 30 miles of easy running burns the vast majority of your glycogen stores and tires you out muscularly, mentally and emotionally. In short it simulates the kind of exhaustion you can expect late in the marathon. When you shirt gears and start trying to run marathon pace your body is very aware that its glycogen stores are very low so it will automatically try to run the pace as efficiently as possible, meaning burning as much fat as it can. Once your body learns it can run a pace on more fat it will likely run that pace that way in the future. This will enable you to avoid the dreaded "wall" where you run out of glycogen and are reduced to training pace in the final miles of the marathon.
So if you are getting ready for a marathon and you are really fit why not give the Kenny Moore a try. Just be sure you have plenty of time to recover. You don't want to be doing a hard 36 mile workout a couple weeks out from your marathon. That would be a recipe for disaster. However 3 to 6 weeks out this may just be your secret weapon to fly by "the wall" to the finish.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Sunday Long Run- The 'Dos Santos'
This long run is named after two time New York City marathon champion and 2:06:34/59:33 man Marilson Gomes dos Santos, who I stole it from.
Top notch marathon performance isn't just about being very fit there are some complexities involved in it. This means there are many places that have very good running traditions where the marathon success is not on the same level. It also means there are pockets that consistently produce great marathoners. Everyone knows about Kenya and Ethiopia. Obviously they are on top of all the distance world. Many people are aware of Japan, a nation who has a 10k national record that wouldn't crack the top 10 all time in the USA but they have produced well over a hundred sub 2:10 marathoners compared with 16 americans under the same mark. There are however other smaller groups that fly under the collective radar of most of even the astute american marathon fans. One of these groups are the Brazilians. Within Brazil because of conditions and terrain there are really no fast marathons so unless an athlete gets out into international competition they are not going to produce a time that will make people jump up and take notice. Still with a fair bit of consistency over the last 20 years some of those athletes have been breaking out. In 1998 Ronaldo Da Costa set a than world record of 2:06:05. Another example Vanderlei de Lima was very famously attacked en route to winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic marathon. Less well known is that he also ran 2:08:31 and won the Tokyo and Hamburg marathons. Dos Santos is another in this line of Brazilian greats.
I have found training info on this group, as a person who doesn't speak spanish or portuguese, is difficult. Their training seems to come from the Portuguese system, which has produced its own string of shockingly effective marathoners. Also most of Brazils successful runners have come from one or two small groups. One of the small pieces of info I have found over the years is this gem of a long run that is a regular part of Dos Santos training plan.
This long run is definitely a good marathon workout that can be done early in the marathon phase but also in the specific phase. This is also a good workout for a half marathoner or even 10k racer who is looking to build the ability to really move late in race when their legs are heavy and tired.
For the Dos Santos long run you run 12 to 16 miles at a moderate effort. The high end of your training pace, roughly 80% of marathon pace or 75% of half marathon pace. Without a break you shift gears and run 3 miles at around marathon goal pace, this is obviously not easy to do particularly the first time you try it so if you aren't used to shifting gears like this you may end up running as much as 5% slower than marathon pace. Don't worry about it. After you do this type of long run a couple times you will find that you can shift gears without issue. It teaches that lesson very well.
After 3 miles at marathon pace you again have to up the pace now for 6x400m aiming for about 5k pace with a steady 100m jog rest. You can do this on the track but I honestly end up doing it on the road most of the time. I have wheeled off a 400m straight and 50m out and back on either end for the breaks. Now in my current hometown of North Andover I haven't found anything close to 400m of flat in a row. There are no real beastly hills here but also no flats just a lot of lightly rolling and not so lightly rolling hills. So there are some small variations in my 400m and it is faster in one direction than the other but not in a big way. I try to go directly from marathon pace into the first 400m but if you are hurting you can start with a 100m jog.
The great thing about the 100m jog is that if you keep it paced reasonably and don't shuffle it you end up averaging around marathon pace for the 2900m to 3k, depending on if you start with a 100 jog or not, that you cover including the rest during the 400's.
This workout teaches the ability to run fast when your legs are very tired. It builds great aerobic power and helps make you more efficient in terms of the fuel you burn at faster speeds. IE it helps your body learn to burn more fat in place of glycogen even when running fast.
Progressing the workout. Generally I start with only 12 or 13 miles at the moderate pace and as I do the workout more I increase the volume at that pace up to 16 or more miles. So if the first time you run 12 miles moderate 3 miles at mp and the 6x400 you end up with a total volume of about 17 miles. If you build up to 16 miles moderate you will have a total of about 21 miles. Also this session is a great bridge to some of the very difficult specific long runs that Canova prescribes for the marathon specific phase.
Adjusting the workout. Now you may be looking at this workout and thinking that volume it just too much or you are 5k to half marathon racer or a high school or college athlete who has a lower general volume. You still want to be able to run fast when your tired and your legs are heavy and this can still be a great workout for you. You could easily drop it to 3 to 10 miles of moderate running before getting to the faster paced running.
There you have it a great workout from one of the great marathon groups in the world.
Top notch marathon performance isn't just about being very fit there are some complexities involved in it. This means there are many places that have very good running traditions where the marathon success is not on the same level. It also means there are pockets that consistently produce great marathoners. Everyone knows about Kenya and Ethiopia. Obviously they are on top of all the distance world. Many people are aware of Japan, a nation who has a 10k national record that wouldn't crack the top 10 all time in the USA but they have produced well over a hundred sub 2:10 marathoners compared with 16 americans under the same mark. There are however other smaller groups that fly under the collective radar of most of even the astute american marathon fans. One of these groups are the Brazilians. Within Brazil because of conditions and terrain there are really no fast marathons so unless an athlete gets out into international competition they are not going to produce a time that will make people jump up and take notice. Still with a fair bit of consistency over the last 20 years some of those athletes have been breaking out. In 1998 Ronaldo Da Costa set a than world record of 2:06:05. Another example Vanderlei de Lima was very famously attacked en route to winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic marathon. Less well known is that he also ran 2:08:31 and won the Tokyo and Hamburg marathons. Dos Santos is another in this line of Brazilian greats.
I have found training info on this group, as a person who doesn't speak spanish or portuguese, is difficult. Their training seems to come from the Portuguese system, which has produced its own string of shockingly effective marathoners. Also most of Brazils successful runners have come from one or two small groups. One of the small pieces of info I have found over the years is this gem of a long run that is a regular part of Dos Santos training plan.
This long run is definitely a good marathon workout that can be done early in the marathon phase but also in the specific phase. This is also a good workout for a half marathoner or even 10k racer who is looking to build the ability to really move late in race when their legs are heavy and tired.
For the Dos Santos long run you run 12 to 16 miles at a moderate effort. The high end of your training pace, roughly 80% of marathon pace or 75% of half marathon pace. Without a break you shift gears and run 3 miles at around marathon goal pace, this is obviously not easy to do particularly the first time you try it so if you aren't used to shifting gears like this you may end up running as much as 5% slower than marathon pace. Don't worry about it. After you do this type of long run a couple times you will find that you can shift gears without issue. It teaches that lesson very well.
After 3 miles at marathon pace you again have to up the pace now for 6x400m aiming for about 5k pace with a steady 100m jog rest. You can do this on the track but I honestly end up doing it on the road most of the time. I have wheeled off a 400m straight and 50m out and back on either end for the breaks. Now in my current hometown of North Andover I haven't found anything close to 400m of flat in a row. There are no real beastly hills here but also no flats just a lot of lightly rolling and not so lightly rolling hills. So there are some small variations in my 400m and it is faster in one direction than the other but not in a big way. I try to go directly from marathon pace into the first 400m but if you are hurting you can start with a 100m jog.
The great thing about the 100m jog is that if you keep it paced reasonably and don't shuffle it you end up averaging around marathon pace for the 2900m to 3k, depending on if you start with a 100 jog or not, that you cover including the rest during the 400's.
This workout teaches the ability to run fast when your legs are very tired. It builds great aerobic power and helps make you more efficient in terms of the fuel you burn at faster speeds. IE it helps your body learn to burn more fat in place of glycogen even when running fast.
Progressing the workout. Generally I start with only 12 or 13 miles at the moderate pace and as I do the workout more I increase the volume at that pace up to 16 or more miles. So if the first time you run 12 miles moderate 3 miles at mp and the 6x400 you end up with a total volume of about 17 miles. If you build up to 16 miles moderate you will have a total of about 21 miles. Also this session is a great bridge to some of the very difficult specific long runs that Canova prescribes for the marathon specific phase.
Adjusting the workout. Now you may be looking at this workout and thinking that volume it just too much or you are 5k to half marathon racer or a high school or college athlete who has a lower general volume. You still want to be able to run fast when your tired and your legs are heavy and this can still be a great workout for you. You could easily drop it to 3 to 10 miles of moderate running before getting to the faster paced running.
There you have it a great workout from one of the great marathon groups in the world.
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