Why is Lebid so dominant in the winter?

He is working on his speed, in preparation for the olympics 5k.

What happend to Vroeman.....8.05-06 steepler, he is very inconsistent.

I think that long run is more important than short, talking about WCCCh. But athletics is a technical problem, and every change in the qualities of an athlete needs long time. So, thinking of OG (5000m), Sergey must prepare his body and his mind for being able to run in 12:55 with a very fast last lap (about 54.0). For improving so much in SPECIFIC POWER ENDURANCE he needs a work 6-7 months long, so we have to start now a special training (using circuits, speed uphill on different distances (from 60 to 500m) but at very high intensity, lactic workouts, etc....) hoping to have time to reach a good shape for Athens. Sergey will train (with my African group) in St. Moritz, from the beginning of June.

This is the reason for competing in indoor season : becoming more able in tactical finish, better knowing himself, and how is possible to use his speed.

Having only 2 weeks from World Indoor Ch. and WCCCh, Sergey has no time to do specific workouts of long endurance (like an athlete that wants to be competitive in long distance has to do). Another reason is that long race is more difficult than short : if Sergey is able running in 13:10 (his value on 5 km) during the period of WCCCh, he can win a medal, but for winning a medal in long an athlete needs to have a value of 27:00 in 10 km (and this for Sergey is not possible at the moment).

Also if Sergey can have many justifications (he arrived in Amorebieta only at 2 by night, as a long dilay of the plane, after spending 12 hours in two airports without eating), the result of that cross can explain why is better to compete in short race in WCCCh. Sergey last year was very competitive in January, because all his races were tactic, with a slow first half and a very hard final part. Practically, short races after a long warm-up. Now, the new generation of African runners (Boniface Kiprop is yet junior, but last year was able running 27:15 in Bruxelles ; but also Tanzanian Fabiano Joseph is junior, and ran 27:32 and 60:52 winning silver in WHMCh, and new runners, as Sihine (26:58), Berhanu (27:14) and Kemboi himself) now prefers to go from the start with a very hard pace, being all these athletes front runners without fright. So, the way of running is no more the best for Sergey, that can run when in top shape 27:20/27:30 in 10 km, about 40 sec. slower than the Africans (that are improving very hard, being so young).

In January, Sergey goes running some cross, expecially for training and for earning some money, because in Fabruary, when he wants to go in indoor races, money is very little. So, now he uses crosses for keeping a good aerobic level, already working on speed (but in this way is not possible to increase long specific endurance, and you must think that for a cross 12 km long, the best preparation is for HM, not for 3000m.....).

Anyway, I also am curious to see what can happen with this new strategy. Always remembering that everything is in order to be competitive for 5000m in OG.

Will Sergey run the marathon in 2005? or move up to 10k?

I think he could be a very good marathoner in the hard marathons like Boston or New York.

Sergey doesn't have any idea to move to marathon for the next 3 years. Also if he runs a very big volume, never runs long FAST run, and this type of training is at the moment out of his mentality.

Also moving to 10000m, may be a non intelligent solution for 2005. Who are his opponents ? Are Bekele, Sihine, Kemboi, Hassan, may be Boniface Kiprop, all people able running in 26:40 or less with a very fast final. The chances of a medal are very little, because nobody among these athletes accepts a tactical race, everyone being front runners (see the current victories of Ethiopians in the first Cross in Europe : in front soon, pushing at max. speed without any fright. Their goal is to destroy other runners with the pace, also if they are very strong also in the final sprint...).

Instead, may be that he has more chance in 5000, where is able (if trains well) to run very near 12:50 (that is the European Record, about). I think that Sergey can prepare 12 min of very fast and intense run, not 26 min.

Different is for 2006, when the most important goal is in European Championships. In this case, he can also try to double, as in Europe at the moment there are only 2-3 athletes able to be competitive in both the distances.

I could see Sergey go sub-13 this year, but not very near 12.50. We should remember that no "clean" european runner has been under 13.

B-nice wrote:

I could see Sergey go sub-13 this year, but not very near 12.50. We should remember that no "clean" european runner has been under 13.

But a European did run 13.00 over 20 years ago.