Hodgie-san
I agree with you. We may be able to introduce all specific training progressively.
Of course that Rui Lopes by doing more than 75% of his training volume in Lt paces and faster, he did a good performance 13:36, but is what I always say – so young and he is no more margin of progress. That´s what happen actually with top class runners – I mean not Africans, Those who insist dramatically in Lt runs (that 4 to 6 to 8 sessions in Lt pace) they are reducing their improvement period.
I post a little study about top Portuguese 17– that was done by an enquiry of their coaches of the Portuguese best runners (top class) and we are asking questions concerning their careers and I include the ages, the performances and the amount of Lt percent in the total training volume. It´s up to you to take the conclusions – but I think that’s notorious that those who did longer careers and stay in the top longerr and are in the top of the rankings are those that do LT workouts with MODERATION wwekly frequency, not those who do more LT training. I could go on and on, because we did the same inquiry to another group, that are just national class – slower than 13:45 and slower than 28:30. 2nd Portuguese class. In a later post I will include that. You will see that those that never reach international class, despite they are talent runners – BUT THEY DO MORE LT training that the top Portuguese, and also the time that it takes from national class and best career PB is shorter.
Thus, among Portuguese the inquire I take a few conclusions
- All do some Lt training to some extend most of them they prefer continuos runs as a workout format, but there are also those that uses Lt runs with intervals.
- the runners that do less LT percent have reach the top, but relating to their physical capacity their LT runs are in higher paces than the classic anaerobic threshold – they are really continuous runs with great LT concentration, but they do that less frequently than the other group. Carlos Lopes is the icon of that style – fast runs, a few days a week, but not a great total average in the total mileage. (this last data: LT “pace” and LT 2Weekly frequency” I don´t post because that´s too extend but we did ask also in the inquiry)
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16 TOP CLASS PORTUGUESE RUNNERS (from 1/ to 16/) IN THE LAST DECADES
1/
A/age that training starts :18
B/age of first performance of national class:20
C/ age of top career performance:28
E/best career PB:10000m - 27’48.00”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to C (age of first performance of national class): 8
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 12.5%+25%
2/
A/age that training starts :15
B/age of first performance of national class:24
C/ age of top career performance:29
E/best career PB:10000m - 27’50.00”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to C (age of first performance of national class): 5
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 7%+25%
3/
A/age that training starts:12
B/age of first performance of national class:24
C/ age of top career performance:27
E/best career PB:5000m - 13’22.70”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to C (age of first performance of national class: 3
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 10%+27%
4/
A/age that training starts:14
B/age of first performance of national class:24
C/ age of top career performance:24
E/best career PB:5000m - 13’15.62”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to C (age of first performance of national class: 0
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 25%+25%
5/
A/age that training starts:17
B/age of first performance of national class:24
C/ age of top career performance:24
E/best career PB:10000m - 28’06.00”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to C (age of first performance of national class: 0
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 47%+47%
6/
A/age that training starts:14
B/age of first performance of national class:24
C/ age of top career performance:24
E/best career PB:5000m - 13’26.22”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to C (age of first performance of national class: 0
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 32%+32%
7/
A/age that training starts:17
B/age of first performance of national class:24
C/ age of top career performance:37
E/best career PB:10000m - 27’17.48”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to C (age of first performance of national class: 12
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 5%+15%
8/
A/age that training starts:18
B/age of first performance of national class:29
C/ age of top career performance: 31
E/best career PB:5000m - 13’21.92”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to C (age of first performance of national class: 2
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 42%+35%
10/
A/age that training starts:16
B/age of first performance of national class:23
C/ age of top career performance:23
E/best career PB:10000m - 28’02.20”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to A (age of first performance of national class: 0
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 18%+27%
11/
A/age that training starts:17
B/age of first performance of national class:23
C/ age of first performance of national class:24
E/best career PB:5000m - 13’18.29”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to A (age of first performance of national class: 1
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 33%+33%
12/
A/age that training starts:17
B/age of first performance of national class:25
C/ age of top career performance:25
E/best career PB:5000m - 13’24.50”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to A (age of first performance of national class: 0
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 45%+45%
13/
A/age that training starts:12
B/age of first performance of national class:26
C/ age of top career performance:30
E/best career PB:10000m - 28’10.40”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to A (age of first performance of national class: 4
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 15%+20%
14/
A/age that training starts:24
B/age of first performance of national class:24
C/ age of top career performance:34
E/best career PB:10000m - 27’12.47”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to A (age of first performance of national class: 10
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 12%+15%
15/
A/age that training starts:14
B/age of first performance of national class:22
C/ age of top career performance:29
E/best career PB:10000m - 28’10.20”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to A (age of first performance of national class: 5
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 47%+47%
16/
A/age that training starts:16
B/age of first performance of national class:22
C/ age of top career performance:22
E/best career PB:5000m - 13’07.70”
F/number of years that took from B (age of first performance of national class) to A (age of first performance of national class: 0
G/total average of Continuos runs in LT pace or faster in total training volume in B season and C season: 50%+50%
If I would post the next list – that of Portuguese runners from just national class you would see that they do more LT train than the top international class, and they reach the top quickly but soon they stop to improve.