Kipchoge Training in detail (link)

40km in 2:15 ... 10 days before race day

how many Americans are out there doing a 24m long run that close to race day

thanks for the link. Although it does look like he did a few fartlek sessions averaging 2:45/km or 4:25 mile pace, that'd you'd think would be right around half marathon pace for him.

Comical that 12x400 in 63-64/12-14x800 in 2:10 is an easy workout for him, I'd be happy to keep up for 2 reps for the 400's alone

7-day training weeks, easy-track-easy-long tempo-easy-fartlek-easy. Contrasts with the idea that workouts should take 2-3 easy days in between.

Not including easy days, Equal parts slower-than-marathon and faster-than-marathon, which not a lot of US runners do (the slower end.

Mileage comes from long workouts, not long easy running. Probably as much easy running and warm-up/cool down mileage as sub elites.

That's fcking peanuts for someone who is very well capable of a 2:02 marathon. And 10 days before a race it's plausible that he'll reap physiological benefits from the workout and for an athlete like him, to able to recover

High volume. Tues/Thurs/Saturday workouts/hard efforts (higher frequency than I expected). All the workouts (except 300s and tempos) are at 5k/10kish pace or Half/Marathonish pace effort.

I know the 80/20 training is big now. From my understanding basically the 80/20 is about an optimal way to train easy/hard based on studies of elite runners and their training patterns. Basically training "easy" 80% of the time is optimal in terms of performance and improvement. But based on Kipchoges training his balance is more like 58/42. I'm guessing its easier to have a higher frequency of "hard" efforts when the majority of your "hard" efforts are at marathon pace? I'm assuming Kipchoge would not follow the pattern in terms of frequency of quality sessions if his focus was training for 5k/10k?

Thoughts?

Done at altitude, also note that the track for the sessions is dirt, and some fartlek also done on the xc course. This makes the recorded times even a bit faster than they appear. The road for longer run (as described by Coach Canova on previous thread) is also less than ideal. You can read another link regarding the famous forest run here:

http://www.runblogrun.com/2014/01/a-view-from-kenya-2400m-to-2800m-altitue-run-in-kaptagat-kenya-by-justin-lagat.html

Vo2Runners wrote:

40km in 2:15 ... 10 days before race day

how many Americans are out there doing a 24m long run that close to race day

~5:37 pace though. That must not stress him much.

OK, now I have read the schedule and I see that it was a "tempo" on a tough course. I am surprised that he runs that much on hills and tough, muddy surfaces. I would think that would not be the way to prepare for running endless kilos at 2:55 on flat pavement?

I realize he and his coach know what they are doing (and know more than I do). I am just surprised.

Vo2Runners wrote:

40km in 2:15 ... 10 days before race day

how many Americans are out there doing a 24m long run that close to race day

not to forget that he did three of this, three 40k tempo runs within a month. one for sure: the marathon distance is nothing terrifying for him.

There's a reason he's good at what he does. Very impressive!

The Overexplainer wrote:

OK, now I have read the schedule and I see that it was a "tempo" on a tough course. I am surprised that he runs that much on hills and tough, muddy surfaces. I would think that would not be the way to prepare for running endless kilos at 2:55 on flat pavement?

I realize he and his coach know what they are doing (and know more than I do). I am just surprised.

But when the sun comes out it bakes the ground dry and hard. So maybe the best of both worlds?

Ouray Chalet wrote:

Here is the ~ 1 month of training for Kipchoge in Kaptagat prior to Berlin this weekend. Interesting that his fast days (excluding the 400m and 800m sessions) are all around marathon goal pace. This should generate some very interesting discussion:

http://www.sweatelite.co/eliud-kipchoge-full-training-log-leading-marathon-world-record-attempt/

Ever so simple. Nothing crazy. Very consistent workouts, only building up very little in intensity. But really high mileage. I expected him to be ripping off some crazy workouts. He dances at that target pace of 2:53 - 55, which should deliver some solid time around that 2:02(+-1) mark. Damn!

Damn!

"Simplicity is the highest sophistication"

"Simplicity is exuberant!"

5k to Marathon wrote:

High volume. Tues/Thurs/Saturday workouts/hard efforts (higher frequency than I expected). All the workouts (except 300s and tempos) are at 5k/10kish pace or Half/Marathonish pace effort.

This is a pretty dumb comment. When the tempos are 30-40k, and half the week's workout volume, you can't just ignore it and say all his workouts are Faster than marathon pace.

PM 10km easy (40mins)

Isn't it "too easy" for his level? I thought he ran his easy runs at around 5:30 per mile.

Quite a few long tempos at a good bit slower than marathon pace. Americans could learn something from this. I think too many Americans run themselves into the ground by doing tempos at their fantasy marathon pace.

snow blow wrote:

Quite a few long tempos at a good bit slower than marathon pace. Americans could learn something from this. I think too many Americans run themselves into the ground by doing tempos at their fantasy marathon pace.

I thought of Pikachu's(a member here) training at once.

snow blow wrote:

Quite a few long tempos at a good bit slower than marathon pace. Americans could learn something from this. I think too many Americans run themselves into the ground by doing tempos at their fantasy marathon pace.

It started with Salazar's "Marathon training is just 10k training with a long run." Many runners think that a weekly 20-23 Mile long run is enough. It doesn't help that a lot of the available literature for "marathoners" is really for hobby joggers, where the focus is building the length of their longest run by race day and the goal is just to finish 26.2 miles.

George213 wrote:

snow blow wrote:

Quite a few long tempos at a good bit slower than marathon pace. Americans could learn something from this. I think too many Americans run themselves into the ground by doing tempos at their fantasy marathon pace.

I thought of Pikachu's(a member here) training at once.

While I am not on Kipchoge's Level this is ridiculous. I ran a marathon more than one time in low and mid 5:10s per mile over a 6 year span. I never ran a tempo longer than 15k faster than 5:05ish and usually my long tempos (12-15 miles) at MP or slower. And btw... At that time I tried to run 2:13. 40k training PR is something like 2:24. So just check your facts man.

Pikachu

Oh, that's not what I meant. I actually wanted to say that your training is similar to Kipchoge's (And that's why "I thought of your training at once" upon checking out his schedule)

My bad. Could use some work on my communication skills, haha.