Before we get bogged down in drug talk again, here's an article on Chema Martinez' training before winning the Euro 10k Championship in 2002:
JUAN MANUAL (CHEMA) MARTINEZ – PREPARATION FOR WINNING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 10,000M IN 2002 – by his coach Fernando Lozano
Two words most heard about Chema’s Munich victory - ‘surprise’, especially about his fast finish, and, increasingly, ‘ admiration’ for him as a character.
On the first, I would say that anyone who’s followed his professional career could see how Munich was the result of a lot of hard work, planned and progressed from 1996, the year he dedicated himself to professional athletic (1996 PBs 13.47/28.51 age 24/25). This progress and ‘big picture’ planning makes it hard to explain the basis of his success in 1 or 2 pages. The progress for which I take responsibility is made possible by me training him alone, which exclusivity allows me to be fully dedicated to his training. I will add that Chema has gained everyone’s admiration for his professionalism and humility. I want to flag up that he has based his training on a key quality which few possess - ’ PATIENCE’. We have had patience and strength of mind despite the several years of missing out on selection and always being runner up. I believe that Chema’s gold medal is also a triumph for the understanding of planning and training methodology in our sport.
Basis of 2001/02 Planning
The 2001/2 season was marked by some features that hadn’t occurred before then. Firstly the excellent resulting Edmonton (10th or so in 10,000) which for the first time allowed us some reassurance for the next season without having to keep proving his form in races.
From the start we planned for this season to be special because we could prepare specifically for the European champs as the main objective, with a peak timed for August. His maturity and experience enabled me to prepare for 3 increasing peaks of form spread through 3 macrocycles, with high specificity of workloads. ‘Multilateral’ training was almost non-existent this year. After finishing 2001 with a poor run through illness in the Euro Cross, the 2002 X season made for a secondary level of planning, so that he ran XC after January without being at 100% fitness. This brought him to March/April with a huge volume of pressure free but hard training since September 2001.He became Spanish Xc champion, using this to prepare for the EuroChallenge 10000 (April) where we wanted to improve his PB and achieve the Munch qualifier, which he managed with 27.47. We decided to do the Rotterdam marathon in March, aware that the base of volume and workload intensity until March would enable him to run sub 2.10, which he did (2.9.55). The idea was, in his marathon debut, to reach 30k and depending on feeling, either pull out or go on. Chema ran the 2nd half at 3.01/3.02 per KM, going from 15th to 3rd and showing his great potential at the distance. One factor which had a big influence on the season was the increase in altitude training, using 3 periods each increasing in it’s load, the altitude used and the duration. The 1st in November interrupted by bad weather, 10 days, then 15 days in January and 57 days in June/July. In total we did 80 days at altitude which set the framework for some high quality training. We decided this because at Edmonton we analysed the results of 21 days at altitude and knew that to increase training significantly at 1860m (6000 feet) we had to spend more time. Becoming Spanish XC champion, Chema showed a change in mentality He saw himself improving and after placing 2nd in Spain (big domestic/international XC) went out convinced he could win it. He showed himself more relaxed and intelligent each time he raced.
We didn’t compete at peak form so we arrived at March/April with low fatigue levels. The National XC was the only race he did at 100%. To train at Chema’s level requires a support of ‘invisible training’; an absence of any type of disruption after training; hydrotherapy, sauna, 3-4 massages per week, diet,’ pharmacological support’ (legal no doubt! DC), hydration, sleep, postural analysis etc. Another key factor has been the great medical support, with a total of 10 analyses (screening?) done during the 3 cycles and 4 lactate tests (NGB and self funded). The progress from 1996 allowed us this year a big emphasis on specific loads and specific races., and our planning and Chema’s maturity has enabled each year improved training. The control and quantification of the metabolic data has been a guide of how to shape training season by season.
Finally, and I believe a very important concept, improving the levels of maximum power. That is, the improvement of strength in the gym has produced higher levels of running efficiency. These two factors are fundamental in Chema’s training and are carried out all year round.
OBJECTIVES FOR THE SEASON
Each season I establish 3 types of objectives:- 1. Results; - to medal in the Euro XC Champs; top 3 in the National Cross; PB in the European 10000 challenge; Top 4 in the Europeans in Munich
2. Physiology; to improve specific levels of training resistance in 3 altitude trips, 2 in Navacerrada (North West of Madrid), 1 in Sierra Nevada (mountains behind Granada); to control the ‘Resistance Index’ with specific tests for the10k event. Now we don’t work with the concept of threshold, rather with the speed he can tolerate at a stable lactate level.; controls of his blood and hormone levels each 1 ½ months, coinciding with other relevant running tests; controlling the perception of fatigue and levels of recovery with subjective scales
3. Training loads. To increase the average weekly volume to 170/180km without risk of overtraining. This implies many weeks of over 200k. This volume allows us to tackle a marathon with some guarantee of success, as in April in Rotterdam; improve the aerobic sub-maximum test; improve the aerobic maximum test; improve the levels of base strength after forming a base of strength and power; to improve levels of anaerobic capacity with latitude work; to improve levels of lactate tolerance at 8-10mmol/l.
OUTDOOR SEASON 2002 – Programme
The outdoor macrocycle to prepare for Munich had three mesocycles – accumulation; transition, done entirely at altitude; realisation. I give great importance to the basic ‘essence’ of a race- in the case of Munich, we knew that the specifics of the race would involve changes in pace and that it would have a fast finish, sub-58 for the last lap. This feature shaped the type of training and the interval, and indeed the recoveries. The training capacities in each mesocycle areas follows:-
This is reflected in the progression of racing in the three weeks of the 3rd macrocycle, and the last 10 days up to the Munich 10000. This model – accumulation to transition to realisation has built up from the first mesocycle the racing features which Chema went on to show in Munich, and is built into a very high volume of training. Every one asks how he managed to change into a winner. Part of the answer is in the orientation of the training loads; varied pace reps, race pace and intermittent work to improve his VO2 max, with a base of speed and strength work. Training on these principles at altitude allowed him to better handle changes of pace, deal better with lactate and deliver in races the fruits of 3 months hard work. I think I am one of the few coaches who attach much importance to strength and speed in long distance and part of Chema’s success came out of the gym, improving his maximum power. Current training theory includes strength as a principle of training. This concept of working with maximum strength and using resistance in the distance events must be part of future developments in these events, use in the right context.
ALTITUDE TRAINING
A decisive factor in the programme. We have worked at altitude from 1997, though Chema first went himself in 1995. At the start of our project we had brief visits in order to build up the days spent there, the volume and the quality of training., so there has been progression. I have studied the benefits of altitude a lot, and can state that it is the only way to get to the top world level in distance running without using banned substances. From 2000 we used the concept of ‘living high, training low,. This concept can be carried out excellently in Navacerrada, a very good altitude centre for long duration stays, 1 ½ months plus. The reasons we chose Navacerrada are:- access to medical services less than 45 mins by car; he could carry out a level of training equal or better than at 600 metres (ie Madrid, his home), and the friendliness of the manager of the hotel Pasadoiro who made us feel at home. And above all, using the track at Segovia at 1000m high. Altitude is a double-edged sword and I think most athletes use it badly. Used well it is beneficial, but disastrous if done badly. The concepts we used:-
1 – 1 ½ months minimum stay prior to the season’s main races, having previously carried out staged visits. This time is necessary if one wants to achieve valuable high quality interval training. It I shard and requires a mature and disciplined athlete.
2 – Control of his metabolic state at this height – red blood cell count, testosterone, cortisol, iron, ferretin etc. We reduce training the week before altitude so that we go there is normal, stable condition.
3 – increasing the amount of anti-oxidants before we go up there
4 – increasing glycogen intake in the first weeks at altitude, because of the increased levels of anaerobis after all the hard training.
5 – control of the internal indicators (subjective perceived effort and fatigue) and the external indicators (training pace), adapted to progressively reach the same pace and intensity as in Madrid (600M).
6 – we went to the track at least twice per week.
TRAINING TESTS
Training tests were gradually adapted to the 10000m, and specifically to Chema’s characteristics. For the XC season we did tests at a pace to achieve lactate levels of 6-9 mmol – 2.55-2.58 per km. On the track, I distinguish speed-lactate tests from aerobic heart rate tests. On the former, we did two tests; one to control stable lactate at 10k pace, doing 4 x 2000 with 30 secs to take the blood sample. On the track we adapted for the 10k the middle-distance Valle Test and obtained good results. It consists of getting a lactate level similar to 10k racing with a series of intense 800s and then applying this load progressively to 1200m to achieve a balanced speed. The most interesting thing about this test is that after analysing the maximum lactate as produced in 1 x 400m flat out, that capacity becomes more and more important in the major 10ks. The following day shows a 3%-4% increase in the level. It is one way of testing specifically the actual conditions that they face in the 10k. The better the speed and the concentration of lactate at certain anaerobic threshold paces, is a decisive factor in the 10k. As an eg I produced the results of a test of 4 x 2000 at 2.51/k pace with 30 secs for the sample (shows lactate m/mol of 11 reducing to 7 as fitness/tolerance improves). The heart rate tests are individualised and based on the heart rate established at tests over set distances – 6 or 8 miles. It is important to monitor the heart rate recovery as it informs us of the cardiac adaptation to race effort. I will end this piece by thanking the people who have helped us achieve Chema’s great success.