Pat Porter's training

Bob Wildes wrote:

fwiw wrote:

As others have mentioned Carlos Lopes was incredible. I heard he had a steak dinner the night before winning the 84 Olympic Marathon.

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Yes and I heard that he ate bacon and eggs for breakfast the morning of the Marathon. Would not be much on the veracity of either story.

By a case of synchronicity i go to dinner with Carlos Lopes and some other friends today. Friday evening in one Lisbon restaurant “Casa do Alentejo” 8:30PM Lisbon time.

2 conditions to be accept and be present in this twice a year friendship dinner. To have been a past runner and be older than 50 years old.

It’s curious that I carry on my bag 3 DVDs that we will see and comment during the today’s evening meal. 1983, 1984 and 1985 World Cross Country Championships. I t

Thanks to Malmo to post that WCC results because I go to print and bring with me some copies to offer during the dinner.

About what Carlos Lopes meals. I may guarantee that despite actually he suffers from diabetes since a few years ago, today he will eat tons of food and he will drink Portuguese wine.

I confirm that when he was a runner he uses to prefer beefsteak with eggs chips and rice as his best meal namely before one important run. During the dyas he did train and compete he was known to eat twice or 3 times more than another runner. Some of his meals where very commented. I remember to be with him and he did eat 2 big beef meals and did drink wine and at the end he did finish with a coffee and one old label whisky. Once the Portuguese TV they ask him if it´s true that he prefers meat before the runs, and he did reply that meat it´s the food that gave him more guarantee of not have problems during the competition.

Bob Wildes. I take the initiative to send you to your email a few pics of the past friendship dinner that I did with Lopes in the same restaurant we will be on this evening. You will recognise Lopes and may be me as well...

Lopes was an animal runner, an animal competitor, and an animal in the food and drink take.

rocknrollrunner wrote:

kenny Moore article from 1986:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1064603/1/index.htm

Nice post. As much as I respect Porter for "saving his legs," and recognizing his strengths, I wish he would have devoted more focus to track, other than the Olympics and time-trialing Mt. Sac almost in solo fashion after world cross. While he may have been better over undulating terrain, I stil think he had a sub-27:30 in him and probably closer to 27:20 +/- based on the guys he raced against in world cross, particularly the year he got 4th. His PRs were US-based.

Too bad cross wasn't and isn't an Olympic event or that they didn't have a 10,000 or 12,000 steeplechase on the track.

Hello - Well I got a chuckle out of the posts and while reading them was texting Pat Porter on some of the comments: to the 200mpw he said, "Yes and lightening came out my butt."

Anyway what made him fast: well i have a picture of him with a grape up his nose, so my guess it was his ability to snort grapes.

- I say that because he dared me to put that up. Seriously though he is one of my favorites and my roommate at the Olympic Trials and one thing that is not counted for in your posts that made him so good was his mental ability. He was a mental Giant still is. The other thing was his ability to put it all in perspective. During a flight to nationals i sat next to him on a plane. I feared he'd be talking times the whole flight. We both reached in our bags: he pulled out a Guns and Ammo magazine and I took out a RollingStone magazine and it was at that moment I knew we were going to get a long just fine. I am honored to call him a pal.

have fun

You do realize the 200-mile week was in reference to marathoner Juma Ikaanga, right? I remember reading it in Runner's World. I suppose that doesn't make it true, or, perhaps he only ran one week at that level, like famed masters runner, Kiwi John Campbell.

Also, if Pat claims to have seen God, than I suppose he was capable of ejecting lightning from his anus. Sonething propelled him, that's for sure. So, since you are such a "pal," what's Pat up to these days?

Hello -

No did not realize the 200 week was toward Juma - sorry.

Pat - well after running he carried a few jobs one as a car sales men. Then went into some business adventures. He was a business major which was very helpful for him in that as an athlete he was very smart with the money he made via running. Of the details of his business part of like i do not know mainly because i don't ask very many questions. For the past few years his baby is his plane. He did get his pilots license and travels much of the south west for fun often with his family in tow. He does reside in Albuquerque nestled up against the preserve. Last i saw him was I think July and after that it's mainly text communications but after about 5 text he will usually stop typing and give a call. His wife Trish is back at competition at the Master's level. She is serious setting a few age group records out there. She is very active in training. All right well have fun,

Well very good then. Sounds like he invested well. Probably stuck to sound principles, just as in his running. I always have fun talking about Porter. He kind of put Adams St., and perhaps Caoch Vigil, on the map, even as he did have decent predecessors.

The 'mile' at Cole Park was 78 yds. short of a mile (~12 seconds). I measured it with a wheel years ago; I once was in a workout when Porter ran 6x'mile' in 4:17 w/3min. recovery. He and Martin Johns ran 3:51-3:52 in an all out mile.

dang wrote:

The 'mile' at Cole Park was 78 yds. short of a mile (~12 seconds). I measured it with a wheel years ago; I once was in a workout when Porter ran 6x'mile' in 4:17 w/3min. recovery. He and Martin Johns ran 3:51-3:52 in an all out mile.

If they did 3:51-3:52 at Cole Park then where did he run the 4:01? He said that was the fastest "All-out" mile he'd done

The steak thing is true. It first came out in the Runner magazine article on the Rotterdam Race where he ran Deke to the line. The writer and others were in the room and he talked about how he always did that and was used to it.

Boreed

Can you email me regarding Pat? I lived in his Alq rental house summer '98, and would like to reconnect.

Appreciate it,

Fatbluewizard@yahoo.com

The Guys Get Shirts! wrote:

OP,

dig up one of theNike XC posters featuring Pat Porter and Lynn Jennings

"Their name is mud." Favorite poster ever.

Anyone have a copy/picture of this? It sounds sick.

I can vouch for pat's 4:01 mile he was attempting to break the 4 minute mile and yes it was a true mile.... I paced him through the 1st 800... I went through the 800 too fast around 1:51 but Pat was pretty happy because he came so close and told me to be ready to do the same thing again the next week. He wanted to try again...

Even more impressive before the 4:01.... Pat and the rest of the cross counrty guys had just run a 2 mile time trial! I don't recall his time but knowing pat it was fast...

As an ASC alum... Pat will be missed... RIP... may all your miles in heaven be fast and effortless!

if I could be like Pat wrote:

i just read Running With the Champions, the book that rates the top American distance runners and gives insights into their training. I read the section about Pat Porter (my new hero, the 9:51 4:29 guy that went on to win 8 consecutive US xc championships) his 6 by mile workouts on grass in the 4:20s, his monster hill runs, his 8-10 mile track sessions... It says that he did lots of plyometrics and weight exercises which strengthened him so that he could run at very high intensity (5:30s on some easy days) without getting injured. I was wondering if anybody new more about his training and what sort of plyos and weights workouts he did. I am fit enough to train at a higher level, I just need to strengthen my legs so that they don't break down as easily and/or get injured.

Don't forget about the 140-180mpw that he averaged for 8 months a year.

Hi Jack -

Cool user name - the Bob Kempainen poster could have been better if it was in vivid color, but as I recall, it was in grainy b&w.

ps - I bought your book. You described that moment in time during the running boom perfectly. I loved it!