And me please, John!
Thanks
And me please, John!
Thanks
I'd really appreciate an email as well, thanks.
john, i'd really appreciate a copy as well. thanks.
John, I too would appreciate examples for the other phases. Also, in your personal experience, is timing every run recommended or discouraged or subject to each runner?
Ok I will send you guys a complete copy.
To answer your question about timing, I think based on what Lydiard says, you should time your runs. However, Lydiard emphasizes that the level of effort is more important to ensure your runs are in the "strong aerobic range". Lydiard's says you always want to feel "pleasantly tired" at the end of each run. During the base building phase you want to see your times coming down gradually over the weeks with no extra effort on your part. If they are not, you are doing something wrong. You are either going too slow (jogging) or too fast (crossing the aerobic/anaerobic threshold). If you are doing either, it will retard your progress. A friend of mine I would train with occasionally had decent speed (1:56 & 4:15) but never developed the stamina he wanted to for the longer distances. The reason is that he has never mastered the art of running aerobically on a consistent basis. On a ten miler he would he would take off way ahead of us and go faster and faster at every mile split and finish up way in front of us, running the last several miles at sub 6 pace. He would wait for us at the end of the run beaming and say he felt great. The very next day he would be running 7:20s and then cut the run short saying he felt like crap. He has done this his whole career.
Remember, it won't be a straight line improvement. Sometimes you will be slower depending on the wind or the heat or how you feel that day. A good way to track your progress but not get caught up too much into timing is to time the total run but don't check each mile split because if you do that it may make you run too slow or too fast.
Another thing that you have to be careful about is when you are base building in the intense summer heat. It this situation you may be better off throwing your watch away. Lydiard disciple Marty Liquori gives a perfect example of this in his book The Guide for the Elite Distance Runner in which he explains how he used the Lydiard method. In 1977, he was training in the intense Florida heat and humidity. He said the average daily temperature had been 95 degrees. He was training for the big Zurich 5000 where he would face the double/double Olympic Champion Lassie Viren, the World Record Holder (Dick Quax), the Kenyans (Henry Rono, etc. ) and the Ethiopians (Mirus Yifter, etc.). He couldn't even break 61 minutes on his 10 mile tempo runs. He had figured he had lost it and couldn't do it anymore. He was going to cancel his trip to Europe and hang up his spikes. Luckily he decided to go through with the rest of his Lydiard program and compete in Europe. In 55 degree conditions in Zurich, he defeated the greatest 5000 field ever assembled to date, broke the American Record in 13:16 and won by 2 seconds and became the last American to Rank # 1 in the World in the 5000. The point is, timing your training runs can be a good guide but as Lydiard's says you should be focused on the level of effort to ensure you are training in the aerobic range.
Thanks for the document. Does Lydiard ever comment on weight lifting i.e. does lifting's energy requirements cause it to be a detriment to his program?
Interesting question about weight lifting. In the 4 books by Lydiard I have read he contradicts himself somewhat. In one book he advocates it and shows some example exercises. In two of them he is somewhat negative and in one he is adamantly against it. In one of his lectures, he vaguely said he advocated it one book because the some of the runners he was coaching had no access to hills to do his 3 week hill program. In general, I would say Lydiard thinks that it is not necessary.
I would say weight lifting has 2 obvious positives and 1 obvious negative. The positive is that is can somewhat improve your basic speed. It can also somewhat improve injury resistance. The negative is that the added weight gain will hurt the distance runner. So I would say you do want to do some weight training and balance in increased speed against the negative in the weight gain and find an optimum medium. Since individuals vary so widely you have to experiment and find out where your happy medium is.
On a related note, Mary Liquori in his book on the Lydiard principles, advocates carrying up to 10 extra pounds during the Lydiard's base building phase. He says the extra food you are taking in will ensure your glycogen levels are always fully replenished before every run so you will have maximum energy for each day's training session which will accelerate your progress. You will also have more nutrients and energy which will reduce your chances of getting colds and other illnesses. He says you don't have to worry about the extra weight during this phase because your big race is months away. So one approach may to be to hit the weight and eat more during the base building phase then back off when you hit the anaerobic phases and get real lean as the big race approaches.
To answer your question about energy levels. I would definitely not advocate doing 2 hour weight workouts outs if you are planning on running 100 miles per week. Your weight workouts should be short, but very intense. Break it up so you do only one or two body parts per day with only 2 to 4 total sets per bodypart but do the sets to absolute failure (since your daily workout will only be 10 minutes, make it count). That way you will not expend much energy since the workouts will take less than 10 minutes. The weight workout will be high intensity but low volume.
Something like this:
day 1 Chest, shoulders: one set each of flat bench, incline bench, dips (leaning foreward), lateral raises with dumbells.
day 2 rest
day 3 Back: one set each of barbell rowing, wide grip pull-ups or wide grip machine pull downs to the chest
day 4: Triceps: one set each of close grip bench press, skull crushers, cable pushdowns, dips (upright)
Day 5 Legs: one set each of squats, leg curls and standing calf raises
day 6 Biceps, forearms: One set of each incline dumbell curls, sitting dumbell curls, preacher curls, hammer curls and wrist curls
day 7 repeat day 1 and so on
Do one set of 20 sit-ups every other day.
The above workouts will take only 10 minutes a day. I definitely would not devote any more than 10 minutes a day to lifting weights if you are trying to run 100 miles a week. The above routine will give you the best gains you can possibly get in a 10 minute workout.
Could someone forward me a copy...thanks
does Lydiard (or anyone) have any tips on preventing injuries with this rapid rise in mileage? What do people do who constantly get injured (like I have flat feet and biomechanical issues)?
Do I do my runs to fast probably (playing things conservative, I'll say im in 17 minute 5k shape), i normally go about 7:30 pace. Lack of strength, what I don't get why I cannot train at high volumes (like 90 - 100 miles), I mean can seem to handle running period, and my highest ever for one week is only 65. Ehh pathetic, let me hear what you got.
I may have missed this issue in an above post, but are all of Lydiard's mileage totals on singles or did he reccomend doubles, or whatever it takes to get in that mileage for the day?
bump.
i think it sounds like doubles, with the morning runs always being easy aerobic miles and Sunday (or whatever your long day is) being at least 20 miles.
I'd still like to hear what he says and others have to say on the injuries though.
Much of the advice on this subject and others related to high mileage suggest a long period (10 wks+?) of base building. Say for me, working up to 90 mpw, but with all steady/slow runs, again for me 7:00 mpm or slower. With the lack of my usual interval and tempo runs can I expect an initial decrease on my 5K, 10K times if I was to race during the base building?
trainspotting. wrote:
I may have missed this issue in an above post, but are all of Lydiard's mileage totals on singles or did he reccomend doubles, or whatever it takes to get in that mileage for the day?
lydiard say to reach max potential you should run no less than 100 mpw all in single runs per day. Lydiard example:
m-10
tu-15
w-18
th-13
f-11
sa-22
su-11
total=100
if you want to run more than 100mpw thats when you add mourning runs.
humpty, bumpy
He said weights were good if you lived in a place without hills. Otherwise don't use them.
john - would you also send me a copy of the phases? also, what lydiard book(s) would you suggest as being the most comprehensive, best reads, most utility, etc..?
thanks for your posts...extremely helpful.
Good grief!
You REALLY did that?!? What shoes were you wearing at the time and how much weight did you lose in that 9 week phase?
(You listed your starting weight as 185 "after a long layoff").
Ouch.
Hey, John, could you please send me an extra copy of the phases, or anything else associated with Lydiard, available? Thanks, if possible!