I do like how Peter Snell's Marathon training made him so fast over even 800 but it slows down the really fast Marathon guys.
Only on letsrun.
I do like how Peter Snell's Marathon training made him so fast over even 800 but it slows down the really fast Marathon guys.
Only on letsrun.
SMJO wrote:
To win a fast Marathon today you need closer to 3:50 mile speed.
Quite a few people are still a bit lost in the past when it comes to fast.
It's hard for me to imagine Kebede running close to 3:50 for a mile, but I've love to see him try.
Indeed. Americans are far too old by the time they run the marathons. Who cares how fast they were on the track when they start doing half and full marathons at such an advanced age?I sometimes think Alberto forgets that he was 22 years old when he made his marathon debut, yet he keeps his athletes on the track until it's too late.
Precious Roy wrote:
Frank was talking about body type and running style. Long legs, light frame and smooth strides. For many reasons, the US system does a poor job of discovering marathon talent. High school is all about 1600/3200. That distance is as far from the marathon as you can get. It is also a distance that bigger/bulkier runners can have some success in high school. Distance running on the track in high school tends to get a lot of the guys who were too small for football or basketball, but had good speed and endurance.
In college, only a few runners on each team get to compete on the track at 5k and 10k. No one runs marathons or half marathons. The top 5k/10k guys will usually stay with that distance after college in order to have a shot at an Olympic or WC team. Why not stay on the track and try to get to the Olympics when that is all you have done in college. Plus, you will get paid more when you move up to the marathon if you have been on an Olympic or WC team than just going straight to the marathon.
Colleges and high schools should embrace road racing. Why not let high school kids who do not get a 1600/3200 sport on the team run road 10ks in the spring? Same for college runners for marathons/half marathons in the spring? Give people a chance to run longer races to find the real marathon talent?
It is correct that the US has no system of developing marathon talent from an early age.
The current collegiate based system promotes a focus on all distance runners training with the emphasis contributing to scoring points at 3000-5000 meters indoors even as a 10,000 specialist outdoors. Which means holding back on young runners getting early progression to adapt to high mileage. High mileage meaning adapting high schoolers that ran 50-70 miles a week to 120-140 miles a week.
But they don't give college scholarships intending to focus on an event collegiate sports doesn't even include.
Including a half-marathon at the NCAA Championships would help in this system.
The system and belief that developing your 10k potential first means runners wait until they are in their late 20's to focus on the marathon.
Running 4:50 pace for 26 miles I don't think requires first a background being able to run 4:20-25 for just six miles. Especially if it takes until you are 26 years old to do that. The Japanese have already proved that.
The Japanese have a high volume of guys just outside the very top level.
To really contend, they need to be faster.
Their record holder also holds the 3k, 5k and 10k marks.
The person who breaks his 2:06:16 is very likely going to have to be faster over those shorter distances as well.
SMJO wrote:
I do like how Peter Snell's Marathon training made him so fast over even 800 but it slows down the really fast Marathon guys.
Only on letsrun.
it didn't make him fast
it gave him the endurance to maintain a higher percentage of his speed over the middle distances than his competitors