Renato Canova, Who exactly is Imane Merga and how did you develop him to get his win at World XC?

The American coaches are definitely learning from Canova and others. Hudson admitted to borrowing heavily from Canova. Think about a guy like Salazar who does everything possible to eek out any extra performance from his guys. Do you seriously think he isn't scouring the world for information about how Canova's athletes train?

Renato, I love that you posted the training plan for the World XC champion. Thank you for providing so much information to the running community.

You could be right, hopefully Canova will chime in and clear that up.

Regarding learning from the Italian coaches, if I remember correctly, Greg McMillan worked with Gabriele Rosa in the Fila Discovery USA project a few years back. I wonder what, if anything, McMillan took from his time working with Rosa.

Merga says his goal is to win the 10,000 at Daegu this fall and that he'll race 5000 at Hengelo on May 29th.

I want to know more about modulation. Please explain. From what I understand it can be hard days, easy days, hard weeks, easy weeks etc.. But I believe Canova also consider changes in stimuli and length of runs and intervalls also?

jennifer cruz wrote:

Merga says his goal is to win the 10,000 at Daegu this fall and that he'll race 5000 at Hengelo on May 29th.

Does that mean he is planning for another peak coming up here? If he's racing the Hengelo 5 than how is he going to be fully transitioned from Cross Country mode to Track mode? Or is he already in Track mode but since the course was a lot like the track got lucky????

Hey Renato I am curious on your toughts about what type of diet/food a runner needs to perform at the highest level?

What is your opinion of the best diet possible for a runner to reach maximum performance for their body?

Hi Renato, thanks for posting this info,

What is the reason for introducing Hill Sprints to Imane's program so close to the race? And were these really 'sprints' at 90-100%?

I wish more coaches would share the training of their athletes like this. It would really help improve our knowledge of the sport to see what works.

Renato,

What type of rest are you using for the long intervals on the track? For example, when he has 2:30 between 3000m repeats what is he doing in that 2:30? Thank you.

He simply walks. When you have intervals very fast, it's a mistake recovering jogging. Also Bekele, in his training before bettering the WR of 10000m in 2005 (in St. Moritz), when ran 4x2000m in 5'10" / 5'12" with 4' rest + 1x1000m in 2'27", simply walked without jogging.

Renato does your athletes always use 4min recovery between 2000m intervals, because I remeber you saying that Antibo used to use only 3min rec and I read that Tadese is doing 5x2000m with 3min rec. only. Does it change performance?

How about recovery between 3x3000m?

Hi Renato, thanks for the information. The form and posture of Merga when he runs doesn't appear as relaxed as that of the two greatest Ethiopian runners, Bekele and Gebreselassie. Are you doing anything to work on this? For example, does Merga spend much time working in the gym on his core? Thanks again.

Renato: I add one thing to my post above. Why is jogging recovery a mistake? I remember that example Henry Rono used to do 24x200m with 200m jog rec. or 12x400m with 400m jog rec. and there were many athletes doing that in those days.

I never said recovery jogging is a mistake. But you need to understand the difference between one interval workouts and another, using this very simple rule : higher is the speed, higher is lactate for the same distance. Higher is lactate, longer and easier you need to recover.

So, in the case of running 10 x 1000m in 2'50", Imane Merga or the most part of strong specialists of 10000m can recovery 200m in 45" / 50". In the case of 10x1000 in 2'40", can recover about 2' (they are in altitude) mixing walking and jogging for 200m. In the case of 7x1000 in 2'30", can recover 4' simply working. Faster you run, longer time you need for lowing down the level of lactate, in order to start for the next interval.

Mr. Canova, if you have time, maybe you can answer some questions:

a) How do you plan recovery periods (days) for supercompensation (-adaptation)?

b) Can you give the percentages of different training speeds on different periods (Introduction, General, Special and Specific) for 1500/3000 m type athlete, who is running both indoors and outdoors and maybe some cross on Nov/Dec/Jan?

c) Is there some connction/similarities between Italian distance running school and Cyrille Guimard's schedules for Hinault, Fignon, Lemond?

Thanks

Renato,

When you compare a workout done at sea level versus altitude... Are you changing the pace of the intervals or the recovery between intervals?

We need to distinguish between two different situation :

a) Training an African athlete. Altitude is their normal ambience, so their training is based on that constant. For example, when I use intervals of 1000m at 10000m race pace (connected with the PB in altitude), I recovery about 1'30" using 200m jogging (Wilson Kiprop, 27'26" last year, 10x1000m in 2'43" / 2'45" rec. 1'30"). If I connect the same type of workout with their hypothetical speed at sea level (in the above case, I supposed 26'40", therefore 2'40" per km), I open the recovery till 2'30", and the athlete walks. Of course, since not all the altitudes are the same and have the same effect, we need to give different parameters, according to the different situation, using this rule : after 2000m of altitude, we have to add to the recovery time about 10% for every 100m (for example, if we use 2' at 2000m, at 2500m recovery becomes 120" + 50% = 3'), of course running the same speed.

Instead, if we want to work inside a full aerobic area, we can maintain the same recovery time, slowing down the speed of 0.1 for every 100m (2'40" at 2000m becomes 2'45" at 2500). I never tried to go over 2700m, so I can't say if this rule can work also going higher. In any case, personally I'm not favourable to train at an altitude too much high, if not using only long easy run, in order to reach a better aerobic efficiency, for the reasons I explained in the other thread about doping in athletics.

When these athletes go to sea-level, I have only to maintain their high aerobic power (they don't stay at sea level longer than 3 weeks, so we don't need workouts too hard in that direction), I maintain the same recovery, and I ask them to run faster (for example, 10x1000 in 2'35" with 2' recovery, while I'm not interested in 10x1000 in 2'42" with 1'15").

In other words, I use sea level only for incresing the SPECIFITY, all the fundamental and special training was already carried out in altitude.

b) Athletes living and training usually at sea-level.

In this case, I recommand the following behavior when they go to altitude :

1) To use the first week for adaptation only, starting with easy run, and increasing every day volume and intensity. After one week, the athlete must be able to run the same volume used at sea level, with only little difference in the speed referred to the classic Aerobic Threshold of 2 mml, and a difference of about 5% in the speed referred to the classic AnT of 4 mml.

2) After one week, the athlete can start some interval. In this case, the rule is :

* for short intervals (200/300/400m) the athlete can use same speed and same recovery, but the total volume must not be higher than 70% (so, 10x300 in 43" rec. 1'30" can become 7x300).

* for medium intervals (500-800m) the athlete can reduce his speed of about 0.3 % referred on 100m speed

* for long intervals (1000-3000m) the athlete can reduce his speed about 0.5% referred on 100m (if you run 3000m in 9' = 18" per 100m, 0.5% is 18"9 per 100m, that means 3'09" per km = 9'27")

Of course, these are suggested data for athletes not use to train in altitude.

But, because our muscle fibres have specific "memory", after the first time every period in altitude becomes a little bit easier, and the athlete, in order to receive correct and useful stimula, need to increase his speed a little bit.

In any case, remember that altitude can be dangerous if you carry out lactic workouts with short recovery. The main effect of training in altitude is to enhance the AnT and consequentely to increase the Aerobic Power. All the tough lactic training must be carried out at sea level.

So that means that if an athlete in altitude is running 4 x 2000m (rec. 3:00) in 5:45 + 1 x 1000m in 2:37 - means he

can run 27:20 in sea-level, because 0.5% faster than 5:45 is 5:27.5, which is about 27:20 pace.

And if the same workout is 4 x 2000 in 5:28 + 1 x 1000 in 2:31, it means that he can run those 2k's in 5:11.6 in sea-level, WHICH IS 26:00 PACE! Amazing!

By the way how much benefit the altitude training could give to an athlete who is training the whole year at the sea-level.

Like example in the 10000m, because there used to be athletes like Lopes and Mamede who never did any altitude training.