For the record, here is JK's post(s) regarding Antonio's article. See if you can pick out some giant "misunderstanding." I can't:
"Should be required reading for all aspiring American milers
If I can reprint excerpts from that article without violating copyright laws, I'd like to make some comments on Silva's training in a series of posts. There are a number of elements of the training that stand out as EXCELLENT once you're familiar with them on a personal level. Without actually experiencing them and witnessing them, these secrets remain hidden, lost in the jumble of workout times and terminology. Once you've lived such training and uncovered the principles that separate mindless hard running from intelligent and purposeful running, you'll know what to look for; that is, what the real keys to the training are.
"People began to think that we could do better than we had done because of the nature of the Portugese (sic) people and our willingness to train hard."
As they found out, determination to run balls-to-the-wall was not getting the job done. It never will be enough. That's not what it's all about. Part of the sport demands that attitude and effort, of course, but continual training with this mindset will NOT make you fit, even for 1,500-3,000.
"We use (sic) to do only interval training and a low overall volume of work. However, we saw that others were doing things very differently. We can safely say that Lydiard greatly influenced Portuguese coaches through the introduction of his ideas centered around marathon training and a large overall volume of work."
Amen, brother! Remember, these are 1,500m guys we're talking about - the kind of runners with a gift for (and enjoyment of running FAST for a few minutes at a time. Most of them are NOT natural long distance runners who relish the prospect of a fairly long continuous run (or 30 minutes of long intervals) at or below the "threshold" (AT). If you read the article in its entirety, you'll see the patience demonstrated by Silva (and the other athletes and trainers) to develop over a period of years using the same basic program structure. This is common to every successful distance running program and is something that should be taken to heart by all American middle distance runners from jr. high to post-collegiate levels.
"We then began to progressively increase the volume of our training until we were performing a high overall volume of continuous runs at relatively high intensities. Much of this work would now be considered AT training. We also continued with regular short and long repetition sessions. After making these changes success came rapidly."
Ditto on the above comments about higher mileage. Another lesson learned was that continuous runs are only a piece of the puzzle. Also necessary are repetition workouts at varying speeds but always emphasizing running within oneself as opposed to testing the limits every time a stopwatch is started. In some of Silva's workouts (shown later in the article), it's obvious that he's running FASTER than the classic "one hour run pace" concept of AT, but he's still orchestrating the speed and the rests so as to remain BELOW the spike in lactate accumulation. Staying relaxed at a VARIETY of speeds is absolutely necessary. Merely using "half marathon pace" as threshold training all the time is not sufficient.
"The major lesson was that we need good volumes of easy/base training as well as the intervals that we had been performing in the 60's. More recently we have come to understand that simply performing hard and easy sessions is not the complete answer either. We have developed the concept of training at threshold levels for much of our specific work."
Again, this goes back to the concept of staying at the threshold of lactate accumulation even when running middle distance pace. Care must be taken to use correct periodization when staying in touch with faster speeds throughout the year, but it can be done with DISCIPLINE on the part of the runner. Of course, periodization is a JD-type term which has actually found its way into Jogger's Globe, but it's an important concept nonetheless. See? Jogger's Globe isn't ALL bad. Anyway, a runner must learn how to stay right at (or just below) the limit of the comfort level and must be disciplined enough to refrain from hammering workouts. Check it out - nearly all of Silva's repetition sessions employ the concept of starting cautiously, finding the groove in the middle, and finishing faster. This is extremely important and very rarely used in America, where competition with teammates (and the stopwatch) from the outset of a workout is the norm.
Resistance workouts
Let's skip ahead in the article to a topic which is widely debated - resistance training. There are a FEW exceptional circumstances, of course, but the following quote pretty much summarizes what SHOULD be the extent of "supplementary training" for MOST middle distance (and, of course, long distance) runners.
"(Silva) does flexibility work, but no plyometrics or weight training. The only strength work he does are (sic) repetitions on hills. Sometimes he runs steps as a form of strength training. His coach was a fan of the Lydiard methods which helps explain his preference for using hills. It can be said that the vast majority of Portugese runners and coaches do not believe in the need for strength training. They think that sufficient strength is gained through resistance running such as hill work."
Keep reading that until it permeates the stubbornness-brain barrier. The only circumstances under which you (assuming you're a RUNNER) should be lifting weights are 1.) you are woefully weak to the point of it (your weakness) actually contributing to poor mechanics or increasing your risk of injury and/or 2.) you're past your peak years (somewhere in your 30s or older), in which case, you probably need to lift in order to promote fat burning in a variety of muscle groups post-exercise. Even scenario 1 can usually be prevented or ameliorated by use of simple "body weight" calisthenics and form drills. BTW, hill running IS weightlifting (added resistance training), and chances are it's the only weightlifting you'll need. Running steps also develops knee integrity with minimal risk of overuse to the Achilles tendons, but this drill does not stand alone. Actual hill work is necessary for maximum benefit.
You're not BENCHING anything out on the course or on the track. Why would you perform that exercise with weights when it's invariably anaerobic (even with light weights and high reps) and reinforces discomfort and incorrect movement patterns? A LITTLE weight work on OCCASION is not bad, but I get so exasperated when I see distance runners on these "weight training programs" which are designed to "build up their upper bodies" and make "all-around athletes" out of them. Those guys are dumber than a box of rocks! They might as well eliminate 30% of their running to practice juggling cats!
Spend YOUR time RUNNING - or at least use your "weight room time" (if you have any at all) to do drills which carry directly over to running movements. Yeah, I know drills are TECHnically plyos (which the Portuguese claim to avoid), but CORRECT drills transfer easily to the running motion and should be included at some point, preferably early in a running career, and should be maintained from time to time during the early stages of preseasons.
Misc.
Re: bone density -
Doing kicking drills in a swimming pool (stuff like flutter kicks, leg crossovers, etc.) will also build bone density a little by virtue of "torquing" the muscle attachments to the bones. I like this because there's no impact stress involved and there's very little chance of straining a leg muscle in the way you could with squats.
Re: stretching -
I'd imagine the Portuguese runners do static stretches and work some knots out of their muscles at the same time. Ballistic stretching sucks - UNLESS you've done something to warm up your muscles AND thoroughly stretched statically before doing the ballistic stretches.
Re: "body weight" exercises -
Pushups, pullups, dips, ab rollers, etc. are preferable to lifting barbells or dumbbells. These things involve a wider variety of "core" muscles, thereby burning fat in more muscle groups post-exercise. This is important for Masters runners, who tend to have more trouble maintaining the weight they carried (or didn't carry) 20 years earlier. Again, I'd never recommend non-running-related stuff like this for runners in their prime years unless they were pathetically weak. But ... I do "Jack LaLanne"-type exercises 2-3 times per week these days myself (2-3 sets of 25-35 pushups, 2-3 sets of 15-20 pullups, 2-3 sets of 20-25 dips, 1 set of 35-50 situps or 20-25 ab rollers), but that's because I'm only running a half-@$$ed amount (40-60 mpw). If I could do 120 mpw without getting hurt (cartilage problems from eating too much sugar), I probably wouldn't need to do more than a set or two each of the calisthenics every 7-10 days to stabilize my weight/body fat. If you're going to do these things at all, it's better to start them right after a competitive phase (when you're not doing any real anaerobic running) and hit them pretty hard for a few weeks (but not to the point of "bulking up"). Then you'll be able to do them less often (as "maintenance") later in a training cycle (as you begin getting more serious about running faster) without having them be very anaerobic. Do them slowly. They'll be less anaerobic and you'll get more out of them.
Re: protein/diet -
Masters should probably eat a higher percentage of protein for tissue repair purposes, but the main thing is avoiding "empty" calories (Mr. Pot talking to Mr. Kettle here). Eat lower-calorie, higher-nutrient foods (if you can identify them and find them). This partly depends on mileage. Higher mileage requires a higher intake of carbs. And nope, a 45-year-old can't eat like a 20-year-old anymore and expect to have the same physique - running volume notwithstanding!
Re: other Masters principles -
You should be sure to include short, progressively faster strides a few times per week as you age. You'll get EXTREMELY uncomfortable at faster speeds (and actually can't even attain those speeds) if you don't stay in touch with them year-round. You should also do some one-shot time trials (about 95%-98% effort; not necessarily all-out) of 2-8 minutes in length every couple of weeks (at the tail end of a workout of strides) to push your heart rate up near its maximum. This maintains a fairly high stroke volume (important for keeping your VO2max up there). Stretching post-run is also very important. Loss of range of motion in the hip flexors alone can cost a few seconds per mile, and reduced flexibility is quite common among Masters runners who don't stretch religiously.
If you're running less than 45 minutes per day on average, you'll probably get best results by spreading mileage increases more uniformly over the course of several days (as opposed to merely bumping up the long run and keeping everything else low). If you're already over about 45 minutes per day average, you're good to go on inching up the long runs. They really start becoming effective once they get close to 2 hours in duration, especially if you can get comfortable with a gradual pace pickup over the last few miles. Stay under control - more at a slightly challenging aerobic effort - and avoid really struggling.
Post-run recovery is aided by doing a thorough, relaxing stretch, then taking some simple sugars within a few minutes. This will raise your insulin levels, which allows you to store the maximum amount of carbs as muscle glycogen if you eat shortly after that. You need to eat a meal which is high in more complex carbs within an hour after taking the simple sugars. If you wait longer than 2 hours total after a long run to eat those complex carbs, you've missed your best window for replenishing your glycogen.
Some light activity the day after a long run also speeds up recovery. If your legs are shot, you can try tooling around for 30-ish minutes in a swimming pool or doing some light spinning on a bike with low resistance. Of course, actual running on a soft surface is preferable, but people often need to build up to the point where they can run comfortably the day after a long, depleting workout.
An ice bath (the "David Blaine therapy") might be a bit over the top, but many runners swear by dipping their legs in cold water immediately following a long run. It's a bit of a shock the first few times, but you eventually adjust to it.
Back to Silva's training
To continue with excerpts from the Portuguese training:
"With regards to AT training, Rui performs a large amount for the 800/1500/3000 events. ... This AT training is not scheduled in advance, but it comes naturally if he feels that he is sufficiently recovered to do it. This is the typical Portuguese way to do it. However more advanced Portuguese coaches have begun to schedule AT work as a specific session. This does not always involve a continuous run, but can also take the form of long repetitions."
This is the way it SHOULD be done. Some of the training at the AT is unplanned (usually on continuous runs or on longer repetitions), but some is deliberately fit in with general pace guidelines depending on current fitness (not so much on goal times). Both continuous AT running AND long repeats are necessary. If only continuous runs were used, there would be no variety in rhythm and motor unit recruitment.
Notice in the article itself that Silva did some of his long repeats on grass without as much regard for TIMES; instead, the training was effort-based. Also notice that the speeds on the reps were almost always INCREASED as the workout progressed. In fact, the first reps were under control enough on some sessions that the last rep was run WAY faster. This means that Silva was NOT TESTING himself on each rep. Instead, he was TRAINING.
The workouts such as 4 x 2,000 and 4-5 x 1,500 were usually done off a 3 minute rest interval and were run at about 93%-96% of predicted VO2max pace (63 400 pace or slightly faster), with the last rep substantially faster than the others. This is right in line with information from the (still down) Paragon site, in which we advocate 20-25 minutes of running (in 5-ish minutes segments) at 95% of current VO2max pace with rest periods of 50%-60% of the run periods. Silva also used 6 x 1,000 right at 63 per 400 average, with 3 minutes recoveries, again in line with our recommendations of 2-3 minutes on/3 minutes off at VO2max pace, using 15-20 minutes of total time at pace.
The main points to be made are 1.) this is NOT all-out running (being substantially slower than 1,500 race pace and still a good deal slower than 3,000 race pace), yet it still has a very beneficial training effect, and 2.) the only REALLY FAST rep is the last one, meaning that a spike in lactate accumulation never occurred until the end of the workout. Compare this objectively with the way YOUR high school or college team typically runs/ran workouts of medium/long repetitions. There is a vastly different approach in HS and college, with the emphasis being on running EVERY rep at a predetermined (and very challenging) time which was written on a sheet of paper.
Sufficient warmup
Another couple of paragraphs from the Silva article:
"As Rui has gained in maturity and experience, the tendency has been to increase the number of repetitions while decreasing the recovery interval. It may be surprising that he never performs these long repetition sessions with a recovery period of less than 3 minutes. However, the first priority on these long sessions is the pace achieved, with the length of the recovery period being of secondary importance. Sometimes he allows almost complete recovery between repetitions. This session is always performed following an easy 30 minute warm up run, and is followed with a 15 minute warm down run.
He usually performs 3-5 fast strides over 100m before starting the repetitions. It is interesting that a 1500m runner such as Rui performs these long 1000 - 3000m repetitions regularly throughout the year. However, this work has been fundamental in developing his overall fitness. I believe that it is this endurance work which allows him to be strong enough to produce such a good kick at the end of fast races."
Since the rest periods are equal to or nearly equal to the run periods, this differs from classic AT training (running at "1 hour race pace") and actually works primarily on oxygen uptake. But the concept of avoiding a spike in lactate accumulation still applies to "VO2max" training.
Notice the fairly long warmup periods prior to repetition running. These are no doubt started at an EXTREMELY SLOW pace and all systems are allowed to achieve a sort of equilibrium before the actual workout is started. Also notice the 100m STRIDES at the end of the warmup. While warming up is a pretty obvious concept for most runners, it can safely be said that Americans tend to rush their warmups and are not REALLY ready to start their interval workouts or fast continuous runs. They therefore tend to get a little in the hole anaerobically early in the workout.
Ever notice how some of your best continuous runs start out as planned EASY runs? Ever notice how you feel way better and are able to run very fast at a much more relaxed effort with everything "clicking" if you do a long warmup and some MODERATE speed stuff before hitting the really quick stuff? Try it out. Do a 30 minute warmup, starting at almost WALKING pace, gradually letting the speed increase itself with no additional effort on your part, and getting REALLY comfortable running. Then do a few progressively faster strides, THEN try some intervals. Start those cautiously and squeeze them down as you go. You'll probably feel pretty light and loose. Concentrate on STAYING smooth and relaxed and resting just enough so that you feel ready to go again. Even if these repeats are not as FAST as you normally run them, you will likely get more out of them than you would if you tied up on most of them."