Mr. Renato Canova: Could You Please Answer a Question About Effective Ways to Improve the Lactate Threshold?

Anonymous -- I've corresponded with Renato via email.

trackhead wrote:

Anonymous -- I've corresponded with Renato via email.

I've e-mailed him myself and never heard back. I know others who have asked him some questions and never heard back. Why is that, I wonder?

i know that he is super busy and that if he's in kenya his internet access is questionable. i can only imagine how many emails he receives. i know when he first started posting here in early fall 2003, the first day he received 80 emails.

trackhead wrote:

he's offred adivce to me and I am far, far, far from elite.

I make you run 40km fast every day, if you slow,I take you to forest 40km away, you run back. You soon become elite.

Remember Lydiard did the same thing, in Mexico.

I have also emailed him and he has replied very fast sometimes ...

Anonimous, I apologyze if I couldn't reply to you and to many other writing to me, but I think that you have no idea about a my normal day. For example, at the moment I have here in Torino (only 2 weeks after coming back from Kenya and WCCCh, where there were not internet normally) the following athletes for training :

Silas Kirui (winner of HM in Prague last Saturday in 1:01:07) - Paul Kanda (60:55 and 2:11:53) - David Makori (2:08:49, he will run Torino Marathon on 17/04) - Samson Kosgei (2:11:43, he also will run Torino) - Martin Toroitich (Uganda) that has to run in his first Marathon in Torino (but may be that I put him in Trieste on 8/05) - Wilson Busienei (Uganda, 13:12 and 27:29, he will pace 12 km in Stramilano, then go to run HM in Humarathon on 17/04) - John Korir (after sleeping for one day in the Airport in Dallas, arrived for the competition in Washington only 30min before the race. Now is here and will run on Saturday the Scarpa d'Oro with Lebid) - Albert Ndiwa (a ne guy running 28:30 in 10k) - Daniel Rono (60:14 in HM, he will debut in Marathon in Madrid on 24/04) - Amman Majid (Qatar, Marathon in 2:15 but able to run 2:10, now injured) - Florence Barsosio (2:27:00, she will run Paris on 10/04) - Jennifer Chesinon (2:31:26, she will run Madrid on 24/4) - Dorcus Inzikuru (Uganda, 9:29 on steeple, African Record) - Robert Cheruiyot (2:08:13, he will run Paris) - Rodgers Rop and Daniel Cheribo (going to Paris) and Rita Jeptoo (going to Torino).

So, I have to organize the training for different group, but at the same time I have other type of problems.

Friday I go to Paris in the early morning, coming back to Torino on Monday 11. But, after a training with a part of the guys, Monday night I'll go to Qatar for two days, then I'll go to Iten in Kenya on Thursday and Friday for giving the programs to the Qatar athletes for the next 10 days. After I come back to Torino for the Marathon, and Monday 18 I'll go again to Kenya, staying till 1st of May, when I go again to Qatar till the meeting (13-5). After this, I go to Kenya again till Hengelo (28-5), and after I stay in Europe, moving to St. Moritz from the beginning of June.

So, because the day is only 24 hours long also for me, I have to do some choice : when I'm able to answer to the e-mails arriving to me, I do it. If I have some e-mail coming from coaches of top athletes, I reply them before answering to athletes "amateur". But this not because I don't take care, but because I really have no time.

And in any case, what I try to post is my phylosophy of training, because I don't think possible to give personal programs for athletes that I don't know and never I could see in my life. Depends on the knowledge of everyone to understand the mean of what I write, and on their choice to use or not what I propose. Nobody has the "spell" for changing a donkey in a horse, but there are things well known that can become general culture for people not yet expert in managing their training.

And, regarding the "Genius", I think that a lot of people can read magazines of medicine, knowing in theory everything, but cannot be doctors. In a period where we speak of "specialization" regarding every thing, is very strange that, looking for a delicate machine like the human body, everyone can think possible to be the best specialist for himself. But probably taht's the reason because so many runners are able to destroy themselves.

Then I offer my apologies, Renato. I was incorrect.

Probably more effort should be put into "making donkeys horses."

I have seen guys in high school who are close to 5:00 flat for the mile but are often injured though they train very hard. This type of work ethic is not to be ignored; the 5:00 guy who works really, really hard is better than the 4:40 guy who slacks and doesn't care about running.

Get people healthy and get them a coach, and no one will know what their limit is. Improvement is always possible. Just look at some of the best guys in the world who are running so fast that not much time exists for them to shave off.

An 18:00 5K runner has minutes to come off; 12:37 Bekele has a few seconds at most. He cannot take a minute off his time. Training both types of athletes are worthy endeavors.

Ok here is a slighly diffrent question for Renato - How do you go about training for ultra marathons and 100k races?? Is there any point in training the LT?? or does marathon pace represent a threshold for speed in these events

THIS THREAD IS TOO TOO TOO TOO LONG! I DEMAND THAT IT GET DELETED IMMEDIATELY!

This thread will be only a few of the endurance records we hold. I say keep it going!!

Renato or Mr. Cabral What is missing from the US in terms of training to develop our young athletes to compete internationally in middle and long distances?

Renato: Why did Lebid drop you? I thought you was the best coach in the world?

Do you think he will break 13 with his new coach?

When did Lebid drop Renato? If so, Lebid is a very stupid person.

I remember Renato saying he was uncoachable and when Renato told him he should not do indoor, he refused and did his own training. Lebid is stupid to have done so, and it is no wonder he cannot medal at any Championships.

In the IAAF interview, Lebid says that he has a new coach. If he's uncoachable, I don't care how fast he is.

For a 4 or 5 time Euro X-C champion, and someone who came 2nd to Bekele in 2002, his track times of 7:35 and 13:10 can definitely be better. No wonder the Africans dominate; they actually listen to the coaches that got them to their top level. No sympathy for Lebid if and when he bombs in Helsinki.

does anyone believe Tergat did 20 4's in 55 each at 6K above sea level? (with 1 min. rest)

I have taken much time going through this huge thread. Let me say that it is without a doubt the greatest discussion / source on running that I have ever seen, and I have been seeking out these kinds of things for 25+ years as a runner and a coach.

Thanks also to everyone who contributes, especially to the esteemed Mr Canova and Mr Cabral.

The discussions / debates / arguments herein are, with very few exceptions, wonderful.

Thank you everyone. I shall pose some specific questions / points soon.