some criticism wrote:
my 2c wrote:
The problem is that you're misreading that section of Science of Running. The training programs aren't meant as recommendations for anybody. They're not like the McMillan or Daniels or Pfitz training programs at all in that sense. What Magness provides are only sample training schedules for a hypothetical elite athlete.
The idea is that readers will understand the general principles and then make their own training program. See the general principles for program design on p. 252, and note on p. 253 how he says he's only providing a general framework. He also provides multiple approaches for race-specific training progressions in the appendix starting on page 314.
Yes, I think anyone who has read the book is aware of that. But in the 5km example, out of 150 sessions or so, there is not one of the form 6 x 800 or 5 x 1km. One draws the conclusion that such sessions are not considered important.
It is true that in the appendix, the culminating session in the Top Down and Bottom Up approaches is typically a traditional one, although with very short rest in all cases.
I'm not sure that I agree that the book is more elite athletes; it's for athletes 'looking to maximise their performance'.
Magness is more polemic in the following.
https://www.scienceofrunning.com/2009/08/do-we-need-vo2max-workouts.html?v=47e5dceea252Here I essentially disagree with him. Regardless of the terminology, i.e. regardless of whether thinks in terms of VO2Max or race pace, many/most runners I feel will benefit more from a straightforward 6 x 800m, in a programmd /framework consisting principally of such simple/traditional sessions,than the kind of complex sessions listed. As I say, it is very good to have such sessions in the repertoire and use them occasionally, but only sparingly and for a specific, well thought out purpose that a simple session would not meet.
ive read a lot of stuff from Magness that just really makes sense to me. This is not it. Would definitely only do those type of workouts on rare occasions. In fact, in high school, almost never, because they race so much anyway.