BTC/Jerry Schumacher training philosophy

Wow! How are they so good only training 3 days a week, and with such vague instructions.

How did you come by this information?

So you’re telling me they run short and longer intervals, tempos, and even long runs!? Wow I would have never guessed

Haven’t seen much or any of Jerry’s philosophy posted on letsrun so thanks for this my guy!

When they are doing 10x200/100jog how quick is the jog?

nosam wrote:

The high volume endurance sessions were at between 5:20 - 5:00/mile pace.

Forgot to add this is for the women, pace for the men is more like 4:50 - 4:30

Watcher of The Old School wrote:

Wow! How are they so good only training 3 days a week, and with such vague instructions.

I wrote at the end of my post that they run 70min easy runs on the other days with doubles 2-4 times/week. I apologise for not including times or rests.

coachcommentsnicely wrote:

How did you come by this information?

strava

Trackfan55 wrote:

When they are doing 10x200/100jog how quick is the jog?

The jog is at about easy run pace

Hey thanks for making this! Whose strava did you get this from? I didn’t know any of them were on strava

tim.12356 wrote:

Hey thanks for making this! Whose strava did you get this from? I didn’t know any of them were on strava

Thanks for the nice comment! It's from Karissa Schweizer's strava (you can also see some of Matt Hughes's training while he was at BTC on his strava)

Interesting. I know someone posted something similar from Karissa Schweizer's Strava a couple years ago...then she made it private.

This is great to look at OP. I think there was a similar thread a year or two ago on their base building stuff. Even by looking at some of their videos you see the weekly winter workouts in the 8ish total mile range. They do a lot of strength stuff. It's interesting that they don't have a lot of VO2 looking workouts once they get closer to goal races. I saw 7x800 once. It looks like they stuck to something in the 6ish miles of work range probably at 8k/10k pace and then shorter reps for workout #2. So a lot of weeks of doing over distance and under distance workouts versus one of those being at pace. Super interesting stuff.

Thank you for posting this. My understanding is that Courtney, Karissa and Shelby are running around 85-90 miles per week. The other women are in the 70’s. For the men, Evan, Ryan, Marc, and Josh are in the 90’s. Lopez and Mo a bit higher. Sean, Grant, Woody and Centro a bit lower.

Do you have more information on the recoveries between reps?

A threshold session (note broken into intervals to get more volume in)

A short speed session (always staying in touch with race pace. However, they’re short and slow enough to prevent too much lactate build. Especially early on in the buildup.)

A long run (would be interested to know fast they go for their long run since it’s spaced with an easy day before and after. Is this more like a steady state run with easy tempo thrown in?)

Weekly volume (70 minute runs and doubles with additional 40 minute runs is likely getting them on average 14-15ish miles a day. Which means probably around 90-100 miles per week?)

Break Down wrote:

A threshold session (note broken into intervals to get more volume in)

A short speed session (always staying in touch with race pace. However, they’re short and slow enough to prevent too much lactate build. Especially early on in the buildup.)

A long run (would be interested to know fast they go for their long run since it’s spaced with an easy day before and after. Is this more like a steady state run with easy tempo thrown in?)

Weekly volume (70 minute runs and doubles with additional 40 minute runs is likely getting them on average 14-15ish miles a day. Which means probably around 90-100 miles per week?)

I don’t think they double that often. I believe it is only on workout days, maybe one other day during the week. I know they do core three times a week. I thought they were working out Tuesday/Thursday with core Monday/Wednesday/Friday and only one 72 minute (Jerry Miles) run on those days.

I am also curious about the long run. I’ve read that the women can get down close to 6 minute pace for some long runs but I don’t think every long run is fast. But the OP can confirm.

KISS -- thanks for sharing

From looking at Karissa's Strava, the speed days often have a pretty long warm-up of 5-7 miles. The long runs seem mostly easy with the occasional faster long run. Not a lot of "steady running" that is the topic of another training thread at the moment.

Watcher of The Old School wrote:

Wow! How are they so good only training 3 days a week, and with such vague instructions.

What else exactly do you need? What do you think fills up the rest? What do you think are the recoveries between reps...... You seem a bit lost....

dhehsisub wrote:

Thank you for posting this. My understanding is that Courtney, Karissa and Shelby are running around 85-90 miles per week. The other women are in the 70’s. For the men, Evan, Ryan, Marc, and Josh are in the 90’s. Lopez and Mo a bit higher. Sean, Grant, Woody and Centro a bit lower.

Do you have more information on the recoveries between reps?

this is the schedule updated with rests:

T 10x200 hills (jog down recovery), 4 x 200/100 jog/200/200 jog

T 6 x mile (90)

S 1h45 long run

T 10x200/100 jog

T 4 mile/1 mile/2 mile/1 mile (90)

S 1h45 long run

T 6x200/4x300 hills (jog down recovery), 7x300/100 jog

T 4 mile/3 mile/1 mile (90)

S 1h45 long run

T 10x300/100 jog, (5), 2 x 600/400/200 (2 between reps, 5 between sets)

T 1mile/ 3 mile/1 mile/3 mile/1 mile (90)

S 1h50 long run

T 12x200/100 jog, (5), 5x400 (2)

T 4 x mile / 4x1200 (90 between reps, 5 between sets)

S 2hr long run

T 10x300/100 jog, (5), 8x200 (90)

F 4miles, (8), 10x400 (90)

S 2hr long run

T 3 x 400/100 jog/300/100 jog/200 8x300 (90)

F easy run

S easy run

T 4x150/8x200 (90)

F 10x300/100 jog, (5), 10x150 (90)

S 1h50 long run

T 4 x mile (90), (8), 3 x 800/2x400 (2, 1, 4)

F 10x200/100 jog, (8), 600/4x200/600 (4, 90, 4)

S 2h long run

T 2 x 1k/800/600/400 (4)

F 1 mile/2 mile/800/400/2k/800/1 mile/1 mile/1200 (90)

S 1h50 long run

T 2x2mile (90), (10) /800/2x400/600/300 (4)

S UW Invitational

S 2hr long run

T 800/8x400 (2)

F 8 x mile (90)

S 1h30 long run

T 3x400 (2), (4), 800, (4), 3x200 (1)

F USA Indoors

S USA Indoors

S 1h45 long run

T 4 mile (5) /3 x mile (90)

F 2 x 1200/800/400 (4)

S 1h30 long run

T 3x400 (2), (4), 800, (4), 3x200 (1)

F BU Last Chance

S 2hr long run

T 5mile, (8), 10x200/100 jog

F 1 mile/2 mile/1 mile/2 mile/1 mile/2 mile/1 mile (90)

S 2hr long run

T 7x300/100 jog, (8), 500/400/300/200 (3)

T 3 mile (8)/4 x mile (3)

S 2hr long run

T 5x400/100 jog, 5x300/100 jog, 5x200/100jog (5)

F 2x4 miles (4)

S 2hr long run

T 10 x 200/100 jog/200/200 jog

F 3 mile/1 mile/ 3mile/ 1mile (3)

S 2hr long run

T 2x200, 2x400, 200 hills + track

F 2x4mile (4)

S 2hr long run

T 4 x 4/3/2, 1st & 3rd 100 jog, 2nd & 4th (3)

F 1mile, 4miles, 1mile (3)

S 2hr long run

T 4x200/100 jog, (5), 600, (4), 4x200 (2)

F mile, 1200, 800, 400, mile (4)

S 2hr long run

T 3 x 5x300/100 jog (4)

F 2x4 miles (4)

S 2hr long run

T 4x200/100 jog, (5), 2x300 (4), 4x150 (2), 2x300 (4)

F 3 x (3x400 (1), (3) / 1200) (4)

S 2hr long run

T 10 x 200/100 jog/200/200 jog

F 4x2 miles (3)

S 2hr long run

T 4x200/100 jog, (4), 2x400 (1), (5), 2x300 (1), (5) 4x200/100 jog

F 7x800m (2)

S 2hr long run

T easy run

F easy run

S 1h45 hard long run

T 6x150

F 1mile/1mile/2mile/1mile/1mile/2mile (90)

S 1h50 long run

T 8x200/100 jog, (8), 2 x 600 (4) /3x200 (2), (6)

F 3 x 800/2x400 (2), (3)

S 2h long run

T 5 x mile (90), (8), 600/500/400/300/200 (3)

F 4x200/100 jog, 200/300/150/300/200 (3)

S 1h50 long run

T 1 mile / 2 mile / 1 mile (90), (8), 3x(1k, 100 jog, 200) (3)

F 8x200 (100 jog) 7x200 (2)

S 1h50 long run

T 12x400m (90)

F 3x400 (1), (4), 1k, (5), 2x200 (2)

S easy run

T BTC Meet I

F 4 x mile (90), (5), 4x800 (2)

S 1h30 long run

T 3x400 (1), (4), 1k, (5), 3x200 (2)

F BTC Meet II

S easy run

T 4x200/100 jog 3x(400/300/200) (2), (5)

F 5 x mile (90), 4x150

S easy run

T BTC Meet III

F 4mile, (8), 10x300/100 jog

S 1h35 long run

T 3x400m (1), (4), 1200m, (5), 4x200m (1)

F BTC Meet IV

S 1h25 long run

T 3x400m (1), (3), 4x300/100 jog, (5) 4x200m (1)

F BTC Meet V

Break Down wrote:

A threshold session (note broken into intervals to get more volume in)

A short speed session (always staying in touch with race pace. However, they’re short and slow enough to prevent too much lactate build. Especially early on in the buildup.)

A long run (would be interested to know fast they go for their long run since it’s spaced with an easy day before and after. Is this more like a steady state run with easy tempo thrown in?)

Weekly volume (70 minute runs and doubles with additional 40 minute runs is likely getting them on average 14-15ish miles a day. Which means probably around 90-100 miles per week?)

While they are at altitude, they alternate the speed session, threshold session and VO2 max/speed endurance session in a 3-way cycle. VO2 max/speed endurance sessions have long rest, and are run at 3-5km pace.

You can see some of the men's long runs on Marc Scott's Strava:

Thanks for posting! Appreciate the detail