Steve Cram got an incredible range:
800m: 1:42.88
1000m: 2:12.88
1500m: 3:29.67
Mile: 3:46.32
2000m: 4:51.39
Anybody know something about his training? Similar to Coe or to Ovett?
Steve Cram got an incredible range:
800m: 1:42.88
1000m: 2:12.88
1500m: 3:29.67
Mile: 3:46.32
2000m: 4:51.39
Anybody know something about his training? Similar to Coe or to Ovett?
From what i have read Cram was a high mileage runner 80 -100 mpw. He used to compete in cross country and road races throughout the winter. (48. for 10 miles, North of England cross country champion.)
Used to train on roads and grass through out the winter and didn't used to touch track work until March onwards. Wasn't blessed with lightning speed (Official p.b was 49 i think, but true potential was probably more like 47.5) His speed endurance was pretty phenomonal though. Training partners used to include Dave Sharpe 1.43,(800) Mike McCleod (1984 Olympic 10km 2nd.)
Training wise i would say he was more similar to Ovett than Coe.
Anybody have any other views.
obvious123 wrote:
Steve Cram got an incredible range:
800m: 1:42.88
1000m: 2:12.88
1500m: 3:29.67
Mile: 3:46.32
2000m: 4:51.39
Anybody know something about his training? Similar to Coe or to Ovett?
800m through 2k is not unusually great range at all. Yes, his times are fantastic (still 20 years later), but that is not remarkable range, in any sense. 800m through 5k (or better 10k) would be considered great range. With the information that ironman stated, I bet that Cram could knock out a great 5k or 10k (I don't know if he did, but I don't recall).
Off the top of my head his 5km track time was 13.28. Never ran a 10km on the track but his road time was 28 something.
Had a good range but not as good as Aouita's.
13:28 back in the mid 80s was pretty good.
Crammy's PBs
400 49.1 1982
600 1:16.7 1988
800 1:42.88 1985
1k 2:12.88 1985
1500 3:29.67 1985
1M 3:46.32 1985
2k 4:51.39 1985
3k 7:43.1 1983
2M 8:14.93 1983
5k 13:28.58 1989
10kR 28:23 1982 (some doubts over course measurement)
10kR 28:46 1992
HMar 65:33 1992
I think like Ovett and Coe. Cram's times at the longer distances don't fully reflect what he was capable of.
There's a great interview here with Cram (plus John Walker, Herb Eliot and Ron Delany):
Q: DID ALL OF YOU DO YOUR LONG RUNS WITH INTENSITY UNDER SIX-MINUTE MILES OR DID YOU REGULARLY INCLUDE EASIER RUNS?
CRAM: Before we make an issue of this, I never set out to run a set pace in my training. You don't start out and say, 'Right, we're going to do our mileage at 5:20 pace.' It's something that builds over a period of time. We just got to a level of fitness where if we wanted to feel we were doing a session, we needed to go at a good level of intensity. But occasionally, there are going to be days when you're feeling tired and you just go out and jog. So don't get the impression that every run is done at five-minute mile pace. If you're doing 80-100 miles a week, of course you've got slower runs in there. But you've got to look at the overall picture and the overall picture was that the vast majority of my mileage was done at a good pace, but that didn't mean it was all done at five-minute mile pace. If I did a seven-mile run, it would probably start at a fairly leisurely pace, but the last two miles might be in nine minutes - so the intensity was really on the last two miles. And there wasn't any science in that - it was a bit how the Kenyans train now - I ran how I felt at the time. It just so happened that I often felt like running hard, but I built up to that. You shouldn't get a 15-year-old to go out and run five-minute miles.
crammie was part of the coe/ovett/cram epo wave.... brits have not run so fast since.... they got the drug technology from the euro cyclists of that era.... these guys ran incredibly fast on little training. in coes fathers first training book there is a reference to epo in the index, but in the newer edition the epo reference is eliminated....
nothing is stronger than the truth....
yawn...
had the pleasure to train with crammy the year before his win in the wc's. extremely humble and down to earth lad. was always up for a quick game of cricket. a bit of a prankster as well. believe what was referenced regarding his last 2 miles very hard. he has run the last mile of one of our loops in close to 4.15 after 7 miles of a good clip!
November - March
am pm
M 4-6 miles 6-8miles
T 4-6 miles 6-8miles
W 4-6miles 6-8miles
T 4-6miles 6-8miles
F 4-6miles
S 8-10miles
S 10-14miles
Almost all running done with a group on the road at high speeds, sometimes finishing with a last two miles in under 9mins. Mileage usually around 80 - in the winter of 83-84 experimented with up to 110 but found this not to be beneficial. Frequent road or xc races. In winter of 85 before world records in 1500, mile, and 2000 achieved highest position in National xc and won North of England XC.
Altitude in March / April, and started track work. Usually track on Tuesday and Thursday with a long session of reps over various distances on the road on Saturday mornings. Started off with reps over about a mile or so and gradually decreased in distance until finishing with short hill sprints. Track sessions decreased in volume over the March-June period, and recoveries were based on 15s for every 100m run. Early sessions something like 6x800 and gradually progressing to 10x400, 10x300, 10x200 etc. Have heard that sometimes did sessions like 2x5x800 with only 30s rest.
Very little pure speed - maybe occasional 10x150 in the summer, but even then just with a jog back recovery.
Mileage reduced in the summer but still run very fast. If racing at the weekend, the last session would be on the Wednesday with the rest of the days beforehand consisting of just 3mile easy runs.
This info comes from a detailed interview about his training that was published in one of the coaching journals here in the UK and also in the BMC News in about 1994/5.
From his book, which I read about a year ago so the details are a little vague, he did a lot of fairly high intensity road running in base periods. In track season he was doing typical mile workouts with reps from 100 to 600 or so, extremely fast. It also seemed that he liked to do time trials to test his fitness when preparing for major events.
roger the dodger wrote:
these guys ran incredibly fast on little training. .
WTF are you on? Knobhead.
I have a tape of the Commonwealth Games in 86 I believe where Cram was running the 800. Peter Elliot takes it out fairly hard and Cram stays in dead last. He's still in the back with 300 to go then he gets those long legs rolling and looks effortlessly in passing the entire field and moves into the lead with 200 to go and wins in 1:44.0.
When I coached I always used his mile WR race to exhibit arm action and upper body power in the final kick. He ran 25.0 in that last 200 and looked so strong in doing so.
Yeah, at that time Cram had injuries at inopportune times, he came into LA, Rome, and Soule behind becasue of injuries. But then again so did Aouita, Coe, and Ovett. Coe's race in LA was awesome, but he had some help with Ovett being sick, Cram coming off injury, and Scott running a dumb race. But that's what its all about. Making it count and adapting to the race and circumstances.
He was a great tactician. Watch his races and he's almost always in the place that gives him the best chance to win.
One thing that is interesting is that both Coe and Cram moved up to the 3000m as Juniors for the Europeans (albeit for different reasons). You would have expected great 800 runners to be fast at shorter distances as younsters.
Apart from the 1500, Coe’s efforts in the 800 at Los Angeles is often forgotten as Cruz’s run was so memorable.
But off the top of my head, I think Cruz had to run 1.45 - 1.44? - 1.44 and then 1.43 in the final.
Coe was second in about 1.43.6 and he must also have had to run some pretty fast heats, just to reach that final.