Lydiard Training

Send me an e-mail--I'll see what I can do.

Nobby,

I sent you an e-mail.

Thanks.

I'd be happy to write to you. I do advise people now and again. But if you're in touch with Nobby you're in good shape.

If you keep everything to email no one else benefits from the advice you're receiving. Maybe you could post some stuff on here?

Drop me an email and I will give you my opinions. You should be able to get support from this group.

Glenn

Maybe we should call a board meeting and make sure we have our stories straight.

encharito,

Check out the "Lydiard or Daniels" thread. We're all in it and reading it will give you something to do with your spare time for the rest of your life.

I understand what you're saying, but there are times when someone would rather not put everything on the board here and have to deal with all of the nonsense that can arise.

brooksrunner400 wrote:

This message is for Nobby, HRE, Glenn McCarthy, Kim Stevenson or anyone with extensive knowledge of Arthur Lydiard's training methods.

I was wondering if one of the aforementioned people could help me set a program for myself aimed at running a fast 1500m-5000m. I'd be willing to provide as much background information as necessary. I know that many people out there claim to use Lydiard training but very few know the ins and outs of the actual philosophy. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Do any of you advise runners via e-mail? Thanks.

Maybe you could help answer this question for me. People on this board often want to train strictly Lydiard based. DO NOT get me wrong here, I think Lydiard was a great coach, probably the best. But that was in his time, some of his stuff is outdated at this point. So, why is it that people seam to get their rocks off over the old school lydiard training principles when they could do something else and be a faster runner?

Lydiard follower,

perhaps you misunderstand the Lydiard approach. There are basic building blocks that are the same today as they were in the 1950's. Apply the blocks correctly and success follows. It is that simple. The concept that there is only one "recipe" whether it is one espoused by Arthur, or any of the other coaches, is where runners/coaches get it wrong. Successful runners still do base work. Successful runners still strength work. Successful runners still do speed work. And Successful runners still do anaerobic work. Having an approach and understanding that you need all the pieces is the start. Finding out how to apply them to a specific athlete to get the best out of them is where the "science of running" becomes an art.

my $.02.

Glenn

I don't see anyone who has really done anything that's made them a faster runner than what people following the principles Arthur set out had done. The Africans pretty much have all the pieces, they run a good volume, they generally seem to run hills, they do some race specific interval work. They may have gotten the idea from some other place rather than directly from Arthur, but that's irrelevant. All of the parts are there.

If you're wondering why people would follow the schedules in "Run to the Top" to the letter you might have a valid point. But Arthur always said those schedules were meant only as examples and that people should adjust them to their own needs.

But this really seems to illustrate why someone like brooksrunner might want to ask for advice via private e-mails rather than on the board as he really wasn't asking for a discussion of the merits of Lydiard's approach vs. another style.

Nic Bideau sent me this message as the testamonial. I hope I wouldn't have to explain who Nic Bideau is:

"The principles of aerobic conditioning as explained by Arthur Lydiard in his books almost half a century ago remain constant today in the success of all of the athletes I coach. Craig Mottram and Benita Johnson have shown that by focussing primarily of maintaining constant pressure on the heart muscle for long periods of aerobic exercise it is still possible to win against the very best in the world."

Some people undestand the principles behind the program and apply it and excell. Some others only see the numbers and never see beyond. I can name at least 4 coaches with 7 Olympics and World Championships medals since 1992 (one more coach with one more medal if you go back to 1983) minimum who would turn around and "worship" Lydiard; outwardly publicly annouce that they apply Lydiard principles.

Try to explain what you mean by "outdated" and try to explain why Peter Snell's 800m time is still New Zealand's national record and, time and time again, I see international 800m competition being won SLOWER time than Peter's. We haven't improved the shape of the "wheel" from "round", have we? I know some people would attack all over by saying I'm getting diffensive. Sure, he had been not clear with some points; he had been "wrong" with some topics. We have no intention of praising every single thing he had said; but let me tell you, nobody has improved the principles of Lydiard method since 1960.