Richard_ wrote:
In relation to the history of the belief about muscles and performance that is an amazing comment. When I first started telling runners years ago that performance was primarily limited by muscles and not the cardiovascular system the howls of protests were deafening and the name calling was unrelenting. I encountered very few who were even open to the idea that muscles might be really important.
Today, the idea that muscles might play a big role in performance is not only not heretical but now HRE is claiming we've known muscle was really important all along.
Thank you, HRE, for your ackowledgement that muscles do play a very important role in performance. I believe the debate is now close to officially being declared to be over.
Richard,
If you've never known anyone who's talked about muscles in relation to running I can only think you've been talking to people who know even less about the sport than you do.
In 1975 Ron Hill, then at the tail end of his international career, came fifth in the Boston Marathon. He said he'd only been averaging 65 miles a week as opposed to the 120-130 he'd done in preparation for the 1970 Boston Marathon. He said, "After all these years do you really think my muscles would get any stronger running more than I am?"
The whole reason Lydiard had his guys do hill work, then faster anaerobic work, then, speed work, was to adapt the muscles for faster running and even in the base phase he talked about adding capillary beds and mitochondria to the muscles to improve their functioning as well as increasing the heart's ability to pump blood.
Why did Lance Armstrong, who must have as good a cardiovascular system as any East African, struggle to break three hours in the marathon when those Africans are running 2:10 or so? Because he devoloped that cardiovascular fitness by cycling rather than running and his muscles weren't adapted to running. The reason why the idea you push on your website about training by running three or four days a week and lifting weights on the other three or days being a better way to train than by running seven or more times a week is nonsense. The weight lifitng won't help your muscles adapt to the activity of running.
Yes, the debate should be about over, but I have a hunch you'll try to keep it going.