Dieter Baumann's training

Here is one month's worth of his training:

http://myforum.marathonperformance.com/user/Discussion.aspx?id=84294

Didn't he just take loads of drugs?

He is one of a select few to have competed in the finals of 3 separate 5000m races in the olympics AND had high placings in all of them.

'88: Silver

'92: Gold

'96: Fourth place

Here are my thoughts on his drug use. I do believe he used drugs, but I don't think he was tempted until after the '96 olympics. I believe he became greedy and/or desperate once he realized he needed to be at a much more higher level to keep up with the (then) superstars of the time. This is why he was caught a year or so before the 2000 olympics. If he had used drugs from Seoul all the way to 1999, then to put it plainly...he would be dead. No one can take over a decade of drugs into the system and not feel adverse affects. Effects that would hamper performance.

To his credit, he still came back for the 2005 WC 10000m finals, well past his prime. This is a testament to his love for the sport regardless of his damaged reputation. So, although he lost his clean image, I believe he is a good man and deserves as much respect for his accomplishments. It takes someone special to be good and remain at the elite level. It takes someone extraordinary to achieve an elite status, be knocked down from that pedestal,and then return knowing none of your peers or fans like you or necessarily want you competing.

free at last wrote:

I know there have been a number of threads on Baumann, but there seems to be little information on what type of training brought him to sub-13 shape. From what I have been able to glean it seems his training was almost Van Aaken like in that he did a lot of fairly slow, easy running and supplemented this with repetitions often at slower than race pace. Also like several of Van Aaken's runners he had a fierce finishing kick. I've tried his website but its not terribly informative (and in German). I know I'll get lots of replies about drugs, but, true or not (and I suspect not) they were not the cause of his long and very successful career. Any information would be appreciated.

He has a special type of toothpaste...It will make your teeth squeaky clean and your body a well-oiled machine.

Translation (I just did Oct '07) from

www.dieterbaumann.de/akt-training.html

Dear runners,

my current training looks like this.

Greetings,

Dieter

P.S. You'll find explanations for your training on the videos and training programmes.

(on the site, - nothing groundbreaking, mostly common sense if you have experience, lots of pulse monitor stuff. He stresses going easy on the easy runs - and I have trained with him, he goes SLOW on the long runs, looking at his watch every few hundred metres on 2:30 run!!)

October

Mon 1/10/08

Endurance 12k 55'

Tue

Rest

Wed

Long long endurance 34k 2:33

Thurs

Easy endurance 18k 1:22

Fri

Fartlek after 60' 20 x 1' w 1' rec - Total 1:46 25k

Sat

a.m. Easy endurance 55' 12km

p.m. Easy endurance 38' 8km

Sun

Long long endurance 2:20 progression 10/15/10k

40:45/56:2/33:50 min

Mon 8/10/08

Easy end. 55' 12 km

Tues

Easy end. 1:06 15 km

Wed

Long long end. 2:33 33 km

Thurs

Easy end. 1:10 15 km

Fri

Easy end. 43' 9 km

Sat

Test 1 Hour 18,6 km (3:12) Avg. - total 23 km

Sun

Easy end 1:15

Mon 15/10/08

Rest

Tues

Easy end. 44' 9 km

Wed

Long long end. 2:11 h 29 km

Thurs

Easy end. 57' 12 km

Fri

Easy end. 53'12 km

Sat

Rest

Sun

Pace run 3X4km/3:40/3:40/3:35 total 20 km

Mon 22/10/08

-

Tue

-

Wed

-

Thurs

-

Fri

-

Sat

Frankfurt Marathon (2:30'00)

[quote]fafasdsadasd wrote:

No one can take over a decade of drugs into the system and not feel adverse affects. Effects that would hamper performance.

quote]

I disagree that runners can't take drugs for many years. I have no idea whatsoever whether Baumann did or didn't, but numerous athletes have taken drugs for years. That doesn't mean that they take them every day for years - they cycle on and off, they take breaks from the drugs, etc.

Clearly, Baumann was an extemely talented runner. Additionally, he was a racer and had 1500 meter speed with which to finish off a 5k - so an extremely dangerous competitor. I know one guy who is from his town back in Germany and he did not believe that Baumann used drugs. But on the outside really knows? Either way - an innoncent man wrongly accused or guilty man fraudulently famous - it is a very sad state of affairs.

I believe he brushed three times a day.

Baumanns regular runs were always at a very slow speed, 7min miling at best, usually two sessions and a long run per week, tempo runs would be done also at relative slow speed like 5:20/mile and early track sessions would be more at LT intensity but his interval wo during track season would often be all-out, stuff like 1ks in 2:30 or 3k test runs in 7:40(he ran a 7:40 3k in training while he was suspended, paced by Bernard Lagat).His mileage was even in winter/spring just in the 70-90mpw range, he increased his mileage late in his career when he was more focused on the 10k and preparing for a marathon debut.

About the drug use:May be Baumann was a cheat but i'm pretty sure he didnt know that he was putting Nandrolon in his body, not because he is such a honest but because he is a very smart guy, no way that he was so stupid to take a drug that gets detected so easily.If he was doping he was probably on some sophisticated blood doping cycle but definietly not Nandrolon.

I know a coach in the uk who is a good friend of Baumann.

This coach is adamant he never took drugs knowingly.

Baumann has written a book which he had translated and sent to this coach.

In it he claims he believes the German federation spiked his toothpaste.

And the toothpaste story is a bit more complicated than many think, when the first test was positive, the german t&f federation made a subtle offer to Baumann that they keep it secret if he retires now, Baumann declined and they tested him again and again and the Nandrolon value climbs and climbs.After a lot of reasearch they come to the conclusion that the only thing that Baumann changed in recent times was his toothpaste, they test the toothpaste and find the drug in it.Now of course Baumann could have injected the drug into the toothpaste and it's in no way a proof for a manipulation by a third person but then Baumann remembers that the had already used the toothpaste at an altitude camp where he had bought the toothpaste, he continued to use his regular brand when he came home from the camp.Now Baumann was tested for blood doping while he was at that altitude camp.After telling this the anti-doping agency, they test the old sample from the camp for Nandrolon and bang it's positive too and all other tests since that camp were negative.

Uk U ok wrote:

I know a coach in the uk who is a good friend of Baumann.

This coach is adamant he never took drugs knowingly.

Baumann has written a book which he had translated and sent to this coach.

In it he claims he believes the German federation spiked his toothpaste.

There was big riff in the german t&f federation after the reunion between East & West, Baumann was attacking some of the East-Germans who wanted to continue the doping and also some of the western guys like Franke & Kallabis after they were caught for using the epo-masking agent HES.

There is a really (unintentional) funny film about Baumann and the doping affair.In one scene Baumann and Franke(who was also coached by Baumanns wife for a short period) are sitting at a table in Baumanns house eating breakfast, Franke says: Dieter, you and i, we are gonna be stars of distance running, you in the 5k and i in the 10k.

Dieter:Oh, i'm gonna run the 10k too.

Franke:What??No!You can't take away MY distance!

There are more hillarious scences like a dude who looks like 50 Cent playing Bernard Lagat and saying to Baumann:Dieter, you are the white kenyan, the only one who can run with us.

Bauman's book...english translation? Is it available?

Dont think its available

He had it sent over as a personal favour.

I believe it hadnt even been edited

He lent it to some athletes he coached and never got it back

Just wanted to say a big thanks for the training replies. Did Baumann ever explain the rational behind his seemingly easy (relative) training? Was he influenced by Van Aaken or any other coach or did he just find what worked for him?

Just a few points in my opinion:

OP - Dieter is extremely talented. You cannot copy his training and get his results. His wife is very intelligent (she coached him).

Drugs - There is a LOT more to the story than anyone will ever know. Whoever posted the info on Franke knows quite a bit obviously. Without getting into it, the German Police worked many hours on this case; including lie detector tests, food samples, drug testing Dieter's KIDS, etc. Eventually many details came out and are included in the book. The German Fed eventually sent Dieter to Sydney to compete after reversing their stance on his ban. They backed him against the IOC. Decision by the IOC IN SYDNEY (I think it was within 48 hours of round 1 of the 5,000) was that they would not allow him to compete in 2000. Officials lost their jobs over this issue. Dieter lost his reputation. Read his book.

Lastly - No one takes Nandrolone. Get real. Plus, the levels he tested at were so low you'd be wasting your time taking it. Nandrolone was used in the dark ages.

His book - It's written in German. He considered translating it to English but it would not sell well in my opinion. I don't think there are plans to translate it in the future.

He just used his special toothpaste to brush his teeth alot.

What an unfair tarnish to a great runner. He was essentially the first great white hope against the East Africans. He ran sub 13/low 13 5000m when the WR was still 12:55 by Kiptanui.

His training was not unlike Wejo's. Go easy on the easy days, go hard on the hard days. Simple, yet effective.

benglois wrote:

http://www.britishmilersclub.com/bmcnews/1997spring.pdf

Thanks.

Training with Isabelle Baumann