Renato Canova, Kim McDonald etc Mileage training

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true... we trained with N kiprotich & J kimutai and their mileage was low. 50-60 per week total miles, not just quality and then some junk - that was it.

b konchellah was the same.

you say that morceli said he ran 220km a week in the winter?? where did you get that info. because it is just plain wrong. In fact if you have a look at Running with the Legends it said a typical week for him in preparation for track season was the following.

Sunday: 1h15-30 @630 pace

Monday: 1h HARD on the roads, strides in spikes after

Tuesday: 1h EASY as slow as 10 minute miles

Wednesday: Intervas 10-12 x400m w 110m jog recovery

Thursday: Very easy, same as tuesday

Friday: Fartlek striding and sprinting on golf course

Saturday: Easy

so, please show me where he said he ran 220km a week and i'll believe you.

Nixon Kiprotich said he did 90 miles per week in base building stage and then low miles after. Kimutai said he did low mileage all the time. So I guess you caught them when they came together..probably just before actual racing season because I'm sure they did LESS in season.

Billy Konchellah I found very confusing because he said "That was why I trained a lot with marathon runners in New Mexico. I never enjoyed training with milers, because they always run fast, but what I did enjoy was running long and slow. Between the long runs I did some fartlek for speed. I never really concentrated on speedwork on the track."

This was confusing because Konchellah should have been (as you say) a low mileage guy with best of 21.2, 45.38 at age 17.

Morceli is quoted in the book --Top Distance Runners of the Century by Seppo Luhtala (ed.)-- "In winter I do lots of quantity, running as much as 200-220 kilometers per week, including fartlek in a hilly terrain. I lift weights twice a week for about four months before the start of the track season." I found that shocking too because in the other book he said he hated over distance training and his coach Ted Banks said he was a quality runner, but they also said he had period of training 3 x a day when he was just 16. So...

Oh, BTW, the trend I see that is successful with low mileage runners is that they all say Coe's 5 tier system was an inspiration. The Coe plan could call for a long run of 10 miles but it would be fast (occasionally up to 15).

The endurance factor comes in when the athlete... does voluminous workouts but not high mileage weekly volume.

Athletes that have done this or rumored to have done this are Coe base somewhat: Aouita, Morceli, El Guerrouj has been rumored to do this, Michigan, Webb, etc.

Workouts such as 8-10 x 1000m, 4 x 2000m are done even for 800m runners. However, the recovery day may be 35 minutes (6 miles). Rui Silva does maximum of 80 miles/week.

The problem is only American training has been routinely made available and unfortunately..Americans are behind.

Any info. on other athletes? (High, Low, and Medium Volume) Discussion appreciated.

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I want to remember that Kenyans have a very high mileage BEFORE BEGINNING THEIR OFFICIAL ACTIVITY. They run (no more so much today, because there are more schools and also in Kenya some car for bringing guys to school...) from when are 4-5 years old a lot of miles, that build their aerobic resistance. For example, speaking about Kwalia, he went to a school (from 6 to 16 years) 8 km far from his house, coming back in the late morning for eating at home. SO, EVERY DAY WERE ABOUT 32 KM !

Therefore, his clear that they don't need more long basic training, but specific workouts. However, they use very long run at slow pace for regenerating their energies and "washing" their muscles from lactate, running in very elastic way, like american sprinters.

An example : when I trained Kenneth Kimwetich (1'43"03 on 800m and 2'13"56 on 1000m, able running in about 46" and probably 3'45" but not faster 1500m), the day after specific workouts (I use 3-4 times a SPECIAL BLOCK during the main season, for preparing specific high intensity endurance : f.e., 6 x 1000m in 2'33" / 2'36" with 4 min recovery in the morning, 500 (1'03") / 400 (49") / 300 (35") / 200 (22"5)with 6-7 min recovery in the afternoon) he used to go running in the forrest disappearing for about 3 hours. When I asked him where he were going, he answering "To run 3 hours", at a pace of 6' per km, that for us is very difficult to use because we become bored.

So, I explained him (and also to the other athletes, like David Lelei (3'31" in 1500m) and Christopher Koskei himself (winner of steeple in Seville and older brother of Cherono) that, following our methodology, could be better to run only 1 hr for regenerating. But, when they went with my suggestions, the day after were not able to run well ; instead, after their 3 hours, they were able to do every type of lactic work. So, I decided that they could use what preferred for recovering hard training.

You must think that running in a wonderful ambience like a forrest is something extremely pleasant, and of sure has nothing to do with running among cars on a road like in Italy, for example. In the forrest, everybody ENJOY RUNNING.

So, it's not a discrepancy to hear Konchellah saying that HE WANTS TO GO FOR LONG RUN (regeneration), BUT DOESN'T LIKE LONG FAST RUN !

Another thing that you must know is that the groups of training are mixed. For ex., in Iten the old group in 1999 was with Kimwetich (1'43"), Lelei (3'31"), Koskei (8'05" in steeple), Moses Kigen (3'32"), Moiben (2:10 in Marathon), Jackson Koech (62' HM) and some other young. During the first period of preparation, they ran together long run (only difference, the duration, from 15 km for Kimwetich to 30 km for Moiben) and fartlek (classic 1 min fast / 1 min slow, where slow is really jogging). This fact is one of the reasons because their preparation never was very good, and only thru the races they were able to reach a high level of shape.

On of the reasons of current improvements of our athletes is that now Bungei, Mutua, Yiampoy, Shaheen, Kwalia, Kemboi, Nyamu, John Korir, Paul Kosgei, Robert Rono and all the young guys winners of medals in Youth Championships (Esho and Kiplangat, Choge, Ronald Kipchumba and Justus Kiprono) learnt to use more individual and targetted training during winter season, so are able to improve their qualities during a period in the past dedicated to rest or jogging without any specific goal.

Renato, you say that the young guys learn "to use more individual and targetted training during winter season, so are able to improve their qualities." You mean that this is an issue of personal preference?

It seems to me that the long slow runs that the Kenyan men were doing (6' per km) in the forest aided their recovery from lactic acid workouts more than the shorter runs of just an hour. What do you think about this?

Also, you mentioned that the 800m runners you coached were doing workouts on some days such as repeat 1km runs at a solid pace in the mornings and then speed-endurance in the afternoons. What was the goal of doing two harder workouts such as these in the same day, yet they were completely different in their physiological emphasis?

Are there workouts like these that you do with 5k-10k runners that might be helpful for runners who are not worldclass?

No, I think that without a good coach nobody is able to reach his top. A good coach can build your body and your mind in a correct way, that of sure is not the way of normal people that loves running without specific knowledge. Also the reason because a lot of persons talk about doping is, in my opinion, to be seeked in this mentality of self-made-runner. Everybody thinks that he has very big attitudes, as little people is able to recognize a better talent of other runners. Everybody thinks that his training is the best possible, because he trains hard and has a big motivation. Everybody thinks that his application his maximal, so it's not possible to be more serious in training. So, if somebody else is able running 10 min faster a marathon or 8 sec. faster 800m, is because he is doped.

But this depends on the black of coaches, and, about coaches, on the presumption of many of them, that think to know everything, to be perfects, and refuse any contact with other coaches. So, athletes also cannot develop their talent, remaining with a poor and limited mentality, living in a world that they don't know.

Training is not very difficult for who has humilty and passion, is not possible for who thinks to be the best and supposes that has nothing more to learn.

The reason because a very slow long run for Kenyans can help their full recovery is that they don't run so slowly using a "marathon technique" searching economy, but use their elastic reaction having more muscular activity. In this case, the elimination of lactate can be helped, and at the end (I never tested, but it's very probable) the level of lactate is lower than with only a more short run. However, I think that there is not a precise reason, but is a personal choice of fun. I don't think that running 2 hr instead 3 hr can change the situation. They like, and they do it.

About the SPECIAL BLOCK, I use with top runners this type of work (that can be done with many combinations : aerobic plus speed, aerobic plus strenght, long intervals for improvement of aerobic capacity plus short sprints for improving strenght, and so and so) approaching the main event, because you must think that, in WCH or OG, there are always more turns in following days, and this is one of the best systems (for me the best) for increasing your capacity of recovery at high intensity levels.

I use many times also for runners of 5000-10000m, but this work is possible only with athletes already in top training from long time. Anyway, also for normal athletes to do two workouts of high personal level very close, preceded by two days of very soft work, and followed by other two days of easy training, can be a type of training able to raise your specific endurance. According to my experiences, after a SPECIAL BLOCK the shape of every athlete can grow consistantly. You can try : every mixture can be good (depending on the period), using the sagacity that I previously told.

Could you talk more about what runners like Choge, Kipchumba, Kiprono who were in the world youth games do during winter. Just a brief summary of their training.

Thanks

Interesting special blocks, and very easy recuperation in between.

Renato, your post never seise to amaze me. I enjoy them very much

thanks renato. i also enjoy your training knowledge as well.

This is a HUGE bump, but I'm am curious about elastic easy runs vs. marathon stride easy runs.

What is the difference?

What does an elastic stride look like when you are running 8-9min/mile?

Thanks.

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