Running is obviously the most important piece of the puzzle in regards to mid-distance events, but how important are the other pieces? All (good) coaches nowadays stress the importance of core strength and conditioning. But I hear and read a lot of different things about it.
I noticed on "The Big Mazungo" videos of Mottram's training that he's on the stationary bike and he's quoted as saying, "there's only so much running you can do in a day."
I watched a recent flotrack video with Shalane Flanagan's out-of-mind workout involving core work, form drills, hurdle drills, sprinting, plyometrics, and a tempo run to boot.
Are these seemingly "extras" not really extras at all, but requirements for success at the national and world level? And how much strength work should you do to benefit your running (from the weight room or other) before it becomes "too much" and therefore detrimental?
I've always trained under the maxim that all non-running work I do is supplemental and should never interfere with a workout, but it seems like many of the top athletes in the world do enough strength work that it HAS to be detrimental to their running in some regard - but the effect far outweighs the cost, it seems.
Have I finally run out of common sense? Don't answer that... I hope there are many others out there who share in my general confusion.