"Japan Style" Training?

Nobby has posted plenty of info on Japanese methods over the years.

I did get to see a squad of elite Japanese marathoners train in NZ in the 80s.

The premier runners were running 3 times a day, most days.

Most of the running was indeed slow, 5min per km pace. They would often get in 3hrs of this in the day.

Every few days they would do harder sessions. 40kms in 2.10-15 or reps such as 3x5k in the 14.50s. It was the off season and 2 of the runners did a run of 126kms at 4min per km. Those 2 were very experienced 2.8/9 men, one came 4th at the next Olympics. The other guys didn't try anything like that as they weren't thought to be ready for such a task.

My understanding was 250-300kms per week was typical in this phase of their training.

Good place to ask, since most guys here have 'turned Japanese'.

Looks like the Japanese system didn't work too well for the Japanese themselves in Bejing....13th, dnf, dnf. The US system actually did pretty well...9, 10, 22.

Did I read you correctly that 2 guys ran 126 km at 4 min per km? That would take over 8 hours! That seems insane.

Warnjiru?

Earl wrote:

Looks like the Japanese system didn't work too well for the Japanese themselves in Bejing....13th, dnf, dnf. The US system actually did pretty well...9, 10, 22.

What "American" system...all three of these guys had different coaches and pretty much ran a different training program.

Yeah, given their training, I was really surprised to see the poor Japanese performance. I expected at least one medal.

Brendan Reilly (Boulder agent) is very dialed into the Japanese and their training methods.

www.boulderwave.com

Is he dialed into how often Tomescu and her Romanian teammates are subjected to out-of-competition testing?

Sell probably does the closest to "Japanese Style" training of any of the three US men in the Olympic marathon.

"Japanese Style" training is more commonly known as "Big Miles" or "running a lot."

Yes, but they mix in a lot of very slow running at 9 - 10 min. mile pace with small amounts of fast running at 4:40 -4:50 min. mile pace.

The Romanians are likely more accessible in Boulder than in the European Eastern bloc country of Romania.

Still, if you're game I would ask Brendan.

Asian marathoners also do high volume walks.

whatever man wrote:

The Romanians are likely more accessible in Boulder than in the European Eastern bloc country of Romania.

Still, if you're game I would ask Brendan.

Game for what? What would Reilly do other than defend his clients? He works for THEM.

No matter how easy it might be to access them, does the Romanian Federation do ANY out-of-competition testing on its athletes? Outside of Romanian borders?? Shorter has remarked how the Romanians and Kenyans hide out in Boulder. They're not subject to the same level of scrutiny via out-of-competition testing that top US runners are, period.

Same deal as with those Russian women marathoners who train in the US. If their coaching is that great (goes for the Romanians, too) then WHERE ARE THE MEN?? Those former soviet bloc ladies smell fishier than a salmon orgy.

Those former soviet bloc ladies smell fishier than a salmon orgy.

Ewww.

But how about Shannon ROE-bury?

Romanian Hideaway wrote:

Is he dialed into how often Tomescu and her Romanian teammates are subjected to out-of-competition testing?

In 2007 the answer is 4+ times for Tomescu according to the IAAF website.