Salina kosgei is coached by Renato.Congrats!
Salina kosgei is coached by Renato.Congrats!
I have some answer.
1) Boston is finished 10 minutes ago. This is the answer.
I don't like to speak too much before. Sometimes, media go for the names, without knowing the reality. In the Press conference before the race, a lot of athletes explain that are prepared for winning and/or beating the WR. But what happens in the competition is something that nobody can know. I knew the shape of Selina was for running 2:23 in a perfect race. Boston was not perfect, with a lot of wind against, a big group running slowly, and everybody looking for a tactical solution. So, at the end, the real "heartbreak" was not from the hill, but from the finish, and Tune had to lose coscience soon after the line.
I'm happy also for the second place of Daniel Rono. He is a very clever guy, able to use his brain in the best way. It was very difficult to move Daniel to marathon, because he wanted to run 10000 on track. So, my more important work was to change his mentality, starting with easy marathon. He won Madrid (2:12). Mumbai (2:12), Toronto (2:10), after was second behind Shami in Paris (2007, again 2:10), after second again in Toronto (first time under 2:10). Last year, he was mentally concentrated in a jump of quality, so we decided to try Rotterdam. He was 2nd in 2:06:58. The third place in NY opened for him the US market. Now, this very good performance in Boston.
2) Rodgers Rop is no more my athlete, from the last 2 years. He had some problem last year, but was very good 2 years ago, training with Volker Wagner again.
3) Rita had a lot of personal problems this winter, and dosen't run any marathon in Spring. May be that is looking for increasing the family....
4) I don't have any camp. My friend Gianni Demadonna (I coach several his athletes, but I'm not part of his organisation) has a big camp in Iten. The coach of the camp is the former marathon runner Joseph Cheromei, that started to coach with me in 2005 (I had a camp for 2 years, using my money, but after I decided to close, because of too many jealosies from Kenyan connected with different managers). When Gianni started in Iten, I adviced him to bring Cheromei with him. Now there is a young Italian, that was a my "protege" (Gabriele Nicola), that follows the camp when in Kenya, being the connection between Gianni and Cheromei.
5) I don't have anything to do with Abel Kirui. He's a very strong athlete, but we don't have any connection.
Congrats on 1st and a 2nd by salina and Daniel.
Thanks Renato,dont give up on Rita Jeptoo.I know what the real problem is and you know it too( cannot mention it in public).She has the talent and potential but african culture attimes is very unfair to women.The solution is for you to try and base Rita in Italy for a longer period that way she can avoid the 'domestic' challenges that are stopping her from realising her potential.It is the strategy that has helped Cathrine Ndereba alot.
Can you post the training of both?
Renato what is your analysis of London marathon this year.Do you think the fact that it comes two weeks later than usual could affect the outcome esepcially of those athletes who have always been used to preparing for it in the first two weeks of April? How is Martin Lel's form? what do you think of Tedesa's chances of winning? How about Kabede? is Shami running it and if not is any of your athletes in it.The weather forecast seems to be good,even the wind will be on the back of the athletes for the most part of the race(north-east),with that in mind do you see a threat to the world record? Lastly your view on Sammy Wanjiru ,some analysts have sugested that he has over raced and is still tired from his beijing effort,do you agree? what are his chances on sunday?
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Renato: How does altitude affect the training paces for your athletes. You mention in the specific phase that the pace has to be the same that they intend to race at. Do you bring them down to sea level for this stage or are the paces adjusted to equivalent efforts? (Adjusting the pace would seem more like the special phase where internal load is the emphasis yes?)
For Kenyans, the altitude is fundamental. But, in my ideas, for marathon is not so important. When I was the Italian responsible, we used altitude till 40-50 days before the race in some case,till 3 weeks before in other cases. Altitude has a DIRECT effect in increasing the AEROBIC POWER, but in marathon this is not so important : our final goal is TO REDUCE THE CONSUMPTION OF FUEL AT THE MARATHON SPEED. So, altitude is very good till the period we use for increasing the Threshold (finishing about 50 days before the race), not for the last period.
But if you bring a Kenyan at sea level, his mind becomes weak, as he thinks to lose a lot of advantage.
The problem of Kenyans, in any case, is not the altitude, but the kind of courses we use. In Iten, for example, never is possible running on flat courses. Everything is up and down, and this situation, very good far from the marathon, becomes bad approaching the race, if we don't find some solution for running fast using almost flat courses. This means that, normally, the athletes hasto move for 80-100km for going to the only courses more flat that there are near Eldoret (Ziwa, Soy, Nangili etc.).
In the specific case of Boston, with Selina and Daniel we could stay in Iten or Kaptagat (Selina trains there), because we NEEDED this type of courses. The same happened in 2006 with Rita Jeptoo, preparing all the time in Iten.
So, the secret is to prepare in specific way a specific marathon. Rotterdam is not Boston. Osaka in August is not Berlin. If you think we use 4-5 months for preparing a marathon, you understand that the preparation must be SPECIFIC, because every marathon has different situation and the athletes must be ready for facing different kinds of problems.
In any case, the best Kenyan athletes are able to have a very high feeling with their "tank". Because here the control is difficult, since many training have to follow the sensation of the athletes, we need to teach them the relation between level of fatigue, type of training and effects.
Personally, I think that, if a top Kenyan could maintain his mental qualities (aggressivity, ability in suffering, high level of fatigue)training with more control in Europe, the WR could be under 2:02 in short time.
But if we move for one year a Kenyan to Europe, he cant be concentrated 100% for so long time. So, our training is a compromise between what is technically the best way, and what is possible REALLY to do.
Renato,
in your training programs, you make large use of "specific blocks" (Monday + Afteroon), either at HM+HM pace or MP+MP or combination.
You mentioned that is the "ultimate" way to train all the reserves of the athlete and push him/her to make use of the energy in optimal way.
Now my question is how this principle could be adapted for "non full-time runnners" (for example, club runners with times around 2h20-2h35'):
would you still stick to this methodology, with adaptation to the real situation (and how, for example...)?
OR
better to focus on a hard workout in a single shot (since the recovery can not enjoy the same recovery as a Pro athlete)?
Grazie
I would imagine that you just do it on days that you arent at work? IE weekends?
I've got my first ever special block planned in prep for upcoming half marathon and am going to do it on a Sunday. Even those with jobs are full time athletes at the weekends if they want to be!
I'm not use to do previews about top events, since I can know very well the situation of my athletes, but not exactly the situation of the other competitors.
However, because I don't have any athlete in London, I can give my impressions, knowing that probably, at the end, everything can be different.
I know that Martin Lel is in very good shape (but also Robert and Evans Cheruiyot were in good shape before Boston...), probably better than last year.
I don't know the shape of Zersenay Tadese, but I know his coach (the Spanish Jeronimo Bravo), and together they NEVER failed any competition. So, I think Tadese very much competitive, and, knowing his character, I think that he can "make" the race, together Wanjiru, in front, at a very fast pace.
I don't see Samuel Wanjiru in the same shape of last year, but may be he decided to save energies in training. In any case, I don't see him as possible winner.
Nobody spoke of Gharib, but he is in the best shape of his life. He ran a PB in HM (59:58) 40 days ago, and didn't have any problem during his preparation. If you think that, before Beijing, he had a lot of problems and his preparation was no more than 70% of what he needed, you can imagine Gharib around 2:05, also motivated for the partecipation of Goumri (they have to show who is the best Maroccan).
Frankly, I don't think Kebede has some chance to win. For me, the final result is a game between Lel and Tadese, with some opportunity for Wanjiru and Gharib. I see the others at a lower level.
About Shami, he is still recovering "pole pole" from the injury that had one month before OG. Now his shape is still poor (he ran HM in Nice last Sunday in 62:07), but is in full training, looking directly to WCh in Berlin.
Due to Tadese expecially, I think that the winner must run under 2:05. The WR is difficult, but not impossible.
In my experience, also athletes not fully professional can have advantage using "Special Blocks". Of course, the intensity and the volume must be related to the other part of training.
So, if an athlete with an average of 30 km per day can use special blocks of 50 or more km, an amateur having an average of 12 km per day can use a Special Block till 30-35 km.
But Special Blocks are not only for Marathon runners.
We had Special Blocks of VOLUME (for example, 10km at 90% of MP + 20 km at MP both in the morning and in the afternoon), MIXED (10 km at 90% of MP + 10 km at 102% of MP in the morning, 10 km at 90% of MP + 12 x 1000m at 105% with 1'30" recovery in the afternoon), or specific for short distances (Special Block for 800m : 30' easy run + 10 x 600m at 87-90% of the speed of 800m with 2' recovery (in the case of a runner 1'44" : pace for 600m is 1'18" (78"), 10% of the time is 7"8, 1'18" + 7"8 = 1'25"8)in the morning, 30' easy run + 4 x 400m at 105% of the speed of the race with 6' / 8' recovery (in the above case, 1'44" pace is 52" for 400m, and 5% is 2"6. So, in this case, 4 x 400m in 49"4 rec. 6').
I saw every athlete growing a lot in his shape after using this type of training.
But the athletes must not do the mistake to arrive to a Special Block tired, and have to recover very well.
Renato, i think Robert Cheruiyot was over hyped.If you look carefully at two of his wins at boston,he won mainly by being the only athlete that persevered the most on tough weather conditions on the day.The other runners took the weather conditions for granted( recklessly) and succumbed to them and therefore cheruiyot was not challenged by his fellow competitors instead everyone was focussed on getting it right aganist tough weather conditions.Last year he had a weak field to compete aganist,this year however Cheruiyot had to proove that he could race aganist the best and he was found wanting.As for Evans Cheruiyot,the signs were there.Ever since he won chicago he has lost in every race he has run( half marathons,10M,10K etc),just look at the results of his races between chicago and boston and you will realise that all the hype he was getting was baseless.
Renato i agree with you 100% on the mental attitude of kenyan athletes.A friend of mine said that the hardest form of training to give a kenyan runner is to train him/her to adopt the right mental attitude.
Wanjiru is not in the same shape as he was Last year.Wanjiru made a mistake by taking a break from his japanese routine that had been so successful for him.He also had too many distractions after the olympic gold and lost focus for about 3 months.I also think that he is training with a group of athletes who are of significantly lower ability than himself and therefore do not add value to his training regime instead they are 'syphoning' him.
If wanjiru is not careful he could end up like Felix Limo
what is his japanese routine? Lots of easy miles?
xxx
Renato ,how do you keep the elite runners from getting bored or doing unnecessary workouts when they arrive at the venue of the race five or six days in advance? For instance Sammy wanjiru arrived in London on Monday.It is very unlikely that he knows many people there to socialise with and so how/what does he do to stay focused bearing in mind that he cannot walk about due to security reasons and the fact that he needs to conserve energy.
what security reasons would stop Wanjuri from wandering around London? I expect that if he walked around central London for the whole day in casual clothes only 1 or 2 people woulod even recognise him!
Not walking around for energy/tiredness reasons I can understand, but not walking for security reasons I do not??
xxx wrote:
what is his japanese routine? Lots of easy miles?
xxx
I vaguely remember that SW doesn´t train the typical Japanese way (tons of very slow miles).
Hi Renato,
very interesting stuff, thanks for posting and following the discussion. Just about non pro runners,
I ended up reading Lydia Cheromei last 10 weeks training
for Amsterdam (that she ran in 2h25) and I'm now reading this thread. Does that training benefit of the new approach you are explaining here? as I think it does! I'm thinking to scale down to me that training to train a september marathon (most probably Berlin) in order to approach or break the 2h30!
Would that still be beneficial for an amateur as I am?
Obviously with all the care in adapting the total amount of km and the size of special blocks.
Would be advisable to have any easy to use kit for lactate threshold test? do you know about anything that can be used by the runner himself?
Regards,
Simone!