twitch:
Check out this post from Renato Canova from Track and Field News awhile back (Renato posting under the name "Guest") about the training of Marcello Fiasconaro, 400-800 guy and first guy under 1:44. Only 4 workouts:
3 x 600 at 800 race pace or a little slower with long rest
6 x 300 at 800 race pace with 3 to 4 min rest
3 x 300 at 400 race pace with long rest
6 x 150 at 400 race pace with 3 to 4 min rest
Renato's post:
About Fiasconaro-Harbig, may be that my opinion is also due to the affections that I feel for March, that was the top Italian runner that I coached, when I was yet very young. March was son of an Italian orchestra conductor, Gregorio Fiasconaro, born in Castelbuono in Sicily, and emigrated in South Africa. Marcello (March for his SouthAfrican friends) born there, becoming a good rugby player. But, like many southafricans of that period, he went also to the track for running 400m. At that time (1970) was in RSA the Italian Discus thrower Carmelo Rado (58.45), that during a meeting in Potchefstroom, seeing this guy winning in 46.6 with an Italian name, asked him if he was Italian. When Rado knew that March's passport was italian, he wrote to It. Federation, and the President Primo Nebiolo organized the travel to Italy for March. Meanwhile, he had improved his times, running in 45.7 (that could not be Italian NR because March had not yet finished the documents for his new nationality). So, he could come to Italy only in June '71.
At that time, the Italian responsable of 400, 400hs and 4x400 was Salvatore Morale, former record holder winning ECH in Belgrade '62 with 49.2, and bronze medal in OG '64. I was his assistant, because at that time (only 26 years old....) I had some of the best Italian runners of 400m (Puosi 46.5, Cellerino 46.7 and some other around 47/47.5) that of course always were very far from american sprinters. So, March was the man that permitted to Italian Relay to win its first bronze medal in 4x400 relay during ECh in '71.
When he arrived the first time in Italy (Milan), it was on 29th of June in 1971, two days before the "Notturna di Milano", meeting in which Marty Liquori ran the best seasonal time of 1500m in 3:36.0 beating Franco Arese (3:36.3, NR).
I went with Morale to the airport for receiving March. He arrived with a T-Shirt white and green like in the Rugby Teams, with a very small bag.
Two days later, he won 400m in Milan in 46.1, moving at the start his foot in front : never he had tried any start from blocks !
In August (after winning in Viareggio against Juantorena, during the first European race of "Caballo", with 45.7, new Italian record) I went as responsable of the team for a short period (two weeks) of "oxygenation" in altitude. We went to Abetone (1800m high), without no place for running. After one day of investigation, I found a rough road up and down to reach thru chair-lift, having a small circuit of 1200m about. We started running, and after 10 min all the other athletes of the relay were 200m back. March was improving step by step, and I (that at the time yet was a runner every day), after 40 min, told him : "You can become in two years the new Record holder of 800m". "But I don't like 2 laps, I'll never run the distance in the future".
March won silver with 45.49 in ECh, then came back to RSA. When he came back, in the spring of '72, he won his first 800m in Bergamo with 1:47.7, then ran 3 x 200 in official competition with 15 min of rest (it was a special training for all the best Italians) in Formia in 21.2/21.4/21.7. It was the end of his career like 400m runner. March had horse-feet, and was good for training only on grass or tracks of earth. The new tartan distroyed him, that had to skip OG having a microfracture that nobody was able to see.
Gone back to RSA, he rested 3 full months, than began training with more long run, using golf fields with wonderful grass.
His coach was Stewart Banner, owner of a chain of restaurants, that moved him on 800m.
At that time, in RSA there were two very strong specialist : Broberg and Malan, and then Fanie Van Zijl, better in 1500 but not bad also in 800. So, March cometed many times, winning the most part of competitions and running 1:44.7 in April. Then he came to Italy.
In Italy, he was in Torino (my town) beeing attached with CUS Torino, the Univeristy Center whose President was Primo Nebiolo. I was the coach of Fiat, the other club of the town, that had a track yet in earth, while the official Stadium was in tartan. So, with Nebiolo we decided that he could come for training with me, on the Fiat track.
I adviced him to do something more on the side of endurance, but substancially never changed the programs of Stewart Banner, that were very very simple :
a) If you have a race of 400m on Sunday, you go on Tuesday for 3x300m in 34.5/34.0 rec. 8'/10', and on Thursday for 6x150 in 17.0 rec. 3'/4'
b) If you have a race of 800m on Sunday, you go on Tuesday for 3x600m in 1:21 rec. 10', and on Thursday for 6x300m in 39.0 rec. 3'/4'.
So, I remember very well the last workout before beating the world record (27th of June 1973).
It was on 22nd. He went for 3x600m. It was very hot, terrible.
March ran the first in 1:19.6, then, after 10', the second in 1:19.2. After 8 min I was no more able to see him on the track, so I had a full lap, and, when I arrived near the water jump odf steeple, full of water, I saw him completely underwater, breathink with a small cane like Rambo in his movie. When he saw me, he asked me : "How much is?" speaking about recovery time. "Now are 9 min, March, but it's better that you finish here".
"No, now I go, Stewart (that from 4 months didn'y hear him...) says that I have to do 3x600, so I go".
"OK March, but runs about 1:25, because the race against Plachy is in short time".
And I requested to Max Strenghetto, another runner capable of 1:51, to help him for the last 300m in 42.0.
March started slowly, and after 300m his split was 42.2, but Strenghetto, may be for some emotion (like sometimes pacers at the beginning of a race) started 10 meters before, very hard.
March didn't want to lose without fightning also if tired, so improved continuously the pace, reaching Strenghetto in the last 5 meters. His time was 1:18.6 (so, the second 300m were 36.4), and I and him were sure about the World Record.
So, twitch, this may be what you are looking for. Maybe do some distance and strides on the other days. Good luck.