Anybody have any knowledge of the training or any anecdotes of Henry Marsh, 10-time number 1 ranked US steepler (compared to Malmo's 1) and still holder of the US record?
Anybody have any knowledge of the training or any anecdotes of Henry Marsh, 10-time number 1 ranked US steepler (compared to Malmo's 1) and still holder of the US record?
From the book "Run with the champions"
Mon-a.m. 4
p.m. 10 brisk (under an hour)
Tues-ladders (200-400-600-800-1200-800-600-400-200) @ race pace (every other lap over barriers)
Wed- recovery
Thursday-1.5 miles of 200s, 300s, and 400s (less hurdling)
Fri-recovery
Sat-race or hard 2000m over bariers
Sun-off
*he rarely ran more than 50 miles a week!!!!
I find it amazing he got to that level
Yeah, and he ran most of his non-interval workouts on a treadmill, I have been told. He said in one interview that he never ran hard workouts. I find that interesting. I read that he switched to a different training approach when he asked Bill Bowerman to be his coach, via long distance. Before, he had run mileage, then introduced faster workouts. With Bowerman, he never really ran mileage, really, but started with short intervals and the lengthened them over the months as he approached the track season. After he rest break (early fall), he would start with 200s for intervals and light mileage. By January he was floating along well but didn't have strength for the steeple yet, so then he (Bowerman's advice) went to longer intervals at closer to race pace and hurdle work. He did nice long interval workouts in the late winter and late spring. Perhaps that was a reason for his obvious fitness. By the way, I heard from Pual Cummings the Bill never ran farther than 10 miles in training. Wow!
The above should have said that Henry didn't run farther than 10 miles in training as a steepler, not Bill.
Wow, put that in your pipe and smoke it, you 100 mile fanatics out there. The low-mileage/high intensity program obviously worked for him. I think he was incredibly competitive, too. Although I wonder if his low mileage program hurt him in meets with multiple rounds like the Olympics, in which he never did too well.
Low mleage High intensity? What are you smoking? Marsh ran low mileage LOW intensity.
he wasn't too shabby in majors:
he had a sure medal at the '83 worlds, but....oh, the last barrier. he was 6th in '87.
olys: he was 4th in '84 (.19 out of 3rd), 6th in '88. he was 10th in '76 as a college sophomore! ('80 was a boycott year)
he also crossed the line 1st in '81 world cup, but was dq'd for missing a water jump!
malmo wrote:
Low mleage High intensity? What are you smoking? Marsh ran low mileage LOW intensity.
Right, right. Took the words right out of my mouth. What the hell was Marsh smoking anyway? You were in AW with him, weren't you?
Les wrote:
Right, right. Took the words right out of my mouth. What the hell was Marsh smoking anyway? You were in AW with him, weren't you?
Before him.
Marsh never ran WITH anyone, he was always against you.
doped up wrote:
he wasn't too shabby in majors:
he had a sure medal at the '83 worlds, but....oh, the last barrier. he was 6th in '87.
olys: he was 4th in '84 (.19 out of 3rd), 6th in '88. he was 10th in '76 as a college sophomore! ('80 was a boycott year)
he also crossed the line 1st in '81 world cup, but was dq'd for missing a water jump!
The dude was just snakebit in the major championships! Now I remember -- the agony of the FINAL BARRIER. (For those of you too young to remember, Marsh had a medal cinched at the '83 World Championships but crashed the last barrier and finished out of the medals.) The steeple is a cruel event.
malmo wrote:
Les wrote:Right, right. Took the words right out of my mouth. What the hell was Marsh smoking anyway? You were in AW with him, weren't you?
Before him.
Marsh never ran WITH anyone, he was always against you.
Mr. Competive. Can't believe he ran 8:09 off of that training. Maybe it's a Mormon thing.
Don't bring up the Mormon stuff and start bashing people. I am not Mormon, but I'm sure not going to bash them, just like I won't bash you.
tinman wrote:
Don't bring up the Mormon stuff and start bashing people. I am not Mormon, but I'm sure not going to bash them, just like I won't bash you.
Who's bashing Mormons? It probably gave him the strength to do what he did. Sure wasn't his training. HM is my homeboy.
Simply because low mileage worked for him (an obviously incredibly talented runner), does not mean that people do not derive benefit from 100+ mile weeks if their bodies can handle it and if it is what they require to get to the next level.
saw the '83 worlds too - I was almost sure he was going to win. Marsh - dug deeper than the vast vast majority, or more.
One would think that the Mormon undergarment would hamper the steepling process. If so, then Henry was the best of his age. I always assumed this (underthingie) was why there are no great LDS hurdlers or high jumpers.
What did he do for recovery days - 5 miles? two runs? ten miles? Him, Diemer, and Crogan are by far the 3 best we've ever had and all notoriously low mileage, great technicians, unable to compete world class in any other event!
how do you miss a water jump?
Croghan was a 14:45 5000 runner at Ohio State before he stopped doing 100 mile weeks and focused on the steeple. Also heard he ran everything FAST but only 65 miles a week. Awesome hurdler I understand.
Diemer ran close to 80 miles a week but only one run per day.
But it is interesting how the three were not world class at any other distance.
Maybe the key to the steeple is to stay fresh, and if you are doing a lot of drills it may tire you out to do much mileage.
I ran against Henry on many occasion...the one thing that always stood out to me, besides his great technique, was his patience during the event and his ability to maintain his speed over the last lap...with one lap to go in the first round of the 84 Oly trials Marsh led a parade by me...looking at it later I was just amazed how quick he could get to top speed and maintain it...great competitor and nice guy to chat with after the race was over...Diemer was same kind of guy...in fact it was Diemer who took the 84 bronze in front of Marsh...