Did Coe Really Only Run 60 miles A Week

He didn't count warm up and cool down in his wekly mileage, and Tinman also told me that he often did morning runs of 5 miles or so, but they were rarely documented.

If you read his autobiog - Born to Run - it details in there his training between his 2 worl dmile records in '81 - a period of 9 days. He covers an estimated 70 miles+ over the thursday-wednesday period before a rest on thurs and racing friday. Thats using a bit of guesswork if you count the warm ups and downs, but if he was knocking out 9 and 10 mile runs in htis period (as is stated) it goes to show he was likely doing 90-ish in the winter.

read "Running Free"

Winter-Training

5x5-8miles(5:30min/mile),1x10-12miles(beginning at 6 and the last 5 at 5min/mile),1 Vo2max-Session(7x800m,...),2-3 Sessions of Sprintwork(30x100m,..), Plyos or Weights.

warm up & warm downs can easily add up to -say- 5 or 6 miles a day, which would mean approx. 40 miles a week...

So we are talking of 100M weeks here which, though still relatively little mileage, is more in line with what other elite runners were doing.

There's a all mystic about Coe's mileage, which equates to saying he was an incredibly talented runner... But underestimating mileage can be a form of pretentiousness.

For instance, Hawaians estimate the size of a wave from the back of the wave, so when they tell you it's a three foot swell, you're talking about 10 foot+.

This had the effect of very quickly detering the tourists from going out to sea & makes them sound as hard men...

Why make a mystery of things? Why not just state exactly what you are doing?

flamboyant

Q: Why make a mystery of things? Why not just state exactly what you are doing?

A: Because you don't want your rivals to know what you're up to!

Having said that, I think Peter Coe actually did say what he was up to -- once Seb retired:

As I've argued on many occasions, there probably isn't a more meticulous coach in the history of the sport.

The idea that Seb could somehow run as many as 30 miles a week (be they morning runs or warm ups and cool downs) without Peter recording them is simple fantasy.

The logs are there, in black and white, in three different books:

Running Free; Born To Run and Training For Middle Distance Runners.

I've dog-eared copies of all of them and have never, ever found anything that would hint towards a 100 mile week for Seb -- in fact, nothing that would point to anything over 70.

Martin

Marius Bakken can also attest to that as he has a copy of Sebs actual trainin log from 87, and has talked to Peter and Seb personally. In fact, Peter wrote Bakken a training plan and Marius says there is absolutely no way he got up to 90-100 mpw

Do you honestly think your rivals would give a rat's ass?

I mean, there's as many training methods as there are runners; people have reached the heights of major championships with erratic and unconventional training... Do you seriously think whatever you do matters as long as you do enough and work your arse off? Get real...

Also, what do you make of the statement that warm-ups and warm-downs were not included in Coe's log?

And do you think Coe (be it Seb or Peter) was foreign to the publicity machine? Saying you don't do much just propagates the myth of the child prodigy... Oh no, people don't just work their arses off, they need a gift from God and that's all... Time for a reality check!

Note also; I'm not saying Coe did run 100M weeks; just stating he could have, if he did not log all his mileage.

But stating something such as Coe achieved what he did on only 60M a week is highly misleading... He did of course do much more than that (plyos, gym work, etc...)

flamboyant:

If your rivals are consistently getting beat, perhaps they'd might like to have at least an idea of what you were up to, do you not think?

Again, I'm sounding like a broken record here, but Seb's logs are so detailed - and backed up by training partners like Wendy Sly and later protoges like Marius - that they leave no room for objective doubt.

Mileage was simply not part of the Coe gameplan -- this is as blindingly obvious a fact as can possibly exist: it's in print, it's in literature, it's in the press and it's in the popular athletic imagination.

What baffles me is why this is still even a topic for discussion.

Read the books first -- then come to the site and tell me you still feel the same way.

Martin

You have not answered the question about warm-ups and warm-downs though...

Anyway, it's all partly irrelevant since Coe's approach could not work nowadays, with the number of qualifying heats runners have to go through in major championships...

"Anyway, it's all partly irrelevant since Coe's approach could not work nowadays, with the number of qualifying heats runners have to go through in major championships"

Are you mad?

Coe Ran 3:32.53 after SEVEN races in TEN days in the 1984 Olympics - which included two 1:45s, a 1:46 and a 1:43.62 800 5 days before the 3:32.53 final - an Olympic record that stood until Syndey 2000.

Please, do a bit of research.

Martin

This is always funny topic. I think it comes up about once every 4-6 weeks.

I firmly believe Coe did more than is generally believed. Probably 3000mi/yr when in full training.

The one reason why I think that Coe ran the low miles he sead he did. Is for the reason that as long as all of the body systems are being training in a mannor that produces groth. Then there realy should not be any reason why one cannot run to the top useing this type of training. I just am not sure if arobic groth can be maxed useing this type of training. It should be noted that Coe was a 14min 5k guy, and that time is very very poor in relation to the rest of his times. I think that the thing that should put this to rest it this simple question. Was Coe able to peak and produce his best times when he wanted. I do not know all there is to know about training. But I have heard from more then non sorce, and noticed on my owne. That runners who do a lot of speed work tend to run peak times at the wrong times in the season.

Only goes to prove my point he probably did more... and you still haven't answered the question...

Martin wrote:

Please, do a bit of research.

Martin

Martin, that's WAY too much to ask of Generation Numb, don't you think?

I've answered your question in my first post on the topic:

"As I've argued on many occasions, there probably isn't a more meticulous coach in the history of the sport.

The idea that Seb could somehow run as many as 30 miles a week (be they morning runs or warm ups and cool downs) without Peter recording them is simple fantasy."

Martin

One thing that I think is really intresting, to take note of. Is that from what I have read of the ideas of coe the goal is to max out the bodys stammina. It is very intresting that two great coaches M.Coe and A.Lyidard. Came to the same conclusions about what would produce the best raceing from. And then maniged to realize these ideas useing two very diffrent styles. I bet that if you where to get them, talking of training. You would find that there basic ideas regarding that produces the best raceing from are very simmlor. In anycase they are both exmples of the great things that can be done. When one decideds they are going to do something, and thinks about it a little bit, and then works very very hard. Lets hope that befor to much time moves past, that someone get's them come tougher and produce some sort of a program for as a team. That would truly be the greatest training program ever!

Martin, do you think Coe's plyo sessions with George Gandy would be an asset for all runners to embark on? Seems to me that Coe did quite a bit of gym work, when most runners do little or no gym work.

"Are you mad?

Coe Ran 3:32.53 after SEVEN races in TEN days in the 1984 Olympics - which included two 1:45s, a 1:46 and a 1:43.62 800 5 days before the 3:32.53 final - an Olympic record that stood until Syndey 2000."

Well, all I can say is: do a bit of research yourself and compare that to what a runner would have had to achieve similar results in recent Olympics...

Then come back and tell me I am mad...