Renato Canova, Who exactly is Imane Merga and how did you develop him to get his win at World XC?

Brownnosing for the win.

What I always find amazing about your schedules, Renato, is the amount of quality work. After a week of that schedule (even adjusted for my paces) I would need 3 days of easy running before starting again. I know not many of these workouts are overly taxing, but the accumulation of small little efforts would leave me dead.

Is this because I am old (33) and work full time? I guess when I was 18-23 I could do almost anything I wanted... but I basically did that then and did not race as well as I did when i was running just easy mileage with 1-2 workouts a week.

How do you reconcile this? Just simply less talented? Didn't have a big enough base when I was younger to allow me to race well off of lots of quality (I was a low-mileage guy from ages 14-18... 20-30 miles per week).

Interested in your thoughts.

Under Ultra, you have a part of reason. I have some athlete that I can directly follow : in the past, for example, Christopher Koskei (the only gold medal for Kenya in WCh 1999), Paul Kosgei (World Champion HM 2002), Shaheen (I was with him 10 months per year) and Dorcus Inzikuru (World Champion steeple 2005), now Florence Kiplagat (World Champion HM and cross in 2009) and Dorcus Inzikuru (World Champion steeple 2005), Wilson Kiprop (World Champion HM), Sylvia Kibet (silver in 5000m in WCh 2009), Ruth Bosibori (winner IAAF final 2009 in steeple), Moses Mosop (silver in cross 2007 and bronze in WCH 10000 in 2005). Of course, my frequentation with Kenyan, especially from when I stay in Iten for 7-8 months per year, is different from what I do with Imane Merga, that I saw in training may be 10 times in all my life.

The fact is that Imane asked me to assist him with a program, like happenes in Kenya with Richard Mateelong.

About the program, I accept to work with athletes that have a different level of education, and understand how a relation between coach and athlete must be.

I ask them to write all what they do, to send me every two weeks (if everything is ok) their report with some comment about their sensations, and I stay in touch by phone 2-3 times per week.

Of course, for me is better to work directly with the athletes, but not always this is possible.

When I can see the athlete on daily base, often I update the training I planned, looking the effects of training and the different interpretation of some workout.

For example, if I plan a long fast run of 30 km in 1:39:00, but the final time is 1:35:00 (this happened), I need to change the program for the next days, because the athlete needs more recovery.

This is not possible when the athlete is far, but, if he is really fully motivated, it's possible to have a good feeling and to decide the best workouts.

That's the reason because a coach with African athletes must be a teacher before being a coach. We need to teach the athletes to feel their body and to arrange their training in order to have the best result. The program for an African must be flexible, but this doesn't mean that he can do what he wants. I spend a lot of time in speaking about the principle of physiology, in easy way, because I want the athletes understand the reason for what they do. Only when an athlete trains using his brain, and not only his legs and his aggressiveness, he can reach his best results, having full convinction in his plan.

One of the most important task of a coach is to help the athlete in growing in his self-confidence. To grow in personality is the first step for becoming a champion.

I don't want to be the best coach in the world, is not for that reason I dedicated my life to the athletics. I like athletics because there is no possibility to find excuses and because is something that can be measured. You can see the effects of your care in training and your behavior in your life. If you cheat, you cheat yourself.

May be that in 2011 too many people don't have any ideal, and have a cynical behavior, thinking that everything one person does is for having advantages only.

These people are poor persons, and sincerely I pity them.

I like athletics, and I'm a happy man, because I had the opportunity to put together my passion and my profession.

I never received any money from any athlete, since I worked for Italian Federation in several roles for long time (from 1969 till 2002) and, of course, I had a salary from it. When I signed with Qatar (was Qatar going in touch with me, not me with Qatar...), I had a good possibility to have money, that in great part I used for running for 3 years a camp for young athletes in Iten, without the support of any manager.

I don't look for money, because fortunately I have what I need. I like to help the athletes in reaching their best, and this makes me happy.

I never asked to an athlete to come with me, some of them asks for a program and/or for joining the group I coach when I'm in Iten.

May be that many of you don't understand that the most important thing in the life is to help other people, going to sleep happy for how you lived your day.

For this reason, I already hosted some young coach from US that came here for living different sensation and learning something.

So, I don't care about comments of somebody that has another mentality, and is not happy with his own life.

Simply, I feel sad for them.

Bandwagon;

So did the Brits in from the '80''s. Until Mo Farah they haven't done much since (a couple of exceptions perhaps). In the '80's they dominated the world (Ovett, Coe, Cram, Elliott - All Olympic medalists who had different coaches).I highly doubt that they were all on something, otherwise EVERYONE in the world was (and still is) and so it is simply an even playing field.

Renato is a coach for hire who wants to coach good runners, he's not an NCAA coach - although they are all about recruiting as well it seems.

Europeans, in general, have given up on beating the Africans, and that is sad and defeatist. But Renato lives in a world of helping people be the best - I know where I live there are only a handful of people really trying to be good runners, the rest are NOT serious (although they think they are) and the local University is a joke, but thinks their runners actually run fast - where breaking 4 for 1500m is a big acheivement and girls running in the 4.30's are put on a pedestal - I don't get it! But this is endemic everywhere, just as 4hr marathoners get props for acheievement, and your transition times (Tri's) are really what "running" is about - it's all out of whack.

One also has to understand that USATF is one of the worst (barely ahead of Kenya if in fact it is) organizational structures in the world when it comes to this sport. If it weren't for the NCAA there would be NO Track development in this country! This is a country where school (HS/College) predominates over everything - that is NOT the case in other countries that have had (Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy) good administrative and coaching certification structures where development has been centralized. Why these haven't been maintained is a different problem - as much to do with athletes having given up to the Africans in my opinion. Look at the US - until recently it was assumed that all africans must be doping since the US was left so far behind. Now that there is a structure (Oregon Project, in its various configurations, and other groups as well) there are athletes getting to these higher levels (or closer anyway). The problem is that there is still such a disconnect between the NCAA and post-grad development that it is a crap shoot as to who has the opportunity to further develop - it seems that if you aren't in Oregon (with some exceptions)that you won't be able to develop, and that is really a sad statement with regards to all the coaches and athletes in the NCAA who should be able (simply with better technology and coaching) to be on par with the africans.

Training is not only what you do in the official workouts. Training is also how you work, how you eat, how you rest. In other words, how you live.

Top champions are more talented, but also have all the interest in focusing at athletics full time. This means that their training is very much more consistant, as volume and intensity, because they have big advantages in running faster.

I have some friend, in Italy, running as amateur. Normally, these runners are Masters, and work 8 hours per day. When they ask for some schedule, they were surprised when I reduced their training, only giving more modulation. And they were more surprised, when discovered that in this way had the opportunity to improve.

The fact is that the energies of the body are not unlimited, and for an amateur, having a job, a family, and some commitment in his normal life, the percentage of the nervous and bioenergetic fuel remaining for running is not very high.

So,the advice is to use some training of quality, but with several days in the middle for recovering. The key is in a good modulation, that is exactly what normally amateurs don't do, not reaching, in this way, the effects of the supercompensation.

Employed by Italy and Qatar.

Two nations that will stop at nothing in order to succeed. Two countries with absolutely no morals when it comes to sport.

It figures really.

modulation = moderation

what does modulation mean?

Renato--By the word "modulation," do you mean "moderation"--that is, not easy, but not too hard--or do you mean "changing modes", that is, different speeds, surfaces, effort, of do you mean both "moderation" and "changing modes"?

I'm pretty sure he means to have periods where you stress your body, and periods where you rest it (as indicated by his last sentence).

Brother, when you mention Spain, Portugal, and Italy in the same breath as reputable programs you lose all credibility. Those are 3 nations that have traditionally not only supported doping, but embraced it. The old timers know this. Others with their head out of the sand know this as well. And to be perfectly clear, my predominant concerns aren't centralized on his doping connections. There is nothing I nor you can do to stop the rampant use of PED's. Hopefully the drug administrations will someday catch up with the physicians, smugglers, and "technical scientific directors" of the doping world. I doubt they will unfortunately. There are some who want to expose his pervasive pattern of cherry picking, exploiting others, and claiming to be the coach of everyone he's shaken hands with. MOST of the athletes he claims have known him for less than a year. The others are coached full time by their national coaches respectively. Again, he knows this.

And for Renato, himself, to acknowledge Qatar asking him personally to come "coach" and develop their runners speaks volume. Countried like Qatar and Bahrain are the modern-day Spains and Italys of the 80's/90's. For those who believe I'm jealous or cynical, that's perfectly fine. I could give a flying nipple about his so-called success. I honestly have NOTHING to be jealous about and am exponentially optimistic about my future. Seriously, I am. But, I do believe it is time for those of us not blindly following this guy to scream as loud as we can about OUR perceptions as well. That's the American way right? For now, I'm done. I think I've expressed my thouhghts strongly and will quiet down for now. You keep drinking his kool aid. The guy isn't a good Samaritan, coaching athletes out of the goodness of his heart in the absence of selfishness. He's a businessman and scientist.

True Story wrote:

We need to get Renato on our side instead of Kenyan/Ethiopian's side.

We are all on the same side.

The other side is the kings, queens, tax collectors, banker, federal reserve, military and police who enforce whatever the royalty wants.

Great post Canova!

Makes a lot of sense to consider factors other than running.

bandwagoning ftw wrote:

Actually the other poster was right: every time some new runner emerges, rest assured Renato will make claim to being his coach.

.

are you claiming that he fabricated the schedule he posted in this thread?

As MANY others have pointed out: if he is such a great coach, take one of those white guys to World Cross and repeat what you so-called did with Merga. Until then, all of you blind followers continuing supporting this fraud.

lebid finished 2nd in the world cross long race in 2001 and top 10 in BOTH races in 2000...

Renato Canova wrote:

Top champions are more talented, but also have all the interest in focusing at athletics full time. This means that their training is very much more consistant, as volume and intensity, because they have big advantages in running faster.

Maybe, but you have to remember that in the past (60's - 70's) about all runners were amateurs and training hard. Like example Ron Clarke had a family and a full time job but was also training high volume and often high intensity. In my opinion top athlete doesn't necessary have to be a professional for running fast/training hard. You just have to make sacrifices in leisure-time.

modulation=transition/change from fast to easy or easy to fast or hard to recoevery or recovery to hard, volume to quantity, or quantity to volume, when everything follows the overcompensation norm.

Renato, can you provide a Masters schedule for someone that works 8-10hrs/day with proper examples of "modulation"? Thank you.

Hello mr Renato

I was wondering how much speed do your worldclass 5000m runners have? For Shaeen and Merga what can they do in a 200m or 400m sprintrace? Is there a limit in sprint for being able to run under 13.00min?

Is this speed what you consider talent?

If you have naturally speed you add endurance and you will have a fast runner. Are there more factors? What I see is that most toprained male runners can do is to run 5000m in 12-14sec slower than 400m pb pr lap.

Example: Dieter Baumann: 400m 49sek pb + 13 sec is 62ap x 12,5 =12.55/5000m. (His pb is 12.54)

BJORN wrote:

What I see is that most toprained male runners can do is to run 5000m in 12-14sec slower than 400m pb pr lap.

mah 400 is 43s mah 5k is 120s a lap so dats 77s slowwer