Self- Coached Geoffrey Mutai a training week

You make a good point. I live in Colorado @ 5000 ft. When I run up at Mags my usual pace goes from 7:30 to 8:30-9:00 pace, and this is at over 8000 ft. If GM is running 6:30-8:00 min miles at that altitude he is flying.

I've read Mutai's program and it is another fantastic world class schedule. We've all seen these over the years and continue to marvel at them. My question is this: What can I, just a normal guy, working, family, the whole thing, really learn from Mutai? I can't copy his training, but how can looking at what he does help me break 3:00? Run more, run slower, more speedwork? Feel free to chime in, thanks.

There are two kenyan athletes that stand out at Kipkeino stadium in eldoret during workouts/interval training.The two are Geoffrey Mutai and Sammy Kitwara.These were the words of the stadium gardener i spoke to recently.He knows every single athlete that goes there and watches each of them as they train at the stadium.He told me when Kitwara OR Mutai is in the stadium even the birds on the trees pay attention.That is kenyan humour for you but the statement says it all.

I'm calling BS on the post above as the article says Mutai hates being away from his family in who reside in Eldoret. He trains 40 miles away. Article specifically says too that there is no track where he trains. Looking at his training too, even I'd he did its nothing out of the ordinary for an athlete at that level (In comparison to say, what we've seen Renato post about his athletes).

I'm leqning on the article being correct about the 8min/mi pace too. Whereas a good deal of Renato's athletes are doing daily runs at a faster pace, they aren't 2 hour runs. Plus he is putting in a lot of volume in only 6 days timeframe. He is also being followed by a vehicle at least on the long runs and possibly the 2 hour runs too. That would give him a good idea of his pace.

Keep in mind Mutai's history as I believe a recent article chronicled that he retired due to injuries early on years ago before competing again. Perhaps the longer/slower runs and days off are due to this (much like Cherono's 1 day off per week for injury prevention reasons). Assuming I remember correctly about his injury, maybe he is precise and knowledgeable about his easy paces for that reason.

Mutai and his group may live 40 miles away but they drive to the stadium for workouts. These guys have a pickup truck that is mainly use for transportation purposes. Kenyan runners travel long distances just for a workouts. I remember when I used to train with Ibrahim Hussein's team, we used to travel 2 hours to Kerio Valley just to do hill work.

Thanks for posting G Mutai's training, and the various comments in reply.

For myself, especially being not as young and needing more recovery, this type of schedule is very important to me. I now just walk for recovery the day after workouts, because I found that even easy jogging was not allowing me to recover properly. Just doing this has made a huge difference for helping my recovery. Then I continue with running the next few days until recovered well and ready for another specific session of training.

The days in between are good for recovery and endurance, but are not for any specificity of the pace. Likewise the 30km + 15km runs in one day at marathon pace, are on the specific days, not the recovery periods. The faster days are not the same as "just running miles", but totally different.

The idea to run faster on recovery days, just to run some faster pace is not good, at least not good for everyone, as it takes away from running the longer faster sessions as well.

Kipkieno Stadium has been closed for over a year for 'refurbishment' - no one is training there and certainly not Mutai or Sammy. Most runners are training at Chepkoilel Campus track at the moment. Sammy has been part of Canova's group (Kirui, Jonathan Maiyo, Gilbert Kiwra, all Gianni Demadonna's guys etc etc) So yes he uses Chepkoilel when that group has track work. Emmanuel Mutai is at Chepkoilel every Tuesday with his (massive) group including Bernard Kipyego - but have never seen Geoffrey Mutai there???

The "rules" are the same for everyone and they're pretty simple. Run a lot, whatever that may mean for you, for the most part, keep the pace to a level which allows you to run a lot without getting hurt, sick, or exhausted, and mix in a bit of stuff that approaches racing speed or effort.

Ron Hill wrote a little piece to this effect someplace not too long ago. I'm not sure if I kept it. He added "race frequently" to the list.

no sh#t sherlock wrote:

The article says he does it for 45 weeks per year, and you write that you "deduce" it is his bread and butter training. Thanks Einstein.

Why not just say he does it for 45 weeks per year as the article says, and we can "deduce" it ourselves.

Whatever floats your boat.

Montego wrote:

I've read Mutai's program and it is another fantastic world class schedule. We've all seen these over the years and continue to marvel at them. My question is this: What can I, just a normal guy, working, family, the whole thing, really learn from Mutai? I can't copy his training, but how can looking at what he does help me break 3:00? Run more, run slower, more speedwork? Feel free to chime in, thanks.

Consistency. Think gradual development & progression always building toward better fitness. If you love it and you are in it for the long haul you will eventually achieve your best whatever that might be.

I think this is just another example of different runner's responding to different training.

When I first started out I was running quite a bit of mileage. I ran 32' for the 10k off of 90'-120' runs with strides (always on a 1-2% downhill) or diagonals everyday and than once a week 10 x 10 second hill sprints on a 15% grade and working from 10x100on/off up to 20x400m with 200m coasting. My runs I just ran with a bit of purpose started slow and as I warmed up just adjusted and usually finished fast pace-wise but I kept the perceived effort the same throughout. I ran those runs on some hilly trails. Every Sunday off. And in the evenings I'd do about 30-60' and then the strides or workout. That was it. Never at all injured in any way. Also I did weights about 2 times a week mainly two sets of dead lifts 1-4 reps x 2 and 1-4 power cleans x 2 and absolutely no isolated core work or any other gimmicky sh*t.

Then I got a coach. He started complicating things and I never ran as fast. I stuck with him for a year. Didn't break a single PR. I dropped him. Was injured most of the year.

And I'm back running how I used to, I came close to breaking my 10k PR on a training run so I'm pretty confident I'll break it.

I've always kind of felt that if you work on both extremes and rely on pace change during the longer runs (Fartlek or pushing the hills and coasting the downhills) by how you feel that everything kind of works out in the long term. So endurance and than short speed, and the rest fills itself in.

On the flip side I have friend who ran 2:28 for the marathon off of about 100km a week max; with a lot of quality, he is never injured but recently he mentioned to me that he was having trouble maintaining pace in a recent HM despite nailing his toughest workout.

No doubt people can do well with hi quality low millage, but I for one can't, I start to fall apart.

For all of those dissing Mutai for running "slowly" at altitudes of 8000+ ft, you have absolutely no idea how altitude affects pace. To put things into perspective for your average weekend warrior (which is probably 80%) of the LRC community, I'll share my personal experience.

A few years ago when I was arguably in the best aerobic shape of my life, I was routinely (twice a month) running half marathon tempo runs at 74-75 mins. a pop. Race pace was sub-70. After working like a 1850 mule, averaging 50-60 hours a week at the j. o. b., I decided to take a little vacation to Greer, Arizona. Now, northeast Arizona's altitude is nowhere Kenay's highland region, but it was at least 7000 feet of crisp, thin air.

During a regular 1 hr run, I was curious to what pace I was hitting on a fairly flat course. There were some small steep hills, but noting along the lines of "hilly". After getting back to the cabin and checking splits, I couldn't believe how slow I was going, at a HR of around 160-175 bpm. While normally hitting 6:20-6:40 during a recovery run, at this particular altitude I had run roughly just under 6 miles (about 10:15/mi) for 6 miles. Shocked a bit discouraged, I had a totally different level of respect for altitude.

5:30 pace at 8500ft is mind-boggling; 8 minutes is definitely closer to 6 flat at sea level than most would believe.

Mutai was born and raised at altitude, it shouldn't affect him that much.

the week of training in question just doesn't make sense, it looks like the first or second week of training after a long layoff for someone of mutai's caliber. yeah he might do the same thing for 45 weeks but those paces most likely change a b it.

I guess we are clueless in Nappy's opinion. His anecdotal tale has nothing to do with reality. Mutai is probably only marginally slower at the altitude he trains vs sea level. I don't live at altitude but after a few weeks even going from 1300 ft to 7000 only adds 20-30 secs to my pace.

see no level wrote:

Mutai was born and raised at altitude, it shouldn't affect him that much.

the week of training in question just doesn't make sense, it looks like the first or second week of training after a long layoff for someone of mutai's caliber. yeah he might do the same thing for 45 weeks but those paces most likely change a b it.

Hodgie-san wrote:

[quote]ur right wrote:

Right 45 weeks a year. Sounds like "bread & butter" to me. As some of you have pointed out this may not be exactly what he does each & every week but is it really so difficult to believe that this routine in this location for this athlete would NOT be sufficient to yield great results?

Its not difficult at all to put his training into proper perspectve. The rubes here will always have problems sorting out these things.

LITE wrote:

http://www.philmaffetone.com/the159marathonagain.cfmhttp://philmaffetone.com/the159marathonpart1.cfmhttp://philmaffetone.com/the159marathonpart2.cfm

Thanks for posting this. I have seen the name "Phil Maffetone" before but never taken that time to read anything from him. Now I know I never need to again.

Maffetone proposes:

"But because self-pacing is an important brain-body factor that can produce a most efficient gait, and key for optimal running economy, a “rabbit” won’t be necessary."

What a retard.

For any of you who are not sure that Maffetone is nuts, here are some other gems:

"While a monthly assessment such as this one is important, one need not necessarily run on a track to evaluate improvement. During any given workout on a familiar training course, the same type of general assessment can be made. One-mile splits are not necessarily required. A one-hour loop, for example, will take less time to complete with each passing week."

I am pretty sure that the one-hour run will always take one hour.

and this ...

"How fast will a runner’s aerobic pace have to be to run a 1:59 marathon? While this can only be precisely answered after the race, there are relationships between ones aerobic speed and race pace. For example, for a runner to break 14 minutes in the 5K, ones aerobic pace would have to be around 5:30, which would equate to a 4:30 race pace. Likewise, for a sub-30 minute 10K, an aerobic pace of around 5:15 might be necessary. "

Whose "aerobic pace" would be faster? a 14:00 5k runner or a 30:00 10k runner? Everyone knows that the 14:00 runner is better, but this clown is blinded by the idea that a 30:00 runner is better aerobically because the 10k is longer.

Hopefully, only hobby joggers listen to this clown, for their own sake.