xrunnsez wrote:
8-10 years ago, Geb would have destroyed that race.
He was running 4/min mile pace for 5k. and low 26 for 10k? No way he couldn't do 4:02/milex26 over a day.
he ran 58min 1/2 marathons. You dont think he could do that, rest for 12 hours, then do it again (or close)
Actually, a 12:37 5k is 4:03.7/mi. The math is easy on that one.
It is interesting to note that there was a thread a few weeks ago discussing whether "elite" marathoners could break 4:00 for the mile, or all of them could, or something like that. Opinions were mixed.
I would count "elite" marathoners as those who have broken 2:06:00 now that the WR is in the 2:03:40 area. I suppose you have to make some allowance for people like Meb (who was 4th in Olympics and 2nd before) who have never broken 2:09:00 and even Ritz who has only broken 2:10:00 twice but has placed 10th in the Olympics.
Whatever the definition, it is interesting to note how some said that there could be 2:05-2:10 marathoners who could not break 4:00y no matter what and yet we have people on this thread who claim a human may be able to run 4:02y 26 times in one day.
I think I heard that Rupp/Farah did 8X1600 last summer at 4:12 w/3:00 rests ... maybe at altitude? If so, clearly they could make that easier at sea-level and with longer rests. I think this workout (or actually 9X1600m) could be done at 8 AM one day, then at 4 PM that day, then again at 6 AM the next morning. With longer rests and almost no running in between, I think it could be done at 4:15 or so per rep. But not much faster.
You would not want to run more than 1600 at a time, too much lactic acid would build up.
27 X 1600m = 43,200m = 43.2 Km ... 1k MORE than a marathon.
So, 4:20y pace is 1:53:30 and 4:15y is 1:52:00.
Keep in mind that 4:15y is 4:13.4 for a 1600m.
I think that spacing 1 mile out over each hour is a mistake. You would not be able to sleep and I think it would allow running faster for the first 10-15 single mile reps but you would suffer more after that.
Since top runners are used to running 2-3 times per day, I think breaking it into 3 or 4 workouts of mile reps: 9x1600m or 7X1600m spaced out accordingly.
Considering how rare an 8:05 2-mile is, I don't see how any runner could rip off 26 4:02 miles in one day. Obviously this can never be proven. Unless someone tried it and succeeded, if they failed, it would only prove that they could not do it that day on that attempt.