Starting with Lydiard

A lot depends on how new you are and how much running you've done. Have you run for an hour regularly? What are you thinking of for a long run? No, do not force the pace down. It will do that on its own as you get fitter. One of Arthur's ways of finding pace was to have you run an out and back course where the turnaround was about the same altitude as the start. If you ran "out" for, say, fifteen minutes, you should be able to come "back" in no more than twenty. If it takes longer you went out too fast.

Arthur's done beginners schedules with normal runs of 30-45 minutes and long runs of 60-90. Again, much depends on you. The schedule is supposed to be your servant, not your master.

Progression run today right at point you start to breathe hard. Repeat. Once a week run a little longer and slower. After quite a while do some hills and speed work.

Buy a book about Lydiard training.

This is a good one:

http://www.amazon.com/Running-Your-Best-Committed-Training/dp/0828905592

Perhaps you can find it here or elsewhere for less money.

Buy an António-proof armor and wear it at all times.

Thanks a lot for your answers.

I am quite new to running, I have run for half an hour regularly, but not an hour. I can run a 5k in 27 min in training. I was thinking of 2-3 hours for long runs. I already walked 50km around 9 hours if that can say anything.

Noted for the schedule being a servant.

Thanks again for your answers.

Also, I already have Healthy Intelligent Training as a Lydiard book.

You should tell us how much & how often you are currently running, & for how long you've been doing this. This will allow us to give you more concrete advice.

If you want to handicap yourself with outdated training why not get Alf Shrubbb's book?

Not running for 2 weeks since I can't due to an injury (not related to running, at all). But I was doing 30 minutes at easy pace for 2 months prior to that. Before that I ran sporadically but that can't be counted as running since it did not happen a lot.

Thanks!

Before you start getting too carried away, you should get to the point where you can run comfortably for an hour every day. This isn't meant to be killer fast, just casual easy running so you're not wasted when you finish.

Once you can do that, slowly get your long run up over two hours, and work on getting another one or two of your mid week runs up to around 90 minutes.

Eventually after a long time of conditioning you should aim for a week similar to this:

Monday: :45 - 1:00 Aerobic

Tuesday: 1:00 -1:30 Aerobic

Wednesday: 0:30 - 1:00 Quick over a hilly course

Thursday: 1:00 - 1:30 Aerobic

Friday: 0:30 - 1:00 Easy jog

Saturday: 0:30-1:00 Quick over a hilly course

Sunday: 2:00+ Aerobic

That's a fairly standard issue Lydiard base week, as you have said above don't worry about the miles yet, his guys were ticking off their weeks at an average pace of 3:45 -4:00 min/km to get up to 160km.

Lots of info online, just don't get carried away with wanting to run 160km a week, that carry on might take you 18 hours depending on how fit you are.

NoobRunner, I like what kiwi bloke wrote. But, remember, it takes time to develop an aerobic base.

It sounds like you're reading a lot of good books on running (Lydiard, Daniels). Try some more running books by Brad Hudson & Joe Vigil too.

But, here's a possible breakdown of what you could do to get you started.

Week 1: 30 minutes, 7 days a week

Week 2: 35 minutes, 7 days a week

Week 3: 40 minutes, 7 days a week w/one hilly run & strides X 6 (M, W, F)

Week 4: 45 minutes, 7 days a week w/one long run (60 minutes), one hilly run, one tempo run, & strides X 6 (M, W, F)

Week 5: 50 minutes, 7 days a week w/one long run (65 minutes), one hilly run, one tempo run, & strides X 6 (M, W, F)

Week 6: 55 minutes, 7 days a week w/one long run (70 minutes), one hilly run, one tempo run, & strides X 6 (M, W, F)

Week 7: 60 minutes, 7 days a week w/one long run (75 minutes), one hilly run, one tempo run, & strides X 6 (M, W, F)

Thanks a lot for your plan and answers. When you say Aerobic it's steady aerobic? Just below the anaerobic threshold?

H.S Coach > Yes I'm interested and tend to accumulate info and books. I will check the Vigil and Hudson one too, definitely.

Thanks for your plan.

I can't wait to build that aerobic base.

SMJO wrote:

If you want to handicap yourself with outdated training why not get Alf Shrubbb's book?

SMJO, you have one Gold and one Silver Olypic medals, Peter Snell has three Golds. He was also faster than you.

Snell didn't have to run against Coe.

He also wasn't faster at any distance.

I am a newbie and here to learn. So what would you suggest?

Canova?

3 Olympic Gold Medals, just sayin

Kiwi bloke & the above have some good advice, but since you are looking at Lydiard, I feel it is worth posting the following quote from Lydiard's "Running to the Top" book. It specifically suggests a different approach to building up the mileage than the X every day suggested above:

"When you can go 15 minutes every day, step up to 30 minutes, followed by two days at 15 minutes, another 30, another two 15s, and so on. Always give your body adequate recovery. Then go out to 45 minutes, with two 15-minute days in between, and then on to an hour plus two 15s when you can handle it. Then you can start to bring up the intermediate days - alternating an hour, two half-hours, an hour, and so on.

Now you can extend that long run as you feel. This is the most effective way to do it. Some people start running 15 minutes a day every day, then 30 a day, then 45 a day. It seems to be the faster way to achieve fitness but it will take them three times as long to achieve the goals they would get if they used patience. You cannot neglect those vital recovery days."

"Run evenly... don't make the mistake of finishing with a sprint. The ideal way to finish is always to feel that you could run some more."

Lydiard training was the best training of the day but even Snell says he would have done things differently if he were to do it again.

Coe said to finish every run on an up tempo mode with an almost full out effort over the last 400.

And vice versa.