MARATHON TRAINING - PORTUGUESE STYLE
Portuguese best performances in the Top 12 European Rankings- (athelete´s PB)
2.06.36 - Antonio Pinto POR London 2000-04-16 (34 years old)
2.06.36 - Benoit Zweierzchiewsky FRA Paris 2003-06-04 (26 years old)
2.07.12 - Carlos Lopes POR Rotterdam 1985-04-20 (38 years old)
2.07.13 - Steve Jones GBR Chicago 1985-10-20 (30 years old)
2.07.20 - Vincent Rousseau BEL Berlin 1995-09-24 (32 years old)
2.07.23 - Fabian Roncero ESP Rotterdam 1999-04-18 (28 years old)
2:07.27 - Julio Rey ESP Hamburg 2003-04-07 (31 years old)
2.07.29 - Stefano Baldini ITA London 2002-04-14 (30 years old)
2.07.47 - Antonio Pena ESP Berlin 2000-09-10 (30 years old)
2.07.51 - Domingos Castro POR Rotterdam 1997-04-20 (33 years old)
2.07.54 - Alejandro Gomez ESP Rotterdam 1997-04-20 (30 years old)
2.07.57 - Abel Anton ESP London 1998-04-26 (35 years old)
Top 5 Portuguese performances
2.06.36 - Antonio Pinto POR London 2000-04-16 (34 years old) EUR. REC.
2.07.12 - Carlos Lopes POR Rotterdam 1985-04-20 (38 years old)
2.08.33 - Manuel Matias POR Kyong-ju 1994-03-20 (31 years old)
2.09.11 - Joaquim Pinheiro POR Otsu 1997-03-02 (36 years old)
2:09:25 Alberto Chaiça POR 2003-08-30 Paris St. Dennis WC (29 years old)
It can be seen that a large majority of the European runners competing at a high level achieve their best performances when they are into their mid thirties. There is a strong Spanish representation in the rankings, which becomes more apparent if we look at deeper performance lists. By studying the European top 50 lists the dominance of the Spanish and Italian runners is emphasized. Despite the domination of the lists by athletes from these two countries, Portugal’s performance in having 3 runners in the top 10 is impressive considering that it has a population of only one quarter that of Spain, or one sixth of that of Italy or the UK. To further emphasize the level of Portuguese success, they have achieved two Olympic titles through Carlos Lopes and Rosa Mota, two World Titles by Manuela Machado, numerous big city wins (e.g. Pinto in London), as well as team medals in the World Marathon Cup.
THE BASIS OF THE PORTUGUESE METHODOLOGY
There are two prime characteristics of the Portuguese marathon runner. While there may be slight variations in the approach of each individual athlete, everyone follows the same program in principle.
1/ Every athlete follows the same formula of 3 types of specific workout within a one week period that is used by athletes training for shorter distances.
However, unsurprisingly when formulating a marathon program the main requirements are considered to be a high volume of mileage to develop aerobic fitness and the ability to cope with glycogen depletion. These qualities are needed to race successfully over the entire 42 195 meters and are the prime aims of marathon runners all over the world, regardless of the training system used.
Later in the text I will describe in more detail the specific elements of the marathon training methodology, but in general it can be said that the basic elements of the dominant Portuguese methods for the shorter distances are simply modulated to become more specific to the marathons demands.
As outlined above, the methodology consists of 3 basic types of session performed within the weekly schedule. These sessions are:
i. Sets of short repetitions at faster than race pace
ii. ‘Long’ repetitions at race pace
iii. Anaerobic Threshold runs (at least once a week)
When preparing for the marathon a long run is included once each week.
2/ The Portuguese train as middle / long distance specialists for most of the year. They only deviate from the usual plan when they begin to prepare for a specific marathon.
There are two consequences of this principal:
They do no training for what they term ‘marathon speed’. This is not considered necessary because of the frequent training and competition on the track, road, and country throughout the rest of the year. The term they use is that they are ‘polyvalent’ runners who compete year around and do no specialized marathon training when not preparing for a target event.
Contrary to some modern ideas, the start of a marathon career is not normally considered until the runner is into their thirties. Carlos lopes ran his first marathon at 31 and became Olympic Champion at 37. Alberto Chaica was 4th in the Paris World Championships last year in his second marathon at the age of 29.
In many cases, marathon specialization is considered as a natural process that gives athletes a ‘second chance’. This can only be achieved if it is based on years of consistency providing a base of stamina and endurance. In fact it is considered the norm for an athlete to specialize in longer distances as their career progresses. It is very rare to see a top level Portuguese runner make a marathon debut before their late twenties or early thirties.
The usual approach is to initially attempt to fully explore a runners talent and potential over the range of shorter distances. It is only when it is felt that each runner has achieved their limit over these distances that the step up is normally considered. One interesting aside is that it is not unusual for these runners to achieve personal best performances over distances from 1500m to 10000m as well as good cross country and road performances in the same year as they achieve their best results in the marathon.
This is illustrated in the case of Carlos Lopes who became Olympic marathon Champion in the same year that he ran a PB of 27:16 for 10000m and ran a marathon World record soon after winning the World Cross Country. Other examples are Domingos Castro who ran 1500m and marathon PB’s in the same year, and Antonio Pinto who ran European records in the 10000m and marathon as well as PB’s at the 1500m and 5000m in the same year (1998). These examples demonstrate the belief that focus on the marathon can actually improve performance in the shorter distances as well.
It is believed that a balance must be achieved. Training for specific marathons is not as effective as having periods where training between marathons is geared towards training and competition over shorter distances.
The main reason for the decision to delay the start of marathon specialization until the early thirties is to allow enough time to accumulate a large volume of general endurance training through consistency over a number of years rather than trying to accumulate a high level of endurance in a short time frame. It is viewed as a long-term process where years of basic aerobic training and competition over shorter distances provide the basis for marathon success.
By using this approach, the transition from the shorter distances to the marathon is a relatively easy one. Again using Alberto Chaica as an example, we have known for a long period that his future career lay in the marathon, but he stayed with the shorter road races for a while. Despite this, his long-term development was still aimed at the marathon distance. We feel that this decision to delay the marathon specialization will result in greater eventual performance levels than if specialization had commenced earlier. His early work which resulted in a sub 28:20 10K as well as good performances in road mile races which are common in Portugal laid the basis for his later performances which earned him 4th position in Paris and qualification for the Athens Olympics.
The aim of these examples is not to demonstrate that there is no chance of becoming a top class marathon runner if you specialise before the age of thirty. There are plenty of examples of Kenyans and other Africans who achieve top class performances in the early 20’s. However, the approach we use is that a young runner should start with the training required to compete well over the shorter distances to start with (especially the aerobic and anaerobic threshold training). If performed consistently and correctly, this training for the shorter races now acts as ‘invisible’ marathon training that is gradually accumulating over time.
PERIODIZATION OF MARATHON PREPARATION
The typical specific preparation cycle for a marathon runner usually lasts for 8-12 weeks, although in some cases this can extend to 16. This period is divided into 3 phases that focus on different training elements. This is very similar to the normal training cycle used for middle and long distance competitions.
1/ INTRODUCTORY PHASE (PHASE 1)
Initially we commence with a transitionary regime. The main aim is to increase mileage and volume of specific training. The target is to attempt to double the volume of repetitions normally performed in a session, while keeping the distance of the repetitions constant.
During this process a particular feature of the Portuguese approach is that the normal short repetitions at faster than race pace are continued. However, these are again doubled in volume. For example, if the normal session is 15x400m, then this is expanded to 30x400m. This doubling of volume is the ultimate target and is not necessarily achieved immediately upon the start of the specialized training. However, the point is that training does not immediately start purely with workouts over long distances.
Hopefully you can see that this first phase of the preparation is simply progressing the normal routine training to become more EXTENSIVE (we use the term modulation of training volume). The basic training input is still maintained (long runs, threshold runs, target race pace runs, and shorter reps at faster than race pace).
Examples of the progression during this phase are e.g. Pinto who ran 30-40x400m instead of 15-20x400m that he performed outside of the marathon preparation period, or Manuela Machado who expanded her short repetitions to 25-30x400m. If the distance of the repetitions remains the same as outside of the marathon preparation then the number is simply increased. However, sometimes volume is expanded through an increase in the length of the repetitions instead. For example, 400’s may become 500’s, 600’s, 800’s or even 1000’s to 2000’s. These would be considered long repetitions during preparation for the shorter distances but obviously are short in the context of the marathon.
The same principle is applied to the longer repetitions. So 5-10x1000m may become 10-20x1000m. These longer reps can also be expanded in distance to sometimes become runs on the road for certain periods of time as opposed to the usual 1000 – 2000m. These sessions can eventually become long continuous runs at high speeds over distances of 5-7-12-15-20km.
In addition to these specific sessions the volume of the other basic aerobic runs is also increased. These can vary from recovery runs (termed ‘passive’ runs) to more ‘dynamic’ runs (for example progression or fartlek runs). Although this volume is expanded it must allow the athlete to maintain adequate intensity during the more specific sessions.
SUMMARY OF SESSIONS DURING PHASE 1
SHORT REPETITIONS (200m to 500m-600m), performed at faster than race pace, they move to longer distances (800m-1000m-1500m-2000m-3000m reps) and aim to double the total volume performed. These are mainly performed on the track. Obviously the doubling of the volume leads to a reduction in average pace. The appropriate speeds are considered to be between 100 and 105% of TDRP (Target Distance Race Pace).
LONG REPETITIONS (Performed at TDRP). 1000, 2000, 3000m repetitions also aim to double the volume while using the same repetition distance. They also gradually move to longer repetitions (3000-5000-6000-10000m reps). These repetitions can be performed on the track, but due to their long duration many athletes prefer to perform these on measured road circuits.
The long continuous runs at slower than Race pace (anaerobic threshold runs) are also progressively extended in distance. The usual 6-8 km runs (20-40 minutes approximately) may eventually reach 15-20km (or 60-90 minutes). These are always performed away from the track on all terrain’s and surfaces.
It is also in this first phase that long training runs are introduced. These are usually performed weekly and the target is simply to be able to run continuously for the duration of the marathon race at a steady pace. This means that the runs progress from 2h to 2h15 then 2h30. When this point is reached there is no more benefit to be achieved from running for even longer time periods at a steady pace. At this point LONG SPECIFIC RUNS are commenced. These are over a pre-determined distance rather than for a pre-determined duration. These runs start at a comfortable aerobic pace, but at some pre-determined point the pace is increased until over the last few miles it is as close to race speed as possible. These runs aim to develop the ability to maintain a race pace after already covering a great distance and while in a state of glycogen depletion.
2/ SPECIFIC PHASE (PHASE 2)
This is considered to be the main or fundamental phase. The introductory phase should result in good general physical condition, and an improved ability to cove the 42.195Km with no problems. However, this training is still rather general and still not specifically directed towards the ability to successfully race the entire distance. From this point onwards the emphasis is placed on the acquisition and improvement of a good marathon RACE PACE. This specific preparation usually begins at around the mid point of the complete marathon training plan. For example, if a total of 12 weeks are set aside for the entire preparation, this more specific training would start at week 6-7.
In this phase the training is still centered around the 3 basic types of training session, although there are further progressions within each.
SHORT REPS. These are still mainly performed on the track. However, while the standard rep distances when training for a 5-10000m race may be 200, 300, 400 or 500m might be approximately 10-20% of race distance, for a marathon runner these are very short indeed. In fact even 1000, 2000, or 3000m reps can be considered short in the context of the marathon. Therefore during this phase of training 10-20x1000m or 10x1 mile or 7-10x2000m or 5-8x3000m at approximately 102% of TDRP with short active recoveries are commenced. A typical session such as this may be performed with one minute recovery periods.
LONG REPS. If 1000-3000m distances are considered short for a marathon runner, then obviously the length of the longer repetitions also needs to be extended. This can be up to anything like 4000, 5000, 6000-8000-10000m per rep. It is not uncommon for the top Portuguese athletes to perform sessions such as 4-5x5000, or 3x8000m or 2x10000m at TDRP or faster in the later stages of this more specific phase. The actual duration of the recovery between repetitions is not considered to be of great importance, the priority is to maintain race pace over an extended distance rather than manipulate the recovery period. These sessions can still be performed on the track although some athletes will also perform them on measured road circuits (these should be as flat as possible). Psychologically this is much easier than performing endless laps during each session. One final but important point is that the athlete always aims for a negative split during these sessions (i.e. the speed of the repetitions should increase as the session progresses). The very successful Italian runners appear to have used a similar strategy.
LONG INTENSE RUNS. These were similar to typical anaerobic threshold runs in the earlier phase, and were maintained for a pre-determined duration. At this stage of preparation this work is usually incorporated into the later stages of the weekly long run. We have found that at this point these threshold runs are basically close to marathon pace runs. Therefore the pace during these is actually very close to that used during the long repetitions at TDRP.
THE LONG RUN With the norm being to perform one long run a week there is usually a total of 8-12 long runs performed during preparation for each marathon. The Portuguese use the same principles as the Italians in the structure of this run. There are basically 2 types – the long EASY run, and the long SPECIFIC run. The easy run is performed for a certain duration of time, usually close to the estimated marathon performance time. The length of this run is gradually extended over the period of the training (e.g. 1h45-2h-2h15-2h25). Only when this run has reached the required duration then the specific runs over a certain distance are commenced. . Here they again start at a moderate pace, but accelerate to as close to race pace as possible after around the 25Km point has been reached. This is usually maintained for a further 8-10Km (or 20-40 minutes). The final long run will be performed on the weekend before the marathon race, but this will be another easy run of approximately 2 hours. We feel that it is important that the body does not loose the ability to use fats as a fuel following glycogen depletion. For those who use the carbohydrate depletion diet, this can serve as the depletion run.
3/THE TAPER WEEK (PHASE 3)
This consists of no more than slow runs from 4 to 8-10km (20-40 minutes) and a short threshold session 4 days before the race. However, there starts to be a slight reduction in training mileage from 2 weeks before the race. This might mean, for example, that mileage in the penultimate week before the race is 50-70% the weekly average over the entire 12 weeks of preparation up to that point.
One final essential point to make with regards to the Portuguese methodology is that we do not aim for sudden large advances in each individuals training levels. Therefore, although the marathon requires a special preparation period it is better to use a gradual transition from the normal training profile throughout the rest of the year as opposed to aggressive changes in the training profile.
Antonio Cabral