Ed Whitlock - 85 yr old marathoner - gets nearly 1,500 word feature in NY Times by Jere Longman

Do you think that Ed is scared of the sand dune hill sprint workouts in Australia?

https://tonireavis.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/percy-cerutty-with-herb-elliott.jpg

http://trisutto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Cerutty_sand-dunes.jpg

Maybe.

Ah, there's an ultra guy in Savannah - Andrew Snope - who apparently trained himself to be a fat burner.

When you race after these far slower training runs, are you able to step up the pace considerably like Ed? Seems the running mechanics from so much slow running would be quite different from running a marathon at a far faster pace.

From my own experience, years ago I found something interesting. Doing 30 mpw with lots of speedwork and doing 60 mpw with less speedwork yielded similar times for the 5k. A bit slower at 60 mpw but the distance work was easier than the intervals. But I do like do intervals, guess it's the challenge of always wanting to work harder and to be able to see it.

Getting older, though, I don't want it to end until the end is near.

Are you running the same hours every day or does it vary?

rjm33 wrote:

I already told Ed that I thought he has done a very long Lydiard aerobic base phase (40 years)…and that he should now try a 12 to 16 week peaking phase including speed intervals, vVO2max intervals, with vLactate Threshold Maximum Steady State workouts also included…and some sand dune hill sprints in Australia…and some weight training with plyometrics to improve his running economy…and an altitude tent.

Ed told me that he thought all of my ideas were stupid and that he was not going to ever use any of my stupid ideas in his training program.

Darn.

Well a 16 week training program at Ed's age is different than someone even half his age since aging accelerates the loss of performance. He knows what is working for him and it is likely the other workouts will lead to injury, which means time off, then building back to base fitness, so a huge block of potentially lost time when time is at a premium.

HRE wrote:

. It depends on how you want to phrase things but we generally count a runner not running while waiting to heal as a runner..

The body does not recognize how we phrase things.

Wow. It was a joke.

I listed the 11 world records that Ed set this year and his world record VO2max at age 81.

Don't you think that it is obvious after 40 years and many world records that Ed Whitlock knows what type of training works for Ed Whitlock?

Thanks for your analysis.

The key isn't just lots of miles (though that helps) but lots of easy, *very relaxed* miles, which nurture and regenerate rather than degrade. Look at Ed in those videos of his jogging runs. He has incredible bounce for any runner, not to say one who has done the huge slow mileage he has. He has done a fantastic job in retaining his middle-distance form even when jogging. He looks like a miler doing a warmup jog, not a grinder shuffling to his next mileage goal. I vary the terrain, and the distance constantly, though I am now far more consistent in my day-to-day mileage. I also do lots of pickups, plyos, stretching, weights, strides, short hills and a 10x100 on the track every 7-14 days. My legs are no longer "hammered flat", so I feel my stride has loosened and opened up up considerable in four months of this. The prospect of competing even at 400/800 next summer excites me now.Sometimes I'll throw in a tempo mile at the end of a run. I haven't raced yet, just building a very large base. But have done a few track sessions that are extremely encouraging. Certainly for 10K-marathon this training I would think this can be done with little additional speed work, indefinitely. At least you'll beat the legions of old guys who are too beat-up to make the starting line.

rjm33 wrote:

Wow. It was a joke.

I listed the 11 world records that Ed set this year and his world record VO2max at age 81.

Don't you think that it is obvious after 40 years and many world records that Ed Whitlock knows what type of training works for Ed Whitlock?

Thanks for your analysis.

Sorry, not always obvious who is joking here. I believe I agreed with Ed knowing himself.

You're welcome.

Thanks for all of that good info. Do you ever do striders after the daily runs? 2 a days? Not many hills here, but plenty of bridges and always the tmill for hills too. I like the direct challenge and focus hills bring to the training table.

I do strides whenever I want to perk the ol legs up. One way I do it is this: I train at 130 bpm or below on my heart rate 95% of the time. During a run I'll stop and stretch for long enough for my HR to drop to 110. Then I will accelerate long enough to pop my HR back up to 130 (usually about 6-10 seconds). Repeat a few times and continue with my run. If you are lacking in hills, you might want to incorporate more sprinter plyos, jumps, box jumps (even on an off a broad step). Be creative, let your training be more like play than a task.If you have facebook, this group is very supportive:https://m.facebook.com/groups/1452390158396719/1517948285174239/?notif_t=like

Let's take a look at equivalent times for Ed's last 15K race (another WR) for 2016 which was:

TrackBot! VDOT 1:15:10 15K

While we wait for your results TrackBot, we can watch a video of Ed's WR 7:18.55 Mile and middle distance running form:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPO3FTB3w-g

This VDOT is really going to be fun TrackBot.

Oh boy.

VDOT for 1:15:10 15km: 41.2

Equivalent race times based on VDOT:

Marathon: 03:44:11

Half marathon: 01:48:13

15K: 01:15:11

10K: 00:48:49

5K: 00:23:32

3Mi: 00:22:41

2Mi: 00:14:46

3200m: 00:14:40

3K: 00:13:41

1Mi: 00:06:57

1600m: 00:06:54

1500m: 00:06:26

I am a bot. Info: habs.sdf.org/trackbot

Hey TrackBot.

I told you that it was going to be a really fun VDOT.

Ha ha ha

Another, much more detailed profile of Ed:

http://www.globerunner.org/01/extraordinary-mr-whitlock/

So it turns out, that for a few years, age 18/19, I actually had a faster marathon PR than Ed! Ed was 45 and his son was 14, and the son wanted to run marathon. The two ran 3:09, about 5 months after I ran my first in 2:53. Keep in mind that at the time, Ed was about 14 seconds faster than me over 1500m and 10 seconds over 800. No doubt he could have run much faster for the marathon. In fact he ran 2:52 the next year, then went on to win a world 1500 AG title in '79, as well as a lifetime PR 2:31 marathon, age 48. A year later, I ran my own lifetime PR marathon in 2:38, age 22.

Anyway, great detail in the above biopic!

I think you will find that Ed did not set a world record in Cambridge. The track was not properly set-up. Not enough rail, not accurately measured. Ed ran the mile again a few days later in London, Ontario under proper conditions and set the world record there. A bit slower but then he probably had to run an actual mile.

http://canadianmasters.ca/cmawp/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CMA-Outdoor-Track-and-Jumps-Records-2016-09-28.pdf

From the looks of that track at Cambridge, it was 5-8 seconds slower than a modern track.

Londoner wrote:

I think you will find that Ed did not set a world record in Cambridge. The track was not properly set-up. Not enough rail, not accurately measured. Ed ran the mile again a few days later in London, Ontario under proper conditions and set the world record there. A bit slower but then he probably had to run an actual mile.

http://canadianmasters.ca/cmawp/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CMA-Outdoor-Track-and-Jumps-Records-2016-09-28.pdf

Turbogeezer wrote:

From the looks of that track at Cambridge, it was 5-8 seconds slower than a modern track.

Londoner wrote:

I think you will find that Ed did not set a world record in Cambridge. The track was not properly set-up. Not enough rail, not accurately measured. Ed ran the mile again a few days later in London, Ontario under proper conditions and set the world record there. A bit slower but then he probably had to run an actual mile.

http://canadianmasters.ca/cmawp/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CMA-Outdoor-Track-and-Jumps-Records-2016-09-28.pdf

Ed has already covered this stupid nonsense on our previous thread about all of his world records in 2016.

Here is what Ed already said on the other thread:

Update Ed Whitlock 2016 M85-89 World Records (again):

1) 1500m Indoor World Record – 6:38.87 (outdoor WR 6:37.75)

2) Mile World Record – 7:18.55

3) 3000m World Record –13:41.96 (equivalent to a sub-7:00 minute mile)

4) 5K World Record – 24:03.99

5) 10,000m Track World Record – 51:07.53

6) 10K Road World Record - 49:50

7) Half-Marathon World Record – 1:50:47

8) 25K World Record - 2:16:46 (split during Marathon WR, Ed says does not count)

9) 30K World Record - 2:45:46 (split during Marathon WR, Ed says does not count)

10) Marathon World Record - 3:56:33 (3:56:38 gun time)

11) 15K World Record- 1:15:10 (8:04 mile pace)

12) Ed's next race: 800m?, 1500m?, Mile? 8K?, 12K?, 10Mile?, 20K?

Take that Martin Rees.[/quote]

A couple of things.

;The 7:18 mile time almost certainly will not be ratified, it was on a dirt track and curbs may not meet specs. I ran a 7:22 and thought that everything was in order but it has not been ratified either.

The 10k record wiil also be negated because a modification to the certified course was made on the day.

If Martin Rees can stay healthy I think he will take down my road records between 5k and half marathon.

Ed

Read more:

rjm33 said:

That was a great 15K race Ed.

Have you ever heard of Phil Maffetone?

(He has copied the Ed Whitlock Training Method™…and named it after himself. I am not very happy about it.)

I am also not happy about the non-ratification of your mile World Records.

Everything seemed fine at the time:

It is not that big of a deal since your 1500m time is equivalent to a 7:13 mile and your 3000m time is equivalent to a sub 7:00 mile.

You can easily smash the mile World Record later this year…or in early 2017.

Then I will start the 2017 Ed Whitlock World Record list.

OK?

Ed stopped posting once you showed up with your creepy posts. Just leave.

Deserves every bit of it!

amkelley wrote:

I found the NY Times article both inspiring and informative. What I do find a bit sad, and surprising, is that Whitlock says he doesn't enjoy running for its own sake and finds training to be drudgery. He runs mostly so that he can gain acclaim by performing well in races. I can't imagine doing something that is supposed to be recreation that requires so much time and effort on a daily basis if the only enjoyment I got from it was when I entered a race. I'm not saying there's anything "wrong" with that--everyone needs to find his own source of motivation.

Anyway, the guy is an amazing athlete and certainly a source of inspiration to so many of us who are trying to hang on to as much as we can at an age where all derivatives are negative.

Silver lining for Ed is that the drudgery of running is over. It is drudgery, and I imagine particularly as one becomes a senior citizen. REST in peace.