Who knows VanAaken's training?

run slowly, run daily, drink moderately and don't eat like a pig.

I ran under Van Aaken for about three years. When I moved from Germany I still followed his basic ideals. Generally I think that he was a very good coach. In looking back I would change very few things (diet most of all). The main thing that he brought to me was a desire to race well. If I had been on another method I may have ran a little faster, but not for as long or with as much enjoyment. He made me believe in myself and what I could achieve in running as well as all aspects of life. More than a great coach- he was a great person.

Any chance of giving us all some details of the training that you ran under his guidance ?

Thanks

This thread brings back more great memories than anyone would believe. Before I moved to train in person I was sending and receiving training advice in the mail. I remember how proud I was when I wrote him and announced that I had run 100 miles in a week. It seemed like the next day (I am sure it was not), I recived a letter asking me what I did the other two days!!! My first training run there we jogged to a field. We were going to do some futball field strides- I took off and "won" the first one (by at least 30 meters). I kept winning for the first 15 or so. I was wondering why these other runners who had much faster times than me were so far behind. As we walked back after each on they would tell me how great I was doing and how strong I looked. I was a 18 year old setting the world on fire. I was starting to lose my lead as we went into the 2nd and 3rd hour of these "sprints" and by the time we finished the four hour workout and covered about 20k of running and 20k of walking I was dead and knew why I was winning the early "races". It was great. We ran to see things, we ran race paced workouts that were called things like 400 maybe. Here after a long run we would have to do a 400 in any time you want. I would usually settle on 80 (my projected marathon pace). Well you only had to run one in 80, but if you were any faster than 79.5 or slower than 80 it did not count-- you may be there for a long while (you could not check you watch during the run)-- Great pace workout Great to build a team (when you made your time the other team mates would be there to help you. I have used it ever since. Great coach, great man.

Thanks, it is interesting because I have read "The Van Aaken" method, and lot of what he writes seems impossible to do. Such as sleeping 5 hours each night, eating so little food with very high mileages.

It was a very interesting read though and to hear from someone who actually trained under him.

Great stuff, man, thanks! Any more examples or stories to share?

It is Saturday morning and I am heading to Boston. I will try to pull out some of my old logs and look up some other things. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this year for the runners instead of those who are just watching.

The first book I read on running was Van Aaken's and it made quite the impression. I learned early on what speed strength was about and pacing. Though I didn't heed his advice in the beginning.

It was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.

Bostoon was great to watch this year. Go Culpepper, Gilmore, Shay!

I just wrote an article on van Aaken's training that should turn up in Marathon and Beyond later this year, though I'm never sure of their publication schedules. I've had articles that don't show up for years after I send them to them.

I had a fair amount of contact with EvA's son, found a German biography of EvA, and read some of the first articles he'd written that were translated into English.

I've also read almost everything he wrote that was translated into English. I think that the "slow" aspect of his method was perhaps overrepresented and the amount of faster running was understated, though his faster stuff was different than other approaches.

Vladmir, if you're so inclined, drop me an e-mail. I'd love to bat some ideas and questions around.

BPD wrote:

Apparently VanAaken recommended incorporating tempo pace for 1/20th or 1/30th of your overall training. Can anybody elaborate on this. How, why, etc?

Definitely get Van Aaken's book - it's awesome, even if you decide against some of his diet/sleep ideas. You can probably find a used copy on amazon. I believe his tempo race run was that at the end of each run (or your second run if doubling) you could run faster right up to your anaerobic threshold, making sure to always stay aerobic. You could do this every day and perhaps for a mile or two at the end of the run. If training for a marathon, he felt you should run a marathon every day.

I'll be getting the book for sure, but trying to talk with people about their experiences with the training in the mean time. You touched upon what I find to be the most intersesting aspect of his training. This "horse to the barn" or progression running approach seems to be a very natural way to train.

BPD it is not about the horse running to the barn. it is about PUTTING the horse in the barn if you get my drift. Did Van AAken really advocate eating nachos on his long runs?

also, he and seb coe were going to get together and open a Red Lobster in Hilton Head. Did this ever pan out?

If training for a marathon, he felt you should run a marathon every day.[/quote]

You have to understand that this was a theoretical idea that he advanced. Some of his athletes did huge volumes and may have approached this mileage. Most didn't. He ran his marathons off of 10km a day and coached many athletes who trained similarly. Even Manfred Steffney did not do a marathon every day.

Also, he slept from about 3:00am to 9:00am. Not a huge amount, but more than many people here are claiming he did. And I don't believe that he ever recommended that others do the same. It was just what he did.

Actually, a marathon a day is not sooo extraordinary. Many of the top Africans most of the top Japanese and even some Americans (Jerry Lawson and Paul Gompers regularly, Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter often) ran that kind of mileage. My namesake - Ahmed - and the other Djiboutians ran 25k twice per day - although they did this only 6 days per week.

The real challenge of his "future training" was his recommendation that marathoners do long runs of 40-100 miles and "should not shy away from racing ultra marathons". I think this goes along with his philosophy that performance could be most dramatically improved by improving endurance, and that we were a long way from reaching the limit of that improvement. So he seemed to be saying that every year a runner should train with the goal of increasing endurance - put more practically, that you should strive to be comfortable running further at a similar effort, but a faster pace. When put that way, his approach was not singular, after all.

A marathon a day is not at all extraordinary. But many people will take that as a requirement and think they can't do that sort of mileage so they won't use van Aaken's method when they could well do so in smaller quantities.

Back from Boston and still wondering what went wrong- times seemed slow considering that it was not all of that hot. I think it may have been because it was very sunny- not a cloud in the sky. I tried to find a few logs from when I was directly working under Dr. VanAaken. This is difficult because I am in the process of moving. I have read at least one of his books- I think it was called the VanAaken Method. I reread it a few years ago (1996) and it is somewhere. It had some very interesting outlooks. The main thing to remember is that in this book as well as most of his writings he was talking about "the perfect athlete" I remember he felt that the "perfect athlete" should take his weight and divide it by his height and the number should be between 28 and 30. This was so that each individual would carry as little weight as possible. He felt that eating and sleeping was a waste of time- I still sleep less than 6 hours a night. However, injuries (mostly non running) have caused me to become a former runner. Hopefully I will be able to get back into it in the upcoming year. My current ratio is about 36- almost a sumo wrestler.

I wish I'd known you were running Boston. I'd have looked you up. I live about 40 miles away and was in and out of town all weekend.

I can go on six hours of sleep easily provided I can sleep late enough, e.g. 2-8, 3-9. But if I have to get up before 7:30 I'm useless no matter how much sleep I had. Did you get the sleep pattern from Dr. van Aaken or is that normally yours?

I did learn that much of what he wrote was about the ideal athlete.

was that 26.2 miles a day in singles? i dont think anyone does this.