A couple of months ago i wrote about the training schedules of belgian runners Puttemans and Lismont.
I've finally found some time to write about the training of two dutch runners from the 70's-80's: Nijboer and Hermens.
So here goes:
Gerard Nijboer
european champion marathon 1982
Olympic marathon silver medal 1980
Training of june 1986 in preparation of european championship marathon:
Monday: morning: 10k easy (6:00 - 6:30 pace)
afternoon: interval 8'-6'-8'-6'-8' @marathon pace (3' recovery @ 7:00 pace)
Tuesday: morning: 10k easy
afternoon: 16k easy
Wednesday: morning: 13.5k easy
afternoon: 10K race (29:21)
Thursday: 17k easy
Friday: morning: 7.5k easy
afternoon: 30k on hilly course (first 10k easy, then 20k @ 5:40 pace)
Saturday: 21k easy
Sunday: morning: 7k easy
afternoon: half marathon race (1:09:03) hot weather, windy and not all out
Total: 206,5km (with warming up and cooling down) (+- 128 miles)
Jos Hermens
WR 10 miles: 45:57
WR 20km: 57:24
WR 1hour: 20.944 meters
General training:
Ran 3 times a day 3 times a week: 2 easy runs (one of wich was at least 2 hours) and an interval workout.
The interval workout was something like 10 x 1000m or a hill workout.
Thursday was always a long run on a hilly course - running hard on every hill.
Saturday: 3 hour long run
Sunday morning: 90 minute fartlek
Often did cycling to get even more work done.
Mileage was usually around 350km (+- 217 miles)
During a certain period he followed the training schedule of Dave Bedford, but he expanded every training session by 20%.
At age 28 the career of Hermens was over. After a career filled with injuries, a rupture of his achilles tendon was the final nail in his coffin.