How many miles per week did Pre run. Also, would his training be characterized as high intensity?
How many miles per week did Pre run. Also, would his training be characterized as high intensity?
Why do you ask?
I am just curious about how intense his training was. I think I remember reading about his soph year, when he overtrained during the winter. Yet, Pre struck me as someone that would be more likely to do a fast 10 miles than a moderate 15.
Very intense. Very little "slow" mileage. Do a search, you can find an example of his training.
First off, pre was an extrordinary athlete who was able to run at 92% of his VO2 max. Not really any other runner has been recorded at this. Salazar was about 86%. Pre did morning runs, trained a lot but also had fun. I've heard he ran anywhere from 60-80 in high school then a bit more in college with more intensity. Don't worry about what PRE did, he may be a legend and ran some great times but its not all about miles kid. Get yourself a good coach who will build you up and not break ya down.
He had a measured VO2max of 84 and Bowerman said that Pre could go hard 3 days in a row before needing a rest day. Few, if any, people posting here could handle this. The same would be true of Mary Decker-Slaney in her younger days.
You aren't Pre, so don't even think about it.
high school runner wrote:
How many miles per week did Pre run. Also, would his training be characterized as high intensity?
"Bowerman said that Pre could go hard 3 days in a row"
Where/when was this said or where did you read it?
I'd like to know your sources as well, in "Physiology of Sport and Exercise" it says 92% for PRE and 86% for salazar.
I remember talking to pat tyson about pre's training I learned a few things. That he always did his morning run at 6 AM, no matter how late he had been partying,it was always the same route and he was always under 6 min. miles. He hardly ever stretched.
Non Competitive Season:
M. a.m. 4-6 miles@ 5:40 pace.
p.m. 5-10 miles@ 5:40 pace.
T. a.m. 4-6 miles@ 5:40-6:00 pace.
p.m. 8 x 400 with 200 recovery, 4 x (600,400,300,200,100 with 200 recovery, all @ 68 400 pace)
W. a.m. 4-6 miles@ 6:00-7:00 pace.
p.m. 5-10 miles@ 6:00-7:00 pace.
Th. a.m. 4-6 miles@ 6:00-7:00 pace.
p.m. 12 x 150@ 22, 300 jog, 4-8 mile run, 12 x 300 (4 @ 52, 4@ 50. 4@ 48)
F. a.m. 4-6 miles
p.m. 4-6 miles
S. a.m. 4 x 1200@ 3:18, 3:16, 3:14, 3:12, 800 jog; 12 x 300@ 52
S. 12-15 miles@ 6:30-7:00 pace.
Competitive Season:
Non Competitive Season:
M. a.m. 4-6 miles
p.m. 4-8 miles@ 5:30 pace.
T. a.m. 4-6 miles
p.m. 10 miles in 50:00; 6-12 x 300@ 52
W. a.m. 4-6 miles
p.m. 5-8 miles@ 5:30 pace.
Th. a.m. 4-6 miles
p.m. 24 x 300 (6@ 50, 6@ 48, 6@ 46, 6@ 44)
F. a.m. 4-6 miles
p.m. 4-6 miles
S. a.m. 3 x 1 mile@ 4:24, 4:22, 4:16; 800 jog; 3-4 mile run, 18 x 300 6@ 52, 6@ 48, 6@ 46)
pm. 4 mile run
S. 15 miles@ 6:30 pace.
I have personally seen a running log of his (now Nike property) in which he ran weeks of 108, 112, and 112---three weeks in a row in the mid-Spring before his death. These are the only three weeks of his log I looked at. Notably, he had several three-a-days in there. I know that these totals were high for him, and he may have been experimenting, but I know he did mileage this high.
Pre's training was probably more high quality/lower mileage than the Lydiard/Kellogg plan recommends. I think it has been established that the majority of runners will benefit from lower quality/higher mileage than Pre did, and that most runners will break down trying Pre's routine. Would Pre have improved more with a Lydiard routine, or was his routine optimal for him? I don't know if there is an answer to this question, but it is interesting to speculate, and raises some questions that are of fundamental importance to coaching individuals.
quack wrote:
First off, pre was an extrordinary athlete who was able to run at 92% of his VO2 max. Not really any other runner has been recorded at this. Salazar was about 86%.
You need to drop the "%" and replace it with "ml/min/kg". Everyone can run at 92% of VO2max. Running at 92 ml/min/kg is a whole other story.
He says that in his book:
High Performance Training for Track and Field Athletes
bowerman never wrote a workout for pre.my source...bill dellinger.
Kjell wrote:
"Bowerman said that Pre could go hard 3 days in a row"
Where/when was this said or where did you read it?
[quote]qwertyui wrote:
bowerman never wrote a workout for pre.
my source...bill dellinger.
True, Bill Dellinger was Pre's event coach. Bill B. was the head coach who also counseled Pre.
I do not think the information presented here in this thread about the percentage of VO2 max run by Pre is accurate. I think it is just the opposite. I would bet that Pre had sub-par efficiency or at best average efficiency until the 1975 season. Had his efficiency been higher he would have run much faster over the 5k distance in previous years. His measured 84 mls per kg per minute in the famed Dallas study of elites revealed that he had the potential to run well under 13:00 minutes for 5k, yet his times were consistently in the 13:20s up to that point.
I speculate that the year Pre died, he was embarking on a transformation in efficiency. He had increased his normal mileage in the winter/spring of 1975 and his solo 10,000m in April on the track in sub-par weather, time 27:43, an American record, showed he was on a new path of greatness. I think the increased mileage was improving his efficiency and had he continued doing it over the next year, he would have run in the low 27s for 10k and placed first or second in the 10k at the Montreal Olympic Games. I believe the world record would have dropped to Pre in the 10k, the event I have always believed was his best distance because of both physical attributes and incredible toughness.
GH wrote:
I have personally seen a running log of his (now Nike property) in which he ran weeks of 108, 112, and 112---three weeks in a row in the mid-Spring before his death. These are the only three weeks of his log I looked at. Notably, he had several three-a-days in there. I know that these totals were high for him, and he may have been experimenting, but I know he did mileage this high.
I have a copy of a few months of this log at home. I'll try to post the weekly mileage totals later tonight.
"I speculate that the year Pre died, he was embarking on a transformation in efficiency. He had increased his normal mileage in the winter/spring of 1975 and his solo 10,000m in April on the track in sub-par weather, time 27:43, an American record, showed he was on a new path of greatness."
He ran that 27:43 in 1974. His 10k (or maybe 6 mile) attempt in 1975 was considerably slower than the previous year.
Thanks...my mistake. I stand corrected. I did hear he had started to do more winter mileage starting in 1973, so it made me wonder just how good Pre would become at the 10k distance. Additionally, he was so tough in 6 mile xcountry races that one could only imagine how tough he would be in 10k track races. He would beat Nick Rose of England who ran for Kentucky. Nick ran 27:31 for 10k on the track, later, if memory serves me correctly. I am hoping someone with more information can shed light upon this topic. Thanks again.