Lydiard and MARATHON Training

So, like me, you're too cheap to buy the book. It pisses me off that no library in my area has any books by Lydiard, JD, Pfitz!

Willy,

a local running buddy has the book. I'm going to borrow it and try to follow the recorded wisdom for my planned fall run as well. It'll likely take me a few weeks to get it and get through it, but if I come up with anything useful I'll let you know. No doubt there are plenty of people here who can give you good advice sooner.

pumpkin,

Oh yeah, I'm cheap for sure - but I like to think of it as frugal. Bought my 1995 Saturn brand new in 1995 and even though it is 8 years old now I plan to drive that thing for 10 more years perhaps - maybe more.

I really want to retire at age 60 from full time work anyway (my wife is a year younger and perhaps she will continue to work for another year!), and I've got to get all my ducks in a row now. No social security for me until I'm 67, so I need to have some money saved up - don't want to plan on SS saving me anyway.

So, yep I'm cheap. Not as cheap as a buddy of mine though who ran the 1992 California International Marathon with me - we trained together, got the hotel rooms - he rode the bus to the start line, and it turns out he hadn't paid to enter the race - he ran the whole thing and then stepped off right before the shute - that's lame ass cheap.

In "Running the Lydiard Way," his marathon schedules have about ten weeks where the emphasis is on sprints, time trials at 2,3, 5 and 10 km and fartlek. But there is still some aerobic running and jogging. Most of the aerobic runs prescribed are 60 to 90 minutes long, though he schedules one two hour run.

In admiration of your cheapness, if you e-mail me a postal address I'd be willing to photocopy the schedules from three of his books that and I have and send them to you.

HRE,

Hey, I appreciate the offer and the extra information you provided. I think though that I'll just do the distance buildup and some hill training when its time and then incorporate some track training and shorter races for sharpening at the end while still maintaining those longer runs - that's about the sense of it anyway I think.

Besides, NASA carefully screens all my mail and they might not like seeing copyrighted material photocopied. Is anyone here an astronaut too?

Flagpole you are on the right track so to speak with Lydiard's system. Just keep repeating to yourself, "100 miles......100 miles......100 miles" .......guarantee you a 2:45!

For what it's worth, I talked to Peter Snell about Lydiard training, among other things, about a year ago. He's of the opinion that it's the "conditioning phase", the distance/base building phase, that turns the trick and that there's no need to get deeply involved in the other phases. His second WR in the mile came when he was only three weeks removed from the distance phase, in other words, he was nowhere near "prepared" for such a result.

When you get back to work, give my best to Kirk, Spock and Bones.

HRE,

Thanks again for the info. I thought I had heard Snell say something of the sort about the distance training.

I was wondering if anyone would make a comment about my outrageous claim of being an astronaut.

4 weeks anaerobic phase: 2 or 3 hard oygen debt inducing style workouts. 1 or 2 speed style sessions.

4 weeks fine tuning: 1 session of sharpeners, 1 time trial, 1 race.

4 weeks competing.

Willy - Don't overthink this thing. From your 'selfish' thread, it's clear you're on the right track already.

Yo HRE wanna trade you give me the same deal that you

gave the other guy only I throw in something in the pot for

good Karma. I have Run with the champs by Marc Bloom,

Train Hard, Win easy the Kenyan system, maybe you want

some supplements from China that worm fungus deal in capsules(don't worry they are not really worms) because

without them I would have broken down a long time ago.

Or Vaam I could mail you a couple of packs for those

photocopies.

I have a packet Lydiard gave out at his last talk in US at Rodale Press. If you want a copy I can make one up. It shows a complete schedule he used.

PIG

MN Chris,

Thanks man. I know it might sound like I'm just a nervous wreck with all the advice asking, but I really do have a solid plan I think - all plotted in my Excel spreadsheet. I like to see what other people have done, and obviously I can't do what everyone suggests because 20 different people give 20 different answers.

I did decide to get to the longer runs a few weeks earlier than I had planned based on many suggestions, and I think Hadd is right (when is he not?) when he says I was doing my long runs too fast, so I'm going to slow them down until I fell a serious fitness change (which I might not).

Anyway, thanks for the response.

hornet power wrote:

Yo HRE wanna trade you give me the same deal that you

gave the other guy only I throw in something in the pot for

good Karma. I have Run with the champs by Marc Bloom,

Train Hard, Win easy the Kenyan system, maybe you want

some supplements from China that worm fungus deal in capsules(don't worry they are not really worms) because

without them I would have broken down a long time ago.

Or Vaam I could mail you a couple of packs for those

photocopies.

Drop me an e-mail with an address. I'll deal.