“Anyone can run 20 miles. It's the next six that count”. - Barry Magee, marathon bronze in Rome, 1960
“A marathon is like life with its ups and downs, but once you've done it you feel that you can do anything.”
Matrix screenshotTrivia from "The Matrix" - The name of Agent Smith (played by Hugo Weaving) is explicitly attributed (on the license plate of Smith's car in Reloaded) to the Book of Isaiah 54:16 from the Old Testament: "Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy." - source, wikipedia. Now you know!
“Coaching Middle and Long Distance Runners” – Part Six
Article by Nic Bideau
Key elements
• Regular long runs
• Fast distance runs at around the anaerobic threshold
• Intervals or repetition work
• Speed work
• Recovery runs
• Gym sessions
RECOVERY RUNS
These runs should generally run at a very comfortable pace — comfort is more relevant than speed here. They can be extremely slow or occasionally at a moderate pace but importantly, it is very comfortable and relaxed for the athlete. I prefer, in general, that these are around one hour in length on easy days with a second run each day of 30-35min, except on days when the main run is 90 minutes or more where just one run is completed. Marathon runners often do two runs of less than an hour but at least 40 minutes on easy recovery days due to the greater demand for recovery from longer workouts.
We’re often asked how it is effective for Mottram to do his recovery runs with Benita Johnson despite him being about to run almost two minutes faster than her for 5000m. They feel that if he races 5000m at close to 2.30 min per kilometre and Benita closer to 3 minutes per kilometre, why should her recovery runs be run a similarly slower pace? But it doesn’t actually work like that. Running at 4 minutes per kilometre is just as comfortable for Benita as it is for Craig. The key is that the pace is comfortable, and the pace is simply decided on how the athletes feel. There is often a need to tell athletes to try to run slowly on these runs, as it’s very difficult to run too slowly and quite easy to run too fast at a speed that doesn’t really challenge aerobic fitness and certainly doesn’t allow athletes to recover maximally between workouts. The key is to remember that these runs are for recovery and that there are another 2 or 3 days in the week where the focus is on building fitness.
Nic Bideau "Coaching Middle and Long Distance Runners: A Commentary" - Modern Athlete and Coach, Volume 44, Number 3, July 2006.
To be continued …
FOOTNOTES
1. I have been watching "The Young Ones" on DVD. Takes me back twenty years. I must remember not to emulate their lifestyle!
2. Caught up with former workmates at a workplace Christmas function. I tell you what, the only ones who look even half fit are the ones who have kept exercise up all their lives. Don't stop!
3. Looking forward to getting out to the track tomorrow. Although I might not run. Last Thursday my age percentage peaked at 78.6 in the 3000m, owing to a time of 11:28.11. "Moorescores" have been brought up to date - see http://www.actvac.com.au/Track/Moore/Moorescores.htm. I suppose 80% would be a target, one day soon. Next month, most likely.
