7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Feeling ready for tomorrow's workout - the wind should have settled.
Yesterday, I posted some disjointed and incoherent thoughts about certain aspects of training for the marathon. Bret questioned my flippant remark about miles followed by tempo and sharpening intervals being malarkey and definitely the wrong way to go.
Today, I wanted to address Bret’s concerns and clarify what I meant - in a concise and coherent manner so that Mr. Murphy wouldn’t feel the need for a nap.
Rather than approach the issues in a muddled way, I think it might be better if I were to start again and explain things clearly. I will address Bret’s concerns - probably tomorrow, when I look at one of Lydiard's big problems. But for now, as a starter and a teaser, think about the energy/fuel system required for the marathon compared to that of the interval training advocated by Lydiard at the end of his plan; what is your body expecting when you lace up your flats?
In 2015 I want to run sub 2:20 for the marathon – I’ll be 50 on the 7th Jan 2015. What makes my goal all the more daunting is that the 50+ age group world best for the marathon is 2:19:XX.
To achieve my goal I need to approach the marathon knowing (as far as it is possible to know anything other than, cogito ergo sum) that the training philosophy/method is the one that best suits my needs. To this end, I’ve spent time studying many of the great coaches and methodologies/systems – Lydiard, Canova, Kellogg, Hadley, Tinman, Horwill, Daniels, the Hansons, the Japanese, and the Spanish etc.
I think all of those that I’ve studied offer great ideas, but I truly believe they are all flawed in their approach to the marathon – some more than others. Canova, imo, is on the right track, but still has a way to go.
Pretty much all of the ‘great’ coaches believe that you can predict your marathon time based on your 5k/10k/half marathon time. They pretty much all agree that tempo runs in some form or other (you might be surprised how they differ on this) are essential in preparing for the marathon.
So what? There’s nothing groundbreaking here. Well, I think they’d be great if the marathon were only an 18-20 mile race and here’s where it gets interesting. So many people fail to hit their goals because they follow bog standard programs, which in truth only get them to 18-22 miles – elites included. Most blame their failings on extrinsic factors like fuel and water etc, when, most likely, their inability to achieve their goals was down to misguided preparation.
Furthermore, too many people, elites included, are racing too much and doing too many marathons, which are hindering 'real' development at all levels, including the 2:03/4 guys.
There are myriad problems with how most people prepare for the marathon and by examining the key points of the major coaches' methods I hope to highlight these problems and open the door to the 'new way' of marathon training. Big claim from Mr. Nobody; back it up, lad.
I will back it up, and better still, I will present and enact the 'new way' - The Bam Method.
7:00 p.m. Cheeky little 6 to get the legs ready for tomorrow's workout.
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