Dr Timothy Noakes is Professor in the Discovery Health Chair of Exercise and Sports Science Department of Human Biology at the University of Cape Town and is the author or co-author of more than 350 scientific publications and is on the Editorial Boards of 13 international scientific publications. He is also a veteran of over 70 marathon and ultramarathon events – so he doesn’t just study running in isolation, his studies are lived out in his own training.
His book Lore of Running is widely praised as the most complete such book yet written – the “Bible” of running. Currently in its fourth edition, it runs to over 900 pages and covers every aspect of running. If you don’t fancy reading it, you could just use it for weight training!!
In discussing running training, Noakes refers to the 15 Laws of Training. Prior to the development of sports science in the 1970s, very little scientific investigation had been carried out into how the body adapts to training. Most knowledge was gained through trial and error and information passed down through generations. One of the first people to write extensively about running training was an Englishman called Arthur Newton. Newton ran competitively between 1922 and 1935 and wrote extensively about his training. From these writings and his knowledge of sports science, Noakes has compiled the 15 Laws of Training. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at each in detail and see how whether they are still valid today and, if so, how to incorporate them into an overall training strategy
Train SMART!