The rise of Eastern Bloc athletes from the 1950s has been attributed, in some areas, largely to the implementation of periodisation. In practice, this was a method of splitting the training year into phases with a different emphasis on each phase each building on the last in a linear fashion. A typical example of a training year would include: general preparation phase specific preparation phase pre competition phase competition phase recovery/transition phase. The success of the Lydiard method during the 1960s was based on similar principles. Runners would spend as many weeks as possible running high mileages at aerobic paces. They would then spend 4 weeks with an emphasis on hillwork before spending 4 weeks with an … [Read more...]
Running Coaching – Minimum Effective Dose
Minimum Effective Dose • The best way to improve your running is to run more miles • The best way to get injured running is to run more miles Every runner who is seeking to improve will at some point face this problem – the best way to get fitter is to run more miles but if I do that, I’m likely to get injured. Most running books and magazines quote the 10% rule when looking to increase mileage – that it is safe to increase your mileage by 10% each week. Some wiser writers include the warning that every fourth week should be a recovery week where you back off to let your body recover. Using this as a principle though, you could go from running 10 miles a week to running 100 miles in a week in less than a year! Well you … [Read more...]
Welcome to the NEW Running Coaching
Welcome to the new Running Coaching. It is great to be back with you after some technical difficulties! As I re-launch the site, I just thought I’d explain a little about who it is aimed at and my training philosophy. There are some runners who just enjoy the running itself and who run for fitness and the pure enjoyment of running. These are noble motives and I’d like to think I can provide a little information that might be beneficial to them. There are some runners who disappear away at the front of a race never to be seen again until either they lap you or you see them picking up a trophy at the end of the race. Most of these runners have their own coaches but I’m sure there will be snippets of information that would … [Read more...]
Training for 5k? Finish fast!
I’ve just received my May copy of Runner’s World. Amongst the running coaching articles is one entitled ‘Secrets to a Stronger Finish’ One of the suggestions it contains is to use plyometrics - jumping and bounding exercises. This is an excellent way to improve speed and running performance but, what the article fails to mention, is that it carries a very high risk of injury if the athlete is not fit enough. So, while there are benefits to be had, plyometrics represents very much the icing on the cake. So, what alternatives are there to boost performance at the end of a race? In my track days, I mainly raced 400m hurdles. To gain strength, I often trained with a group of 800m runners on the Oxford University track – the track … [Read more...]
I Believe…….
1. I believe that running fast is a skill that everyone can learn 2. I believe that life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. 3. I believe that my family are the most important thing in my life. 4. I believe that hard work and dedication are qualities that are seriously undervalued in today’s world. 5. I believe it is better to educate and encourage than it is to bully and belittle. 6. I believe that there is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells out the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment. 7. I believe that there are few greater pleasures than the sensation of running fast with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. 8. I believe that smiling is contagious. 9. I believe that everyone … [Read more...]