The US Endurance Model
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comment james harvey The US endurance model Mark Shearman Mark We should be It is claimed African distance runners lead the world because of their high training mileage spotting talent and and, in particular, long track sessions then cultivating it as the Americans do, says US-based distance running coach, JAMES HARVEY Pictures: Mark Shearman T SEEMS that everyone has a comment about the poor situation that British male distance running finds itself in, but very few people Ioffer solutions. The following is what I would suggest. UKA is one of the best-financed or possibly the best-financed governing body in the world of athletics. This is true at least up until the London Olympics. They should go back to basics and reintroduce track and field into the The talent to compete at world two athletes went under Galen Rupp’s encourage the best endurance athletes British comprehensive school system. level does exist in Great Britain. It is not American junior record – Chris Derrick to seek scholarships at select schools in This should be done by paying coaches being identified, nurtured or coached in 13:29.98 and German Fernandez in the US. It would give an extra four years (preferably teachers already in the correctly. A major ingredient in the 13:31.78. of development in an age group where school system) to coach after-school demise is that UKA introduced a coach Also in this B race were three athletes they would be competitive and able to track and field three or four afternoons education system that was ill-founded sub-13:30, six sub-13:40 and 15 sub- find appropriate levels of competition. per week. There could be a designated and taught flawed fundamentals. It 14:00. There were also two 10,000m They would also have a sound network school in each town or city with a paid placed too great an emphasis on hard races, with 27:36 taking the win and to deal with injury problems which coach who could recruit, motivate and interval training and decried the merits more than 20 athletes at sub-29:00. invariably arise. This would go a long channel promising young athletes of high mileage. The newcomers to The races were run in good weather way to providing a relatively quick fix in the right direction. It would be a the sport from the jogging fraternity conditions and set up and paced until we can turn things around. relatively inexpensive way to identify absorbed what they were taught on appropriately to allow all the athletes To have any chance of becoming talent and pave the way for future these courses. They went back to the every opportunity to post decent times. competitive, we have to realise our success. clubs and imparted this misinformation These performances are not unusual in distance runners need a huge aerobic and, over a period of a decade or the US where sub 13:20 5km and sub- base that can only be obtained through more, we arrive at the present dismal 27:30 10km races have already taken high weekly mileage. Not only does situation. We must reintroduce a drive place this season. There are several other the total need to be high, but the for excellence and settle for nothing less. meets of a similar nature over the course The African distance The US system is indeed currently of a few weeks that foster a similar the best in the Western world for environment and we will see times runners aren’t better than producing high-quality competitive become progressively faster. their counterparts in the distance runners. It has achieved this British athletes Lee Emanuel (3.37) West because they have standard by a change in coaching and Andrew Lemoncello (27:57/13:33) ‘‘better basic or acquired philosophy that preaches high volume along with Scott Overall and Rory Fraser speed or because they and stresses the value of a large aerobic have posted decent performances in do more speed work. base. The latest example of this came at the last two weeks and benefit from They are better because ‘‘ an unexceptional meet at Stanford on this kind of setting. The system also of the huge aerobic base May 2. The 5000m A race was won in offers high-standard competitive they have acquired that 13:22.26 by Alistair Cragg of Ireland from championships where racing tactics and allows them to maintain Matt Tegencamp’s 13:22.60. Five men skills can be honed in an appropriate, a sustained pace that is ran sub-13:30, 13 sub-13:40 and 21 sub- meaningful setting with titles on the line. alien to Western athletes 14:00. The B race saw a win for Hassan UK coaches should take their blinkers Scott Overall: has benefited from US system Mead in 13:28.45, but more significantly off, get their heads out of the sand and 18 athleticsweekly.com volume in each individual session in the Mo Farah: One-lap I have coached since 1996, to achieve base period needs to be a minimum one of the sprinters a base that produced performances of of 10km of reps with short recoveries few GB men like Martyn 3:34 for 1500m, 13:03 for 5000m and competitive Rooney may being taken. The main development at world be good at 2:10 for the marathon. Obviously he is a in a workout of this volume comes in level 800m very talented athlete and, like so many the final third as the athlete begins other Irish athletes, he came to the US to to fatigue. It places the athlete in enable that talent to flourish. a similar situation to that he will A word to Ian Stewart. Apart from encounter in a race, where pace has to Mo Farah and Andy Baddeley at their be maintained despite the increasing respective distances, the only male levels of discomfort. It teaches patience, event in which we can realistically hope discipline, relaxation and willpower to be competitive at in the London and allows the body to adjust to the Olympics 2012 is the men’s 800m. It required demands. is an event relatively untouched by The African distance runners aren’t drug abuse because of its unique better than their counterparts in the physiological demands. Times have not West because they have better basic improved dramatically in the last 30 or acquired speed or because they 10km or more of work at or near current 18 to 22 miles and a medium-long run years, remaining in the 1:42/1:44 range do more speed work. They are better 10km racing pace for reps of 800m and of 13 to 15 miles, most of it run at a very with one or two notable exceptions. because of the huge aerobic base they above (reps less than 800m to be based easy recovery pace. It is very important We should be looking to find four or have acquired that allows them to on current 5km pace). If more than that the bulk of the mileage covered five strong 400m runners at or around maintain a sustained pace that is alien two workouts are attempted they will is used for recovery. This way very little 46 seconds who would be suited to to Western athletes. probably contain too little volume or falls in the grey area that gives little or an increase in distance. They should As a general outline for the kind not allow sufficient time for recovery. no development but leaves the athlete be willing to train as a group, and be of work to be done in the base Every third or fourth session should be too fatigued to consistently perform the groomed and conditioned for the 800m conditioning period, I would suggest a tempo run of between eight and 12 required workouts. with the best coaches and expertise the following: miles using a heart rate monitor. This very brief outline, but with fine available. With good support, planning A maximum of two workouts per Total mileage should be 95 to 120 tuning, was the philosophy that allowed and coaching we could expect a finalist week with each workout containing miles per week, including a long run of Irish record-holder Mark Carroll, whom with potential to contend for a medal. athleticsweekly.com 19.