Elite Training

[ambler]

The top runners all seem to have around 10 hours of training a week!!
I am a bit unsure as to how they actually manage this.

Can someone give me a clue?

I am training quite hard at the moment and only get in about 6. What sort of mix is there within the 10 they do?
I have probably 50% quality and 50% recovery(ish) with 1 day off a week.

[Pingu]

Your motto may have somthing to do with it!

But a rest day is essential.

[BJesus]

I think you will find that most elite runners are training more than only 10hrs a week!! in the winter, most of the top men here in Halden would be pushing 65-70hrs a month, down to maybe 40-45 hrs a month in the summer when the racing is on.
Training twice a day certainly makes it easier;)

[gross2006]

who said 2 x 7 x 52....... wasn't Stan Laurel

[DesignatedDriver]

during my placement year at university, i took to a half hour swim in the morning.

then after work, a 45 minute run followed by gym work.
usually a 3km sprint on the machines (about 9 1/2 mins), then 30 mins weights work followed by a gentle 30min warm down swim.

was back in my house at 19:30. dinner, bevvies then bed.

i believe that Monday-Friday that would be 12 1/2 hours. i would then do a competition on saturday.

but the truly hardcore will no doubt tell you some horrific training schedules!

[rocky]

he's been injured recently but Pasi really knows how to crank the hourage up. If you're ever suffering from a lack of motivation i suggest reading this site!

http://rasti.suunnistus.net/pekkavaris/ikonen/hpk1/etestiharkka.php

[BJesus]

http://www.staff-valstad.com/trening/Ja ... r_2003.jpg


hope that link works and below is his comments although in norwegian

Januar

Fokus: Aerob utholdenhet

Total treningsmengde 108 timer. Herav 102 timer utholdenhetstrening.

Klarte å trene relativt mye og samtidig bevare overskuddet. Innslag av høy intensitet er bakkeintervaller eller hurtig langkjøring i bakke. Vil i neste periode fortsatt trene med samme hovedmål, men nå øke innslag av spesifikk trening og også noe o-teknikk.

Mistet noe spesifikk trening i januar på grunn av et kranglete kne.

Bevegelsesform: Mye klassisk langrenn og løping på snø.



check out that training, 108hrs for one month, and he even had the first day off

thats why the Bjornar Valstad was a world champion!!!!

[ambler]

I do like DesignatedDriver's cross training method to get the hours up.

I honestly find it hard to believe you can get in more than 3 good quality running sessions in during a week which give you any decent benefit. I need the next day recovery runs of usually 7-9 miles easy/steady to recover and get me physically ready for a new quality one.

I must be just weak! I'll have to work a lot harder obviously. This regular semi-structured training lark is new to me so any ideas are welcome.

[graeme]

14 hours is trivial - just do a standard 7 hour week at half the speed.

I reckon you're right - three really hard running sessions a week is about the limit. Then you do other stuff (circuits, cycling, LongslowDistance, ShortSlowDistance) on other days, and count your cycle to work and hiking if you feel the need to pretend you're putting the mileage in.

If Pasi Ikonen can count going hiking as 120' training, that's good enough for me

Graeme

[Dids co]

Don't get caught up on what everybody else is doing, you must train what is right for you. You need to structure a training program just for you - take into account your strengths, weaknesses, body type, time, work, stress-level in life, previous training, injuries, aims.....etc. Its very important with any new injection of hours training (especially running) that you build up gradually and your body is conditioned enough to cope with an increase.

[FatBoy]

Echo what Dids said. Don't feel you need to get your hours up just because everyone else is. The most important part of training is addressing weaknesses in your running, ie quality not quantity. Is it hills, stamina, terrain, speed, navigation? For the most part this is too simple a breakdown but gets you thinking the right way. Most of the top guys already know what training makes them fast hence they're the top guys - you need to figure out what works for you. For example I know an 8 hour walk in the mountains does way more for my calf strength than any gym session - so you can't knock putting walking in your training diary! It also means having a total number of hours doesn't tell you much as an 8 hour walk is quite a bit easier than an 8 hour run. One thing I used to do when I was vaguely elite was keep a total for each month (much better than week for getting a bigger picture of what you're doing) for each type of training - e.g. total orienteering, total running, total cycling, total walking, total gym etc. This also ensures when you find a good balance of training that makes you faster that you can replicate it.

[Nails]

Quote a jwoc team member from this year:

walk in the park 2.5hrs
dancing at gatecrasher 3hrs

For example I know an 8 hour walk in the mountains does way more for my calf strength than any gym session

Mind you a half hour run in the mountains does way more for your calf strength than any gym session. Whats all this walking marlarky...i jobby hate walking it takes too long to get anywhere....

[Nails]

One thing I used to do when I was vaguely elite was keep a total for each month (much better than week for getting a bigger picture of what you're doing) for each type of training

Also i don't agree with this. Personally the shorter the period, the more you can focus on each one. What i'm trying to say is often if you've got a training plan you might have one week hard, one easy, two hard in one month. Now if thats not going to have a different total to one week easy, two hard, one easy then i'm santa claus. Jobby...try again... what i'm trying to say is your monthly total means little, it's the weekly goal that matters in the long run.

Also as a new convert to running twice a day, i find that by having a gentle (recovery) run in the morning means that you feel much better for the quality sessions in the evening. Recovery is key as someone else has pointed out, and using an evening for recovery might be a little wasteful -unless of course you do quality sessions in the morning!

[FatBoy]

If you don't like walking - fair play don't do it. The benefit of walking as opposed to running for me is you carry much more weight (because you're out for 8 hours and need food, clothing, emergency torch, possibly rope etc) and also it's a slow continual weight bearing. Personally running in the mountains does about the same for me as a gym session - an hour and my calves are in serious pain and yet it doesn't seem to build as much strength. Others may be different to me - that's what one needs to find out when planning ones training.

I think I see what you're trying to say about weeks but you seem to be agreeing with me. Yes have a weekly target e.g. this week is hard running, next is easy with swim and bike thrown in etc. The reason to look at monthly totals for me is in a week it's easy to get thrown off by individual events - e.g. pick up a minor ankle knock at the weekend so change focus until Thursday on to swim/bike. e.g. did the Karrimor end of last week so a few days off this week. Over a month these even out allowing you to compare like with like, and also to compare year on year e.g. last January worked for me this didn't what was different - very difficult to do this comparison with individual weeks.

[Dids co]

I personally don't think planning training week by week is the optimal way to train, e.g 2 hard, 1 easy etc.
A week is only 7 days - and thus many people that train on a weekly basis make the big mistake of trying to cram all the different sessions, e.g intervals, hills, tempo, race, distance, weights, circuits, technique, plyometrics etc, into this very limited 7 day period.

Also if you work on a week by week basis - for example Mon: Weights, Tues: Intervals, Wed: Distance, Thurs: Hills, Fri: Plyo + tech; Sat: Tempo; Sun: Distance - the body quite quickly adapts to these sessions. For long term improvement its best to change the days of your sessions all the time,(e.g not always run intervals on tuesday) as this stimulates the body to be ready for anything - and better prepared to perform on the big race day.

I feel its better to plan your training in periods. identify your strengths and weaknesses, plan sessions accordingly, and plan when you need to be in top shape, and then work out a yearly plan, with focus on specific areas during different periods.

e.g
October to early November: Rest period

Early November to Middle December: Conditioning
period, preparing the body for hard training

Middle December to Middle of March: Hard endurance training

Middle March to Middle May: Stength + Hills period
Middle May to Middle July: Speed/o-tech/terrain
Middle of July to Early August: Peaking

Early August = "World Champion"