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Geb's training
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Dan
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 1999 11:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Check out this snippet I just found in a USA Today review of Geb's new movie, "Endurance."

Typically, practice consists of four hours that combine speed work and long-distance runs at 8,000-plus feet. It is not uncommon for Gebrselassie to warm up with five 2,000-meter sprints run roughly at a 4:12-mile pace, with only a three-minute recovery in between.

Could this be for real, or is a case of a non-running reporter getting the numbers mixed up? I believe Gebrselassie is quite capable of such a workout, but as a warmup?

Dan
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
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Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Mon May 10, 1999 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To follow up on this thought... If I were in Geb's shoes (I'm not an adidas guy Wink ), I'd make up the most insanely impossible workouts to leak out. Heck yeah, I did the "Once a Runner" 60x400 workout, but in 53 second quarters with only a 30 second rest straight through...

Think about it, he's the best in the world. Competitors will either be intimidated by his training or try to step it up to his level and get injured or burn out. Either way, he gains a huge competitive advantage. Unless, of course, no one believes him. No loss, in that case -- they still have to beat him!

Tough to pull this off, however, if you're not already number 1.

Dan
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 1999 1:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't think anyone, especially among running elite will take those - what was it- 5 times 2,000m in 5 min each? -seriously.
I doubt it's a smart plan by Geb to intimidate his rivals - they know better.
I am sure it's a reporter's error. Maybe it was just one of the toughest workouts Geb pulled off recently, and reporter decided to spice it up with "just as a warm up" part. Or maybe the pace was 4:12 in km, not miles (what system do they use in Ethipia - anyone knows?)... On the other hand 4 min per km is jogging, so that's not it...
in any case, nobody, even Geb would use 10k of 4mpm of "warmup" - and then what - 20 miles at 5mpm as warm-down? gotta be a mistake.

[Anonymously Posted by: 'Oleg']
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Dan
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 1999 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Oleg,

I'm inclined to agree with you that there was some reporting mistake there. However, I find the numbers interesting. Geb's 10k pace is 63 seconds per 400m, which would be about a 4:12 mile. Coincidentally (?), the quoted workout is 5x2k at that exact pace, or in other words, his 10k broken up into 5 intervals. Definitely doesn't sound like a warmup, but seems reasonable for a hard, late-season workout.

The problem with doubting him is that every time someone breaks his record, he takes off another huge chunk! Makes me wonder if he's really run his hardest yet... In which case, who knows what he's doing for warmups? Smile

Dan
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 12, 1999 12:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hmm, my second message didn't post for some reason...
Just after I posted my first message, I found some info (how credibile it is - is up to you)
on Geb's training.

Just like I expected, Geb can in fact do described 5x2000 (although someone else reported only 3x2000) at 64-65 seconds, but of course it's not a warm-up but a core workout.

Come to think of it - for Geb it means doing 2000 repeats 1-2 seconds per lap slower than 10k pace, (or 3-4 seconds slower than 5k pace) and 1000m repeats right about at 5k pace - that's about what many of us probably are doing, in my case the 1000 are actualy a bit faster than my 5k pace...


Here's the info:
(source is http://www.cyberenet.net/~amink/haile/haile.html#training)
"Training of Gebrselassie:

It's not surprising that a superstar like Haile would want to keep his training a secret, but in the July 98 issue of Running Times with interviewer Duncan Mackay, Haile revealed that he trains twice a day (at altitude) and goes about 150 - 200km (94 - 125 miles) during the winter. (Less during the racing season). He also does "lots of speedwork" including:

a) 5 x 2000m in 64 or 65seconds a lap. (note: 63.31s per lap is 10k WR pace)
b) 8 or 10 x 1000m in 2 min 28 seconds with 3 min recovery. (note: This is 61.66s a lap which is just about Geb's 5k WR pace)

He also does regular plyometric sessions.

Joshua Adams, a fan of Geb's met Geb in NYC while he was promoting his movie, and he reported this:
Geb said that he did: 3x2000s at 5:05 w/ 3 min. rest. He said that he runs twice a day and runs 18 miles a day. His diet consisted of a lot of carbohydrates. He said that he stays away from protein. He said protein is not good for runners. When I asked him how does he stay healthy and not get injured he said that he does a lot of stretching and does a proper warm up. He really said that he stretches very thoroughly before running. The last thing I remembered was that he does some weight training w/ light weights and a lot of reps.

Matt Goodwin (another fan) says even during Gebs base training he regularly does strides ( 100 meters) after every workout to keep his speed up."

[Anonymously Posted by: 'Oleg']
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Dan
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 12, 1999 1:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the follow-up info. Good stuff. I'm always interested to see what someone of his caliber (that eliminates 99% of his competitors!) is up to.

Interesting about the high carbos/non-protein diet. I had heard a while back that the Ethiopians and Kenyans consider their running success to be at least partially due to their diet -- very high in carbos and low in protein.

His training volume and intensity are surprisingly similar to what I would think is appropriate. Less mileage than the Westerners trying to achieve that level are likely to do, and with an emphasis on race pace preparation. Man, if only I had some semblance of his ability, I've got the same training philosophies....... Can't get enough of those 100m strides. "Most important part of the workout."

So, your second message didn't post? Someone else mentioned a similar problem, but I haven't had it happen myself. If anyone else has notices this, please let me know (along with any details) and I'll look into it.

Dan
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 1999 9:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dan - about my message - you know when you submit it for preview, you have to actually post it after previewing. It's possible I just quit the browser or went back not after hitting "preview" button.
So the script works fine, it's stupid users like me who can't figure out how to do it Smile
You can't make it foolproof - the fools are just too inventive!
Oleg

[Anonymously Posted by: 'Oleg']
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Dan
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Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 1999 10:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the update, Oleg. Glad to see signs of creative incompetence (also known as intelligent life forms) every now and then. Smile I see you managed a double post in another message, so it looks like you're all evened up now...

Dan
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 29, 2000 1:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Dan - nice forum. I trained in SW London for several years with an Ethiopian guy who had defected after winning the junior world 1/2 mar. He had shared a federation house with Haile after he got on the marathon squad (35 km time trial to get on team - first 5 home made it). He was able to give me some info on how they train, and I also met Haile and Worku Bikila (<13 5k) at a meet.5*2k at 63 doesn't sound untypical, usually with a long warm up and down, and withan hours run in the pm. Every day sounded pretty similar.
I also saw a big group of locally based Kenyans try to run 4*1 mile one Saturday morning, with a 1 lap jog rest - if you ignore they were trying to run under 4 mins per mile, that sounds pretty normal for 5k training. I'm not saying they succeeded (most didn't), but at least they tried. They did most of their training on the grass in a park

[Anonymously Posted by: 'wayne']
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Dan
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Location: Salem, OR

PostPosted: Fri Dec 29, 2000 7:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Wayne,

Thanks for the info. So, it sounds like that would indeed be the actual workout, not the warmup. Those workouts do demonstrate one thing -- the way to improve is to push the boundaries of what is currently possible.

Dan
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