Longer Distances

The basic training for long distances is quite straight forward: lots of running. I've worked with three guys who ran under 2:25 and a few more under 2:30 and the basic formula was to do a long run on a Sunday (ie 2 - 2.5 hours), two effort sessions a week and the other four days were steady running of varying distances and on many occasions there would be a race on the Saturday to replace one of the steady runs. Regular racing + regular racing = good times. The question comes up what's an effort session? It could be a rep session on the track or on the road, it could be a hill session, it could be a time trial but basically it was a session for hard work and not for steady running. The very good squad I had in the 80's included ten Scottish Senior Internationalists (nine men and one woman) and the dose in winter was a long run on Sunday, a Hill Session on a Monday, a rep session on a Wednesday and steady runs for the rest of the week plus a variety of races - road, country, etc. After Christmas the hill gave way to a faster session - one year it was 20 x 200 on a grassy island on the Boule and one guy came from Carluke and another from Irvine to do these sessions with club runners. The summer racing season contents varied according to the events being specialised in. The year had to be shaped towards the main racing season and out of season results were not too important.

I have looked up some of the books that we used as bibles at the time and was gobsmacked at the new prices. For instance Jim Alder's "Marathon and Chips" which I got for nothing from the man himself with a dedication inside is now a collectors item at Amazon for £200.Original price was £4:95. Ron Hill's two books were excellent value but last night I couldn't find the first volume anywhere but the second was £174 for a used copy They are both good books and you can probably get them through the library. The last of the biographies was Bill Adcocks 'The Road to Athens' and that should be available through AW Books. He goes through his career and has a page of his weekly mileage for all the years when he was running really well.

That's the pattern - now all you do is find a coach/experienced athlete and work with him. But don't expect to get away with running only 10K's and easy running: the running has to progress every year if you want results to progress every year.