Supertraining

--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "W.G. Johnson"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Bob,
>
> Is the marathon data presented out of date or is it still valid?
> If it's still valid, how can it hurt to remind coaches of distance
runners and inform uncoached  folks who are starting to get out and
run bigger distances, of sound training methods?
> Everyone is as well informed as you are.
> 
Bill, I can't say whether the information is out of date or not.
Actually it was probably never "in date" for a lot of people that
coach marathon runners. There has always been the debate over quantity
vs. quantity and  RRN has always been in the quality camp and still
is. Owen Anderson,the publisher of RRN  who I know fairly well, has
never published anything since then that supersedes that information
and his Advanced marathon book from a few years ago contains most of
that and more information. 

My post was not meant to denigrate the value of your post, but made met
wonder why that site was publishing it almost like it was their own
new information. Perhaps Owen has an agreement with them.

To set the record straight, I am not a professional certified coach of
elite marathon runners, but volunteer as a coach for out local running
club. I have been conducting weekly track sessions for about 10 years
and this year was awarded a 2007 RRCA National Volunteer Award. In
addition to that I provide coaching services to some of the runners,
many of whom wish to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Most of them are
30-50 years old with no college track background. Using many things I
have learned from RRN, I have been fairly successful with some 2:50x
marathons on 50-60 miles/week and a few females with a good chance to
qualify for the next trials in 2012. 

As you know from what you do, there is more than one way to skin a
cat--and lots of ways to kill one!  Lots of miles and lots of long
runs leave many runners at the starting gate. Fewer miles and faster
runs let many of them run well in their limited time. Runners World
still thinks "tempo" runs are the greatest things since sliced bread,
but the term has become very subjective and therefore meaningless.
Even with their original meaning of runs at LT as originated by Jack
Daniels who I think coined the term "tempo runs", there are better
workouts for marathon training--and any other distance as well.  The
lone exception is training for a 15k or 10 mile race where the
original tempo pace (theoretical LT)is specific to race pace.

Bob Dannegger
Raleigh, NC