"We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon." Emil Zatopek
Zatopek was one who liked experiences and winning. In the 1952 Olympics he won both the 5,000 and 10,000m golds - and at the last minute he decided to run his first marathon as well. He got the gold medal in that too. As great as Bekele is - there is no way he could have won all three in Beijing. Part of that is how competitive all these races are these days - but, part of it is how incredible an accomplishment it was by Zatopek.
I'm not sure I completely trust his quote - because most of us who competed on any level ran long distance because we weren't fast enough for a more "sane" distance. But, the quote does illustrate why you have thousands of people lining up to run marathons - not 100 meter sprints. We are all looking for a unique experience. Something that is challenging and maybe even a little dangerous.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Ben,
This is a solid plan. If you are looking for more concrete guidance, I recommend reading "Advanced Marathoning" by Pete Pitzfinger. The book contains an 18 week and a 24 week schedule which contain the exact types of workouts you are planning. The plans are broken into base, pre competition, competition and taper mesocyles. Each week contains a medium long run of 11-15 miles and a long run of 18-24 miles. There are also loads of tempo runs and some MVO2 work. Weeks max out at over 90 and average in the 80's. There are scheduled easy weeks and easy days. However, no days off.
It is really nice to have it all written down. Once you commit to the book, you are confident that every workout has a purpose and a place, leading to one big marathon and several smaller tune up races.
In the last 20 weeks on the plan I improved from a 1:19:06 half to a 1:15:59 and the half was at the end of a 90 mile week. Even better, I have not missed a day of training since May 19. I can't say enough good things about this program.
It is worth a look for 18 bucks on amazon.
actually i did buy pfitzinger after reading one of your posts early this summer. I'm going to follow it for the most part and sprinkle in a few workouts from "the daniels running formula" by Jack Daniels.
Thanks for sharing your training this summer - it's was helpful and inspirational. I'm sure you'll kick butt in NYC. I ran there last year - so, if you want to know more about the course let me know. I'm hoping to come up there to cheer you guys on - it's a pretty awesome event. good luck if i don't talk to you beforehand.
Post a Comment