Marathon Training Advice/Quotes from Elite Athletes, Coaches and Fellow Bloggers

[Ted Leblow]

Ok, I thought I would get a subject started where we can discuss and share marathon training advice, ideas that we find and or believe. Such as high mileage versus lower mileage and making easy runs easy, and running what some would consider junk miles and if there is any benefit. These are just a few topics we can address. This one could be fun.

Some from Peter Gilmore below who I think has figured out what works for him. It would also be nice to hear from Paul, Logan and Sean our OTQ guys on what has worked for them seeing the huge improvements they made over the last year.

"For me, running slow on my easy runs keeps me healthy. I run about seven-minute miles. I could run six-minute pace or faster, but the seven-minute miles give me the same aerobic benefit and don't beat me up as much. It also makes it easier to get my mileage high, which is critical for marathon success. The biggest difference between dying at the end of the Olympic Trials and flying at the end of CIM was simply accumulating 10 more months of injury-free training." Peter Gilmore

"Continuity of racing is also a crucial part of marathon preparation. I raced 22 times last year. In those races, my readiness varied from tired and out-of-shape to tapered and focused. We have such a competitive local circuit in the Bay Area that finding a good race isn't difficult. Going into a cross country race off a 130-mile week teaches you unique lessons about toughness. This year, I've been lucky enough to be one of the top dogs on the local circuit. If I enter a local race where I'd be the favorite if tapered, and instead run 130 miles that week, suddenly I'm no longer the favorite and I have to find a way to win. It gives me a good workout, hones my racing skills, earns me a few dollars, and keeps the sport fun. Some guys can go through three or four months of training without a race. I need to get out there and toe the line constantly." Peter Gilmore

Those are just a couple of quotes from Peter Gilmore to get the topic rolling. Anybody want to jump in and share some more!

[Paul Petersen]

“Optimal Training beats Hard training 9 out of 10 times.” -- Tinman

[Chad]

“If you want to win anything- a race, yourself, your life- you have to go a little berserk”- Dr. George Sheehan.

[Ted Leblow]

"Good things come slowly - especially in distance running."

- Bill Dellinger

[Ted Leblow]

"Hills are speedwork in disguise."

- Frank Shorter

[Ted Leblow]

"Several of my critics have said, ?Bowerman just tacks up a piece of paper in the locker room and turns his runners loose.'  They're partially right. I do give the athletes a relatively free rein and for good reason.  One of my principles is? Don't overcoach.'"
          - Bill Bowerman

[Ted Leblow]

"A teacher is never too smart to learn from his pupils.  But while runners differ, basic principles never change.  So it's a matter of fitting your current practices to fit the event and the individual.  See, what's good for you might not be worth a darn for the next guy."
          - Bill Bowerman

[Ted Leblow]

"Running is a lot like life.  Only 10 percent of it is exciting.  90 percent of it is slog and drudge."
          - Dave Bedford, English distance runner who occasionally put in 200 miles a week in training

[Ted Leblow]

"A lot of people don't realize that about 98 percent of the running I put in is anything but glamorous: 2 percent joyful participation, 98 percent dedication!  It's a tough formula.  Getting out in the forest in the biting cold and the flattening heat, and putting in kilometer after kilometer."
          - Rob de Castella

[Ted Leblow]

"I think people can handle 150 to 200 miles a week.  But something has to give somewhere.  If he's a student, how's he going to study?  He may be at the age of chasing and courtship, and that's an important form of sport and recreation, too."
          - Bill Bowerman

[Ted Leblow]

"Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don't think about them, I just do them.  The decision has already been made."
          - Patti Sue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

[Ted Leblow]

"The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat."
          - Bill Squires

[Ted Leblow]

"If someone says, 'Hey, I ran 100 miles this week.  How far did you run?' ignore him!  What the he!@ difference does it make?....  The magic is in the man, not the 100 miles."
          - Bill Bowerman

[Ted Leblow]

"I haven't seen too many American distance men on the international scene willing to take risks.  I saw some U.S. women in Barcelona willing to risk, more than men.  The Kenyans risk.  Steve Prefontaine risked.  I risked - I went through the first half of the Tokyo race just a second off my best 5000 time."
          - Billy Mills

"My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold.  You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble."
          - Bill Rodgers

[Ted Leblow]

"The marathon is like a bullfight.  There are two ways to kill a bull, for instance.  There is the easy way, for one.  But all the great matadors end up either dead or mauled because for them killing the bull is not nearly as important as how they kill the bull.  They always approach the bull at the greatest risk to themselves, and I admire that.  In the marathon, likewise, there are two ways to win.  There's the easy way if all you care about is winning.  You hang back and risk nothing.  Then kick and try to nip the leaders at the end.  Or you can push, challenge the others, make it an exciting race, risking everything. Maybe you lose, but as for me, I'd rather run a gutsy race, pushing all the way and lose, then run a conservative, easy race only for a win."
          - Alberto Salazar, 1981