The Qwer Old Fella's Marathon Method

Hey, hey, folks. Welcome to Bam’s Blog. My name’s Tiddles Maloney of The Sporting Universe – the top selling sports magazine in the universe. Wow, have I got a scandal for you today. But first, I have to tell you that Bam and I were up nice and early this morning (6:30). Bam dropped out a cheeky little 8 miler, as I followed on a bike.

Yesterday I left you with the 20 quick questions teaser thingy-ma-bob. Things have changed. Bam’s candid recounting of his bamboozling and scandalous escapades have flummoxed me. His duplicity has left me dumbfounded. I didn’t get round to asking Bam the other 19 questions. But I will...

Before we set out on our 8 miler this morning, I watched Bam doing his AIS. He took care with each and every movement. Disciplined and precise. Rhythmic. He told me he felt tired and that his legs were a bit stiff, but overall he was fine. It was strange to see him sprawled out on the floor, nonchalantly stretching in the same living-room where he had only hours earlier told me something that he’d never told a living soul. A secret he’d carried for over thirty years. And perhaps, buried somewhere in the subtext of his words lies a clue to what makes this complex man tick.

Here’s what happened last night:

I was sat at the computer in the corner of the apple-green coloured living-room, having gone over my notes and Bam was sat on a sofa, watching the Olympic boxing. It was about 10:30 p.m. Bam’s wife and kids had hit zed-land. I thought I should get my first question in. So, after some small talk, I fired off the question:

T.M. - Is it true that you cheated your way into the final of the English national 3,000m championships and if so, how and why?

(He carried on watching the boxing and answered after about two or three seconds)

Bam.- I was only 16 and it was the English Schools Track and Field Championships in Yeovil, Somerset in 1981. I was on a four man team representing the British Forces Education Services in Germany. The other three lads were doing field events. In fact, I was the first ever person to represent the B.F.E.S.  on the track in the English schools. The qualifying standard for the 3,000m’s was 8:57. If you had the standard and won your respective county championships, you qualified. Only 14 people qualified, so it was a straight final. (There were many more than 14 who had done the time but they might have been in the 1,500m or the 800m or they might not have won their relevant county championships. If you were coming from the British Forces Education Services Abroad – you just had to do the time.)

T.M. – So you did the time and qualified. I don’t understand – where’s the cheating?

(He turned and gave me a hard look. His dark eyes revealed nothing. A skill, perhaps, he’s mastered over the years.)

Bam – I didn’t say that I’d done the time.

To be continued…

Hey, hey, Tiddles here. Sorry to leave so abruptly but I had to nip into town with Bam and the kids. He bought Running Times (not a jot on The Sporting Universe) Nearly 6 Euro and I believe that folks in the US get it at a smidgeon of that price.

He did a 6 miler this evening. About the same pace as this morning, although he did appear to be moving with more fluency. Anyway, where were we? Ah yes…

Bam – I didn’t do the time.

(He looks around the room. I notice photographs on the mantelpiece above the open fireplace.) Bam’s a chunky fella in the shots. He’s shed some lard since those pics were snapped. His eyes come back on me.)

Bam - I ran 9:48 in a local race and changed the certificate to 8:48 and then took it to my teacher – he wouldn’t have known 8:48 from 10:48, he just knew I was the best runner in the school and the best runner in Germany  (in a B.F.E.S. school - not hard) and he duly sent off the certificate to whomever. Next thing I knew, I was selected and told I’d be staying with a family in Taunton – near Yeovil – and given the dates when we’d be flying etc.

T.M. - Hold up. Whatd’ya mean, you changed the certificate?

Bam – This was back in the days of typewriters; there were no computers. I used Tipex paper – you know, you pop the paper over the character you want to remove, type the character and it’s gone. Vanished. So I removed the ‘9’ and replaced it with an '8'. Abracadabra, I’m on my way to the nationals.

(I haven’t the foggiest about these typewriters and magic paper, but I nod.)

T.M.- So nobody authenticated the time and it was as easy as that?

Bam - Yep.

T.M. – But why did you do it. Surely you knew you’d be found out, didn’t you?

Bam – I did it to impress a girl. You know, so that she, along with the whole school would think that I was some sort of cool track star. Didn’t work. When I got back from England she was going with one of my mates. But I didn’t get caught.

T.M. - How come you didn’t get caught? Surely when you ran, they knew you hadn’t done the time. Where did you finish, or did you drop out feigning injury?

Bam – No, I didn’t drop out – I’m not a quitterJ. I finished 13^th – a lad dropped out. The race was won by Adrian Passey, who later went on to run in the Olympic 5,000m or 10,000m, I think in L.A. He nearly lapped me. I remember the crowd, about 15,000, cheering me in the blazing sun on the cinder track. I suspect they thought I was brave and gutsy to carry on. Afterwards, Passey told his grandmother that I got a bigger cheer than him. He seemed pretty peeved about that. The guy lacked grace. I never got caught. Never told a soul. But I got a taste for the old running malarkey. Anyway, I’m off to bed. Early start tomorrow.

(Off he went. I sat there gobsmacked. Then something struck me and I called him back)

T.M. - Did you feel guilty?

Bam - All my life.

T.M. - How come you were in a British forces school in Germany and running in the English champ's and all that, if you're Irish?

Bam - Now that's a good question, but I'm too tired to sit here and explain it all at this time of night.

Now as I look over my notes and see some of the things that I’m going to broach, I'm starting to wish I hadn't accepted this assignment. This Bam fella's a complete and utter bampot.

Hey, hey folks. Welcome to Bam's blog. Tiddles Maloney here and as I'm sure you well know, I'm a cub reporter on The Sporting Universe - the top selling sports magazine in the universe.

Wow, what a scoop yesterday. First day on the job and I drop in a front page head turner. I've been thinking of headlines and straps: GOTCHA! Bam the bamboozler busted for pulling a fast one.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch. This morning, Bam did his usual 8 mile recovery run. Not a drop of rain. But the cornucopia of clouds covering the sky would have had Bret the alligator Jardine heading indoors for his comforter: the treadmill:)

I've settled in to Bam's house and I have to say, I've been made to feel like one of the family. The nosh is good and healthy and plentiful. The kids are entertaining. And of course, with the Olympics on the television, every second's a joy.

I've been busy working out how to bring all the news and gossip from Bam's life to you and I've a few gems lined up...

Last night, I spent time chatting with Bam and his family about his training and his goals. I had to be careful, as I nearly revealed my true identity. Must shoot, something's cropped up. This is Tiddles Maloney, for now, saying toodlepip from Bam's yard.

...Back again. Wow, that Bam can sleep. Takes an afternoon nap. This evening he ran 3 miles out to a boreen on the Slieve Mish Mountains and banged out 8x8 sec's hill sprints off a 2 min walk rec. Then he ran the three miles home.

Great setting for a nice session. The boreen's canopied by trees and ferns adorn the banks of the hillside road. The scent of wet foilage intoxicated and the pitter-patter of Bam's feet was the only sound. I'll tell you this, it reminds me of a place dear to my heart, a place I miss dearly.

Great stuff.

Hey, hey, folks. Welcome to Bam’s blog. Tiddles Maloney here (cub reporter on The Sporting Universe – the best selling sports magazine in the universe.) Guess what? It’s raining over this of the pond.

Bam did 10.5 miles at 10:30 a.m. including 3.5 miles of brutal climbing in the Slieve Mish Mountains. A decent workout: at about 10k race effort. He was blowing like an old woman loaded with grocery bags.

Tonight, after Bam’s 6 mile shakeout, I’ll have some decent stuff for you. But for now I’ll sign off as we’re all going swimming. Yipee – can’t think of anything worse...

Back again, folks. What an afternoon. Hit the pool with the Bamster and family and then stayed home while Bam went out in the rain for his 6 miles shakeout. Bam in a swimming pool – what a sight. He looked like a stick insect.

Anyway, while Bam was doing his shakeout I spent time considering my notes and the last couple of days. Loads to throw at you but first I’ll clear a few things up, as there appears to be some confusion.

Of course I’m not Tiddles Maloney. I’m not a lumberjack or a character either –sorry JakeJ I’m a leprechaunJJ I’m Sean the running guru – the leprechaun from Bam’s early days on the site. My mission’s to keep Bam on the straight and narrow – off the booze and fags and bad food. Yeah, okay he’s a tad nuts but that’s all part of the metamorphoses. We all know he isn’t going to run anywhere near 2:20. But he is in shape. His sessions and miles are all true (RobJ) as is the 3000m ‘stuff’ from the other day. I need to get him to trawl through the darkness so that he can come through into the light and stay there etc.

I think he’s beginning to accept that he’ll do well just to stay fit and healthy. But that doesn’t mean that I will not have him out on the roads running 10k’s and marathons etc.

I have a plan. I want him to do the Tralee marathon and set three goals A, B, & C. ‘A’  will be very tough on a tough course but you never know. ‘B’ will be hard too and ‘C’ will be realistic and commendable – all things considered. But I’ll deal with those things on another day.

Also, just to let you know, I’ll be doing interviews with members of his family and his friends etc. I’ll be ripping apart his life and here’s a real taster for you: handy boxer, studied philosophy and literature at Warwick university – even though he left school with hardly a qualification to his name,  lived in Botswana for two years and Kenya for a year; he had to escape from Kenya into Uganda under the cover of night and bribe a border guard, he was the editor of a best selling tabloid newspaper and owned a national tabloid newspaper, he retrained as a physical therapist and set up a successful clinic that’s still running today, a team of 8 close protection officers (bodyguards) were assigned to guard him and his family and then you’ve got all the gangsters and organized crime stuff. No wonder this guy hit the bottle. But can he stay off it? Can he sort out a goal and stick to it? Can I sort out a way of relaying the details of all this ‘stuff’ and keep Bam motivated, even though that might mean he gets bogged down in a mire of mediocrity?

8 miles easy. Legs feeling ok and looking forward to another 8 tonight to finish off the week.

Managed to get rid of that looper, Tiddles Maloney. Told me last night that he was a leprechaun. Takes all sorts to keep this little ball spinning. Just read over his posts - think he was on something. Although, I've been thnking about some of his points...

Had planned on doing an 8 and taking the weekly miles over 110 but opted for a cheeky little 6.

17 miles on the undulating Tralee Marathon course. Nice easy run @ 7:30 pace. Finished the run and scoffed a banana and quaffed a glass of milk, showered, wolfed down a bowl of fresh, ice cold pineapple and now, as I type this up, I'm gormandizing on a Bam bar - oh baby, life doesn't get any better than this. Best of all, I don't even feel as though I've been out for a run yet. Think I'm getting fit.

On last night's 10,000m, what made it special for me was the number of times Mo checked to see if Rupp was ok, and when Mo started to move, he made sure Rupp was ready too. Pleased for both of them.

A 'soft' 4 miles to shakeout this morning's run. Felt fine and dan-day.

Easy 8 miles. Took a few miles to get going but then everything was super-dooper.

The last couple of weeks have shown me that my crumbling body can't cope with a Long Run, 2 vo2 max sessions, a Lactate Threshold run and 110ish miles all in a week. I've, therefore, decided to slow things down and work on a 4 week cycle where recovery and adaptation are as important as the workouts.

So, the key sessions in the new week will consist of a long run (17ish with some aerobic threshold miles), 1 session of 8x8 sec's hill sprints, 1 hard speed workout: 10x1 min hills/ 5x800m @ 3k pace off 90 secs/ 4x1miles @5k pace off 90 sec's/ 6x1 mile @10k pace off 60 sec's -yuk-, and a weekly lactate threshold run of 4 miles/ 3.5 miles hill climb at 10k pace race effort. All other runs will be recovery runs. The plan is to keep the miles up around the 110-117 mark until March...

If you want to see something special today, check the women's boxing; Katie Taylor (Ire) is boxing a Brit - as long as the Brits don't get another dodgy decision in the ring, Taylor should zip through to the next round and set tongues a-wagging.

10 a.m. 6 miles easy. Opted for another rec day, following Jake's suggestions.

I think I'll try a 9 day cycle with three stress days. Day 1 - Long run with element of aerobic threshold; days 2&3 recovery days with core work and diagonals; day 4 - speed workout; days 5&6 recovery days with core and strength work plus a session of diagonals; day 7 - lactate threshold run; days 8&9 rec days with core work and a session of 8x8 sec's hill blasts. I'll see how this goes...

5:30 a.m. 8 miles relaxed. The zip is back in the legs and that's good news for tomorrow. I think that two days recovery might be on the button for the training load at the moment. 

Just watched the men's 1,500m final - what a disgrace! Ruined the whole games.

7:30 a.m. 6 miles relaxed. Legs felt good, so everything should be ok for tonight's workout...

5:30 p.m 5x800m @ current 3k race pace off 90 sec's rec. 3.5 miles warm up incl 6x100m strides with a jog back rec, and 3 miles warm down.

I did this session 2 weeks ago and averaged 2:37, with the reps ranging between 2:36-2:39. Last week was a tough week, so I hoped to match the AP of 2:37.

Here's how it went: 2:35, 2:34, 2:33, 2:32, 2:30 - AP 2:33. That's a 4 second improvement per rep. Very pleased. Felt strong. Every rep improved, even though I thought I'd gone too quick on each effort. I was bleeding out of my eyes at the end of the last effort. Warm down was a wobble home.

7:30 a.m. 8 miles recovery run. Nice and easy. Enjoyable run. Legs weren't too heavy or stiff from yesterday's workout, which is great.

Katie Taylor (Ire) boxing for gold today. Go on, girl - bring home the bacon...

6:00 p.m. 6 miles relaxed and a touch too quick. Should've run a bit easier but got carried away with Katie's win:) I'm the only sober person in Ireland:)

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Beautiful morning.

Yesterday was a great day for the Irish at the Olympics. One gold in the ring and one gold in athletics.With Katie Taylor mashing it up in the boxing and then Rudisha blowing away the field in the 800m and obliterating the world record, the Irish now rule the world. Bring it on...

6:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Felt fine.

No run last night. Did my AIS and set off down the road; 50m down the road and I stopped and then turned and walked home. The tank was empty. Rest and fuel were more important than a few miles. Good decision.

Off to to see some castle in County Claire today. The wife's a history boffin and she drags us out on these trips every now and then - unfortunately, today's a now...

6:30 p.m. 6 miles relaxed. Long day at Bunrutty castle. Tired. But Mo's just put the spark back in me. Mo's the man. Awesome.

8:00 a.m. Cheekly little 17 miler to start the day before the marathon, which starts in 7 mins. Should be a cracker. Just about to put the feet up and tuck into a Bam-bar...

6:30 p.m. 4 miles canter. Enjoyed the marathon and thought Meb ran an excellent and intelligent race. The 14:(11?) 5k that shook things up looked like a killer. But it was odd to see the 'gods' of the marathon reduced to mortals in a 'slowish' race.

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Yesterday's long run on the hills of the Tralee Marathon course didn't batter my legs as much as I thought it might, which is great. So long as I don't end up with DOMS tomorrow, I should be able to put in a decent workout on Wednesday.

6:00 p.m. 6 miles with a 'look at me joggers and dog walkers - I'm fast and I'm not even breathing hard' mile, between miles 4-5. Legs felt fine and dan-day after a sluggish start.

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy.

At 6 a.m. the rain hammered down and woke Mr and Mrs Bam. The house was under siege from the rain. Mrs Bam got up and changed into her running togs and by the time she went out the door at 6:30 a.m. the rain had ceased its bickering and the sun was giving it, Good morning Ireland.

Every morning, the old lady goes out for a 45 min jog (if she saw this, she'd kill me for calling her morning constitutional a jog) and I do my AIS and a few chores around the house. When she gets back, I pootle off down the road, while she showers and gets vittled (US victualed), before she goes out to work, happy as Larry. This morning, however, she seemed riled.

Ever the sensitive one, "What's up with your bake?" I said, after taking a drink. "Overtraining. Yep, overtraining. You should take a few days off." Well lads, 'twas a mistake. She didn't say a word or bang the table. She didn't knock me out. She glared. That's right. She glared. A lesser man than Bam would've trembled and fled. But I stood my ground and winked.

I can't repeat what she said, but one thing's for sure: come rain or shine, when she gets home tonight, her dinner will be ready.

6:30 p.m. 6 miles relaxed. The weather's not looking too good for tomorrow. High winds and rain. So that scuppers my plan to bash out 4 x 1mile off 90 sec's. I'll do a 3.5 mile hill climb at 10k race pace effort instead and do the mile efforts later in the week.

And talking of storms, or should I say a storm in a tea cup - the wife. She came in and sat down to a sumptuous feast* and I now have her eating out of my hand. That's one of the perks of being a half-decent cook. So there may be trouble ahead (storms) but the sun is shining in Bam's house.

*fillet steak and peppercorn sauce on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes fused with cinnamon and ginger, and a medley of fresh vegetables. 

10:00 a.m. 8 miles incl 2 miles hill climb at moderate effort. A bit of a non-workout. Too windy to get in any real quality. Feel like I should do some fartlek or something tonight, but I'll leave it and just do a steady run.

I stopped the hill climb at 2 miles and if I'm honest my mind was more on the subject of doubles and singles from Jake's blog, which was about the book 'Waterlogged', at least it was until I popped up.

Jason D raised an interesting point about conflicting views on when to introduce doubles. A lot of the 'main men' talk about doing doubles after you've hit 70-75mpw but I don't agree. I know the benefits of running longer etc but I think when you're building, doubles work much better. They don't stress the musculoskeletal system as much, which lessens the likelihood of injury and therefore increases the chances of improving fitness.

Take me as an example (this isn't me giving the big chat about how great I am - I'm all for taking the hand out of myself and I don't mind others ripping me either).

11 months back I was smoking 40 a-day and had been for 12 years, drinking 1-1.5 bottles of wine a night and had been for longer than I can remember, my diet was appalling, my cholesterol and blood pressure were high and my weight was whale-like. Now I'm a lean, mean running machine:).

I've managed to increase my weekly mileage to 100+ in 11 months through doing doubles and building every 3-4 weeks. Along the way, as the weight slipped off and the musculoskeletal system developed, I got faster. Now I haven't raced yet, so I don't know how quick I am, but I think I can go sub 17 for 5k and sub 35.30 for 10k. They're not great times, especially for somebody running 100+ mpw but from where I started, that's not bad. There are many contributing factors for this improvement, but I know that the key has been doubles and keeping the majority of my runs under an hour.

I will, soon, increase some of my runs to75 mins and 90 mins respectively, but only when I think that my musculoskeletal system is ready for it and, more importantly, when the kids are back at school - so I don't have to go running at 4:00 a.m.

Another point on the theme of improvement. Speed. I think too many people spend too much time plodding out miles and not getting stuck into the business end. Speed-work is where it's at. If you run 8 min miles, you can't run 5 min miles in races - unless you're Jake. Simple.

Now, interval sessions hurt like hell. 4x1 mile off 90 secs isn't as nice as say an easy 8. Yes, the easy 8 has a role (don't know how to put the thingymajig over the 'o'). But if you want to get faster, you need to have at least one weekly workout. Yep, you've got to get the base in first so that the musculoskeletal system can cope with the speed-work. But once you have a base, you have it; you don't need to keep going back and saying, 'Oh mister man, I'm building a base'.

Yes, keep building (we're always building), but keep at least one workout in there and do some alactic work. Think about it: if I want to run 2:20 for a marathon, I need to pretty much be able to run 10k in 30 mins. Will I do this running 15 miles at 8 min pace everyday? No. I've got to get out there and feel the pain, the gut churning pain of speed. I need to make 5:20 pace feel like it's 7 min pace. Anyway, I'm off for a shower and then I'm going to have a Bam-bar.

I'm back! 'Oh no,' I hear you scream. 'Will he ever shut up?'

The speed thing. I believe that most people have got it wrong when it comes to the marathon and that's why, more often than not, they don't hit their goals.

Most people go out there and bang out the miles and then do some tempo stuff and some intervals closer to race - to sharpen; don't start me on this sharpening malarkey. Wrong! Absolutely the wrong way to go about it, and even though I haven't even raced over 5k, I know this is the wrong method. Ok, you might have a decent(ish) time, but imagine what you could do if you were training properly...

Think about it. What is the marathon asking of you? To run hard for 26 miles. It's not asking you to run 10 miles at predicted marathon pace, it's not asking you to run 18 miles at pmp, it's demanding you run your stones* off for 26 miles. So how do you do it? How come I know more than the great coaches? Well, I'll tell you, but not until I'm good and ready:)

* Thanks Kam, for increasing the power of my vocabulary. 

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Feeling ready for tomorrow's workout - the wind should have settled.

Yesterday, I posted some disjointed and incoherent thoughts about certain aspects of training for the marathon. Bret questioned my flippant remark about miles followed by tempo and sharpening intervals being malarkey and definitely the wrong way to go.

Today, I wanted to address Bret’s concerns and clarify what I meant - in a concise and coherent manner so that Mr. Murphy wouldn’t feel the need for a nap.

Rather than approach the issues in a muddled way, I think it might be better if I were to start again and explain things clearly. I will address Bret’s concerns - probably tomorrow, when I look at one of Lydiard's big problems. But for now, as a starter and a teaser, think about the energy/fuel system required for the marathon compared to that of the interval training advocated by Lydiard at the end of his plan; what is your body expecting when you lace up your flats?

In 2015 I want to run sub 2:20 for the marathon – I’ll be 50 on the 7th Jan 2015. What makes my goal all the more daunting is that the 50+ age group world best for the marathon is 2:19:XX.

To achieve my goal I need to approach the marathon knowing (as far as it is possible to know anything other than, cogito ergo sum) that the training philosophy/method is the one that best suits my needs. To this end, I’ve spent time studying many of the great coaches and methodologies/systems – Lydiard, Canova, Kellogg, Hadley, Tinman, Horwill, Daniels, the Hansons, the  Japanese, and the Spanish etc.

I think all of those that I’ve studied offer great ideas, but I truly  believe they are all flawed in their approach to the marathon – some more than others. Canova, imo, is on the right track, but still has a way to go.

Pretty much all of the ‘great’ coaches believe that you can predict your marathon time based on your 5k/10k/half marathon time. They pretty much all agree that tempo runs in some form or other (you might be surprised how they differ on this) are essential in preparing for the marathon.

So what? There’s nothing groundbreaking here. Well, I think they’d be great if the marathon were only an 18-20 mile race and here’s where it gets interesting. So many people fail to hit their goals because they follow bog standard programs, which in truth only get them to 18-22 miles – elites included. Most blame their failings on extrinsic factors like fuel and water etc, when, most likely, their inability to achieve their goals was down to misguided preparation.

Furthermore, too many people, elites included, are racing too much and doing too many marathons, which are hindering 'real' development at all levels, including the 2:03/4 guys.

There are myriad problems with how most people prepare for the marathon and by examining the key points of the major coaches' methods I hope to highlight these problems and open the door to the 'new way' of marathon training. Big claim from Mr. Nobody; back it up, lad.

I will back it up, and better still, I will present and enact the 'new way' - The Bam Method.

7:00 p.m. Cheeky little 6 to get the legs ready for tomorrow's workout.

10:30 a.m. 10 miles: 3 warm up incl 6x100m strides with jog back rec, 4x1 mile off 90 sec jog rec, 3 mile shuffle home.

Last time I did this session (3 weeks ago) my splits were all over the place -5:29, 5:20, 5:27, 5:19 - AP 5:24) and since then I've only done one proper workout of 5x0.5 miles. Based on my half mile splits - using Horwill's 4 sec rule - I should have done today's workout in 5:24's. I'd have taken that because I've been all over the shop with the training recently (trying to find the balance between miles and speed and threshold etc). So here's how it went:

1. 5:21, 2. 5:22, 3. 5:23, 4. 5:28. AP 5:23.5

I was pleased with the workout, not because of the times but because I was able to lock the splits in a bit better. I still did the first 200m-400m of each rep too quickly, which messed the session up a bit. But it wasn't too bad. Ironically, the last rep was most pleasing: I fought hard to keep the session together. I was on my hands and knees at the end.

The session has highlighted and exposed a couple of things that I already knew. I need to concentrate more on my aerobic capacity, aerobic resistance and strength. But I've got this covered in 'The Bam Method'.

'The Bam Method' kicks off from the beginning of September, as I will have been 'running' for a year and that seems like an appropriate date to start. When I start 'The Bam Method', I will highlight what I believe to be the pros and cons of the more popular methods used in marathon training today. I'll also present 'The Bam Method' so that it can be scrutinized, criticized and any thing else 'ized'. The beauty and the nuances of the system will be explained, too.

Now, this is something from Canova that Bret and Jake and the school master (Mr Murphy) might find interesting, and anybody else:

... Instead, when you want to increase your marathon at high level, YOU START FROM SPEED AT MARATHON PACE OR SIMILAR, and the first step is to use ALL YOUR CARBOHYDRATES in order to run still some minute in total depletion of sugar, for obliging muscular fibres in using THE MOST POWERFUL SOURCES OF FATTY ACIDS in order to maintain a similar speed. For example, if an athlete able running HM in 65.0 wants to prepare a marathon for 2:15 (really not difficult), he can run without big problems 28km at 3:15 pace (1:31), but after this goes to finish his reserves of glycogen, and his pace goes down dramatically. If he is able to run yet 3 km at 3:25 / 3:35 / 3:45, THESE LAST 3 KM ARE THE REAL TRAINING, because his fibres have to go to search some other hidden tank, under necessity. The next time, the same athlete becomes able running at 3:15 not 1:31, but 1:41 (for 31 km), so his long fast run must be extended to 34 km with the last 3 without glycogen.
So, in the first case we start with an empty glass that we go to fill with fatty acids, in the second case we start from a glass full of glycogen that we go to empty step by step, in order to fill the remaining part with qualified fatty acids.

When I speak about FAST LONG RUN, don't think that ALWAYS long run must be fast. If I go to prepare a Marathon, I use one specific long run every week, alternating two different ways :
a) DURATION - I don't have particular care about the pace. I start from 1:30, and in short time I move to 1:45 - 2:00 - 2:15 - 2:30. This training is at 70% of your HM pace (for ex., if you have a PB in HM of 70.20 that is a pace of 3:20 per km, and is the first time that you want to prepare a marathon, your pace for DURATION can start from 4:20. At the beginning of your training (may be 5 months before your Marathon), once a week you go for DURATION, in order to reach the ability in lasting the full marathon time, in short time, because your long run is very easy.

b) When you are able running, for example, 2:30, you can start to qualify the DURATION using a progression for the last 15:00, after 30:00, and so and so.

c) But, when you are able running 2:30 of DURATION, you start also your training of DISTANCE. Distance is a precise distance (forgive me again), that you go to run at even pace, about 90/95% of your HM pace (and this has to become your Marathon pace). So,. in the previous case, 95% of 3:20 is 3:30. You can start with 24km at 3:30, and the progression is TO EXTEND THE SAME PACE, running 26 and then 28 and so and so.

d) When you have both DURATION and DISTANCE in your program, the system is TO QUALIFY THE SPEED OF THE DURATION, and TO EXTEND THE DURATION OF THE PACE OF THE DISTANCE. You can alternate these 2 long runs, one in one week, the second in the next week. At the end, you become able to build a funnel, where your DURATION is 2:30 at 3:40, and your DISTANCE are 36 or 38 km at 3:30. When you are able to do this, be sure that you can run your full marathon at 3:30 finishing faster the last 10k, and, if you go for a HM one month before your Marathon (of course we can use, in every week, another specific workout of extension : so, no more than 2 workouts per week), your PB can move from 65 to 64 without big problems.
All the other days are for GENERAL VOLUME (many km slow or following your sensation, in any case easy) or for RECRUITMENT OF THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF FIBRES (using very short sprints uphill).

I love the way he says, when talking about running 2:15, "really not difficult".

7: 30 a.m. 8 miles recovery run. Nice plod along the river and the canal. Legs felt ok after yesterday's workout, which is good with me.

Missed last night's run due to a fiasco regarding the shopping and eating and bad planning. Never mind. A 6/8 for this evening - depends how tired I am after power-hosing the patio and the yard. I suspect I'll be very tired; I don't like doing work about the house and garden. I love ironing and cooking and moping. Gardening sucks and all stuff related to gardening is pure pain. Suppose the sooner I get started, the sooner I'll be finished...

Second thoughts - why is that women are so pernickety? The yard's fine as it is. I'll go out there and power-hose it so it looks a bit cleaner but who's interested and what extra quality is it adding to my life? It'll rain tomorrow and then it'll just look the same as it does now and her-in-doors will prattle on and say I didn't clean it properly and at some point - before winter kicks in - she'll have me out there again blasting the life out of every poor little pebble and speck of dirt. Women! Don't get me started.

"Yes, sweet-pea. I'm just going out there now."

Laters.

The yard is spick and span (spankers , i.e. brand new - clean). And while I was out there suffering I decided to post a follow on from yesterday's stuff on Canova. This is more of an explanation. Shortly, I'll be putting everything together in a way that is concise...

...The fundamental phase of Canova’s training attacks all the systems. (I'll explain the fundamental phase at another time, but basically it's 12+ weeks of training before you do your 10-12 weeks of special and specific marathon training. The  Fundamental stage is more like most runners marathon training and yet for Canova, it merely prepares you for the real training.)  Intervals don’t exceed 110% of M pace in general but they take on a variety of interesting forms.

One of the workouts that exceeds this pace is the all out uphill sprints (8x8 sec's with 2 min rec - as done by the Bamster). As well as stimulating cardiac output they have the effect of utilizing 100% of muscle fibres.

The short progression runs (30-45min) in this phase - from marathon pace to 108% of marathon pace - are also designed to utilize new fibres as the pace increases. This is important because even in a steady long run, only 20% (give or take a few percent) of fibres may be utilized. During a marathon, the slower twitch fibres are depleted first. As the second half progresses, more fast twitch fibres are recruited.

Training that regularly recruits these fibres facilitates recruitment during specific training later and therefore will also adapt to using less glycogen at race pace - an essential adaptation for an even or negative split marathon for a runner running to race day potential.

If these fast fibres only burn glycogen and cannot access lipid stores, the runner will slow when these fibres take over the running and burn the stores out around 30k. (Sound familiar?)

(These are an edited version of notes posted on another site - my full notes will make more sense than this snippet. Hopefully the above provokes thought and prepares you for 'The Bam Method' .

More to follow as we amble through these hazy summer days...

6:00 p.m. 6 miles easy. Legs felt tired. Probably from yesterday's workout rather than yard duties. Another good week.

8:00 a.m. - 8 miles easy.

This morning, while doing my 8 miles in around an hour, I was thinking about why 2 recovery/maintenance runs a day of an hour is perfect. Most of the top Kenyans run twice a day for an hour on their recovery/maintenance days. But that doesn’t mean that I should. Many elite ‘Western’ runners run twice a day, but tend to do something like a 12/13 and a 6/8/10. Then I remembered an article I read by Frank Horwill outlining one of the most important reasons for doing 2x1hr and not 1.5hrs followed by something else. Cytochrome c.

So what’s this stuff? Cytochrome c  is a key compound found inside mitochondria and is imperative in aerobic energy production. Cytochorme c contains one atom of iron per mol and is a power-house of amino acids.  Here 's what Frank had to say:

In 1982, Gary Dudley, at the State University of New York at Syracuse, investigated the effect of intensity on mitochondrial production. His work was painstaking – rats were made to run five times a week for periods ranging from five minutes to ninety minutes per day, for eight weeks at training intensities which ranged from 40 per cent through 100 per cent V02 max. Dudley examined how different speeds and durations influenced different muscle fibres (fast twitch, aerobic fast twitch or intermediate and slow twitch), which no one had done before. His findings were as follows:

Training beyond about 60 minutes per workout was without benefit in terms in increasing cytochrome c. Moving from 30 minutes to 60 minutes per session did increase cytochrome c, but not increasing the workout from 60 to 90 minutes. This was true of all intensities studied by Dudley – and also with all three muscle fibre types. Mitochondrial development ceased after an hour.

Training for 10 minutes a day at 100 per cent of the V02 max (about 3K pace(ish)) tripled cytochorme c concentration.

Running for 27 minutes at 85 per cent V02 max (about 10 seconds per mile slower than 10k speed(ish)), only pushed up cytochrome c by 80 per cent.

Training at 60 to 90 minutes at 70 to 75 per cent V02 max (marathon speed(ish)), edged up cytochrome c by just 74 per centt.

In intermediate muscle cells (those which are roughly half way between fast twitch and slow twitch), a similar potency of intensity was recorded. Ten minutes of fast running per day boosted cytochrome c as much as 27 minutes daily at 85 per cent V02 max or 60 to 90 minutes at 70 to 75 per cent V02 max.

The best strategy for slow-twitch, cytochrome c enhancement was running for 60 minutes per outing at 70 to 75 per cent V02 max (around 80 to 84 per cent of maximal heart rate), which boosted cytochrome c by 40 per cent.

Cruising along for 27 minutes at 85 per cent V02 max produced a 28 per cent upturn as described above.

Fast running at 100 per cent V02 max (3K speed), lifted slow twitch cytochrome c by around 10 per cent, not a surprising low gain because slow twitch muscles are less heavily used than fast twitch cells during fast running. However, running at this speed represents, for 10 minutes work, 1 per cent improvement per minute of running compared to running at 85 per cent V02 max, which lifted cytochrome c in slow-twitch fibres by the same 1 per cent per minute rate for nearly three times the duration of work. And, further, 90 minutes of 70 to 75 per cent V02 max work improved the mitochondria by just two-thirds of a per cent per minute.

Yes, there are benefits to running for longer than an hour but the law of diminishing returns kicks in, especially on recovery/maintenance days.

5:30 p.m. 6 miles, including 8x8 sec's hill blasts. Felt sluggish before the sprints but during and then after the reps I felt much better.

7:30 a.m. 6 miles easy. 10 miler planned for tonight with 4 miles at Lactate threshold pace. I need to work on my full range of threshold runs (Lactate threshold; tempo, aerobic threshold). But these areas are addressed in the first phase of 'The Bam Method'.

I've pretty much sorted the philosophy and structure of my system, I just need to find the appropriate language to describe the various phases. I suspect the first two phases will not be of much interest to most people,but I think the third and fourth phases might spark some interest and debate. The third and fourth phases are pretty much where most people would jump in after completing their 'base phase'. Although I doubt many, if any, would adopt my system as it's pretty radical - perhaps the odd session.

Todays tip - eat a brazil nut everyday. Here's why:

Selenium is a trace element mineral. It has been associated with heart disease, cancer and a number of other complaints when the body becomes deficient of the mineral.

Its function in ‘man’ is as a component of an enzyme which protects cells against oxidative damage. Oxygen, although vital to our existence, can produce toxic substances, such as peroxide, superoxide, hydroxyl radicals, and "excited state oxygen." Selenium is therefore described as an anti-oxidant and an anti-ageing mineral. It promotes normal growth and development. Alcoholism = Deficiency.

7:30 a.m. 8 miles recovery run. Everything felt tickety-boo.

As part of 'The Bam Method' ('a' holistic and long term approach to optimizing 'my' marathon performance) I investigated and studied many areas. One of the things I found fascinating was the whole area of nutrition and blood. Here's the first part of an article that I discovered about blood - I've edited the article:

Blood bathes our cells in nutrients 24/7. Blood not only brings nutrients to our cells, it flushes out metabolic waste. It's the superhighway of nutrition and detoxification that reaches into (virtually) every organ and cell in our bodies. A typical human red blood cell survives about 4-5 months. We are constantly producing new blood and releasing it into the bloodstream to do important work: the work of carrying nutrients, hormones, water, chemical messages and information to all the nooks and crannies.

Blood is primarily made of three things: red blood cells (oxygen carriers), white blood cells (immune function) and blood plasma (a liquid solution that carries everything else). When more red blood cells are needed, we automatically generate new ones. Naturally, we must create those red blood cells using the materials that are available: materials that are circulating in our blood at the time. So the blood cells we make TODAY, which circulate throughout our bodies for the next four months, are made out of the materials being carried in our blood right now. So what's in our blood right now?

Our blood largely comprises the things we ate, drank and absorbed over the last several months. So if we ate a McDonald's cheeseburger today and chased it with a large Coke, the blood cells our body generates today are going to be made, in part, of materials from that cheeseburger and Coke - lovely stuff. If we think about where cheeseburgers really come from - hormone-injected animals, the ammonia-injected beef parts, the refined white flour in the bun, the processed cheese "food" substances, and so on, it's not exactly the kind of thing we want coursing through our veins for the next few months, especially if we're trying to break our marathon PR. Caveat – if my memory serves me correctly, McDonald's 'stuff' tastes darn good!

If, on the other hand, we spent the last several days consuming fresh living juices, superfoods and clean, energized water, then guess what our new blood is going to be made of? It will be super blood, energized with the elements and vibes of all the good stuff we've consumed.

Bad blood leads to bad health. It leads to angry, moody mental function and chronic disease. But good blood results in happy, healthy outcomes. Good blood improves your sleep, your sex, your moods and cognitive function. Good blood keeps your body free from cancer, youthful, energized and actively healing itself at multiple levels. Good blood is essential to good running. Once you understand all this, it only seems natural to work consciously towards creating good blood every single day. Tomorrow, I might tell you how to improve your blood...

6:00 p.m. 6 miles easy. Felt tired at the start of the run, but soon got going and feeling better. I think with the mixture of workouts and miles, 2x8 miles on my recovery days might be a tad too taxing at the moment. I think an 8 followed by a 6 will work better until I get used to the wokouts.

06:30 a.m. 8 miles relaxed. The two recovery days between workouts appear to be working well; they freshen the mind as well as the legs.

Carrying on with the 'blood stuff' from yesterday:

Amazing facts about our red blood cells - 

• A whopping one-quarter of the human cells in our bodies are red blood cells. But most cells in our bodies are actually non-human cells (bacteria).

• A red blood cell circulates around our bodies in about 20 seconds. The same red cell makes tens of thousands of trips around the body, transporting oxygen to cells, before it is recycled by our immune systems.

• Red blood cells in humans are molecularly quite similar to chlorophyll cells in plants.

• Our red blood cells are made partially of cholesterol. Although the drug industry has tried to label cholesterol a villain, in truth we couldn't survive without it!

How to create good blood -

We are our own blood banks. We manufacture and distribute all our own blood. Given that our lives depend on the blood we produce, doesn't it make sense to manufacture the healthiest, most life-giving blood possible? In fact, we can! We have conscious control over the qualities of the blood we manufacture. Because our blood is made of what we eat, drink, breathe and absorb, we can alter the composition of our blood by consciously choosing healthier things to eat, drink, breathe and absorb. Here are some of the most powerful pointers for making healthy blood:

Healthy blood needs healthy fats. We must consume healthy fats in order to create healthy red blood cells. This means consuming healthful omega-3 fatty acids. From the world of plants, healthful fats come from coconuts, avocados, flaxseed, Chia seeds and other similar sources. From the animal world, one of the best sources for omega-3 fatty acids is the green-lipped mussels oils in Moxxor - google it and discover myriad amazing facts. Also, we can get omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish - salmon and sardines etc. There are other quality sources, too, including fish oil supplements. Some people take krill oil to get their omega-3s. Do your research and use what works best for you.

The more healthful omega-3 fatty acids we take, the healthier our blood will be (to a point, of course).

Consuming damaging fats will harm the health of our blood. Damaging fats include trans-fatty acids and fried fats (such as those used in fried foods). Making healthy blood also requires the right minerals. Red blood cells themselves need iron, but it's handy to have all the trace minerals, too, so they can be delivered by our blood to our cells. When we lack sufficient quantities of minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc and selenium, biological functions start to go awry.

Healthy blood also needs plenty of water, of course. Water is the primary fluid of our blood plasma - it's a solvent that can dissolve and transport all sorts of crucial building blocks for health, including water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C. Without adequate water, our blood turns to sludge blood - sticky, gooey blood that our hearts struggle to pump through our circulatory systems. The forceful pumping required to push this sludge through our systems is frequently diagnosed as high blood pressure. Human blood also needs many other elements, but if I ploughed on with this you'd fall asleep.

I think the message is clear: look after your blood and your blood will look after you. I'm off to McDonalds... Not really:)

6:30 p.m. 6 miles easy. I feel ready for tomorrow's workout, which is my favourite from my late teens/early twenties, when I ran the 1500m - 8x400m off 90 sec's. Back then I'd bang them out in 63's. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to manage 73's.

I've used Horwill's 4 sec rule to predict the times, which is bang-on most of the time. The idea is that the 1500m speed should make the 3k speed (5x800m off 90 sec's) easier, which, in turn, makes the 5k speed (4x1 miles off 90 secs) easier. I know the sessions gonna be a killer. But we'll see...

10:30 a.m. 7 miles. 3 w/u incl. 6x100m strides; 8x400m off 90 sec's jog rec; 2miles w/d.

I've decided to cut down the miles on my w/ups and w/downs so that there's no padding/ junk in my weekly mileage totals.

Well, I'd conservatively predicted that I'd do today's session in 73's. I suspected that I might do the 400's in 72's with a couple of 71's. Here what transpired:

1. 70 secs,  2. 70 secs,  3. 69 secs 4. 69 secs, 5. 70 secs, 6. 69 secs, 7. 68 secs, 8. 68 secs. AP - 69 secs.  Got a text off Mo saying he's going to skip the marathon altogether and go straight into the ultras - he fears my speed; so do I: based on today's workout, I now have to do my longer sessions much quicker, which means more pain than Humpty Dumpty felt when he fell off the wall - I wonder, did he fall off the wall, or did he hit the wall because of poor preparation?

Very pleased and surprised. This basically means that I should be doing my 5x800m off 90 secs in 2:26/2:28 and my 4x1 mile off 90 secs in 5:08-5:12, which seems tough based on my current fitness levels, but it's something to aim for over the next few weeks. The recent introduction of 'lactate threshold' runs should help...

6:30 p.m. 6 miles relaxed - probably a touch too quick. My legs knew that they'd been put through the mill earlier. Had the aches and pains associated with a good workout. Got a feeling that when I head out for my 8 miles tomorrow morning, because I'll be moving so slowly people might think I'm trying to escape from an old people's home.

7:30 a.m. 8 miles recovery run. First 4 miles were a grind but then the old body got moving and things began to tick.

Another easy 8 planned for tonight.

6:00 p.m. 8 miles easy. Felt strong and ran relaxed.

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Felt tired this morning, hopefully this evening's 8x8 hill blasts will shake things up.

6:30 p.m. 6 miles including 8x8 sec's. Felt as though I were scampering up the hill rather than powering. Ho hum.

6:00 a.m. 13 miles. 7 miles easy and then livened things up a bit. Nothing serious, just put a bit of effort in for the final 6 miles.  

Beautiful morning over here: sun shining, touch of frost and a bit of bite in the air. Kids are back to school on Thursday, so the routine will change - I'll be taking my naps a tad earlier:) 

7:30 a.m. 8 miles easy. Legs feel good to go this week. I dropped the miles of the Sunday long run from 17 followed by a 4 to a 13 followed by a 6, so that my legs would be fresher for the week and ready for the workouts. It seems to have worked.

6:00 p.m. 6 miles easy. Well that'll teach me to say that my legs feel good. Tonight, a dead man could've moved faster than me. Completely flat. See how the old legs function tomorrow.

7:30 a.m. 6 miles slow. Probably ran about 8 min pace. Wanted to loosen up the legs for tonights 10 miler, which will include a cheeky little 4 miles at or around lactate threshold.

Was having a chat with the gaffa this morning. Asked her if she fancied doing some of the 5k races in Killarney, which are fast approaching.

'Nah,' she said, giving me one of those looks that suggest I'm pathetic. 'Why would I run 5k when my Sunday long run is 8 miles?'

I explained the whole warm up/cool down thing etc and all the race buzz stuff.

'Warm up and stretching and all that nonsense - nah, I prefer to just put on my trainers and run. I'm not into all that, 'look at me; I'm great,' stuff. Nah, you go run around the park in your shorts like some qwer old eejit, and l'll take the kids for a walk around the park.'

As she went out into the hall, she called back, 'Do you get anything ?'

'Yeah,' I said, 'I suppose, if you're in the first three you'll win something.'

'No, do you get anything for running. You know, like a medal or something?'

'I don't know,' I said, slightly bemused. 'Maybe. But why would you want a medal if you didn't win?'

She didn't answer.

6:00 p.m. 8 miles, including 4 miles warm up, 3.5 miles @ lactate threshold, 0.5 mile warm down. Disaster. Garmin played up, so I didn't get mile splits. I knew where the 3 mile mark was and hit that bang on 17 mins - A.P. 5:40, exactly what I was aiming for. I felt comfortable and decided not to up the pace but to finish off with another 5:40, that was until half a mile to go...

Felt like somebody shot me in the stomach: G.I. issues. Stopped in my tracks and did the body-popping shuffle home for the last 800m.

After I sorted out the necessaries, I told the wife what happened.

'I doubt you'll be winning any medals in Killarney, if that happens,' she said. 'That sort of thing never happens to Paula.'

7:30 a.m. 8 miles rec run. Legs a touch tired and stomach not the best, but plodded round. The wind was wicked - more like winter than summer. We've had a terrible summer. Wind and rain and very little sunshine. Hopefully, with the kids going back to school tomorrow, the sun will make an appearance.

Once this week's out of the way, I'll have been running for a year and I will be launching my 'pioneering' marathon method; a method that will establish my status as a legend in the world of marathon running - I'll be able to pootle off into the nothingness, knowing that my transient but colourful stay on this spinning orb of dirt has left a mark of permanence, an indelible mark that will change the meaning of life for so many. What a crock of balderdash - that's putting it politely.

At the behest of Jake, I've changed the name from, 'The Bam Method' to 'The Qwer Old Eejit's Marathon Methed.'

9:45 a.m. (Now that's a glorious time to go running on a week day while everybody's slogging their guts out in the office.) 8 miles relaxed.

Opted not to run last night. With the kids going back to school this morning and the fact that I seemed to be battling some sort of stomach bug, it made sense to miss a run. What move. Felt awesome this morning. Might have been more to do with running after having had some breakfast rather than the usual catabolic state.

I think I might only run 13 times every third week - missing the 14th run is like taking a day off and the impact is huge. My legs felt so fresh this morning. Something to consider.

6:00 p.m. 6 miles easy. Legs felt good, which is handy as tomorrow is workout day and that means only one thing - pain...

9:45 a.m. 6 miles. Intended to do 5x800m in 2:28-2:30 (3k pace) off 90 sec, but the wind destroyed the session. Went through 400m of the first effort in 67 sec and felt like I was jogging. Slowed it right down to do a 77 sec second 400m and finish the rep in 2:24. I knew the session was a waste of time: the wind did all the effort in that rep. 200m into the 2nd rep (into the wind) I stopped. The wind was savage and slowed me to a jog. Jogged home.

I need to get the heart and lungs and legs going today, so I might do a fartlek tonight (with the wind behind me).

JasonD asked for the Bam-bar recipe, so here it is along with the Bam Breakfast Booster:

1. 0.5 cup of raw organic oats.

2. Healthy scattering of milled flaxseed, brazil nuts, almonds and walnuts.

3. A good sprinkling of natural whole Chia Seed.

4. A scattering of milled sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds and goji berries.

5. Here's the daddy - A heaped tablespoon of powdered Peruvian Maca (don't be greedy, this is all you need; trust me).

6. A shuffle of shelled hemp.

7. Organic banana (fair trade would be nice too) - sliced.

8. A glutton's scoop of raisins.

9. Splodges of wholegrain peach (or any other flavour) Probiotic yogurt.

10. A few shakes of raw organic cocoa powder.

11. Drizzle Agave Syrup over everything and finally, pimp it up with a shaking of ground cinnamon.

Mix it all together and form it into a bar. You can eat it straight away or leave it for 5 mins. This will sort you out for the morning and you might not finish the bar. Save it for later and enjoy it when you're peckish. 'tis lovely with a cup of coffee, which leads me into Bam's Breakfaster Booster. The Booster is great if you're trying to quit coffee. Simple:

1. Cup of skimmed/low fat milk.

2. Add a tablespoon of raw organic cocoa powder and a tablespoon of magic MACA powder.

3. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top and stir or give it a quick fizz in the blender (this is the better option.)

4. Heat up in the microwave or on the hob.

Drink and enjoy.

The rewards of Maca are pretty quick.

6:30 p.m. 8 miles steady. Opted to go for an honest 8 rather than chase the speed. 

I was looking back over my diary and a week today (Fri 7th Sept) I'll have been running for 1 year exactly. It just so happens that there is a 5k road race on that night - 1km up the road from where I live. I'm tempted...