When looking at the statistics of many athletes it really is phenomenal what they can do. Paula Radcliffe’s world record had her running at an average speed of 18.6km/h while Kenenisa Bekele’s 10k world record was performed at an average speed of just under 23km/h. To put that in perspective, the average speed of a car around London is only 12km/h and the average speed of a bike is a maximum of 24km/h.
If we then look at ultra-endurance events such as Ironman, athletes will regularly complete a marathon in two hours 50 minutes after an hour-long swim and a four-and-a-half-hour cycle. So how do they do it? The simple answer is hard work, and lots of it.
Ironman
To me, one of the most impressive endurance events is the Ironman, for a similar reason that decathlon is impressive in athletics – because of the high level of performance it takes to achieve in multiple events. The way they do this is through a serious volume of training, with anywhere in the region of 15-20 sessions per week broken into one to three sessions per day.
Here is an example of a weekly running programme of an Ironman athlete (on top of 20 hours on the bike and four to five sessions in the pool):
1. Two-hour-and-a-half-hour run
2. 10-minute easy run followed by 40 x 30-second sprints (30 seconds' recovery)
3. 10 x one-mile run at 70% effort (60-90 seconds' recovery)
4. 90 minutes to two hours' steady-paced run
5. 50-60 minutes of hill running
Marathon
In terms of marathon training, athletes will cover 130-140 miles per week, with two sessions per day. Paula Radcliffe will typically do this over an eight-day cycle with a rest day on day eight. This typical training week will include:
- 3 x tempo runs
- 1 x track session
- 2 x intervals
- 1 x long run
- Recovery running sessions of no less than an hour, followed by two weight sessions and a core session
10k
Although the 10,000m is an event that is over in less than 30 minutes, many of these athletes will still do in the region of 80-100 miles per week, but with a significant amount of lactate, speed and strength training added in. A typical training week of an elite 5/10k athlete will be:
|
DAY |
AM |
PM |
DISTANCE |
|
Monday |
50 minutes of hurdles and skipping drills |
50-minute run |
14 miles |
|
Tuesday |
Track session 6-12k volume 20-min warm-up and warm-down |
50-minute recovery run |
15-19 miles
|
|
Wednesday |
75/90-minute run Core work |
|
11-13 miles |
|
Thursday |
Threshold run for 10 miles 20-min warm-up and warm-down |
40/50-minute recovery run |
17-21 miles |
|
Friday |
Rest or easy 40-minute run |
|
0-6 miles |
|
Saturday |
Hill session (6 miles) 20-min warm-up and warm-down |
50-minute recovery run |
17-18 miles |
|
Sunday |
1 hour 45-min/2-hour run |
Core work |
16-18 miles |
Therefore, what can we take from the training regimes of elite athletes in these events? The key things to notice are the hard work it takes to be truly elite, but also the variety of training. One of the biggest mistakes that I commonly see in someone training for their first event is too much repetitive running; the same slow long sessions over and over again. This does not help to maximise performance and it can lead to overuse injuries. So, take note and learn from the pros.
Michael Nicol is a director and coach at The Running School. For more information on The Running School sessions or franchise opportunities call 020 8563 0007 or visit www.runningschool.co.uk
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Fitness Professionals Ltd or Virtual Magazine. Consult a qualified health or fitness professional before making changes to your diet or exercise.
