This is not about credit but what actually occurred in his fitness from Marathon training.
The goal the last 4 years was to get him strong enough to run with the best. My feeling is for American athletes to compete with the best africans in the world they need to run the Marathon at an early age. More volume, more aerobic fitness. We are behind the rest of the world on total volume from are sedentary lifestyle and lower volume in high School and college.
I do think the we need to develop are speed through Hill-sprints and drills which need to be done all year around but feel very strongly that most U.S. athletes become better in everything when they have trained for a Marathon regardless of the result of the Marathon. That does not mean they need to leave the Track or shorter distance racing. We did the following workouts during marathon training in eugene, or. To me it's not a secret that Ryan Hall with the biggest aerobic base and Dathan have come to the top. (Even Meb won 3 U.S. titles this year as an old marathoner developed beautifully by Bob Larson)
10km test
Workout #1 Lorane Highway 1km measured a few feet long 1 sec. per km.
10km specific Endurance test windy 15 m.ph. 47 degress/ rainy/ surface road with gravel. Flats/ heavy clothes from rain. Very heavy last 5.
15 x 1km 60sec. rec. 1. 2:52
2. 2:48
3. 2:47.7
4. 2:50.1
5. 2:48.0
6. 2:47.6
7. 2:48.3
8. 2:46
9. 2:46
10. 2:47
11. 2:48
12. 2:47.5
13. 2:48.8
14. 2:47.0
15. 2:47.3
After this workout i made a note "10km fitness better than ever". 27:15-20 A.r. Gate?
Workout # 2: Marathon specific Test measured long mile 1-2 sec.rane Highway
20mile progression 2 beats below Aerobic Threshold
1. 5:07
2. 5:09
3. 5:07
4. 5:02
5. 5:07
6. 4:53
7. 4:54
8. 4:49
9. 4:58
10. 4:48
11. 4:45
12. 4:45
13. 4:49
14. 4:49
15. 4:52
16. 4:47
17. 4:55
18. 4:40
19. 4:43
20. 4:42 *** last few miles run faster to sewhat is in the tank 4:53 avg. Heart-rate 173 Aerobic threshold
So this is why we thought 2:07 at London. Both the workouts were showing better endurance and better speed for 10km. Both the workouts were done solo and in heavy mileage 120-130 per week. After the 20miler he did develop a calf problem that lingered until the Race.
So after the first test I thought he could run 2:43 area per km for 10km on perfect day and sharpened up and after the 2nd test at Marathon speed knew he should have the fuel system to run under or around 2:08. So already in March he was very capable of a sub 27:20 10km. Boaz is an athlete that comes close to this on specific endurance but it still gaining the aerobic strength. This was with no altitude tents. So did Marathon training make him stronger? This is what he was capable in Marathon training. I don't know the specifics of his trainng before Berlin but do know he was using my workouts for U.S.A.'s so that gives him a few weeks of different workouts. Bigger aerobic system means bigger absorption of specific endurance. The training was already done. He just needed to get in shape from the post-marathon layoff. He did hill sprints most of the last 5 years and light drills from Dan Pfaff and some light weights. No plyometrics and some mod. work on the alter-g. Also to answer the question on the above workout of 1km's. He progressed from 8 x 1km the first year to 10 x 1km to 12 x 1km to the above workout at sea-level only after three cycles of marathon training. The important thing will be where he goes with this. I hope it's the right direction and wish him nothing but continued success. I thought a medal in London in the marathon was defintely possible after his improvement in Beijing.
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