How do......

[lookmanohands]

perhaps at a tangent to an otherwise absorbing thread (but hopefully still relevant). Clearly to be good you have to put the time in - you need hours on the fell running and training effectively. How do people fit the hours into a busy work/home life. Maybe I am just incredibly disorganised or don't manage my time effectively enough but the very most I seem to be able to manage on a typical week is 4 hours. How many hours a week to top runners do a week and how do they fit it in to their lives. We can talk about commitment/desire etc but when you factor in jobs, time with children etc. I don't seem to have that much for running. is this a similar story for other mere mortals or is this just me being ineffective. Part of being great is obviously the physical/mental make up of a person but they also need time. Where do they find this time from?

I fit in between 1 and no more than 4 hours a week running, no structure, hills, flat, road etc and pretty much always manage to finish top 5 in most of the Welsh fell races I enter. They are all under 10 miles but I think to get to the top would take a considerable increase in structure and hours training.........then does it not become a chore????

[IainR]

I fit in between 1 and no more than 4 hours a week running, no structure, hills, flat, road etc and pretty much always manage to finish top 5 in most of the Welsh fell races I enter. They are all under 10 miles but I think to get to the top would take a considerable increase in structure and hours training.........then does it not become a chore????

Why would it be a chore..

Sun: 10 mile race. pm: 31 mile road ride (3-4hrs)
mon: 10 mile run: 30 mile road ride (3 hrs total training)
tues: rest.. 3rd rest day 111 days.. strangely unmotivated (1 hr massage)
Weds: 10 mile including speed reps: 30 mile road ride. (3 hrs total training)
Thurs: probably a 8-10 mile fell run (1.5 hrs training)
Fri: hill reps: (1 hrs training)
Sat: 12 mile trail run: 31 mile road ride (4 hrs training)

Its just fun.. that's probably my problem.. I enjoy running too much..

[CL]

But would Mr Clayton have run the marathon anywhere near as fast with a much lower absolute oxygen uptake? Of course not. Each individual should aim to push his/her oxygen uptake level as high as possible because it is this that'll determine your performance. Look at the drug Erythropoietin that is currently abused in endurance sports. It raises the oxygen uptake level beyond what can be achieved naturally making athletes much faster than they otherwise have been. If getting oxygen to the cells wasn't the single most important factor in speed over distance this drug wouldn't be such a big problem for the sports authorities.

[mr brightside]

But would Mr Clayton have run the marathon anywhere near as fast with a much lower absolute oxygen uptake? Of course not. Each individual should aim to push his/her oxygen uptake level as high as possible because it is this that'll determine your performance. Look at the drug Erythropoietin that is currently abused in endurance sports. It raises the oxygen uptake level beyond what can be achieved naturally making athletes much faster than they otherwise have been. If getting oxygen to the cells wasn't the single most important factor in speed over distance this drug wouldn't be such a big problem for the sports authorities.

That's how beetroot juice works isn't it?

[noel]

All good questions.

I think the answers are: no, no, yes, no.

Thanks L.F.F.

My training should take a turn for the better now. Watch out you elite athletes out there.

[lantern rouge]

I think we could all get up to a decent standard if we trained correctly (notice i said correctly and not hard!) the key points being what you want to achieve. I'm not a big fan of this big mileage theory, unless you want to run ultras, its about experimenting with what you can absorb, and doing specific sessions for what you want to race. I personally drink to much, eat to much junk food and dont train consistently enough, if i cut down the drinking and sorted my diet out and trained properly then maybe i would be half decent, but i cant be arsed.

Just narrowly avoided choking on my Leffe... love it, and it's so true!

[CL]

That's how beetroot juice works isn't it?

That's funny Mr B. The things people will believe and endure in their quest to go faster. But why take beetroot juice when you can 'get a healthy diet instead.'

By the way did you ever get to replace that window in your car?

[noel]

That's funny Mr B. The things people will believe and endure in their quest to go faster. But why take beetroot juice when you can 'get a healthy diet instead.'

In the controlled study that showed that beetroot juice has a positive effect, I think the athletes in both groups were already taking a healthy diet. I'm happy to be corrected if anyone can be bothered to dig it out.

[CL]

In the controlled study that showed that beetroot juice has a positive effect, I think the athletes in both groups were already taking a healthy diet. I'm happy to be corrected if anyone can be bothered to dig it out.

I think you missed the dig. Read the 'overtraining' thread you'll see where that quote came from. Anyway even if I believed the results from these studies I still don't think it justifies overdosing on the stuff. Also in the long run when athletes realise it's not worth the hassle they'll soon lose interest and move onto the next new craze like say.......Rhinoceros' stump. Oh no what have I started!

[Cliveybaby]

When I was doing lesirue management at Salford we did a series of lectures and practicals on sports science each week in both years. We did sub maximal VO2 testing amongst other things and I came out pretty well 73ml/kg/min - obviously would be lower at maximal test. I also have a good lung capacity which is good when I am panting for breath. However my lifestyle and training have not exlpoited this properly since my teenage years aprt from flurries int oraces and my Bob Graham round.

I have made someadjustments to my lifestyle and need to make more and further improve my running as I am hoping to join that small band of people hwo have done their Ramsay and Paddy as well as the BG. One down two to go.