Keith Bateman WR M55 5K - 15:29.7 - Jan 5th 2011

Keith has apparently dropped quite a bit of weight over the last few years. He is currently 69kgs down from mid to high 70s that he was when he first came under notice as a fast older runner.I think he was 72kgs last year.

I think he did quite a bit of skiing in younger days but didn't start running seriously until around 45.

Runs barefoot about 50% of his training, the rest in minimal shoes. VO2 max of 69.

agip wrote:

anyone know if bateman was fast as a 20 year old? I'm always curious to hear if bloody fast masters runners are holding on to speed or improving as they go.

According to Noakes, most of the guys that run fast later in life didn't do a lot of running at a younger age. He thinks it is because after years of hard training your legs get sort of played out as far as performing at a really high level. Just thought I'd throw that out there - don't know if there is any truth to it.

Good to know. Thanks for the post!

There is a lot of truth to that but there are exceptions like Steve Monghetti or Linda Somers. The age charts seem to be harsh for most runners but then guys like Magill and Keith come along and bend them.

Bateman ran 2.41 for the marathon back in 1986.

He has had periods of quite serious running since the mid 80s. When he came to Australia in 2000 he reckons he weighed about 87kgs so he started running regularly again to get fit.

Just found this by chance - WOW what a lot of talk! I will try to answer the questions (next post) but first just like to say no offence taken re valid dope question - I would actually like to be tested! Also I know my coach would thow out anyone from his squad if they took any illegal substance and I am confident everone in his squad is clean ;-) More shortly ...

Okay here goes (I feel a long post coming!) ...

My dad used to say I ran very fast for the train as a teenager and I remember enjoying running about but I was totally involved in playing football to about 15 and then skiing (working on artificial ski slope nr London). At 22 I moved to the Scottish Highlands until 2000 - I lived at 800ft ASL and worked between 2000ft and 4000ft most days (might have helped lungs).

I started running in 1984 to get fit for cross-country skiing (which I was no good at and stopped) - I trained alone mostly in the hills - first marathon 2:48 from a 3:15 self-seeded start - did a 2:44 a month later and 2:41 the following year. Then stopped and started running with weight up and down between about 75kg and perhaps 85kg until 2000 - I did a few long-distance mountain races, biathlons (run/bike) and some xc ski/ski/run/canoe stuff and laterly 2 years of hill running.

In 2000 I came to Sydney weighing 87kg - I started running and found a club and progressed to around 36 min 10ks I think - cannot remember precisely. Then in 2003 I felt I had reached my limit and knew someone had a coach (I didn't know people had coaches!) - I asked in a shop and was put in touch with Sean Williams. I have been with him ever since.

My times have progressively improved under his guidance but these following factors have been very important too:

1. I saw a dietitian - wasn't eating enough carbs - instant improvement!

2. Weight has dropped progressively with intense training but dropped 2.5kg when I changed to skimmed milk in coffee!

And since June I have been living alone and saving $s so 99% eating at home and my diet is perfect!

3. Technique:

a]I have gradually introduced barefoot running which has helped to rid me of poor technique encouraged by 'traditional' shoes :-)

b] I saw a bio-mechanic a few years ago and I was over-striding and actually heel-striking! Argh!!!! I cured that and went from 9:11 to 8:59 and 4:15 to 4:11 in the next 2 races

c] in 2009 I started a further technique improvement (simply pulling my foot 'through' more, first on downhills and now all the time - this together with an almost exclusively foot pick-up with the hamstrings - see POSE running which I think is 95% great technique, packaged (but perhaps not too well explained)

4. The squad: It's like being a dad again - kids come through chasing me and catching me and moving on - it's great and I enjoy the mentoring. And such great support from everyone for the old man of the squad ;-)

5. Sean Williams: What a great coach! Lots of wisdom and superb track-side :-) BTW he does remote online coaching and quite a few of his athletes are National/International standard

6. Lack of injury: One cannot train if injured - I put this down to good technique and doing most training on grass (barefoot)

7. Confidence: this has grown in stages - a few months ago I ran the first 2 km of an 8km tempo run ridiculously fast and for some reason I didn't do my usual panic - I just kept going to 25:09 - that was a major confidence boost - someone asked how it happened and I said I was no longer frightened of the speed.

Phew! Thanks for all you very kind comments - I have a 1500m race on Saturday and my target is sub 4:12 - a big ask but there it is I has said it now! :-)

Thanks very much for the insight, Keith.

I'm sure many of us would be eager to read any further details you can provide on your training (e.g., length and frequency of long runs, twice vs. once/day) without giving away too much of Sean's hard-earned wisdom.

Give 'em hell Saturday! We'll be looking for the results.

Form looks great, especially early on.

Not sure how this will come out and not giving too much away BTW - this is this month's programme - there are also 2 strength sessions programmed each week but I admit to being lax where they are concerned. The figures at the end are Kms and the figures in brackets are rests between reps and if 2 sets of brackets then between the sets too.

3-Jan-11 Monday *add morning runs (see Sean) 1hr easy run, 5x100m @ 90% (1) 14

4-Jan-11 Tuesday TRACK: 5-6 x800m (1.30) (3) 4x200m (1) 17

5-Jan-11 Wednesday 1hr30min run, 5x100m @ 90% (1) 22

6-Jan-11 Thursday HILLS: 30x100m with quick jog back 16

7-Jan-11 Friday 30min easy run 8

8-Jan-11 Saturday CP: 10km tempo (5) 4x200m (1) 18

9-Jan-11 Sunday 2hr run 28

WEEKLY SUMMARY 123

10-Jan-11 Monday 1hr easy run, 5x100m @ 90% (1) 14

11-Jan-11 Tuesday TRACK: 5km windsprints 16

12-Jan-11 Wednesday 1hr run, 5x100m @ 90% (1) 14

13-Jan-11 Thursday CP: 4x200m (30sec) 10

14-Jan-11 Friday 30min easy run 5

15-Jan-11 Saturday RACE: 1500m @ Homebush 11

16-Jan-11 Sunday 2hr run 28

WEEKLY SUMMARY 98

17-Jan-11 Monday 1hr easy run, 5x100m @ 90% (1) 4

18-Jan-11 Tuesday TRACK: 8x400m (1) (3) 4km tempo 18

19-Jan-11 Wednesday 1hr30min run, 5x100m @ 90% (1) 22

20-Jan-11 Thursday CP: 4sets of 4x200m (30sec) (3min between sets) 15

21-Jan-11 Friday 30min easy run 6

22-Jan-11 Saturday CP: 3-5 x2km (3) 16

23-Jan-11 Sunday 1hr run 14

WEEKLY SUMMARY 95

24-Jan-11 Monday 45min easy run, 5x100m @ 90% (1) 10

25-Jan-11 Tuesday TRACK: 4x200m (1) 10

26-Jan-11 Wednesday 30min run, 5x100m @ 90% (1) 6

27-Jan-11 Thursday RACE: 1500m @ Homebush 11

28-Jan-11 Friday 30min easy run 6

29-Jan-11 Saturday CP: 2x2km (3.30) 12

30-Jan-11 Sunday 2hr run 28

WEEKLY SUMMARY 83

Awesome Keith! This is what makes Letsrun worth checking in on. Makes me want to revisit the barefoot mode. Are most of your intervals/tempos run bf on turf?

ALL my interval sessions are barefoot and all my tempo runs - that's Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - warm ups are with shoes on as we usually do a circuit of the park (3.6km) and it's stony track.

BUT I strongly recommend anyone changing towards barefoot/minimal footwear does it gradually - perhaps one or two cool downs only for a while then perhaps the last part of one session per week; then 2 session etc - the big problem is shoes that 'support' weaken by supporting and heels that are higher than the forefoot mean the calf muscle and the Achilles tendon do not get fully stretched so take care.(Gospel according to Keith!) :-)

Good advice on being gradual. I already train in flats/low heel shoes and do a mile on turf each week. I'd like to get to doing workouts, but will take my sweet time for sure (right now it's cold up here so no hurry :)

One last thing: it would seem that that 8K in practice is qualitatively better than your 15:29. Any comments?

Good luck with the rest of your racing season!

Re the training. I have been accused on occasion of training better than I race! Fortunately I can sometimes pull one out of the bag on the track! Yes coach reckons I am capable of 15:15 - 15:20 and 9:50 given the right conditions and attitude on race day - we'll see - it's one thing talking it up and another thing doing it. I have 5km windsprints tonight - last time I did that in 15:29 on a slightly long track! (on grass - various Garmins used). It's nice and warm on the feet here for barefoot BTW - only a couple of days in winter when I cannot run barefoot because of numb feet and a some weeks around December when we have 'bindies' (a South American import) which are like little needles in the grass.

Nice. Are you one of the gizmo techys like Dent who wear the Garmin / and/ or HRM for everything, or just go by feel and let the miles click over on the non session days? Care to share any of Sean Williamns training insights?

Nope: Normally I wear no watch, no shoes and this time of year no shirt. I received a Garmin for my 50th and I wear it on the track sometimes but just to beep at the lap, half-lap or quarter-lap time I want, to keep me on track. People joke that it's like a main-frame computer on my arm! Re Sean: He has a number of International athletes he looks after with programs and email advice - and quite a few of them represent their countries ;-) (sweatsydney.com.au is his website)

Keith... Do you have plans or thoughts on whether or not you will make it to the USA in July 2011 for the World Masters Outdoor Track meet held in Sacramento California? It would be great if you could make it!!

Best Regards in your 1500m effort coming up this Saturday. I hope you meet your goal!!

Am being tempted - won't be able to decide until last minute though

Had a go at one goal on the track tonight. Failed but happy with the effort and thanks to Jim Perret for letting me follow him the whole way.

1500m Homebush - temp 30+ Humidity ?? but very high

on schedule at 300m - 50 seconds

then a very slow 250metres where we got caught up in a pack that had gone out too quick.

700m - 1:58

then it started hurting

1100m 3:07 (3 seconds off target)

1500m (saw the clock tick over to 4:14 and just cruised across line) 4:16.88

Another go 27th :-)