Renato Canova wrote:
Skuj, of course the top runners of 800m must be fast, but the question is "how much fast", and "how much resistant".
I give you an example, looking for the top 80 all-time for 400, 800 and 1500m :
400 800 1500
10 44.05 1:42.62 3:29.29
20 44.20 1:42.98 3:30.18
30 44.30 1:43.22 3:30.77
40 44.38 1:43.38 3:31.13
50 44.46 1:43.57 3:31.49
60 44.51 1:43.70 3:31.76
70 44.58 1:43.88 3:32.06
80 44.62 1:43.95 3:32.37
How many athletes are in both 400 and 800 ? Juantorena only.
How many athletes are in 800 / 1500 ? Many.
So, an athlete able running 1:43.0 and 3:30, for having the same level of speed (looking for his international position) had to run 44.20, and this is not possible. So, in any case, they are surely FAST, but their speed is not at the same level of their SPECIFIC ENDURANCE.
Methodologically speaking, IS IT POSSIBLE RUNNING VERY FAST THE SHORTER DISTANCE OF THE MAIN DISTANCE THAT YOU PREPARE, NOT THE CONTRARY.
This is true for all the events. A lot of long runners of 10,000 improve when decide to prepare HM. A lot of runners of 1500 improve when move on 3000m too, WITHOUT REDUCING THE SPEED OF THEIR FASTEST TESTS.
The phylosophy of training is very simple : NEVER WE HAVE TO REPLACE ONE TYPE OF TRAINING WITH ANOTHER, BUT WE HAVE TO ADD WHAT WE DON'T DO.
In my life, I had a lot of athletes, from different Countries, coming to me already with very good PB. We must always remember THAT A PB OF AN ATHLETE IS DONE BECAUSE OF 2 REASONS : HIS TALENT (and we cannot do anything in this direction, this is a gift of God, Mama and Papa. Who doesn'have, cannot have), and HIS TRAINING. So, when we want that some athlete can improve, WE MUST NOT CHANGE WHAT HE DID, BUT ADD WHAT WE DIDN'T DO.
If I see a talented athlete able running 1:45 and 3:35, using a lot of speed and very little endurance, and I see that he's talented for moving to longer distances, I work for changing his mentality, and, step by step, I put in his training something extensive, at high speed. So, my goal for the next year is not to run 1:44, but 1:45 again and 3:31. After his 3:31, the next year can run easy 1:44 (some example : Mansour Bilal, or Rashid Ramzi, and in the past Cram, Aouita, William Chirchir, Bahla).
Look the example of Paula Radcliffe. She was, for years, the most aggressive runner of 5000 / 10000m, because her lack of final speed. She was always in front af the races, but, with the Ethiopians, when there were 4 athletes in the last lap, she was no. 4. So, the solution it was to move to longer distances.
Paula spent, if I well remember, 5 or 6 years for moving her PB in 3000 from 8:31 to 8:28, using a lot of speed for becoming faster in the last lap. She NEVER became faster.
After moving to long distances, of course with the correct system of training (not long run only, but extension of the intensity), she ran London Marathon in 2002 in about 2:18. That's was in April. In June, her first race on track of the season, she ran 3000m in 8:23. Somebody can think that the long run was damageous for 3000m ? If you have 5.0 of improvement, suddenly, after preparing ALSO (not ONLY) Marathon, and 3.0 in 5 years THINKING TO PREPARE THE SPECIFIC EVENT, which is the reason ?
The reason is that YOU WERE ABLE TO ENHANCE THE SPECIAL BASE FOR YOUR SPECIFIC TRAINING. When you have more endurance, if you are able to maintain the same top speed that you have, AUTOMATICALLY YOU RUN FASTER THE SHORTER DISTANCES.
So, I want to emphatize the importance of the AEROBIC TRAINING for supporting the SPECIFIC TRAINING : may be that there is not a DIRECT influence on the performance, but there is of sure a DIRECT INFLUENCE on the QUANTITY OF SPECIFIC TRAINING. More quantity of specific. more specific endurance. But, for doing it, YOU NEED TO INCREASE YOUR SPECIAL ENDURANCE.