I was not influenced by EG training, because it was not very different from the training of Said Aouita, which I already knew and that had a great influence on my ideas.
Aouita lived in Italy for long time, during the period 1980-1988. He was in Siena, a town in Tuscania, not very far from the Italian National Center of Tirrenia, and several times came Tirrenia for his training.
I had the opportunity not only to speak with him, but to follow him directly in training.
For example, I well remember one week in 1984, that made me astonished.
Monday : With 6min recovery, 3000m in 7'57" + 2000m in 5'05" + 1000m in 2'19"
Tuesday : 10 km in the circuit around the track in 29'20", then 3 sets of 10 times 60m at almost max speed, recovering 6' between every set
Wednesdy : 4 x 1200m in 3'01" / 3'03", alternating 150m fast (between 18"5 and 19") and 50m relaxed in about 21" (try for understanding how hard this workout is), recovery 6' between each test
Thursday : 4 x 400m (recovery 8') between 48"8 and 49"6.
On Friday he travelled by car to Torino, where we had an international match against two other Countries (he was allowed to compete out of competition), and he won on Sat 800m in 1'46"1, on Sun 1500m in 3'37", nd I well remember the newspapers writing "Aouita seemed very mechanical in his action and is clearly out of shape".
The system of athletes of Maghreb (mainly Maroccan and Algerian) is very similar to the system used by the best runners of UK in that period, looking for developing "specific stamina" as main goal.
I remember Sebastian Coe, Always in Tirrenia, running in one day 30 km in about 1:40 (at 3'20" per km average, I followed him by car), and the next day doing an unbelievable session of circuit training in the gym.
This system, based on very high intensity (not only during running exercises, but especially during all the muscular exercises carried out for increasing the specific strength endurance), is highly specific for specialists of 800 and 1500m, but is very different from the Kenyan system, more based on the aerobic development and the research of more relaxation.
Anyway, in the career of a coach, we have the MUST to try to know, as more as possible, the training of the best athletes, and after we need to have a synthesis of what we know, applied to every specific individual.
When I go for my lectures as IAAF lecturer, I always try to give emphasis to the principle of INDIVIDUALISATION.
So, I learn something from Lydiard, from Igloi, from Gerschler, from Reindell, from Cerutty, from Peter Coe, from Gigliotti, from Frassinelli, from Van Aaken, and from many Others. But I continue to learn also from small african kids, because don't forget running is an instinct, and nobody can use his instinct better than kids not knowing still anything about "official theories".