Toshiko Seko: how he trained (inspiration for the day)

shit goddamn, that did inspire my ass. I complain about 18 mile days...

kudzurunner wrote:

What speed work did you do?

TS: Obviously for the long runs it was slow pace, you can't do 55-miles fast! I did speed work on the track and on the road. An example of something on the track? 30 x 1km in 2:55 per kilometer with 200m rest. 6 x 5km in 14:30 with 1km rest jog.

Simply incredible.

Bravo, Mr Seko. Truly, I am not a real man.

Excuse me: Toshihiko, not Toshiko. My bad. Those 55-mile runs are killing me.

I say s*** like that and get crucufied. Why do you believe him and not me?

Seko has been in the American press in another way recently. Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's essay "The Running Novelist" (in the June 9 & 16 issue of the New Yorker) includes a discussion of a humbling interview he did with Seko. Murakami's essay on the joys of running over the years is a great read. Well worth the price of an issue of the magazine -- unfortunately not available on line.

Very high density workouts. Seko ran 25k and 30k world records in 1981. He's basically running a 87 minute 30k with minimal rest in those workouts. So, compared to his PRs the pace isn't too fast. The difficulty of the workout all depends on how slow his rest is.

Alan

stop being such a dilweed. Of course, the amount of rest makes a difference on the difficulty of the workout. Does anyone here NOT know that?? I doubt it.

The notable thing, Alan, about the workouts cited is the volume. 55 miles after a 10K warm-up, 30 1Ks, 6 X 5K. Yes, many of the greats do outstanding sessions like this. This is why the greats ones are inspiring.

Or, you could look at it as though you're also a former WR holder and say, "Really, the amount of rest makes all the difference."

Oh please wrote:

Yes, many of the greats do outstanding sessions like this.

I think that Seko's training was unusually difficult in its combination of volume and intensity. I can't imagine someone like Rodgers or Deek training like that.

Seko was, in fact, an unusual athlete in many ways. Although he focused almost exclusively on the marathon during his peak years, and trained like a pure marathoner, he had excellent middle- and long-distance track speed, and could unleash a Yifter-like kick at the end of a marathon.

Does anyone here know how he's doing these days? I always figured that, after he quit serious running, he might become a little butterball, fueled by too much food and drink and burned out by the physical and emotional intensity of racing and training under Nakamura.

He had been coaching, I believe for S&B, his old team but am not sure. I know he wasn't having all that much success.

What are you up to these days? Are you still coaching?

TS: No, I have retired from both running and coaching. I am now working with the Japanese federation.

as of 07 wrote:

What are you up to these days? Are you still coaching?

TS: No, I have retired from both running and coaching. I am now working with the Japanese federation.

The story I heard had him nudged into retirement.