An Evening With Coaching Legends Lydiard and Wetmore

Submitted by Rickshaw :: Wed Dec 08, 2004 9:38 pm

Running coach legends Arthur Lydiard and Mark Wetmore recently shared their wisdom with the running community at an event in Boulder, Colorado. The pair spoke to an audience of about 400 comprised of everyone from high-school athletes to grandparents. Lydiard is famous for pioneering the periodization techniques that are the basis for most modern training plans, and has coached several Olympians. Wetmore is a protoge of Lydiard's, is well known for leading the perennially strong Colorado University cross-country team, and was profiled in the 2000 book Running With The Buffaloes. Choice quote: when asked about dealing with pain, Lydiard snapped back "My athletes don't have pain. They enjoy running."

The presentation included an outline of Lydiard's key training principles:

* Strong aerobic base building - all Lydiard's athletes were capable of running stellar marathons. Athletes racing all distances from 800m to the marathon would train together until 4 or 5 weeks before race time.
* Periodization - Lydiard focuses on a specific muscle group or technique for a set period of time, then shifts the focus to the next phase of training. Wetmore employs this method for his collegiate athletes as well.
* Hill bounding to elongate calf muscles and produce speed
* Training in racing flats
* Long runs of 2 to 3 hours on Sundays at a steady pace
* "Lots and lots of honey" for carbo-loading