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The Running Master

Stazza

I’ve decided to have another crack at keeping a log. As I’ve publicly announced that I’m going after the Irish M45 5k record of 15:22, I thought it only fair that I document my training and hold myself to account – publicly; at my age I should know better, especially given the current state of my fitness. Oh well.

So, I was out for about 4 weeks during December – small problem with my achilles, peroneals, soleus, and a bit of P.F. to boot. Although it’s all pretty much sorted, there is some residual discomfort. So I need to be careful.

Rather than just log the boring running stuff, I’m hoping to drop in a few accounts of some of my interesting life experiences. I’ve worked in the UK and Kenya as a physical therapist/business owner looking after many household names. I’ve also worked as a journalist, sub editor and editor on a national tabloid in Southern Africa – some great stuff from those days; I spent a day with Nelson Mandela. I went on to own a rather unsuccessful national tabloid in Cyprus – some great stories from my time there, especially concerning The Cypriot Mafia.

To keep things from getting stale, I’ll drop in some anecdotes. Starting next week with, Linford Christie, Doping, The Banana, and Me - Nuff Respect!

The running this week:
Sunday – 8 miles; last 3 miles picked up the pace.
Monday – 6 miles easy with 8x100m pick-ups
Tuesday – 6 miles easy
Wednesday - a.m. 6 miles easy p.m. 6 miles, incl 4 @ LT
Thursday – 6 miles easy with Paddy the Kenyan – PtK’s training for the Tralee Marathon;)
Friday – a.m. 6 miles easy + p.m. 6 miles moderate progression – picked it up from 2.5 miles to 5 miles. Felt laboured.

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TRR

Stazza

TRR wrote: »

Maybe if you weren't Ososlo, you'd get it;)

Krusty_Clown

Not sure where it's all going, but enjoying the story!

Pacing Mule

TRR wrote: »

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Stazza

Thursday 23rd January

a.m. 7 miles ez with Paddy the Kenyan. PtK looked a bit better today (not in a sexy way or anything like that, although he is looking rather chiseled and gristly). Great chat. He taught me all about puppets, trolls, and other nasty things that naughty people do. Anyway, I’m writing my real life vignettes for my thousands of readers – the ones that don’t post on the boards, the ones waiting for all the exciting training stuff (I will get round to it very soon). Felt good and was looking forward to getting out this afternoon.

p.m. 6 miles progression. During the old A.I.S. I could tell the legs wanted to take me for a spin and I let them… Started out nice and slow 9min(ish) pace and gradually worked through the gears as and when I felt like picking it up. Spent from 3-4 in the High End Aerobic Zone (HEAZ) and mile 4-5 was around Lactate Threshold (LT). Legs felt great – the injury has healed. Aerobically, felt ok but could tell I’m carrying a good few pounds – they’ll come off in the next couple of weeks. And then, I’ll knuckle down to all the exciting training I have planned.

A.I.S. before and after both runs

menoscemo

Oh great!! It's Thursday

Stazza

menoscemo wrote: »

Oh great!! It's Thursday

Does that mean I've got to bang out part 4 tonight? Ok, later I'll have a crack at it - I'll try and keep it simple for the simpletons:D

conavitzky

Stazza wrote: »

Does that mean I've got to bang out part 4 tonight? Ok, later I'll have a crack at it - I'll try and keep it simple for the simpletons

Thank god for that. With a B in pass English I have really been struggling on here.!

menoscemo

Stazza wrote: »

Does that mean I've got to bang out part 4 tonight? Ok, later I'll have a crack at it - I'll try and keep it simple for the simpletons:D

Ah no, I enjoyed the flashback part and how you wove it into the interaction with Bernard but we are expecting you to get back to the Christie story tonight

drquirky

Stazza- You're not a Dr. HST fan by any chance, are you?

Stazza

drquirky wrote: »

Stazza- You're not a Dr. HST fan by any chance, are you?

Haha - I hadn't thought of that. The idea is more as a warm-up/outline for some scrappy stuff I write later.

@Menoscemo - It was a flashback, but pay attention. The whole Christie thing is a small piece of a large puzzle... But remember one thing, it's not a story. I'm crafting the outline like a story because of space and time on the log but it's true; well, it's as accurate as my memory allows.

@conavitzky - you did better than me at English - that's true too. I saw your thing about doubles and I'll cover that in the training stuff soon enough. But I'm more in favour of shorter doubles than long singles - this goes against the grain, but I'm 100% right - the rest of the world is wrong:D

Anyway, I must to Christie go...

menoscemo

Stazza wrote: »

@Menoscemo - It was a flashback, but pay attention. The whole Christie thing is a small piece of a large puzzle... But remember one thing, it's not a story. I'm crafting the outline like a story because of space and time on the log but it's true; well, it's as accurate as my memory allows.

A story doesn't have to be fictional, the word comes from the latin meaning 'history' as I am sure you are aware in most latin languages 'history' and 'story' are the same word......

Stazza

menoscemo wrote: »

A story doesn't have to be fictional, the word comes from the latin meaning 'history' as I am sure you are aware in most latin languages 'history' and 'story' are the same word......

Good spot - my bad:o

Stazza

Good Christie Hunting - Part 4

The hustle and bustle of hundreds of the world’s brightest young minds taking their seats in anticipation of Linford’s appearance struck me as odd: why did they want to see Linford and hear him talk? He was hardly England’s answer to Cormac McCarthy. What did Christie have to offer this pack of prodigies? In fact, as I watched from the balcony as the students took their seats, I almost left. But something rooted me to the spot.

Five minutes earlier, I was so close to weighing-in Linford the Legend. Fair shout, I’d had a few swifties and maybe that heightened my bravado. And now, as I sit here recalling the night, I think in all honesty, he might have given it a good go. What was it all about? Linford’s infamous Lunch Box, his banana, and the doping ‘allegations’.

In fairness, I have to say, up until this point I was pleasantly surprised by Linford’s charm, manner, and humbleness. Yes, humbleness. I’d expected a braggart and a poseur. I thought he’d be giving it the big I am, without the irony. But no, he was charming and softly spoken. Dapper and at ease in his suit, he asked about our business ventures and clients. Bernard had him well briefed. He tuned in to S’s sharp wit and laughed at my shenanigans and ridiculous questions about fights to the death between him and Carl Lewis and arm wrestles with John Regis – the usual jesting that goes on between great men and makes this little rock spin. He took the japery with good humour. It was clear to see why Bernard and Linford were friends: mutual respect founded on success and talent in their respective fields as well as a genuine bond that was hard to pinpoint.

It was only when we were having drinks in the bar minutes before he was due to speak that the atmosphere soured. And if it weren’t for my wife’s calming influence, I’d have dropped him. And as for S. (who is the closest living thing I’ve met to the lead character in Good Will Hunting, save for Paddy the Kenyan) he’d of been straight in there too. But my wife saved a scene.

Linford was talking with my wife, he was chatting with the garrulousness of a cokey on pure Columbian Top Shelf. M. gave me a look that suggested, I’m not a celebrity, get me out of here. I noticed blebs of sweat glistening on Linford's forehead. His manner had changed from dude to some sort of numpty in a Shake-and-Vac ad. I moved over to M. to make sure all was cool. I gave S. the eyes to let him know it might go off. As usual, S. was a week ahead of me.

‘…are always talking about my lunchbox, look,’ he said to M, clutching his groin. ‘And then they say I’m taking steroids. Don’t they know that if you take steroids you wouldn’t have a lunchbox like this.’

M. smiled and rolled her eyes, as if to say, what a pr1ck.

His hands were in and out of his pockets like a lad who’s just worked out what it’s all about. He swayed and puffed out his chest and rolled his head. Tysonesque. The little voice in my head started saying, ’here we go, it’s going off.

That’s all for now folks…

newbygirl

The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring...... How deep is your life Stazza? How deep is your love?

KielyUnusual

newbygirl wrote: »

The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring...... How deep is your life Stazza? How deep is your love?

.....and what was your first ever 5k time?;)

newbygirl

KielyUnusual wrote: »

.....and what was your first ever 5k time?;)

In a 5k, as in love, one and one are one.

conavitzky

newbygirl wrote: »

In a 5k, as in love, one and one are one.

Stazza, do you have the wife posting on here now? The plot thickens:eek:

Gavlor

conavitzky wrote: »

Stazza, do you have the wife posting on here now? The plot thickens:eek:

The Real Reason behind this will shock you

Runchick

Great log Stazza, long may it continue - reading this when I should be studying is proving a nice distraction

(not really sure what its about mind you :P)

Stazza

There's a whole lot of loving going on here... nice to see.

a.m. 7 miles ez.
p.m. 6 miles steady.
AIS before and after

Breaking news... Boys and girls, it's time to change the face of middle and long distance running...get ready to rumble...The Stazza System and so much more, starts tonight; no dictionaries required - just a positive attitude...

pistol_75

Stazza wrote: »

There's a whole lot of loving going on here... nice to see.

a.m. 7 miles ez.
p.m. 6 miles steady.
AIS before and after

Breaking news... Boys and girls, it's time to change the face of middle and long distance running...get ready to rumble...The Stazza System and so much more, starts tonight; no dictionaries required - just a positive attitude...

Look forward to it

Stazza

Stazza wrote: »

There's a whole lot of loving going on here... nice to see.

a.m. 7 miles ez.
p.m. 6 miles steady.
AIS before and after

Breaking news... Boys and girls, it's time to change the face of middle and long distance running...get ready to rumble...The Stazza System and so much more, starts tonight; no dictionaries required - just a positive attitude...

Now that I’m back doing the doubles, building the miles, and almost ready to start my assault on the Irish M45-49 5k record of 15:22, it’s time to knuckle down and get a bit more serious. No more tomfoolery. From now on, this log is going to be a forum to encourage learning and excellence.

The real audience of the Boards extends beyond the posters, it’s the readers. That’s you, the 4hr marathon runner, the 5k park runner, the 2:30 marathoner, the person trying to break 3hrs, the teenager fighting to break 4 mins for 1500m. In short, the audience is everybody who has an interest in running.

For a long time, I lurked and read, and occasionally dropped in to comment. The thing I’ve come to realise is that anybody with a remote interest in middle and long distance running probably reads some of the posts. Some will read for the amusement factor, some read to learn, and some read for news and views and all that sort of stuff. There’s no doubt that the ethos of Boards is one of a 'place' that wants/hopes to nurture development. But I’d like to now extend that, so that my log becomes a forum to foster excellence, nurture talent, and empower runners to take control of their running destinies, instead of relying on generic schedules. In short, stick around and learn, join in, and you’ll surprise yourself – you’ll smash your pb’s and get so much more bang for your buck.

So how am I going to deliver all this stuff?

If you’re sitting in your living room craving enlightenment and wisdom, your wait is over. Prepare yourself. Your journey begins here…

From now on this log will serve three purposes:

1. I’ll document my training and racing so that you can witness my journey to glory/humiliation. Hopefully, my training and racing and commentary might help some of you. That’s the idea.

2. The way I see it, the answer to Ireland’s middle and long distance running problems aren’t being addressed in a coherent, progressive and measurable manner. So, we’re going to fix it! The answer to the problem is you. You might be thinking, I’m just a 17 min 5k guy, I’m 20 and I don’t have the talent to run sub 2:13. You do. You might be a woman tickling the 3hr mark – you can run down around 2:25. If you’re running 2:50-3:15, you can get down to sub 2:30 and beyond. If you’re in the 3:30-4:30 bracket you too can make big gains too. And if you’re a 1500m guy/girl – I’ve got some cheeky little surprises for you. In fact, there’s at least one surprise for everybody in the audience – For the guys in the US, Kenya, and England – that’s an in-joke, of sorts. You can carry on following magazine plans and make your way up to the 3hr mark and maybe even down to 2:50 – this will probably take you many years and many painful marathons to get there. But once you hit the 2:50 mark you’ll probably stagnate. The magazine programs will help a bit but you’ll struggle from here on in. Why? The real running starts when you get under sub 2:50. There are thousands of people on this little rock stuck in the 2:35-2:50 bracket. Every six months they pull out a 12 week marathon plan by Abracadabra man (oh the irony) and off they go. They might take a bit off their times, but generally, if you look at their performances over a few years they stagnate in most areas. This is because they don’t understand running. It’s ok lads, I’m here now…

3. To add a bit more to the log, I’ve spoken to a number of people I help out/know and they are going to pop in and do some interviews and give feedback etc – these people range from former Slow Joes to world class athletes. They don’t necessarily agree with me, in fact, some of them think I’m nuts. But, watch and see, I’ve some great girls and boys lined up. Some of the boys/girls I’ve got lined up have moved from slower than 4hrs for the marathon down to faster than most on here… But most exciting in this element of my log is the opportunity for you to watch and become involved in the process of helping Jake Krong break through the 2:20 barrier and on towards breaking 2:15. I’ll be posting Jake’s monthly plans and ripping them to pieces and re-building them and discussing them with him, right here. Any questions, just ask away and between us we’ll answer them. Any serious suggestions throw them into the mixer. Jake’s a good lad with a lot of time for people and he gets a real buzz from seeing people work hard and improving. He’s an excellent student of the sport and is very knowledgeable. Jake’s partner, Andrea, a local elite and soon to be national (US) elite, will also take part in the discussions. If you want/need inspiration on how to come back from injury go here. And if you’re racing tomorrow you might like to read this – if you’re a fan of one of the world’s greatest marathon runners, there's a line that'll crack you up.

So. What do you think kids? I’ll get things rolling in a wee while - I’ll post Jake’s skeleton/1st draft of his schedule that covers the next 6/7 weeks. I’ll explain what the idea is and how it fits in with the bigger plan. That said, I have some suggestions, which I'll post and Jake will discuss. If you have any thoughts, shout out. Jake’s wants you to be involved in this. You never know, he might sort out a free pair of compression socks for everybody (that’s an inside joke) who posts (he works for Saucony – he knows a fair bit about running shoes). There’s loads more. Stay tuned folks…

TRR

Stazza wrote: »

So. What do you think kids? I’ll get things rolling in a wee while - I’ll post Jake’s skeleton/1st draft of his schedule that covers the next 6/7 weeks. I’ll explain what the idea is and how it fits in with the bigger plan. That said, I have some suggestions, which I'll post and Jake will discuss. If you have any thoughts, shout out. Jake’s wants you to be involved in this. You never know, he might sort out a free pair of compression socks for everybody (that’s an inside joke) who posts (he works for Saucony – he knows a fair bit about running shoes). There’s loads more. Stay tuned folks…

I'm going to play devils advocate again as it's well known I'm a negative prick. I drop in to your log now and then and I find it fun.

However are you sure this is the right forum for such an earth shattering approach? You do realise the age demographics of people who post here is easily 35+. Also the numbers of people posting is probably ~100 on average with maybe another ~100 reading/lurking. Hardly a massive or the correct audience for something that you believe will shake the running community in Ireland to it's foundations. Could potentially help us (close to

) middle age runners but will miss the young guys capable of running sub 2.20.

Also, the proof of the pudding is in the eating! Why should people pay heed to what you say? You seem to be out of athletics longer than you have been in it! Can you point to anyone who actually followed your plans and succeeded? I agree that the majority of magazine and book plans are too prescriptive and BS but people here have used them with varying degrees of success and people can point to success stories. I ask all of these out of genuine interest, they sound a bit prickly and maybe a point or two is, but I am just trying to understand the man behind the grandiose statements!

Stazza

TRR wrote: »

I'm going to play devils advocate again as it's well known I'm a negative prick. I drop in to your log now and then and I find it fun.

However are you sure this is the right forum for such an earth shattering approach? You do realise the age demographics of people who post here is easily 35+. Also the numbers of people posting is probably ~100 on average with maybe another ~100 reading/lurking. Hardly a massive or the correct audience for something that you believe will shake the running community in Ireland to it's foundations. Could potentially help us (close to ) middle age runners but will miss the young guys capable of running sub 2.20.

Also, the proof of the pudding is in the eating! Why should people pay heed to what you say? You seem to be out of athletics longer than you have been in it! Can you point to anyone who actually followed your plans and succeeded? I agree that the majority of magazine and book plans are too prescriptive and BS but people here have used them with varying degrees of success and people can point to success stories. I ask all of these out of genuine interest, they sound a bit prickly and maybe a point or two is, but I am just trying to understand the man behind the grandiose statements!

I understand where you're coming from and I appreciate and fully understand your candour and negativity. This is your yard. But if you sit back and watch, you'll be more than surprised with what's coming. And, I hope, that you'll contribute in a positive manner. If not, c'est la vie.

wrstan

Stazza, this log really needs some dramatic musical accompaniment!

I could almost hear the Walkyries or the William Tell as I read!

TRR

Stazza wrote: »

I understand where you're coming from and I appreciate and fully understand your candour and negativity. This is your yard. But if you sit back and watch, you'll be more than surprised with what's coming. And, I hope, that you'll contribute in a positive manner. If not, c'est la vie.

Well if somebody was proclaiming to be able to take my life savings and get me a return of 1000%, I'd want to know their pedigree and past success rate! Running is my major past time and worth a lot to me than my life savings! Your decision to disregard all my questions above wouldn't fill me with confidence. Having said that I'll try to keep an open mind!

theboyblunder

Actually, for TRR, that was remarkably restrained and respectful

Id have similar questions - whats special about 2:50? Sounds a bit arbitrary to me? Id say people like Daniels and Pfitzinger know a thing or two about the marathon, especially Pfitzinger.

If you are more qualified (and you clearly reckon you are), and are willing to share it with us and make us all faster, i'm absolutely delighted, but if you want people on here to take advice seriously I suspect that you need to give us a clue as to your credentials. Verifiable credentials.

If you want people to enjoy your log as a collection of amusing anecdotes, then you dont.

T runner

Stazza has linked to a couple of runners in his post that he helps. I found jake krongs quick turnaround to a 2:20 marathon using (AT sessions) in december impressive, for example, and looking forward to seeing exactly how and why elite athletes like himself and Andrea construct their training the way they do.

Jake seems to be a high mileage man. Something that many, but not all that have broken down to his times share. As ive never been up to the very high mileage, im interested to see how much weight it is given as a prerequisite to breakingthrough. I remember stazza mentioning on another thread that jake might be using more athletic training and a focus on improving 5k speed to raise LT, as a means for further improvement. That is something that many people, like myself, the wrong side of 2:35 should have an interest in Seeing how matathon oriented 5k improvement might transition into a marathon schedule. You wont see that in any book. Ill watch and contribute with
interest.

Its stazzas ship, let him steer it and im sure well be suprised as he promises.

Stazza

TRR wrote: »

Well if somebody was proclaiming to be able to take my life savings and get me a return of 1000%, I'd want to know their pedigree and past success rate! Running is my major past time and worth a lot to me than my life savings! Your decision to disregard all my questions above wouldn't fill me with confidence. Having said that I'll try to keep an open mind!

Your point is valid and I appreciate that you've come on as yourself and spoke openly with passion and measured constraint.

I've read most of the stuff you've posted on the boards. I know you're a good club runner and you help a lot of people. I'm also glad that you'll keep an open mind.

From what I've read on here, most people are capable of working things out for themselves. Let them. If people don't want to read my log, then they don't have to - it's up to them. That's one of the reasons why I decided to post my system in my log rather than putting it up as a separate thread. Also, from what you've said about the number of readers and their ages etc, I don't think you have too much to worry about. Let the people vote with their feet/eyes.

On the whole issue of who I am and all that stuff, I'm happy to let my running speak for itself. But I'm not going to get into I coach ABCD etc. Simple reason is, I don't coach anybody. Also, I don't have any running specific coaching qualifications. I'm not involved with any running club.

With that, I hope I've addressed your questions respectfully and in a manner that satisfies you. If not, please accept my apologies in advance and by all means, ask again and I'll answer you.

Thanks again for taking the time to post as yourself and post without vitriol etc.