Retrospect : Benchmarking
Three years ago I received a request on FLICKR to use this image in a publication. I denied the use but grew curious about the image. What was it they were looking at? The image features placegetters 2-4 with 700m to go in the Australian Masters Athletics W40-44 1500m Championships. A portrait of concern, poise and frailty I imagined. My next thought was 'what would it take to flip those results'. I began my search.
W40 1500 Meter Run 1 Hecker, Kate W40 VIC 5:07.13 4:50.52 80.02% 2 Keane, Niamh W44 WA 5:08.72 4:39.21 83.26% 3 Brown, Petrina W40 QLD 5:16.50 4:59.38 77.65% 4 Forestier, Katie W43 ACT 5:22.17 4:54.82 78.85% 5 Coombe, Amanda W41 TAS 5:32.90 5:11.67 74.59% 6 Wright, Leah W42 SA 5:38.92 5:13.78 74.09% 7 Walker, Amanda W41 ACT 5:43.69 5:21.77 72.25% 8 Brown, Suzanne W43 NSW 6:04.79 5:33.82 69.64%
Benchmark A decade before, almost equidistant between when I'd stopped being a serious runner and beginning my comeback as a Masters athlete, I was following a Norwegian 5000m runner, Marius Bakken and his blog. It included a diary on his training with Kenyan athletes and a compilation of assorted training methods and diary excerpts from elite male and female runners. That's where I headed first. The most detailed training regime I found was of Moroccan male athletes including Hicham El Guerrouj and Khalid Skah. Although not 100% accurate by the author's own admission it was a great start. Thank someone for the internet. Hicham El Guerrouj had a range from 800m (1:47) to 5000m (12:50). Perfect. Others I benchmarked included Seabastian Coe, Wilson Kipketer, Pamela Jelimo and David Rudisha (to see where 800m was at) and our peers from Australian Masters Athletics to see where they were at. More of those later.
Hicham El Guerrouj
Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 1500 m Gold 2004 Athens 5000 m Silver 2000 Sydney 1500 m World Championships Gold 1997 Athens 1500 m Gold 1999 Sevilla 1500 m Gold 2001 Edmonton 1500 m Gold 2003 Paris 1500 m Silver 1995 Gothenburg 1500 m Silver 2003 Paris 5000 m World Indoor Championships Gold 1995 Barcelona 1500 m Gold 1997 Paris 1500 m Gold 2001 Lisbon 3000 m
It wasn't until I'd digested what was written on Moroccan distance training and watched some video footage that two lights went on...Firstly I mostly understood periodisation as for the first time I had some real training programs before me...Secondly some sessions almost exactly replicated the manner in which most championship races at international level were run. I was excited.
Some Video Relics Pamela Jelimo 800m 1:54: Not much has changed on how to run a quick 800m since Sebastian Coe circa 1980 (thanks Peter Coe for detailed publications on Sebastian Coe's training methods)...every 200m split is slower,a 2 second slowdown 400m on 400m is still the benchmark. This video too short to show the careful control of lactate, short enough to enhance the awesome kickdown. Of me: Quite early on I benchmarked David Sweeney (Qld) as my age group Australian BM. Thanx for your blog DS, instrumental in providing mine. Keith Bateman, an awesome athlete, not much a conversation but when you asked someone to look after Lara at the bottom of heartbreak hill I complied until the last 200m:-) Next post: Periodisation
W40 1500 Meter Run 1 Hecker, Kate W40 VIC 5:07.13 4:50.52 80.02% 2 Keane, Niamh W44 WA 5:08.72 4:39.21 83.26% 3 Brown, Petrina W40 QLD 5:16.50 4:59.38 77.65% 4 Forestier, Katie W43 ACT 5:22.17 4:54.82 78.85% 5 Coombe, Amanda W41 TAS 5:32.90 5:11.67 74.59% 6 Wright, Leah W42 SA 5:38.92 5:13.78 74.09% 7 Walker, Amanda W41 ACT 5:43.69 5:21.77 72.25% 8 Brown, Suzanne W43 NSW 6:04.79 5:33.82 69.64%
Benchmark A decade before, almost equidistant between when I'd stopped being a serious runner and beginning my comeback as a Masters athlete, I was following a Norwegian 5000m runner, Marius Bakken and his blog. It included a diary on his training with Kenyan athletes and a compilation of assorted training methods and diary excerpts from elite male and female runners. That's where I headed first. The most detailed training regime I found was of Moroccan male athletes including Hicham El Guerrouj and Khalid Skah. Although not 100% accurate by the author's own admission it was a great start. Thank someone for the internet. Hicham El Guerrouj had a range from 800m (1:47) to 5000m (12:50). Perfect. Others I benchmarked included Seabastian Coe, Wilson Kipketer, Pamela Jelimo and David Rudisha (to see where 800m was at) and our peers from Australian Masters Athletics to see where they were at. More of those later.
Hicham El Guerrouj
Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 1500 m Gold 2004 Athens 5000 m Silver 2000 Sydney 1500 m World Championships Gold 1997 Athens 1500 m Gold 1999 Sevilla 1500 m Gold 2001 Edmonton 1500 m Gold 2003 Paris 1500 m Silver 1995 Gothenburg 1500 m Silver 2003 Paris 5000 m World Indoor Championships Gold 1995 Barcelona 1500 m Gold 1997 Paris 1500 m Gold 2001 Lisbon 3000 m
It wasn't until I'd digested what was written on Moroccan distance training and watched some video footage that two lights went on...Firstly I mostly understood periodisation as for the first time I had some real training programs before me...Secondly some sessions almost exactly replicated the manner in which most championship races at international level were run. I was excited.
Some Video Relics Pamela Jelimo 800m 1:54: Not much has changed on how to run a quick 800m since Sebastian Coe circa 1980 (thanks Peter Coe for detailed publications on Sebastian Coe's training methods)...every 200m split is slower,a 2 second slowdown 400m on 400m is still the benchmark. This video too short to show the careful control of lactate, short enough to enhance the awesome kickdown. Of me: Quite early on I benchmarked David Sweeney (Qld) as my age group Australian BM. Thanx for your blog DS, instrumental in providing mine. Keith Bateman, an awesome athlete, not much a conversation but when you asked someone to look after Lara at the bottom of heartbreak hill I complied until the last 200m:-) Next post: Periodisation
Comments