Marathon
MIDDE HAMRIN, Swedish Olympic Marathon, 1984: Coached by Jim
Very few Scottish coaches or athletes realisejust how good a coach Jim is. He has worked with several Olympians at different distances – Mile, Steeplechase and Marathon. Midde Hamrin above ran in European Championships, Olympic Games, World Championships as well as in the big city races. She has a marathon pb of 2:36:15. Training for two more of his best marathon runners is given below bur first he just lays out what his general principles are and gives a 10 week schedule for a top class marathon runner.
Determine feasible goals for the race, then figure out marathon pace per mile. Eg: Marathon in 3:03.3 is 7 minutes race pace
7 mins = 420 secs. Race pace less 10 secs = 420-10 = 410 = 6:50
Predicted time for 800 with 20 secs less per mile = 420-20 400=/2 = 200= 3:20
Workout
– Saturday runs should be run at 10 sec per mile less than race pace
– Try and run at least 30 min each morning Mon – Fri – don’t worry about distance.
10 WEEK PROGRAM
WEEK 1
1 – 10 miles easy
2 – 6x 1600 – race pace less 10 secs per mile with 200 jog between
3 – 6 miles easy
4 – 20 x 200 with 100 walk between run how you feel
5 – 10 miles easy
6 – 6 miles easy
7 – Race or 6 mile hard
WEEK 2
1 – 12 miles easy
2 – 3 x 3200 Race pace less 10 sec per mile with 600 jog between
3 – 6 miles easy
4 – 20 x 300 with 100 walk between run how you feel
5 – 10 miles easy
6 – 6 miles easy
7 – Race or 8 mile hard
WEEK 3
1 – 15 miles easy
2 – 6x 1600 – race pace less 15 secs per mile with 200 jog between
3 – 8 miles easy
4 – 10x 800 Race pace less 20 secs per mile with 200 jog between
5 – 8 miles easy
6 – 8 miles easy
7 – Race or 6 mile hard
WEEK 4
1 – 15 miles easy
2 – 2 x 3 miles race pace less 15 sec per mile with 800 jog between
3 – 8 miles easy
4 – 20x 200 with 100 walk between – race pace
5 – 10 miles easy
6 – 6 miles easy
7 – Race or 8 mile hard
WEEK 5
1 – 15 miles easy
2 – 3 x 2 miles race pace less 15 sec with 600 jog between
3 – 8 miles easy
4- 12 x 800 race pace less 25 sec with 200 jog between
5 – 8 miles easy
6 –8 miles easy
7 – Race or 15 mile easy
WEEK 6
1 – 18 miles easy
2 – 6 x1600 race pace less 20 secs – 200 jog between
3 – 8 miles easy
4- 20x 300 with 100 walk between race-pace
5 – 8 miles easy
6 –6 miles easy
7 – Race or 3 mile easy
WEEK 7
1 – 20 miles easy
2 – 2x 3 miles race pace less 15 secs – 200 jog between
3 – 8 miles easy
4- 20x 400 with 200 jog between – race pace
5 – 8 miles easy
6 –8 miles easy
7 – Race or 10 mile easy
WEEK 8
1 – 20 miles easy
2 – 12x 800 race pace less 30 secs – 200 jog between
3 – 8 miles easy
4- 6x 1600 race pace less 20 secs – with 200 jog
5 – 8 miles easy
6 –8 miles easy
7 –10 mile easy
WEEK 9
1 – 15 miles easy
2 – 3x 3200 race pace less 20 secs with 600 jog between
3 – 8 miles easy
4- 20x 300 with 100 walk at pace
5 – 5 miles easy
6 –5 miles easy
7 –8 mile easy
WEEK 10
1 – 8 miles easy
2 – 3x 1600 race pace with 100 jog between
3 – 6 miles easy
4 – 40 min easy
5 – 30 min easy with a few strides
6 –30 min with a few strides
7 –RACE
Marty Froelick was a very good distance runner with Rice University, Texas, with a pb for the distace of 2:10 run in the Twin Cities Marathon in 1987. He also ran several 2:12’s and a 2:11 as well has having a 14:04.7 for 5000 (1978) and 29:14.9 for 10000m. Jim writes:-
Marty Froelick – 2:10.59
29 Days before marathon. Most days Marty also did morning runs 30-45 mins easy
29 – 30 mile run around 6 min pace
28 – 1 hour easy
27 – 40x 200 jog across middle
26 – 1 hour run
25 – 10 mile run – 2 @ 6.00/ 2@ 5.00/ 2@ 6.00/ 1@ 4.40/ 3@ 6.00
24 – 45 min easy with a few strides
23– 10K road race 30:20
22 – 20 mile run around 6 min pace
21 – 10 x 1K – 3.00 – 200 jog between
20 – 1 hour easy
19 – 2 @ 6.00/ 2@ 5.00/ 2@ 6.00/ 1@ 4.40/ 3@ 6.00
18 – 1 ¼ hours easy
17 – 30 mile run around 6 min pace
16 – 1 ½ hours easy run
15 – 1 hour easy
14 – 6 x mile 4.40 with 1 min rest
13 – 1 hour easy
12 – 2 mile – 10.00/ 5MR/ 2X1 – 4.40 3MR/ 4X880 – 2.16 – 1MR
11 – 1 hour easy
10 – 1 hour easy
9 – 15 miles around 6 min pace
8 – 1 hour easy
7 – 4x mile pace with 1 min rest between
6 – 1 hour easy
5 – 2x 2 miles pace 1 min rest between
4 – 45 min with 5 min pick up
3 – 30 min easy with a few strides
2 – 30 min easy with a few strides
1 – Twin Cities 1st place 2:10.59
Sylvia Mosqueda was a late starter in athletics and you should read some of the stuff available on the web about her career. She has a 2:37 for the marathon and a 1:10 for the half marathon. Jim says:-
Sylvia Mosqueda
Who is Sylvia and what is she!!!
Sylvia is in the front.
Sylvia won the 1987 NCAA cross country championships and in 1988 she won the 10,000 meter title on the track in a time of 32:28.57 which stood for thirty years before it was broken.
I was first contacted about Sylvia who was representing the USA by my wife Carol who was the Team Manager for the USA in the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships which were held in Bristol England on October 7, 2001. Sylvia told her that she did not have a coach – Carol suggested me.
Sylvia contacted me on November 15th giving me an outline of what she had been doing in respect to training. I prepared a schedule for her for the month of December which I am sure was a wake-up call:
6 x mile with 1 min rest around 5:10
8x 800 with 45 secs rest around 2:32
We decided to have her first race on January 20, 2002 – San Diego Half Marathon which she won in 1:12.37.
The next race planned was a Half-marathon in Austin Texas on February 2, 2002. Ten days prior to the race I had Sylvia do the ‘Ball-Buster’ workout – 2x mile with 30 sec rest 5:12 & 5:09/ jog 400/ 2x 800 with 30 sec rest – 2:29 & 2:30/ jog 400/ 2x 400 with 30 sec rest – 74 & 74/ 5 min rest then repeat/ 5:06 & 5:08/ 2:29 & 2:29/ 74 & 74. After that workout I had a good idea that she was ready to run a fast time.
Carol and I drove over to Austin from Houston to watch the race – Sylvia and I had spoken several times on the phone, but had never met face to face. Driving to the start of the race – Carol spotted Sylvia running up the street – I stopped the car, jumped out, ran towards her – she began shouting “who the hell are you”! – I said “I’m Jim McLatchie – your coach – you silly bugger”.
Gave her a hug and told her to go “kick some ass” and that Carol and I would be out on the course. The rest is history – new course record 1:10.46. She went on to break that record again in 2004 which ranked her 8th best in the USA at that distance with a time of 1:09.52.
Sylvia ran the New York Marathon in 2002 and finished 13th in a time of 2:33.47 and in 2003 she finished 10th overall in a time of 2:33.10. She was the first American to finish the race, she was on the podium with the other top nine women. Alberto Salazar was presenting the prizes, and had to ask Sylvia her name!!
Here is the last 21 days training she accomplished leading up to the race. Mon thru Fri she ran 30 mins in the morning
1. 2x mile- 5.08 – 1 min rest/ jog 400/ 2×800 2.30 – 1 MR/ jog 400/ 2×400 – 70 / jog 5 min then REPEAT.
2. 1 hour run
3. 8 mile run as follows: 1 – 5k pace/ 2 – 10k pace plus 1 min/ 2 – 10 k pace/ 3 – 10k pace plus 1 min
4. 1 hour easy
5. 45 min easy with a few strides
6. 18 miles easy
7. 1 hour easy
8. 3x 3 miles at 10k pace with 4 min rest between
9. 1 ¼ hour with 4x 3 min pick-ups in middle
10. 4x mile 4.52 with 2 min rest between
11. 1 hour easy
12. 45 mins with a few strides
13. 15 miles easy
14. 1 hour easy
15. 2x 2mile at 10k pace with 2 min rest
16. 1 hour easy
17. 45 min with a few strides
18. 45 min with a few strides
19. 20 min easy with strides
20. 20 min easy with strides
21. New York Marathon 10th place in 2:33.10
In 2004 – Sylvia had her best opportunity to make the Olympic team – she was fit and probably in the best shape of her life. In the marathon trials in St Louis she was in second place with 3 miles to go and ran out of steam – everything had ceased up – she could not walk – I had to carry her to the finish area, luckily it was about a mile across the park. Four weeks later she ran a 10,000 in the Mt. Sac relays I explained to her that no one would run under the qualifier in Sacramento because it would be too hot.
Sylvia ran with a woman from Germany until the last mile – coasted to the finish line (big mistake) in 31:57.64 missing the Olympic qualifying by six seconds.
During the 2004 season she recorded her fastest 5000 – 15:33.38 , 15K – 50:08 and ½ marathon 1:09.52
My only regret about coaching Sylvia – is, “I wish to Hell I had the opportunity to coach her when she was in her mid-twenties and not in her late thirties”. All in all we had a great journey.
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