Arthur Lydiard on Running

Training Balance

There are three basic aspects of physical preparation to be considered: (1) the aerobic development, (2) the anaerobic development, and (3) the development of sprinting speed, which we wish to increase by improving technique and strength. These development periods are sequential, i.e., one follows the other, and the training has to be systematic. It doesn’t matter what exercise we get involved in, whether it’s cycling or lifting weights or swimming or running, we can do too much or too little of any one aspect, we can do it too fast or not fast enough, we can do it at the right time or the wrong time – this is basically what training is about. For instance, there has to be a good understanding of anaerobic training, when to fit it into the program, and when to back off it. Athletes who know how to control anaerobic training can control the ultimate form and peak on the desired day. Always, you must adhere to such physiological and mechanical fundamentals; if you get away from them, you’ll create an imbalance in your training.

In working with young athletes, I try to explain my approach, and the need for the correct training balance. It’s no good training athletes if you only teach them what to do and how to do it, you must also teach them why they are doing it. Every day’s training should be explained in terms of the physiological and mechanical effect it is intended to achieve. Athletes who understand this are better motivated and produce the best results.

In Japan, you’ve done very well in conditioning athletes with marathon-type training, but in many ways, this is overly emphasized. Mr. Hirose, the host of this clinic, who gave a speech at the beginning, is right when he says that Japanese runners have become obsessed with marathon training, and haven’t considered other aspects of training deeply enough. If we are going to produce good runners, we have to understand it is possible to overdo marathon training, which can result in too much muscular viscosity. Usually, when I go to a country, I have to encourage people to do more of this training, but in Japan, I think maybe you should have another look at the amount you are doing.

Now, we all should know that the aim in training is to develop sufficient endurance to maintain necessary speed over the selected distance. In other words, to run 3:43 for 1,500-meters, it’s only 60 seconds for each 400 meters, which many of us can do separately, but which few of us can maintain continuously for nearly four laps. It is true that performance level is governed by aerobic threshold, and our anaerobic development is a limited factor in human beings, but from my observations of Japanese runners, I think in many cases they do a little too much of the marathon conditioning, and are wrongly evaluating anaerobic repetition or interval-type training, probably doing too much of it in the period of aerobic volume, canceling out some of the good condition that they’ve developed through marathon training, and losing control of the ultimate peak form.

In addition, I don’t think speed and technique are being worked on sufficiently; there has to be concentration on developing it throughout the whole year (I’m talking about sprinting speed, not from anaerobic development). I watched the young women in a race, a half marathon, a couple of days ago, and I hardly saw one who has been taught to run properly. All were running tight around the shoulders, throwing their arms around. This type of flawed technique leads to wasted effort and loss of forward momentum. You must learn to relax, which is a key to good running, and this fundamental has been overlooked.

A Female Japanese Runner

Note the excessive outward arm swing and pivoting of the torso.

Developing Anaerobic Capacity

To effectively develop anaerobic capacity, athletes must engage in longer interval training rather than short sprints. For example, running 800 meters six times with 800 meters jogging recovery in between each repetition is less intense than 100-meter sprints but still incurs an oxygen debt, leading to lactate accumulation and a drop in blood pH. This method ensures a sufficient volume of anaerobic training without the risk of overtraining.

Training Schedule

Arthur Lydiard recommends hard anaerobic training three days a week for three-and-a-half to four weeks to maximize anaerobic capacity. At the end of this period, athletes should incorporate “sharpeners” once a week, such as sprinting 100 meters in every 200 meters or 50 meters in every 100 meters. These short, sharp efforts help maintain anaerobic development without overtraining.

Coordination of Training

The coordination of training is crucial for preparing athletes for competition. Athletes should be accustomed to the specific demands of their event, such as running at a certain speed over a specific distance. This involves gradually increasing the tempo of training in the last six weeks of a 10-week track training period.

Practical Application

For instance, a 5 km runner might start with a trial run of 15 minutes without a watch or competition. Three days later, the athlete runs another 5 km trial with split times, aiming to run slightly faster than 15 minutes. The tempo is progressively increased each week, gradually pushing the athlete to run faster.

Individual Responses

Athletes’ responses to training vary, and coaches must be flexible. If an athlete reports not being tired but unable to go faster, they need under-distance races or fast trials. Conversely, if an athlete starts fast but slows down at the end, they need over-distance fast runs. These trials provide valuable insights into the athlete’s training needs.

Case Study: Murray Halberg

In 1960, Lydiard trained Murray Halberg for the 5,000 meters using this method. Halberg was able to run strongly and evenly throughout the race, unlike his interval-trained competitors who were looking for rest periods. Halberg’s consistent pace allowed him to surge ahead in the final laps, securing the gold medal. This success underscores the importance of proper training coordination for optimal race performance.

Arthur Lydiard’s Coaching Philosophy and Training Methodology

Key Running Qualities

Lopes and Carl Lewis, winners of the 1984 Olympics in the marathon and 100 meters respectively, share fundamental running qualities. Both runners are upright, with relaxed arm action that swings inside the shoulders and hips under the torso. This posture ensures optimal stride length and frequency. When the knees are up, the foot comes higher, creating a faster stride due to the shorter lever effect. While high knees are not practical for marathons, exaggerating this action through drills helps runners achieve the correct running form.

Relaxation and Efficiency

When training athletes, the first priority is to teach them to run relaxed. This includes a loose arm swing that touches the side of the running shorts. Cross-country skiing is better for cardiac development because it uses the upper body, but running should focus on minimizing upper body involvement to maximize efficiency. Adding muscle mass to the upper body can slow runners down, as it requires more energy to move the legs.

Hill Training

Hill training is a cornerstone of Arthur Lydiard’s conditioning regimen. Instead of lifting weights, which can be impractical and time-consuming, hill training provides sufficient resistance to strengthen the legs, improve stride length, and enhance muscular endurance. The key aspects of hill training include:

1. Strength in Upper Thighs: Maintaining knee lift throughout a race is crucial for endurance. Hill training helps develop the necessary strength and power in the upper thighs.
2. Capillary and Muscle Fiber Development: Running up steep hills or stairs develops both capillary networks for endurance and muscle fibers for power.
3. Bounding Up Hills: This technique involves taking long bounding strides up a gentle slope, straightening the legs to maximize power and improve running action.

Importance of Ankle Development

One of the most critical areas of development for runners is the ankles. Flexible and powerful ankles are essential for efficient running. Arthur Lydiard emphasizes the importance of developing strong, flexible ankles to enhance overall running performance.

By focusing on these principles, runners can improve their running form, endurance, and speed, aligning with Arthur Lydiard’s holistic approach to training.

Anaerobic Development

From a physiological perspective, the goal of this period is to enhance the body’s buffering mechanisms against lactic acid by performing a workload that exceeds the oxygen supply our body can provide. The result is an accumulation of pyruvic acid, which is converted to lactic acid. With heavy anaerobic training, about 48 hours are required for recovery between workouts, or even more in some cases. If training is carried out properly, the pH level of the blood is lowered as much as possible with a large volume of anaerobic work one day, and then the same workload or a similar one is repeated two days later.

If an athlete races his training, meaning he trains with people who are too fast for him, he will do too much anaerobic work and maintain a lower than normal blood pH level for extended periods. Testing his blood would reveal very low platelets, slow recovery due to enzyme function effects, and an adverse impact on the immune system. Athletes who frequently suffer from breakdowns, muscle pulls, injuries, coughs, colds, and other health issues often have an excess of anaerobic workouts. Staleness is another tell-tale sign; when athletes become edgy, nervous, unable to eat well, and sleep poorly, it is a psychological response to a physiological condition resulting from excessive anaerobic training and chronically lower-than-normal blood pH levels, which in turn adversely affect the central nervous system. Therefore, when using anaerobic training, it is crucial to be very careful and understand what you are doing. It is better to under-do anaerobic training than over-do it, but most people tend to do the latter.

It is also important to remember that the day you start anaerobic training and stop your conditioning, your basic performance level for the season is determined. Once you start with anaerobic training, you must continue it, so starting it too early in the season can cause an imbalance.

No one can precisely determine how much anaerobic training an individual should do. Coaches often set hypothetical figures without considering the athlete’s input. For example, a coach might say, “I want you to run 400 meters 15 times in 65 seconds with a specific recovery interval,” without the athlete having any say in the number of repetitions. If the athlete reaches 12 repetitions and feels they have had enough, they must still complete three more. The key is to explain to the athlete not only what to do and how to do it but also why they are doing it and what physiological adaptations they are trying to achieve. The athlete should determine when to stop, not the coach. The key to training is to regulate each workout according to individual reactions to it.

To develop the anaerobic capacity to its maximum, we must understand exactly what we are trying to achieve. To bring about the low pH level of arterial blood, we have to do a high volume of anaerobic training.

Arthur Lydiard’s Coaching Seminar Notes

Anaerobic Training Methods

To effectively develop anaerobic capacity, athletes should engage in longer intervals rather than short sprints. For instance, running 800 meters six times with 800 meters of jogging recovery in between each repetition is more beneficial than 20 100-meter sprints. This method incurs an oxygen debt, leading to the production of lactic acid and a decrease in blood pH. By contrast, short sprints will cause neuromuscular breakdown and muscle fatigue much faster.

Key Points:

• Use longer intervals for anaerobic training.
• Include sufficient recovery periods to maintain effort levels.
• Avoid overly intense, short intervals.

Duration and Frequency of Anaerobic Training

Through experience, it has been determined that hard anaerobic training should occur three days a week for a period of three-and-a-half to four weeks. This period is crucial for developing near-maximum anaerobic capacity. However, continuing this intense training beyond four weeks can lead to a decline in condition. To maintain anaerobic development without overtraining, incorporate “sharpeners” once a week, such as sprinting 100 meters in every 200 meters or 50 meters in every 100 meters.

Key Points:

• Perform hard anaerobic training three days a week for 3.5 to 4 weeks.
• Use “sharpeners” once a week to maintain anaerobic capacity without overtraining.

Coordination of Training

The coordination of training is essential for preparing athletes for competition. Athletes should be accustomed to the specific demands of their event, such as running at a certain speed over a specific distance. Early in the training period, athletes should run the race distance or close to it at near-racing speed without a watch or lap times. This helps gauge their current training status.

The coordination period, the last six weeks of a 10-week track training period, is critical for sharpening athletes and bringing them to racing pitch. This period involves increasing the tempo of the work, progressing from faster work to sharpeners, and finally to under-distance and over-distance development races and time trials.

Key Points:

• Prepare athletes for competition by simulating race conditions.
• Use the coordination period to sharpen athletes and bring them to racing pitch.
• Progress from faster work to sharpeners and development races.

Flexibility in Training

Arthur Lydiard emphasizes the importance of flexibility in training schedules. He advises athletes to use the provided workout details as a guide rather than strict rules. Athletes should adjust their training based on their responses and avoid excessive anaerobic overload when it begins to have adverse effects.

Key Points:

• Use workout details as a guide, not a strict rule.
• Adjust training based on athletes’ responses.
• Avoid excessive anaerobic overload to prevent adverse effects.

Training Methodology and Coaching Philosophy

Initial Trials and Conditioning

Let’s say we are working with a 5 km runner, and he does 5 km in 15 minutes for his first trial, without the watch, and no competition. About 3 days later, we’ll send him out for another 5 km trial, but this time we’ll give him split times for each lap, and we’ll have him run a little faster than 15 minutes. We’ll have him increase the tempo progressively each week, gradually getting him to run faster. As I’ve said before, it’s very easy to sharpen the well-conditioned body.

Determining Training Needs

Based on the fluctuations and responses of the athlete, we can determine what training to use at this time. For instance, if you had a young runner who came in after his 5,000-meter run and said, “I don’t know, coach. I’m not tired but I couldn’t go any faster,” you know he is not sharp enough. He needs under-distance races or fast trials. On the other hand, if you get an athlete who goes very fast early and starts to slow down at the end, you know he needs some over-distance fast runs. All athletes are different in their responses, so you have to be a little experimental in the later stages of training to determine exactly how to co-ordinate the training, but the trials tell you very much.

Co-ordination and Race Strategy

Just to explain this co-ordination a bit further… I trained Murray Halberg this way in 1960 in the 5,000 meters, and he ran strongly and evenly over 5,000 meters near racing speed. In those days, the athletes he ran against were all interval-trained, so they went out and ran fast, had a rest, ran fast, and had a rest, so when they got in the race, they were looking for the rest periods, whereas Halberg was able to run strongly all the way. I told him that the pace would slacken with about three laps to go, and the others would try to have a rest, but when this happened, he didn’t need any pause, and put in a 60-second 400 meters. He got 80 meters on the field in one lap, simply because they’d been trained to have a rest and he hadn’t. That got him the gold medal. People said to me afterward they couldn’t understand how, in the Olympic final in front of 80,000 people, the rest of the field could only watch and do nothing about it as Halberg ran away. It was simply because they’d been trained incorrectly.

Race Preparation and Maintenance Training

We must realize that the races we run in this six-week period are purely for the development of co-ordination and to prepare the athlete for the big races coming, for the main event. Athletes should never race seriously until they are properly prepared for it, and once they begin, the hard training is finished. All the effort then goes into racing, and the training is very light. You can’t train hard and race well at the same time, so when you continue coaching the athletes into their competition period, remember two words: you’ve got to keep them fresh and sharp. If this ‘race-maintenance’ training is aerobic, it should not be too long in duration, and if it’s anaerobic, it should be neither too long nor too demanding; it has to be short and sharp.

Case Study: Snell in Tokyo 1964

When I had Snell in Tokyo in 1964, we jogged an hour very easily in the morning. He raced 6 races in 7 days. He won two gold medals, and the last day when he won the 1,500 meters, it was very easy for him, like a training run, and he won by 40 meters. He said afterwards he didn’t have to run hard. When we went to the track in the daytime, we’d see the athletes he’d run against still training hard.

Maintaining Form and Conditioning Base

You can hold your form once you are fit, provided you are sure to allow recovery from very hard races. How long you can hold it is also related to how broad your conditioning base is.

Speed Development

Finally, we address speed, which is very important, and not emphasized enough by the Japanese runners from what I’ve seen in the last few days. Most middle and long-distance runners do a lot of conditioning and anaerobic repetition work. They think the latter, such as running 200 meters or 400 meters, develops speed. In the actual fact, it counteracts speed. When you see people doing a lot of repetitions, they invariably start to tighten their shoulders and the neck muscles, simply because their quadriceps are getting tired. Once that happens, you can’t lift your legs, and you start to tighten the shoulders.

Relaxation and Running Form

We must understand that relaxation is the key to good running form. If you watch Florence Griffith-Joyner winning the 100 and 200 meters at the Seoul Olympics, you’ll see the importance of relaxation in achieving peak performance.

Arthur Lydiard’s Coaching Philosophy and Training Methodology

Running Qualities of Elite Athletes

Arthur Lydiard observed that both Lopes and Carl Lewis, who won the marathon and 100 meters at the 1984 Olympics respectively, shared similar running qualities. They both maintained an upright posture, loose arm action, and kept their hips under their torso. The key differences were that Lewis had a higher knee lift and more exaggerated arm movement. Lydiard emphasized that getting your hips back reduces knee lift, shortens stride length, and decreases stride frequency.

Increasing Speed and Stride Mechanics

Fundamentally, speed can be increased through longer strides or faster strides, or a combination of both. Lydiard explained that when the upper leg is horizontal to the ground, stride length is optimized. Bringing the knees up higher results in a faster stride due to the mechanics of a shorter lever moving faster than a longer one. This principle is demonstrated by Carl Lewis’s sprinting technique, where his heel reaches his buttocks. However, this exaggerated technique is not sustainable for long-distance events like the marathon.

Proper Running Form

Lydiard stressed the importance of running like walking, with an upright posture and loose arm swing. Tightening the shoulders or clenching fists disrupts the natural running form, leading to wasted effort and inefficient movement. He advised athletes to keep their arms relaxed and swinging straight, just touching the side of their running shorts.

Upper Body Involvement

Cross-country skiing is better for cardiac development than running because it engages the upper body more. However, in running, the less the upper body is involved, the better. Adding muscle mass to the upper body can actually slow down running performance. Lydiard emphasized that the legs should be trained to move faster, not the arms, as no one can move their legs as fast as their arms.

Impact of Body Mass on Running Performance

For every kilogram of fat-free body mass, 0.17 milliliters of oxygen is required to run each meter. This means that extra weight on the legs, especially when climbing hills or lifting over barriers, will either increase energy expenditure or reduce speed. Lydiard cited Lasse Viren, who won four Olympic gold medals with minimal upper body muscle mass.

Hill Training

Lydiard recommended hill training for speed conditioning and muscular conditioning, especially in flat terrain where weights are not readily available. Hill training provides sufficient resistance using body weight, helping to stretch and lengthen the stride. This method is particularly beneficial for athletes in New Zealand, where training is often done alongside work commitments, making it impractical to incorporate weight training.

Hill Training Methodology

Strengthening the Upper Thighs and Knee Lift

We do three things on hills. We need to be strong in the upper thighs. Very few runners can maintain their knee lift throughout their race. The knees start to go down near the end. I’m talking only about necessary knee lift, not running a race with high knees all the way.

Not only do we need capillary development for muscular endurance, but we also need muscle fiber development, or in other words, power. By running up steep hills or stairs, we strengthen an entire area. We don’t sprint up the hills; we aim to maintain our forward momentum while putting effort on the legs, or in other words, bringing resistance to the legs. The slower we go up the hills, the more resistance we’ll get on the muscles. You must bring your knees up, and to do that, you must have your hips forward, and you’ve got to drive off the back leg.

Bounding Up Steep Slopes

We also do a lot of bounding up a long steady slope. I saw a lot of runners here with their knees bent all the time. They never straighten their legs. Mifuyu, a runner/writer who escorted Lydiard in Japan, tried hill bounding yesterday and already has sore legs at the back because she’s been running with her knees bent. It’s when you straighten your leg that you get the power; if your legs are bent all the time, you get no power. By bounding up a hill, taking long bounding strides, bringing the knees up, driving hard off the back leg on a gentle slope, you start to get a lot more power and a better running action. Pekka Vasala, whom I helped in Finland, and who won the 1,500 meters in Munich Olympics, did lots of hill bounding. He loved to do hill bounding on a 200-meter hill. It showed very graphically in the final of the 1,500 meters when he came down on the straightaway; there is a picture of him, and you could put a board from his heel right through to his head. It was a dead straight line, and he was getting the maximum drive as he came down the straight. That helped him to win the gold medal.

Importance of Powerful and Flexible Ankles

I’m always trying to impress on the athletes that probably the most important development we can get is of the ankles – flexible, powerful ankles. We don’t want our runners like weight lifters or gymnasts, we want them like ballet dancers. You know how they spring and bounce around with flexible, powerful ankles. If we can make our runners like that, then we’ll have speed. Both Murray Halberg and Lasse Viren had the same running action, which came from their ankles and allowed them to accelerate very quickly.

What we do is to get on a gentle slope and use our body weight for resistance by elevating it as high as possible with slow forward momentum, coming down on the ball of each alternate foot. Being on a hill, this gives us an extreme ankle extension both going up and down, extending muscles and sinews in the front and back of the legs, and strengthening all the muscles around the tendons, eliminating the possibility of tendonitis. I’ve never ever had an athlete with Achilles tendon or hamstring troubles, because training on hills gives you a nice balance of resistance in muscle groups.

Visual Examples

Pekka Vasala (left) and Kip Keino in the final stretch of the 1972 Olympic 1,500 meters.

Hill springing up a steep incline for powerful, flexible ankles.

Hill Training Philosophy and Methodology

Like any other training, you must prepare yourself to do a lot of hill training. When we are doing marathon conditioning training as a main session of our training, we go out jogging as a supplementary workout, and during that secondary jog, we will do a little hill training, not much, just a little, just to activate the muscles in the legs.

Then when we finish the aerobic conditioning period, we usually concentrate on hill training for about four weeks, at least three days a week. We’ll do anything from 15 minutes up to an hour on the hills. We’ll go into it gently in case some people will pull their legs around too much.

Beforehand, we warm up for about 15 minutes by running to the hill, we stretch, and then we’ll work on a hill for a given period of time. We don’t say we’ll go up the hill specific number of times, rather, we say we’re going to be there for a given time, in which we do what we feel our legs will allow. Each athlete concentrates on what he thinks he needs more than any other exercise. If he feels he is weak in ankles, he’ll concentrate more on that, etc., but we will mix in all the exercises.

When we get up the hill, we’ll jog around to let our legs to recover sufficiently, then we come down, striding out fast and relaxed, unless the hill is too steep to allow this. In striding down the hill, because your lead leg is hitting the ground later than would on the flat, it means you’ve got to pull your trail leg through faster, which, in turn, helps you to gain leg-speed. I taught the East Germans in 1965 to do a lot of leg-speed running on gentle slope and their sprinters use it even today.

So we try to do this for about four weeks, three days a week, up to an hour a night if we can. Then, during the second part of the anaerobic phase, we concentrate on heavy anaerobic work for about four weeks, which we balance with technique running, basically with four exercises. Now there are lots of sprint drills people can do, but we do just these four, since we find them effective in achieving fast action in the upper legs and making the upper thighs strong.

Technique Drills

The first is high knees, where we try to overcome muscular viscosity and get the arms coming straight through. To get power and drive, we do something on the flat that is like bounding on the hill, while stride-outs help bring the correct leg action; first we walk through them, then we skip through them. Once we can handle it, we do the striding out properly, then we try to get the athletes to run tall, to keep the posture up tall.

Until we get the athletes running correctly and efficiently, we’ll concentrate technique once or twice a week. We go down the track, and after warming up, we’ll do each exercise twice over 100 meters, then we try to combine all four. We’ll get the athletes to think two things: keeping tall and high knees. Always with the wind from behind if possible, we pick up the speed 50 meters before the straight and then run down the straightaway as fast as we can, relaxed, keeping up tall and high knees. Then jog 250 meters nice and easily, and repeat it six or ten times. Once you get your athletes running with good technique in this latter stage, always try to get them to do one session a week of ten reps, keeping tall just exactly as at the end, picking up the speed, down the straightaway with the wind, working on leg-speed and technique.

Now if we can improve our athletes in this aspect, it means they can hold their early speed much more easily, and they can conserve their energy because they are running economically and mechanically correct, getting more power and drive, or in other words, striding longer without being conscious of it, which will aid the finishing kick. A lot of runners do lots of long, long running, but they can’t capitalize on their good condition because they don’t have the speed to do it.

Sprinting for Distance Runners

When we have gone through all this, I make all my runners compete in sprint races at a club level, even in the handicaps. Distance runners hate sprinting because they think they look like fools, but if you want to be fast, you’ve got to sprint. Through speed development, I’ve taken three and six minutes off the times of two marathon runners I coached, so it is

Endnotes by Nobby Hashizume

1. Lydiard’s Reference to Toshiheko Seko and Takayuki Nakayama

   • Lydiard was referring to Toshiheko Seko, who won the Boston Marathon twice and the London Marathon before finishing ninth in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He also mentioned Takayuki Nakayama, who had run a 2:08 marathon on three occasions and finished fourth in Seoul.

2. Sprinting Speed vs. Anaerobic Speed

   • According to Lydiard, sprinting speed, or pure speed, is distinct from anaerobic speed, which is developed through intervals or repetitions.

3. Morning Jogs

   • These morning jogs are conducted at an easy effort level.

4. Absolute Oxygen Debt Limit

   • Exercise physiologist Peter Snell, Ph.D., notes that the absolute oxygen debt limit is closer to 4.0 liters. For a 70 kg runner to cover 5,000 meters in 16 minutes, requiring 4.3 liters of oxygen per minute, a runner with a VO₂max of 3.5 liters/minute can only sustain this pace for 5 minutes (4 liters ÷ 0.8 liters/minute = 5 minutes). However, if the runner increases their VO₂max to 4.05 liters/minute (16% increase), they can incur 0.25 liters of oxygen debt per minute and run 5,000 meters in 16 minutes (4 liters ÷ 0.25 liters/minute = 16 minutes).

5. Metabolic Reactions and Blood pH

   • Most metabolic reactions occur in an alkaline condition. An excessively low blood pH level can adversely affect enzyme activities.

6. Performance Improvement and Aerobic Capacity

   • Improvements in performance times continue during the coordination and sharpening/freshening-up periods. However, the basic performance level is determined by aerobic capacity. Once you stop focusing on aerobic conditioning, your performance range for the season is set.

7. Sharpeners and Anaerobic Capacity

   • Sharpeners play a crucial role in maintaining anaerobic capacity during the coordination phase without compromising overall condition.

8. Lactic Acid Build-Up

   • Short, sharp efforts with minimal recovery cause rapid lactic acid build-up in the working muscles, whereas longer intervals or repetitions result in a slower, more widespread lactic acid accumulation throughout the body, lowering overall blood pH.

9. Work Intervals and Recovery

   • If work intervals are too fast or recovery intervals are too short, the workout may need to be terminated prematurely.

10. Time Trials and Continuous Effort

    • Lydiard emphasizes the importance of preparing the body for continuous effort through time trials. Without them, sharpeners and repetitions can teach the body to expect recovery periods during competition.

11. Aerobic Base and Time Trials

    • Following the Lydiard program with adequate aerobic conditioning and strict anaerobic and speed control should result in quick sharpening. However, lacking a solid aerobic base, high-effort time trials may cause the runner to “go over the edge.”

12. Natural Improvement During Sharpening Periods

    • Performance times should naturally improve during the sharpening and coordination phase. Do not force improvements to achieve faster times.

13. Date Pace-Goal Pace Concept

    • This concept involves drawing a line from the first trial to the target goal time to determine the pace progression for each subsequent trial, ideally resulting in a linear improvement.

Arthur Lydiard’s Coaching Philosophy and Training Methodology

Key Coaching Points and Philosophy

• Comprehensive Training: “You don’t eat a cake half-cooked” was a frequent saying by Lydiard. He emphasized the importance of developing all aspects of running, including aerobic conditioning, anaerobic capacity, speed, coordination/sharpening, and tapering. True racing form can only be tested once all these elements have been fully developed.
• Balancing Training and Racing: Many high school runners and coaches continue hard training even after racing starts, which is counterproductive. Racing is the hardest form of anaerobic exercise, and continuing with high-volume training can lead to staleness or illness.
• Purpose of Repetitions: Repetitions are crucial for developing anaerobic capacity, increasing lactate tolerance, and allowing runners to run faster. However, the resultant lactic acid accumulation can negatively affect running mechanics, necessitating a balance with pure speed development workouts.
• Hill Training: Hill training is a form of resistance exercise that can be performed with weights or in the gym as plyometrics, with boxes. It is not simply running faster but a specific exercise to teach proper running mechanics, such as bringing knees high and carrying feet high.

Specific Advice

• Striding-Out: Lydiard called this technique “striding-out,” which involves bringing knees high, carrying feet high, and bringing feet forward out front. This technique should be practiced first by walking, then skipping, and finally running through it.
• Technique Work: This should be performed without resistance, such as a headwind or parachute, to ensure a relaxed run. A tailwind or slight downhill can help develop leg-speed.
• Case Study: Lydiard worked with Terry Manners for the 1974 Commonwealth Games marathon. By cutting back on training volume and focusing on speed with drills and shorter races, he helped Manners improve his marathon time from 2:15 to 2:12 and win the bronze medal.

Setting Up a Training Schedule

1. Counting Back from the First Important Race Date:

   • Allow 7-10 days for Freshen-up
   • Allow 5 weeks for Co-ordination Training (Track Training)
   • Allow 4 weeks for Anaerobic Development
   • Allow 4 weeks for Hill Resistance Training
   • Remaining time is for Marathon Training, at least 10-12 weeks

2. Marathon Conditioning Period (10-12 weeks or as long as possible):

   • Starts with only aerobic running (flat and hill runs)
   • Later includes a day of easy fartlek and strong runs over 5 and 10 km

3. Hill Resistance Period (4 weeks):

   • Hill training 2-3 days a week
   • 1 long aerobic run per week
   • Other days for leg-speed or easy running

4. Track Training Period (9 weeks):

   • Anaerobic Development Training (first 4 weeks):
     • Anaerobic training (i.e., repetitions, fartlek, etc.) 2-3 days weekly
     • 1 long aerobic run weekly
     • Other days for sprint training or easy running
   • Co-ordination Training Period (last 4½ to 5 weeks):
     • Sharpeners
     • Development races (under- and over-distances)
     • Fast relaxed runs
   • Freshen-up: 7-10 days

5. Continuation of Racing (Race Week/Non-Race Week)

Tapering

• Taper period: 10-14 days
• Co-ordination period: 4 weeks
• Anaerobic Capacity Training: 3-4 weeks
• Hill resistance/leg speed: 4 weeks
• Aerobic Conditioning (“base” or “foundation”): 10-12 weeks or longer
• Competition

Online Resources for Arthur Lydiard

Wikipedia Entry

• Arthur Lydiard on Wikipedia

Athletics New Zealand Hall of Fame

• Arthur Lydiard at Athletics New Zealand Hall of Fame

Biographical Articles

• Arthur Lydiard, Running Man

Obituaries

• The New Zealand Herald
• The New Zealand Herald
• The New York Times
• The Times (London)
• The Age (Melbourne)
• IAAF Web Site

Lydiard Foundation

• Lydiard Foundation

Training Resources

• Lydiard Hill Training Slide Show
• Lydiard Shoe Lacing Method Slide Show
• Video Clip of Lydiard Hill Bounding and Springing Techniques

Articles and Presentations

• Legendary Lydiard
• 1999 Presentation in Des Moines, Iowa (PDF, 1.3 MB)
• Discussion of Lydiard Method or Responses
• Q & A with the God of Jog
• Interview with Arthur Lydiard
• Where have all the runners gone? (PDF, 9 MB)
• The World According to Lydiard