Handout from talk given by Dr. Silberman at CJRR Club Meeting May 2008:
Geographic:
Demographics: East African Coast between Ethiopa and Tanzania, size of Texas 30million people, 70 ethnic groups, no one comprises more than 20 percent of the total Median age 18 41 percent are less than 14 years old
Economy: World’s third largest exporter of tea Tea, coffee, agriculture = 50% of economy Second is Tourism 25% live on a dollar a day 25% under age 5 are malnourished In 2001, there were fewer than three telephones for every 100 Kenyans and 1 computer for every 200
Running: North Rift Valley Eldoret (200,000) Iten (3,000) 8,000 feet, 50 – 80 degrees, no humidity, 12 hours of daylight Kalenjin Tribe (10% of kenyan population) live throughout western highlands Years past, ran for national pride. First for God, second for country, third for self. Now Running = an escape = financial opportunity (for self and agents)
Results: 5 of the 10 fastest 10km 7 of the 10 fastest marathons Catherine Ndereba 4 Boston marathons Robert Cherioyot 4 Boston marathons 15 out of the last 17 Boston Marathons In 2007, 68 of the top 100 marathoners in the world, 13 in the top 20 Gold in every Olympic steeplechase since 1984
Training Camps: Basic living quarters, run, eat and sleep. Housing, daily 2-3x / day training runs, coaching, gym, food, library
High Altitude Training Camp (HATC), Lornah Kiplagat, Iten World Records in 5km (14.47), 10mile (50.54), 20km (63.56) Specializes in training female athletes www.lornah.com
Kipkeino High Performance Training Centre (KHPTC), Kipchoge Keino, Eldoret Gold 1500m 1968, Steeplechase 1972 IOC approved high altitude training center Nurture talent irrespective of origin Local orphanage www.kipkeinotraining.org
Fila training camps, Eldoret, Kapsait, Mount Embu; Moses Taniu Develop Kenyans but now cross cultural exchange programs also
St. Patrick’s at Iten, small Catholic College Graduates: Wilson Kipketer (Denmark), Bernard Lagat (USA), former Olympic 3000m champion Mathews Birir, former Commonwealth 800m champion Japheth Kimutai, the Chirchir brothers—Cornelius and William, former world 3000m steeplechase record holder and champion, Boit Kipketer, former world 10,000m champion, Sally Barsosio and former Olympic 1500m champion Peter Rono.
1. Start slow, finish fast 2. Easy runs easier, harder runs faster 3. Train with a group 4. Run on dirt and grass 5. Run hills 6. Run diagonals 7. Do drills
ON RUNNING: Martin Lel has been quoted, “I like to keep my legs fresh so I can run”.
Most runners don’t run. They struggle and suffer, focusing on distance at the expense of technique and form. Terry Laughlin, of Total Immersion Swimming, has summed it up best, and it holds true for running: “never practice struggle”.
Never focus on quantity at the expense of quality. Never run faster than you can. “Run as fast as you can without straining (Daniels); and only as far as you can without straining. Build slowly, remember, you didn’t run 10 kilometers to school every day.
There is no long slow distance run in Kenyan training. They train in 3 zones, easy, medium, high sessions.
The key workout of your week is the tempo run at your maximal steady state or lactate threshold, that pace that is fast but manageable, described as ‘comfortably hard’.
The run should always start off slow (15 minute warm-up) and pick up pace as it progresses but not to the point of race pace (20 – 40 minutes) and then cool down (15 minutes). If you slow down then you started out too fast.
Pace:
Recent Race: Add 30 to 40 seconds to your current 5-K pace or 15 to 20 seconds to your 10-K pace
Heart Rate: 85 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate
Perceived Exertion: An 8 on a 1-to-10 scale (a comfortable effort would be a 5; racing would be close to a 10)
Talk Test: A question like "Pace okay?" should be possible, but conversation won't be.
VO2 – Lactate testing can help determine exact pace.
Distance: 4-6 miles for 10km race 6-8 miles for 13.1km race 10-15 miles for the marathon.
Karioke (Cross Over) Side Steps Skips Butt Kick High Knee Backward Strides
RUN BAREFOOT: Stronger feet equal stronger legs. You have to be able to feel the road to run properly. Running in cushioned bulky heavy sneakers impedes your proprioception (ability to perceive the road), ability to lift your feet off the ground, and ability to fire and contract your leg muscles.
If you don’t have terrain to run barefoot, perform your drills barefoot. As you improve your technique and get stronger, you should find yourself running in flats or ‘competition’ footwear.
REST: You have to be rested and recovered to train. This is a learned skill that comes with maturity. Listen to your body, not your training program.
NUTRITION: Contrary to American marketing, power bars, Gatorade, granola bars, Fig Newtons, yoghurt, and pretzels are not ‘health’ foods. Eat real food. You’ll lose weight and feel better.
Githeri, a stew of beans and corn. Ugali, a stiff maize meal. Organic meat. Organic vegetables. Fresh local milk. Tea. Sugar.
UGALI Ingredients: Four cups corn flour, white cornmeal or ground maize (white cornmeal is preferred, it should be finely ground, like flour) Water Salt (Optional)
Instructions: Bring water in a pan to a boil (about 8 Cups). Reduce heat to medium and put flour, gradually stirring until the consistency is stiff. Stir continuously, and cover for about 5 minutes. Stir again and form into a mound. The Ugali will be done when it pulls from the sides of the pan easily and does not stick. The finished product should look like stiff grits. Cover the pot with a plate and invert the pan so that the Ugali "drops" on the plate. Serve with meat or vegetable stew.
Books: Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way by Toby Tanser 3rd edition, coming soon 2008/09