Table 4.
Case study examples of training weeks for a marathon specialist and a track runner
| Day | Eliud Kipchoge (gold medalist in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2021 Olympics) | |
|---|---|---|
| General preparation period | Specific preparation period | |
| Mon | M: 16–21 km, average pace 3:50–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 21 km, average pace 3:20 min·km−1 (zone 2) |
| E: 8–12 km, average pace 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
| Tue | M: 10–15 min warm-up (~ 3 km) (zone 1). 12–15 km interval training on a dirt track (e.g., 15 × 1000 m at 2:50–2:55 min·km−1 (zone 4) with 90 s rest | M: 3 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 1200 m in 3:25 min (zone 3), 5 × 1 km in 2:55 min (zone 3) with 90 s rest, 3 × 300 m in 42–40 s (zone 5) with 60 s rest, 2 × 200 m in 27 s (zone 5) with 60 s rest. 3 km cooldown in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: 8–10 km, average pace 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: Rest | |
| Wed | M: 16–21 km, average pace 3:50–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 18 km, average pace 3:55–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: 8–12 km, 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 11 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
| Thu | M: 30 or 40 km long run, average pace 3:00–3:25 min·km−1 (zone 2–3), depending on terrain | M: 40 km tempo run (tough and muddy course), average pace ~ 3:40 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: 8–12 km, average pace 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: Rest | |
| Fri | M: 16–21 km, average pace 3:50–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 18 km, average pace 3:50–3:55 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: 8–12 km, 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace ~ 3:55 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
| Sat | M: 50–65 min fartlek (zone 1–3), either with long intervals (e.g., 4 × 10 min with 2 min rest) or short intervals (e.g., 25 × 1 min with 1 min rest) | M: 85 min fartlek including 10 min warm-up at 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1), 30 × 1 min at pace 2:45 min·km−1 (zone 4) with 1 min easy jog (zone 1) in between, 15 min cooldown (zone 1) |
| E: 8–12 km, 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: Rest | |
| Sun | M: 18–22 km, average pace 3:50–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 20 km, average pace ~ 3:50 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: Rest | E: Rest | |
| Weekly total of 200–220 km (82–84% LIT, 9–10% MIT, 7–8% HIT) | Weekly total of ~ 185 km (~ 91% LIT, ~ 3% MIT, ~ 6% HIT) | |
| Day | Thomas Longosiwa (5000-m bronze medalist in London 2012 Olympics) | |
|---|---|---|
| General preparation period | Competition period | |
| Mon | M: 15 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 20 km, average pace 3:45–3:50 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: 11 km, average pace 4:30 min·km−1 (zone 1). 10 × 80 m sprint uphill (zone 6) | E: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 8 × 300 m steep uphill (zone 5) | |
| Tue | M: 21 km, average pace 3:30 min·km−1 (zone 1–2) | M: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 19 km fartlek with 7 km average pace 2:52 min·km−1 (zone 3), 6 km with average pace 3:24 min·km−1 (zone 2), and 6 km with average pace 3:50 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: 11 km, average pace 4:30 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
| Wed | M: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 5 × 1000 m in 2:52 min (zone 4), 6 × 600 m in 1:38 min (zone 5), 7 × 300 m in 46 s (zone 5), 3000 m in 9:00 min (zone 3) | M: 18 km, average pace 4:10 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: 8 km, average pace 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 4:40 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
| Thu | M: 17 km, average pace 4:05–4:10 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 5 × 2000 m with alternating speed every 400 m, where a total of 6 km was performed with average pace 2:35–2:45 min·km−1 (zone 5). The remaining 4 km was performed with average pace 3:05–3:10 min·km−1 (zone 3) |
| E: 11 km, average pace 4:30 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
| Fri | M: 15 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 18 km, average pace 3:40–3:45 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
| E: 15 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 4:40 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
| Sat | M: 4 km warm-up, average pace 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 12 km, average pace 3:06 min·km−1 (zone 3) | M: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 3 × (5 × 600 m) in 1:33–1:34 min (zone 5) |
| E: 11 km, average pace 4:30 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 12 km, average pace 4:10 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
| Sun | M: 24 km, average pace 3:50 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: Rest |
| E: Rest | E: Rest | |
| Weekly total of 193 km (86% LIT, 8% MIT, 6% HIT) | Weekly total of 163 km (85% LIT, 7% MIT, 8% HIT) | |
Their training was performed in hilly terrain on uneven surface at 2000–2500 m altitude. The training data of Thomas Longosiwa were provided by his coach Renato Canova, while the training data of Eliud Kipchoge are publicly available [76]
M morning session, E evening session, z training zone (see this table)