#lydiard

When LetsRun co-founder, RoJo, was asked by Matt Fitzgerald to write the forward to 80/20 Running, he agreed to it because he was a huge supporter of the content of the book.

The only thing he didn’t agree on was the title. He thought it should’ve been called High Mileage Manifesto, as the book advocates for high mileage as being a core piece of the puzzle for good 80/20 training. His thoughts are captured on this thread:

I obviously liked the book or I wouldn't have agreed to write the foreward to it. If it had been entitled, "High Mileage Manifesto", I'd be going bonkers over it. I get the concept that things have to be marketed to the masses but still dream of a book being entitled "High mileage manifesto". 

To me the key of all training is its repeatability, and hard running isn't really repeatable. Lydiard is the man from whom all others originate so getting his message out to the masses is only a good thing.

Now that I’ve been living out my own high mileage manifesto (80% strictly at an easy running pace), I’ve been getting some whys from people.

Besides my mother, who tells me that I’m running too much regardless if I’m running 20 mile weeks or 90 mile weeks, it’s usually “why are you running so much?”. I don’t take offense to this - I always get curious when someone’s doing something out of the norm. Others are entitled to get curious too, the world is better for it. 

My default answer usually ranges from referring someone to the 80/20 Running book if I’m giving the short answer, or something along the lines of “fitness gains from speed work are a lot more limited than the almost unlimited gains you get from endurance...let me explain” for the longer answer. 

I’ve found that most people though still can’t get outside of this mindset that high mileage is exclusively for elites or ultra runners. 

I think this is probably just a consequence of:

Limited time in the western world where we load up our lives up with too many things. Most people don’t “have the time” to train for high mileage. 

Short term thinking in the western world, compared to a more patient approach taken in Kenya (see this recent article on Wired for an in depth example on that). Our mentality is to always look for a mythical magic pill to get results in a 10th of the time of a seasoned professional. 

Prior to 2013 I used to be a sucker for short term fixes, and as a consequence repeatedly broke down. On the contrast, high mileage last year gave me PR’s in everything from the 10k to the marathon.

Getting back to 80/20 Running (or the high mileage manifesto). The knowledge that speedwork is limited in giving you gains, but the gains you get from expanding your endurance are much more continuous, is why I now train with high mileage whether it's for a fast 5k, a marathon, or maybe a 50k later in the year. 

So every year I can push my mileage (continuous) a little more...until life factors like puppies, etc, get in the way. 1.5 years ago 110-120k weeks were the norm. In the summer to the fall 120-140k weeks were the norm. Now I’m making 140-160k weeks more the norm.

Chef Damien Jones of Lydiard in Ballarat

Chef Damien Jones of Lydiard in Ballarat, Image courtesy of abc.au While visiting Ballarat, I had dinner at the Lydiard Wine Bar, winner of a number of Golden Plate Awards, with Head Chef Damien Jones in the kitchen. After dinner, there was time for a brief interview, during which he shared one of his favorite recipes, salad of pomelo and prawns with lemongrass. I’m also including photos of…

State Electricity Commission of Victoria single truck tram 28 in Sturt Street at Lydiard Street North, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

State Electricity Commission of Victoria single truck tram 28 in Sturt Street at Lydiard Street North, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Image by express000 Scanned from a colour slide photographed on 3 February, 1971. State Electricity Commission of Victoria single truck tram 28 en route to Mount Pleasant at night time in Sturt Street at Lydiard Street North, Ballarat, Victoria.

"Hamstring injuries are rife in modern sports, but they could be avoided if the athletes did hill training. It doesn't have to be fast, just enough to make the muscles feel they've been working. Balancing the muscles between the front of the thigh and the back is essential to ensure hamstring problems don't arise. Some athletes seem to be constantly getting over or suffering from these injuries."

Arthur Lydiard