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"Do the serious runners you know run as well as the Japanese do? It's a radically different model than you'll EVER see in the west where you've been brainwashed into thinking that you'll get slow without regular doses of anaerobic work. The Japanese have taken key concepts from the Lydiard model and modified it to fit into a 4-year cycle. First year is mostly long walks, two or three times a day, building up in duration and progressing to using weighted backpacks on the walks. No hard running, maybe light jogging on ONE of the day's three sessions. Year two blends in more and more jogging and relaxed running. Year three uptempo workouts start to be incorporated. Year four sees the hardest training, the high running mileage and the tough, fast workouts. The injury prevention comes in gradually building-up the musculo-skeletal system over the first two years of this training cycle, when there are no hard workouts or races in the training. This is my understanding based on those who have an intimate knowledge of it as well as my own observations. Westerners typically lack the patience, dedication, and fortitude to endure a training schedule like this."<HR>

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I had an opportunity to get some first hand knowledge of Japanese training many years ago. The particular group I observed ran 3 times most days. Much of their running was at 5min per km. They were covering as much as 300km per week. About every 10 days they would run 40km working down from 2.20 toward 2.8 over time. The 2 "senior" runners also did a 126km run @ 4min per km (better believe it) and they would do well spaced speed sessions such as 3 x 5k or 15 x 1km @ 2.50-55 km pace. The "apprentices" (inc a subsequent world champ) did a less demanding program ( no 126km runs!!)
I can't imagine too many Westerners knocking out similar training. - mopak<HR>

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"Look at what the Japanese do - they'll run 10K in 50 freakin' minutes as a secondary session! And we're talking 2:10 marathon types here! The main purpose of such an outing is simply to get time on your legs. I like going so easy that I can envision myself as "storing up energy" for the next workout."<HR>

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Kayoko Obata & Ichiyo Naganuma are two sponsored long distance runners (by their employer ACOM in Tokyo) currently based at Frueauf Village in Falls Creek.

They are involved in 24 days of altitude training in preparation for competing in the Osaka Marathon in January 2004

Their Head Coach Shogo Naganuma said:"There are very strong Japanese and Kenyan women marathon runners at the moment so I have brought two of my athletes, Kayoko Obata & Ichiyo Naganuma, to Falls Creek for altitude training.

"This is the foundation on which they will build blocks of training in an attempt to qualify for the Japanese marathon team that will be selected (after the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya Marathons) to compete at the 2004 Olympic Games.

"In Falls Creek there is good weather and the environment for training is much better than China. Lee Troop and Steve Moneghetti said to me there was a good place for altitude training in Australia.

"I came last March and researched the training possibilities at Falls Creek with my agent Boulder-based Brendan Reilly.

"Our most important target is the Osaka Marathon in January so the first four weeks of my athlete's program in Falls Creek includes several runs from Mt Beauty and Falls Creek (in around 2hrs 30mins) and speed work around Mt Beauty."

One of the two runners Ichiyo Naganuma said: running is my job. Kayoko Obata and me are supported by our company ACOM. We work three hours at our desk in the morning and then train during the remainder of the day and at weekends.

"We compete for our companies track & field team, particularly in the annual long distance relay (run in stages over a marathon -length distance of 42km) when we are part of a team of six women.

"This is my second time in Australia. I competed at the Olympics and now I'm having very good training at Falls Creek. There are soft tracks, no asphalt like in Japan, and many uphills. It is good for my feet, my knees and lower back.

"The air is clean, the sunrise and sunsets are wonderful, and the nature, the birds and the trees are very good. It is very silent, no noise, it is a good place."

Date Posted: 3-12-2003
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