Faris says this season he is not going to be doing “Long Runs” because they “tire you alot”. I am not sure what he considers “long”, but either way I like this approach. He also says he will be dropping his run volume from 55km a week to maybe only 45 km a week.
Bring the discussion.
I was very surprised by that as well. I was thinking it might be a typo showing km instead of miles…? If he really only runs 28 miles per week, then that is crazy!
this from a guy who decided to see how far he can run just for kicks when he was 16. ran along the rails and eventually took the train home after 70k.
so maybe he banked enough mileage for life?
he’ll do well with less for a year or two, but will have to pick it up thereafter again.
cheers
uli
I read his training for the 2005 IM Hawaii, and he only ran over 2 hours 3 times before the race…lots of super long rides though.
But was he doing huge volume when he was younger?
didn’t Steve Larsen claim to have only run once or twice a week (like 6 miles) at most when he was doing Ironman? or at least before his first Ironman?
Agreed that 28 miles is not much but then the 55km (34.1 miles) a week that he was running isn’t very much either!
Looks like he was on that program before IM Germany.
do you have a link to his training?
wow, this guy must have great natural talent. I like that he is self-coached and innovative but you have to wonder how good he could be with some input.
Norman S. is self-coached. He does quite well.
I know I read his interview. I don’t know why, but I had a hard time following his interview. He is weird. He is just mad because Macca is going to destroy him. And, why does he wear women’s clothing to races. He needs to shave too. He looks like a **** well I can’t say it on this forum. But, I will tell you this…and all of you guys mark my words. Macca is going to put him and the rest of the field to shame. In my opinion, he needs to quit complaining and crying about all this drafting. Let the officials deal with that. Macca will be riding his new transition and he will be even faster on the run!! I hope Macca is reading this and Faris too. Macca has his true fan base and he is the best long course triathlete in the world.
I guess Faris has won a few Ironmans, so he deserves to have a bit of slack for a non par performance at Frankfurt. His record at Kona speaks for itself. It is a lot more solid than any of the “coached” athletes for the past three years or so on the island :-). Maybe he is actually on to something…however, I do agree with Uli, he might be able to get through and do really well on an ultra low running volume program for a few years, but it remains to be seen what happens a few years from now when that running base is wearing thing.
Then again, perhaps what he is really doing is running 100 mile weeks in Dec-Feb and then when the weather gets better in Germany (or when he escapes to UAE for some desert heat training), he piles on the 800-1000K biking weeks during which he only runs 50K or so. Seems like quite a reasonable approach and now he gets to play mind games with his competition who think that Faris is doing trinewbie Ironman run volume, when in reality his run volume is taken care of and all he does is run speed/tempo to compliment his mega bike weeks to maintain the run base already established…just guessing here 
My coach has been trying to reel me in on my desire to run 2-3 hour long runs a couple times a month in prep for IM. Of the three sports I like running the most. She cites several elite athletes like Paula Newby-Fraser who say they run fairly moderate mileage and don’t trash their bodies with long, long stuff. They call a “Long Brick” an 80 mile Bike followed by a 40-50 minute Run.
Pretty interesting. Not sure I’m sold on it.
My coach has been trying to reel me in on my desire to run 2-3 hour long runs a couple times a month in prep for IM. Of the three sports I like running the most. She cites several elite athletes like Paula Newby-Fraser who say they run fairly moderate mileage and don’t trash their bodies with long, long stuff. They call a “Long Brick” an 80 mile Bike followed by a 40-50 minute Run.
Pretty interesting. Not sure I’m sold on it.
What do you call a long brick?
For Faris’s 2005 training go to 2peak.com and you will have to register. Then go to VIP plans and Faris is on there.
I like DevPauls point, maybe he is running alot in the winter and then cycling more later…b/c I think that cycling makes you strong, and doesnt break you down…while still maintaining your lungs…and if you are running a moderate amount your legs will still remember how to run…just my opinion. I have a hunch that this is what Norman does. He puts in the run volume in the winter and really focuses his bike, especially during his six weeks in San Diego. I heard him talking of a big running block he was doing in the winter, and he said he rides his bike hard every day for the 6 weeks he is in San Diego…Those Germans are smart! They realize that running too much makes you weak and you cant run big miles in an Ironman build and be strong on the bike and in the water.
I respect both of them as athletes, and the rivalry is fun too watch. If Chris had talked about his training we would probably be discussing it as well :-).
I think that cycling makes you strong, and doesnt break you down…while still maintaining your lungs…and if you are running a moderate amount your legs will still remember how to run…just my opinion.
Don’t tell anyone you have a degree in Exercise Physiology…
Bigzach, I think you summarized it. This is no secret. Going back to the days of Wolfgang and Jurgen and partly forced by climate, the Germans would log big run and swim miles in the winter and then when the weather started getting better in the lead up to Roth, they’d go ballistic with bike volume.
In the s\day, Monty spent quite a bit of time with Jurgen so he can elaborate, but when I went to do Roth in 1993, Zach said, “Monty and I ride 200K every Wed in 5 hours…race pace Ironman ride. I don’t do intervals, but I race Olympic or sprint every weekend to get my speed done”
Dev
does anyone actually believe he is telling the truth? come on folks, you cant win hawaii on minmimal training. just as your average age grouper overinflates the amount of training they do when asked, hes probably completely underinflating what he does. hes probably talking about a recovery week…or the one week a year where he ran the least amount of miles. i have never ever bought the whole slacker persona that he portrays. just as macca is over confident in an attempt to scare his competitors faris goes the other way. you dont win hawaii on a steady diet of taco bell and no training.
didn’t Steve Larsen claim to have only run once or twice a week (like 6 miles) at most when he was doing Ironman? or at least before his first Ironman?
Said he averaged 6 miles per week - intervals at the track, but also did a few long runs. He said he owed it to his sponsors to spend the rest of his time on the bike.
maybe he’s counting his mileage like the fast africans. tergat says “i run 70 miles a week”, but he only counts the actual (fast) “running”, not the “jogging” (which certainly would be “running” for everybody here).