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Training philosophy for runners and endurance athletes.
Stress. Rest. Adapt. Grow. While being patient, staying calm, and having fun.
Thomas Solomon PhD.
5th Nov 2019.
To kick off my educational content, I outline my coaching philosophies and how they have been shaped. This will set the scene for future posts related to the training approaches I use in my coaching methods. So, stay with me and you may learn how to plan, understand, and then improve your own training...
Reading time ~10-mins (2000-words).
Or listen to the Podcast version.
Or listen to the Podcast version.
As a coach, my training philosophy is quite simple: Provide stress, rest hard, stay calm, and if it isn’t fun, make a change. This has been nurtured since being a skinny, ginger, four-eyed 12-year old, racing in circles around the tartan in 1992. My coaching education has been fueled by several inputs: Coaches who advised me as a youngster, my own athletic development, academic study of the principles of training and the philosophy of coaching, original research at world-leading institutions, independent reading, accreditations, certifications, continuing education (through journal/grant peer-review, conference attendance, journal clubs, seminars and webinars), empirical observations of my own coached athletes, asking them the right questions and listening to their answers, and from becoming well-versed in the decades of efforts of coaches in various disciplines of sport.
For running, I have studied the approaches of the greats, including:
For strength training:
For climbing and grip strength:
For sports nutrition:
For psychology and mindset:
And, for leadership, thoughtfulness, and general inspiration:
I also take inspiration from other sports, including motocross, climbing, ski-mountaineering, cross-country skiing, and chess. There is much to learn and much inspiration to take from those who have been through it all before. As the old adage goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
As a scientist, I pride myself in being “evidence-informed” which, when applied to practice, takes two forms: evidence from the vaults of rigorous scientific study and evidence from my own years of empirical observation. But, evidence-based approaches must also change with time as advances are made. If one’s approach has never changed then one cannot at all claim to be “evidence-based” or “scientific”. None of us knows everything, so constantly learning and developing one’s approach as a coach is essential. What we did in practice 10-years ago should not be the same as we do today, just as it won’t be similar many moons down the road. To me, science is beautiful, but there is one single ingredient without which my overall approach would not have been shaped into anything but successful: the nuances and anecdotes of experience in the field with all of my former and current athletes. Observation teaches us incredible things and this is where art meets science to produce well-informed coaching decisions. So, open your eyes, become a knowledge sponge, and never stop learning.
While experience counts for a lot, there is indeed a baseline of training principles honed by academic research over approximately the last 100-years. The classic buzzwords, “specificity”, “overload”, “recovery”, “adaptation” etc, etc, ring true from every textbook on the subject. But, after literally a century of great scientists chiselling away at such topics, we do not have, and never will have, a formula that works for everyone. Lydiard preached ubiquitously about high volume (although there were many other important facets in his approach), Daniels has his VDOT zone-based “running formula”, while Friel is a lactate threshold junkie. People debate about who is best and what is correct but, in reality, we still have no idea precisely how many kilometres per week we should run, how many sessions we should be doing, how long the intervals should be, nor how hard we should run them. That said, most running coaches would agree on some common truths that produce results:
But, be aware that “lots of miles” is relative to your ability to absorb, recover, and adapt to training load. And, also be careful not to fall victim to the sweat devil, who will be prodding you to do too much, too soon, too hard, too often. Be sensible, train smart.
Also, from a running perspective, there is a popular theme that can be seen throughout all great coaches, past and present: Range. By this, I mean implementing multi-paced running combined with supplementary exercises aimed at improving flexibility, mobility, balance, and (explosive) strength (power). I have observed that the non-running side of athletes’ training plans is often neglected. A large percentage of folks who have come to me for help have proclaimed that they do not feel that they gain fitness if they are not running, working hard, or sweating. While the experimental evidence to support the use of flexibility, mobility, and balance training to improve running performance is equivocal, there is a clear-cut body of causal evidence linking increased strength and power to improved running economy and speed. The utility of using a range of training modalities is proven in the results of the above-described coach’s athletes’ performances as well as in the results of self-coached athletes who have excelled at the highest level. For coaches like Mihály Iglói, Arthur Lydiard, Frank Horwill, Harry Wilson, Jack Daniels, Peter Coe, Renato Canova, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, and Patrick Sang, multi-pace training combined with supplementary exercises are embedded in their approaches; and the results are indisputable. Seb Coe, coached by his father Peter Coe, ran 1:41.73 for 800m in 1981 (a WR that stood for 16-years). He was also a low 13-minute 5000m runner. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, coached by his father Gjert, has run under 13-minutes for 5000m and under 3:30 for 1500m. Eliud Kipchoge, coached by Patrick Sang, has run under 13-minutes for 5000m but also holds the fastest ever marathon at 1:59:40. Jon Albon, a self-coached athlete, is a multiple world champion at obstacle course racing over distances from 3 km up to 25 km but is also a Trail running World Champion and Sky Running World Champion at distances up to 80 km with up to 4000 metres of vertical gain. While these are just anecdotal examples, it may be hypothesised that these athletes’ enviable abilities to perform highly across a range of events is driven by the adaptations imposed by the range of modalities they have implemented in their training approaches. The basis for this hypothesis is derived from my observations of said athletes’ training plans, details of which can be located in books, documentaries, and online exercise logs. Be specific to your sport, yes, but ensure that you nurture the entire range of skills and attributes you require for success in your sport.
In his latest book, Range, David Epstein poses that “embracing range, experimenting, and gaining a breadth of experience is a better way to success”. He neatly presents several examples to support his theory, including a certain swoosh-clad Swiss gentleman who dabbled in many sports as a teenager and only began to focus on tennis in his early 20s before his total domination of the sport over a 15-year period. I also recently learned from the Clean Sport Collective podcast that Mirinda Carfrae, a 5-time podium placer at the Iron(wo)man World Champs, was a basketball player throughout her teens and wasn’t even interested in swimming, cycling, or running. Furthermore, Jon Albon, the obstacle racing and mountain running star, was a roller hockey player throughout his young days until finding running in his early 20s. Epstein’s approach to embracing range requires patience and open-mindedness. He claims that if we can nurture and bolster such traits, “major world innovations and advancements will be made”. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses and meta-analyses by Güllich et al. 2021 and Barth et al. 2022 support his observations. While specificity is indeed a key tenet to success, implementing a range of stimuli sets a solid baseline for anything specific while keeping the mind challenged, excited, and fresh from monotony. From my own coaching experience, I’ve worked with many athletes who dedicated a prior sporting life to rugby, soccer, gymnastics, cycling, and boxing, only to find that their skill sets were highly-transferable to high-performance outcomes in track running, trail running, marathon running, and obstacle racing. If you have always been a runner, you might consider honing a full repertoire of skills. But that is not to say that having always been a runner you will not improve. Furthermore, one must not consider that if you trained exactly like Coe, Ingebrigtsen, Kipchoge, Federer, Carfrae, or Albon, that you would have the same outcome. It is very important to realise that all of the “famous” coaches name-dropped above have also coached many athletes who have not become superstars, just as there are tremendous numbers of self-coached athletes who have never succeeded. Furthermore, if Kipchoge had been coached by Elder Coe or if Albon chose to continue roller skating, we may never have had the pleasure to know who they are; but, no doubt someone else would have filled their void. There are so many physiological and environmental factors that contribute to maximising an athlete’s genetic potential, including a bit of good fortune in the opportunities that present themselves. So, yes, embrace range and leave no stone unturned when sculpting your machine while being realistic with your goals and performance expectations. Also, always remember that training and racing are games of chess - there are multiple journeys to achieve your goal and you are unlikely to become a GrandMaster.
In my coaching approach, I implement range by including an array of paces and distances, strength sessions aimed at developing muscular power and resilience, run-circuit combo sessions for simulating race fatigue, and balance sessions aimed at improving neuromotor skills and mobility, etc. For obstacle racers, I also include various load-carrying sessions and grip strength sessions often integrated into runs, and flexibility sessions to increase their mobility and range of motion. I do not use tricks or gimmicks, I do not advocate fads, there are no short-cuts, and there is no single uniform approach for each person. My knowledge developed through reading, experimenting, observing, learning, and doing, has helped manifest improvements in many of my athletes’ performances moon-after-moon. My philosophies and approaches are embedded in my coached performance programmes and training plans. Furthermore, since I am passionate about optimising people’s fitness while helping to empower them to one day lead and manage their own journey, my coaching and training plans include educational components related to all aspects of the training journey.
Image Copyright © Thomas Solomon. All rights reserved.
Lastly, being open-minded to new approaches is an essential trait for forward-thinking and progression in any area of life, including coaching. Some say that curiosity killed the cat. Scientific curiosity, on the other hand, a trait that coaches and athletes alike should embrace, is an evidence-based way to sort the good from the bad and the ugly. Now, carelessly trying every new fad is not a good use of energy, time, money, or resources. Personally, I am an inherently curious person and this behaviour partly fuels my desire to acquire knowledge. However, I do not jump on fads and I never advocate new practices unless the evidence presented to me is minimally-equivocal. When an anecdotal observation is supported by several lines of experimental evidence and the likelihood of a false positive is low, then my curiosity turns from mild interest to full-on raging intrigue — aka, “I’m gonna read every paper on this topic, experiment, implement, observe and build my empirical evidence”. If following the many hours of investment in that process, I am convinced that something may be successful, a new approach might get implemented in my coaching programmes and training plans. So, be open-minded and curious, but evaluate and be certain.
So, that’s a little insight into my thought processes behind the training philosophies and approaches I use at Veohtu (pronounced: vee-oh-two, as in V̇O2max)... But, no doubt these will change as they are continually shaped by my learning, observing, and ongoing practice…
To learn more about my scientific background and my qualifications, coaching experience, and athletic performance, please visit veohtu.com/about. If you have liked this banter, please feel free to share this post on social media and if you would like to educate yourself about training smart to help you on your fitness journey, please sign up to my mailing list at veohtu.com/subscribe to have future articles and podcasts run straight into your inbox.
Thanks for joining me for this first “session”. Until next time, keep training smart.
For running, I have studied the approaches of the greats, including:
Mihály Iglói, Arthur Lydiard, Frank Horwill, Harry Wilson, Jack Daniels, Peter Coe, Renato Canova, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, Patrick Sang.
For strength training:
Louie Simmons, Boris Sheiko, Greg Nuckols, Eric Trexler, Brad Schoenfeld, Menno Henselmans, and Sebastian Oreb (coach to Hafþór Björnsson).
For climbing and grip strength:
Jake Bromley, Shauna Coxey, Climbing Team Japan, the large numbers of world-class climbers who train at my local wall in Innsbruck, and from the approaches used by Alan Milway in MotoCross.
For sports nutrition:
Nancy Clark, Louise Burke, and Asker Jeukendrup (one of my PhD supervisors from many moons ago).
For psychology and mindset:
Amos Taversky & Daniel Kahneman, Steve Peters, JoAnn Dahlkoetter, Scott Barry Kaufman, Charlie Boscoe, Michael Gervais, Bruce Li, Jens Voigt, and Eliud Kipchoge.
And, for leadership, thoughtfulness, and general inspiration:
Alex Ferguson, Phil Jackson, Eddie Jones, Jake Humphrey & Damian Hughes, Greg Nuckols & Eric Trexler, David Epstein, Stephen Seiler, Steve Magness, Ross Tucker, and the Māori cultural principle of Whakapapa.
I also take inspiration from other sports, including motocross, climbing, ski-mountaineering, cross-country skiing, and chess. There is much to learn and much inspiration to take from those who have been through it all before. As the old adage goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
As a scientist, I pride myself in being “evidence-informed” which, when applied to practice, takes two forms: evidence from the vaults of rigorous scientific study and evidence from my own years of empirical observation. But, evidence-based approaches must also change with time as advances are made. If one’s approach has never changed then one cannot at all claim to be “evidence-based” or “scientific”. None of us knows everything, so constantly learning and developing one’s approach as a coach is essential. What we did in practice 10-years ago should not be the same as we do today, just as it won’t be similar many moons down the road. To me, science is beautiful, but there is one single ingredient without which my overall approach would not have been shaped into anything but successful: the nuances and anecdotes of experience in the field with all of my former and current athletes. Observation teaches us incredible things and this is where art meets science to produce well-informed coaching decisions. So, open your eyes, become a knowledge sponge, and never stop learning.
While experience counts for a lot, there is indeed a baseline of training principles honed by academic research over approximately the last 100-years. The classic buzzwords, “specificity”, “overload”, “recovery”, “adaptation” etc, etc, ring true from every textbook on the subject. But, after literally a century of great scientists chiselling away at such topics, we do not have, and never will have, a formula that works for everyone. Lydiard preached ubiquitously about high volume (although there were many other important facets in his approach), Daniels has his VDOT zone-based “running formula”, while Friel is a lactate threshold junkie. People debate about who is best and what is correct but, in reality, we still have no idea precisely how many kilometres per week we should run, how many sessions we should be doing, how long the intervals should be, nor how hard we should run them. That said, most running coaches would agree on some common truths that produce results:
Run a lot of miles, frequently, consistently, and sometimes hard; eat well, sleep a lot, and rest from time to time.
Also, from a running perspective, there is a popular theme that can be seen throughout all great coaches, past and present: Range. By this, I mean implementing multi-paced running combined with supplementary exercises aimed at improving flexibility, mobility, balance, and (explosive) strength (power). I have observed that the non-running side of athletes’ training plans is often neglected. A large percentage of folks who have come to me for help have proclaimed that they do not feel that they gain fitness if they are not running, working hard, or sweating. While the experimental evidence to support the use of flexibility, mobility, and balance training to improve running performance is equivocal, there is a clear-cut body of causal evidence linking increased strength and power to improved running economy and speed. The utility of using a range of training modalities is proven in the results of the above-described coach’s athletes’ performances as well as in the results of self-coached athletes who have excelled at the highest level. For coaches like Mihály Iglói, Arthur Lydiard, Frank Horwill, Harry Wilson, Jack Daniels, Peter Coe, Renato Canova, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, and Patrick Sang, multi-pace training combined with supplementary exercises are embedded in their approaches; and the results are indisputable. Seb Coe, coached by his father Peter Coe, ran 1:41.73 for 800m in 1981 (a WR that stood for 16-years). He was also a low 13-minute 5000m runner. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, coached by his father Gjert, has run under 13-minutes for 5000m and under 3:30 for 1500m. Eliud Kipchoge, coached by Patrick Sang, has run under 13-minutes for 5000m but also holds the fastest ever marathon at 1:59:40. Jon Albon, a self-coached athlete, is a multiple world champion at obstacle course racing over distances from 3 km up to 25 km but is also a Trail running World Champion and Sky Running World Champion at distances up to 80 km with up to 4000 metres of vertical gain. While these are just anecdotal examples, it may be hypothesised that these athletes’ enviable abilities to perform highly across a range of events is driven by the adaptations imposed by the range of modalities they have implemented in their training approaches. The basis for this hypothesis is derived from my observations of said athletes’ training plans, details of which can be located in books, documentaries, and online exercise logs. Be specific to your sport, yes, but ensure that you nurture the entire range of skills and attributes you require for success in your sport.
In his latest book, Range, David Epstein poses that “embracing range, experimenting, and gaining a breadth of experience is a better way to success”. He neatly presents several examples to support his theory, including a certain swoosh-clad Swiss gentleman who dabbled in many sports as a teenager and only began to focus on tennis in his early 20s before his total domination of the sport over a 15-year period. I also recently learned from the Clean Sport Collective podcast that Mirinda Carfrae, a 5-time podium placer at the Iron(wo)man World Champs, was a basketball player throughout her teens and wasn’t even interested in swimming, cycling, or running. Furthermore, Jon Albon, the obstacle racing and mountain running star, was a roller hockey player throughout his young days until finding running in his early 20s. Epstein’s approach to embracing range requires patience and open-mindedness. He claims that if we can nurture and bolster such traits, “major world innovations and advancements will be made”. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses and meta-analyses by Güllich et al. 2021 and Barth et al. 2022 support his observations. While specificity is indeed a key tenet to success, implementing a range of stimuli sets a solid baseline for anything specific while keeping the mind challenged, excited, and fresh from monotony. From my own coaching experience, I’ve worked with many athletes who dedicated a prior sporting life to rugby, soccer, gymnastics, cycling, and boxing, only to find that their skill sets were highly-transferable to high-performance outcomes in track running, trail running, marathon running, and obstacle racing. If you have always been a runner, you might consider honing a full repertoire of skills. But that is not to say that having always been a runner you will not improve. Furthermore, one must not consider that if you trained exactly like Coe, Ingebrigtsen, Kipchoge, Federer, Carfrae, or Albon, that you would have the same outcome. It is very important to realise that all of the “famous” coaches name-dropped above have also coached many athletes who have not become superstars, just as there are tremendous numbers of self-coached athletes who have never succeeded. Furthermore, if Kipchoge had been coached by Elder Coe or if Albon chose to continue roller skating, we may never have had the pleasure to know who they are; but, no doubt someone else would have filled their void. There are so many physiological and environmental factors that contribute to maximising an athlete’s genetic potential, including a bit of good fortune in the opportunities that present themselves. So, yes, embrace range and leave no stone unturned when sculpting your machine while being realistic with your goals and performance expectations. Also, always remember that training and racing are games of chess - there are multiple journeys to achieve your goal and you are unlikely to become a GrandMaster.
In my coaching approach, I implement range by including an array of paces and distances, strength sessions aimed at developing muscular power and resilience, run-circuit combo sessions for simulating race fatigue, and balance sessions aimed at improving neuromotor skills and mobility, etc. For obstacle racers, I also include various load-carrying sessions and grip strength sessions often integrated into runs, and flexibility sessions to increase their mobility and range of motion. I do not use tricks or gimmicks, I do not advocate fads, there are no short-cuts, and there is no single uniform approach for each person. My knowledge developed through reading, experimenting, observing, learning, and doing, has helped manifest improvements in many of my athletes’ performances moon-after-moon. My philosophies and approaches are embedded in my coached performance programmes and training plans. Furthermore, since I am passionate about optimising people’s fitness while helping to empower them to one day lead and manage their own journey, my coaching and training plans include educational components related to all aspects of the training journey.
So, that’s a little insight into my thought processes behind the training philosophies and approaches I use at Veohtu (pronounced: vee-oh-two, as in V̇O2max)... But, no doubt these will change as they are continually shaped by my learning, observing, and ongoing practice…
To learn more about my scientific background and my qualifications, coaching experience, and athletic performance, please visit veohtu.com/about. If you have liked this banter, please feel free to share this post on social media and if you would like to educate yourself about training smart to help you on your fitness journey, please sign up to my mailing list at veohtu.com/subscribe to have future articles and podcasts run straight into your inbox.
Thanks for joining me for this first “session”. Until next time, keep training smart.
Disclaimer: I occasionally mention brands and products but it is important to know that I am not affiliated with, sponsored by, an ambassador for, or receiving advertisement royalties from any brands. I have conducted biomedical research for which I have received research money from publicly-funded national research councils and medical charities, and also from private companies, including Novo Nordisk Foundation, AstraZeneca, Amylin, A.P. Møller Foundation, and Augustinus Foundation. I’ve also consulted for Boost Treadmills and Gu Energy on their research and innovation grant applications and I’ve provided research and science writing services for Driftline and Examine — some of my articles contain links to information provided by Examine but I do not receive any royalties or bonuses from those links. These companies had no control over the research design, data analysis, or publication outcomes of my work. Any recommendations I make are, and always will be, based on my own views and opinions shaped by the evidence available. My recommendations have never and will never be influenced by affiliations, sponsorships, advertisement royalties, etc. The information I provide is not medical advice. Before making any changes to your habits of daily living based on any information I provide, always ensure it is safe for you to do so and consult your doctor if you are unsure.
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About the author:
I am Thomas Solomon and I'm passionate about relaying accurate and clear scientific information to the masses to help folks meet their fitness and performance goals. I hold a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Exercise Science and am an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist and Personal Trainer, a VDOT-certified Distance running coach, and a Registered Nutritionist. Since 2002, I have conducted biomedical research in exercise and nutrition and have taught and led university courses in exercise physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, and molecular medicine. My work is published in over 80 peer-reviewed medical journal publications and I have delivered more than 50 conference presentations & invited talks at universities and medical societies. I have coached and provided training plans for truck-loads of athletes, have competed at a high level in running, cycling, and obstacle course racing, and continue to run, ride, ski, hike, lift, and climb as much as my ageing body will allow. To stay on top of scientific developments, I consult for scientists, participate in journal clubs, peer-review papers for medical journals, and I invest every Friday in reading what new delights have spawned onto PubMed. In my spare time, I hunt for phenomenal mountain views to capture through the lens, boulder problems to solve, and for new craft beers to drink with the goal of sending my gustatory system into a hullabaloo.
Copyright © Thomas Solomon. All rights reserved.
I am Thomas Solomon and I'm passionate about relaying accurate and clear scientific information to the masses to help folks meet their fitness and performance goals. I hold a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Exercise Science and am an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist and Personal Trainer, a VDOT-certified Distance running coach, and a Registered Nutritionist. Since 2002, I have conducted biomedical research in exercise and nutrition and have taught and led university courses in exercise physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, and molecular medicine. My work is published in over 80 peer-reviewed medical journal publications and I have delivered more than 50 conference presentations & invited talks at universities and medical societies. I have coached and provided training plans for truck-loads of athletes, have competed at a high level in running, cycling, and obstacle course racing, and continue to run, ride, ski, hike, lift, and climb as much as my ageing body will allow. To stay on top of scientific developments, I consult for scientists, participate in journal clubs, peer-review papers for medical journals, and I invest every Friday in reading what new delights have spawned onto PubMed. In my spare time, I hunt for phenomenal mountain views to capture through the lens, boulder problems to solve, and for new craft beers to drink with the goal of sending my gustatory system into a hullabaloo.
Copyright © Thomas Solomon. All rights reserved.