Ryan Hall Can't Break 30 Min for 10K

Last weekend Ryan Hall finished 15th in the Healthy Kidney 10K, running a dismal 30:15 seconds. According to Hall, he "just hasn't done the 10K work. My training is very specific to the marathon." From this, my guess is Hall does lots of tempo work at 4:50 pace (2:04:50 for the marathon, under 30 min for 10k), and maybe even Yasso type long intervals. Since he only runs 6 days a week, his weekly mileage is not excessive.

Is he in trouble? Based on past performance, probably not. While a medal in London is doubtful, he shouldn't be embarrassed. Hall has been very consistent for several years now, grinding out one good marathon finish after another, more often than not preceded by sub par races. Would he be a better marathoner if somehow he could run some fast times at shorter races? That is the question many are asking.

Hall has said he talked to lots of people when he decided to go it alone and self-coach, but I wonder if Frank Shorter was one of them. If I were in Hall's shoes, Shorter is the first I would have approached, a guy who before injuries finally took hold, seemed to always be at the top of his game, NO MATTER WHAT THE DISTANCE!   While Shorter is best remembered as a marathoner, he was also ranked in the top 5 in the world four times at 10,000 meters, and once was even ranked 10th in the 5000. 

Here Shorter describes his favorite 2 high intensity interval workouts, four x 3/4 mile, or 10 x 400s run very hard. Here he describes his intervals at "5K pace".

Interesting that Shorter describes 75-90% of his training as "conversational pace"- not anywhere near marathon speed. It wasn't all Long Slow Distance (LSD) training, however. In his book, Olympic Gold, Shorter wrote that when he's fit he'll run the second half of his weekly 20 miler at marathon pace.

I find an interesting contrast between Hall, who says he hasn't run any workouts at 10K pace, and Shorter, who believed his 5K pace interval sessions "were the critical ingredient in my training recipe".   And when Shorter ripped off 10 x 400 in just over 60 seconds at sea level, I don't exactly consider that 5K pace training. He ran hard! 

Shorter ran in the 70s and 80s, and unlike Hall, he never broke 2:10. But Shorter has 2 Olympic medals, not to mention a 5th place in the Olympic 10,000 meters. He could run both distances well, and even turned in many good 3 mile times, something that Hall the marathoner has yet to master, or apparently chooses not to.

Hall has proven time and time again he has the strength to run a good marathon but if he wants to take the next step and seriously go after a medal in London, I believe he has to show some speed at shorter distances.    Shorter's PR in the 10,000 was 27:45, run in 1975, the year before winning the silver in Montreal.  Hall ran an impressive 13:22 for 5K while still in college and 28:07 for 10,000 in 2007. 

I'd seriously consider Hall a threat to win a medal in London if he ever figures out a way to get back to running those times while maintaining his current long distance strength, just as Frank Shorter was able to do.  For now, it doesn't appear that is going to happen. 

Frank Shorter Interview- Abused!

Wow!

Frank Shorter Speaks About Running With Bad Feet

Interesting that Frank mentions that he learned to "run light on his feet" because they hurt so much. I recall reading somewhere that former marathon world record holder Derek Clayton said basically the same thing- he was big for a marathoner but taught himself to run "light on his feet."

I also remember racing against Shorter in 1976, amazed at the shoes he was wearing with paper thin soles. I am wondering if he learned the efficient barefoot running style back then by training in something similar.

Frank Shorter's Favorite Interval Workouts

According to Olympic Gold, A Runner's Life and Times by Frank Shorter, speedwork or interval training was one secret to his success.

His two favorites sessions seem to be 4 x 3/4 mile with a relatively long 660 yard recovery jog (at sea level he shortened the recovery to 1/4 mile) on Tuesdays, and 10 x 400 on Thursdays with a 220-yard jog for recovery.

You would think a marathoner would include more longer, grinding intervals like the Yasso 800s, but apparently he thrived on the high intensity work. Remember, Shorter was fast enough to place 5th in the 10,000 meters just days prior to winning the marathon in 1972 in Munich and more than once gave Prefontaine all he could handle at shorter distances.

Shorter ran his intervals hard from the first repeat; there was no easing into a hard session, or saving himself for the last 400. His recovery between each repeat was short and quick. Shorter would finish his interval sessions exhausted, feeling like he could not do another repeat. -from an earlier post on Shorter and intervals here

Diet of an Olympic Marathon Champion

" ..I don't eat a lot, I don't drink a lot, and I don't eat much junk food. I'm conservative when it comes to nutrition. I don't subscribe to any exotic theories; I don't even eat that much when it comes to carbohydrates. I try to maintain a well-balanced diet I enjoy an occasional snack and a beer. That's it. "



-quote from Olympic Gold- A Runner's Life and Times by Frank Shorter with Marc Bloom.

I've finally got my hands on a copy of this book I've been wanting to read for years. Published in 1984, Frank Shorter provides insight into his entire running career, leaving us with a final attempt to qualify in the 10,000 in Los Angeles. I'm somewhat disappointed that he did not go into more detail on workouts, tapering, and more juicy stories (I've heard rumors or read somewhere that Shorter drank a liter of beer the night before his Olympic victory- no confirmation in this book).

I saw Shorter a few years ago in Boulder when I competed in the US Nationals Cross Country championships in the masters race. Sadly, he looked very stiff, but according to this article he still gets in an hour a day.

Frank Shorter Interview- 1980s

Entertaining 1980s interview with Olympic gold medal winner Frank Shorter as biomechanics expert Gideon Ariel analyzes Frank's running form. I like the point he made about the disadvantage of excessive head movement. Frank also points out the knowledge gap that existed in those days between research and runners.

Running Intervals- Rodgers vs Shorter

Bill Rodgers 4-time winner of Boston and NY marathons

other runners would be beating the hell out of themselves, and Bill would be at the back of the pack. Bill did his homework. He had the capability to run over 175 miles a week if he needed to, but wouldn't completely thrash himself in track workouts like some people.

Frank Shorter, Olympic gold medal, 1972 Olympic marathon, silver in 1976

Shorter ran his intervals hard from the first repeat; there was no easing into a hard session, or saving himself for the last 400. His recovery between each repeat was short and quick. Shorter would finish his interval sessions exhausted, feeling like he could not do another repeat.

-Running with the Legends

MY COMMENT: Very interesting contrast between 2 great marathoners in this insightful book. Apparently Rodgers did more longer repeats, while Shorter focused more on 400s. Shorter also appeared to carry on a hard easy schedule to a greater extreme than Rodgers. I always found it very tough to include intervals on top of very high weekly milege, but that might be one difference between mere mortals and special athletes such as these 2.