Power Running

Power Running is a good site that has a different take on running training programs.  The author of the site, Richard Gibbens, has really analyzed the research and puts forth solid recommendations.  Generally, he advocates infrequent, intense training for those who are not genetically gifted at running. 

Comments

[Jim]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the post on my blog, which allowed me to follow the link to YOUR blog. Nice stuff you're doing - very informative and useful. I'll be stopping back often.

Do you Sprint 8? It's great knowing that a full rest is only seconds away. I LOVE that!

[Matt Metzgar]

I have done Sprint 8, though I'm currently doing the Tabata intervals instead. I think the Sprint 8 is a great workout though.

[Um]

I wouldn't recommend the powerrunning site. If you visit it, understand it is highly biased for Richard's personal reasons and much of the content is dismissable.

[Matt Metzgar]

Really? I don't know the history of that site. Do tell - inquiring minds want to know...

[um]

Man, I didn't realize there was a response to this post. I'd lost the link sometime ago and just came back across it.

Richard had spent years fidding around as a runner, low mileage, unspectacular times, until he retired from the berets. He decided he'd do a lot more running and upped his mileage as he felt he should. He kept getting injured (too much too fast) because couldn't accomodate the changes he needed in effort against the changes in volume, and burnt himself (and his knees) into the ground. What he's been doing since is finding any scrap of research he can that he can present in his 'anti-mileage' campaign.

Among the more notable things he's posted

...don't listen to your body, just run through those pesky aches and pains

...do run 10 k's (and marathons) at RPE levels of 10 out of 10 right from start line

...most runners only need to run twice a week to reach their genetic running potential

He was using Gert Thys as one of his prime examples of low mileage/high performance. Well, right up until Thys was found to be a drug cheat.

On his site itself, some of those graphs he's presenting as proof that people do better on lower mileage aren't legitimate graphs. He made them up.

If you've ever had discussions with him on boards, you'll find out quickly how his debates go, generally a lot of argumentive junk around wording of stuff rather than discussing valid training issues.

Best to go to his site and follow his discussion board, or go to coolrunning and dig out the "truth about mileage" thread.

http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/Forum6/HTML/023473-2.shtml

actually there's some good stuff in that thread that's away from the exchanges with Richard. Kinda falls apart when he jumps back in though.

Cheers

[un]

oh, and just for the hey of it...

A couple more links. Something Richard touts that central to his argument. Check this link out from his site:

http://www.powerrunning.com/Training/Do%20All%20Runners%20Benefit%20From%20Increasing%20Mileage.htm

The first graph he shows is a full data analysis. Not sure where he came up with the fig 2 graph, but I believe he generated it himself playing with some statistical software. Notice in his comments, he quotes the researchers on data from figure 1, but no quote in his discussion of figure 2.

The graph he shows in fig 2 looks dramatic, but it's really not at all. It seems more like he played around with sets of numbers until he came up with curves that he could use to argue with. I pointed out why this graph is useless here, but you'll notice he refused comment on what I said.

http://powerrunning.proboards29.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1146698500&page=1#1146843768

I'm gone.