i just read that mike johnson did middle distance aerobic running for lactic tolerance and vo2 max (20-45 min max) around twice/week in the offseason between sprint days. Now i know that he wasn’t a 100m sprinter but nonethe less he was one of fastest men ever. This type of work is to be avoided at all costs it seems by ppl on this board… so i was wondering what gives? is this just b/c he was a genetic freak, and this training may have actually detracted from his overall potential? or is there something he knows that we don’t?
thats the key part. offseason is pretty broad but i would take it to mean at most maybe 2 months after the end of the comp period.
also its kind of sketchy how you define Vo2 max and LT work in the distance sense.
Vo2 max would be something like 5x1000m and LT would be in the half hour range but at a very brisk pace. MJ might have run on the trails now and again but i am pretty sure he was probably doing the kenyan shuffle and not the american distance death march(never having an easy day).
i refuse to grant that he was so much of a genetic freak that he could spend signficant training time and effort wasting it on non specfic efforts in the middle ground between hi/low.
most Decient mid distance coaches know, that doing 20-30min runs, akin to doing a hard 7-10klm is not done 2 times a wk. its a wasted effort.
Once every 10 days is more like it.
i would think more than likely, what d nasty says, and that he did 5 x 1000k’s or 10 x 400’s in say 60sec with 60rec or did the hard on the hills and easy for the rest ect ect.