Bernard Lagat (3:26 1500m, 12:53 5000m) – Training Principles
[by Alan Maddocks]
Bernard Lagat has an incredible resume. His personal bests from 800m (1:46.00) through to Half Marathon (62:33) span over 17 years and and at the age of 41, Lagat ran 27:49 for 10000m on the track.
Personal Bests:
800 Metres 1:46.00
1000 Metres 2:16.18
1500 Metres 3:26.34
One Mile 3:47.28
2000 Metres 4:55.49
3000 Metres 7:29.00
Two Miles 8:12.45
5000 Metres 12:53.60
10,000 Metres 27:49.35
10 Kilometres 27:48
Half Marathon 1:02:33
The following are notes taken from a detailed article on and interview with Bernard Lagat in an American Running publication.
- Focus on Goals / Patience / Belief
- Ten week of base building prior to competitive seasons (indoors & out): double periodisation
- Begins back on 20-25 miles per week
- Aerobic Base: 60-70 Miles per week
- Runs on ‘softer’ surfaces
- BASE includes Long Runs; Hill Work; & Tempo Runs
- Much running conducted @ 5-15 pace or below
- Recovery Runs @ 6.30 pace
- Tempo Runs: Short: 3-4 Miles
- Tempo Runs: Long: 6-7 Miles
- Tempo Runs: @ 90% max heart rate
- Late Kick depends on strength not speed
- Precise distance of reps (600/800/1K) not that important
- Looks to increase intensity throughout the Year
- Knows he is in good shape when repeat mile reps are done in an average of 4-20: if not achieved, spends more time on developing aerobic base
- 2-3 weeks of track specific work leads to competition
- Uses Races to develop race pace
- Takes Long Break after competitive season
- Coach James Li: stresses the importance of keeping the athlete healthy, & mentally refreshed
TRAINING ANALYSIS
There is so much “wisdom” here it’s difficult to know where to begin.
Firstly, let’s consider “mileage”. By comparison with other world class runners, Lagat’s training mileage is modest. It’s not unusual for High School distance runners in the US to exceed the totals that Lagat records on a weekly basis. In addition, he notes that he prefers to run on softer surfaces. (Lagat does much of his base phase running, based in Germany, making much use of forest tracks). One can logically surmise that the combination of moderate mileage and off-road running must be a big factor in his longevity.
Secondly, his “base phase” (that lasts for 10 weeks … shorter than the classic Lydiard base period) includes a mixture of long runs, tempo runs, & hill work. In short, Lagat’s base phase is more like a combination of the Lydiard base & hill circuit phase. This may be a reflection of both his career training background, and his double periodisation approach. His use of “tempo runs” is interesting not so much for the pace (90% of max heart race – that’s common practice) but for the relative brevity of these runs. Even the longest tempo run rarely exceeds about 30 minutes, & the shorter tempos last just 15-20 minutes. It’s also notable that much of his steady running is at a fairly brisk (5-15 mile) pace, but recovery runs (6-30 mile pace) are just that (recovery). Although the article/interview did not reveal the balance between steady and recovery running (in the total mix), the comfortable pace of his recovery runs are reminiscent of the “re-generation” runs employed by all Kenyan runners.
Thirdly, the emphasis on long repetitions (600m to 1000m) is in line with the focus on “strength” over “speed”. The recognition that being able to employ a strong finish is based on how strong you are, rather than how fast, is key. For me, the most significant point above is that if he fails to meet his goals in a “test” session of 1 Mile repetitions (4-20 miles / 10K pace for Lagat) at the end of his base phase, then he goes back and does some more base work rather than imagine that more “speed” is the solution.
Fourthly, the brevity of the track specific preparation phase is surprising. In some ways this is reminiscent of Lydiard’s claim that the “anaerobic” phase of training was the least important. The key to making this work appears to be the fact that Lagat races himself into shape. Frequent racing makes it unnecessary to focus on additional anaerobic work, a fact that is often overlooked by far too many athletes.
Finally, one must not overlook the non-training factors that have been significant in Lagat’s success. These include: one coach/trainer (James Li) for the last 15+ years; goal-focused approach (Lagat has clear goals, and all the training is geared to reaching these goals); focus on ‘staying healthy’ and mentally fresh; and maintaining a cast-iron self-belief.
