Eliud Kipchoge’s Training Group: Training Structure and Attitude
In August 2017, the Sweat Elite team spent a month training with Eliud Kipchoge and the Global team. Prior to landing in Eldoret we had received permission to join in on some sessions, but the fine details were essentially non-existent. Upon arrival in Kaptagat we immediately began meeting a lot of the local athletes, and found our way to the Global Management compound. We met Eliud and he invited us to join on the session the next day; a 30km long run. 6:00am, at the gate of the compound.
We shadowed this session on the motorbike, an attempt to keep pace with Eliud and the leaders would be a foolish one.
Subsequent to this initial session, we joined in on many sessions throughout the month. But this was not always easy. One aspect of the training that surprised us was how loosely planned the sessions were. The athletes had an idea of what the sessions would be each day, but whether or not the training occurred according to plan was always a last-minute decision; taking into account the weather and quality of the running surfaces. This meant that tracking down the group at the actual starting location and newly appointed time was sometimes quite the challenge.
A fartlek session scheduled to start at 6:15am and follow the dirt roads through the maize fields would frequently be indefinitely postponed, called on at 9:00am, and stick to the main road running towards Eldoret. Whether or not the dirt roads were dry enough was often a tenuous call. We were shocked by the conditions on some of the sessions that did follow the dirt roads, with cakes of mud accumulating on shoes and the group frequently shifting into a single file formation as they navigated the path of least resistance through the puddles and ruts across the road.
The Tuesday track sessions were equally dependent on the conditions at hand. There is only one tartan track in the region and this is at the High Altitude Training Centre in Iten, elite groups train here infrequently. Eliud and the Global team train at a dirt track in the outskirts of Eldoret. One session was completely called off due to the rain that had fallen overnight (replaced by a fartlek session in Kaptagat). Another didn’t commence until 11:00am; we were waiting at the track prior to commencing, with Eliud and Patrick Sang continually assessing whether the sun had dried the track enough for the session to begin.
The recovery sessions were also a hodgepodge affair, with athletes joining at random points along the road, and running for a seemingly arbitrary amount of time. These sessions operated almost purely on how the athletes were feeling; sometimes they would run at a consistently slow pace (~4:40-5:00min/km) for the entire distance, others would be peppered with accelerations and culminate in a final few kilometres at around 3:30-3:45min/km.
None of this inconsistency and unpredictability perturbed the athletes. They were habituated to it, and it appears not to be a part of the culture to be stressed or rushed in Kenya. Whenever they received news about new developments they never complained, they would pour another cup of chai, and keep chatting amongst themselves. The attitude at training was always quite relaxed as well. The athletes would push themselves when it was required, however in remaining time, the easy runs and between reps, they were at ease in a comfortable camaraderie.
This relaxed attitude and loose structure, although somewhat difficult to work with from our point of view, is quite refreshing once one adjusts to it. They aren’t caught up in the specifics. Athletes repeatedly claimed with pride that the mantra of all Kenyan athletes is “train hard, win easy.” It is clear that the athletes know that, whether it happens first thing in the morning or under the midday sun, on track or on road, they will be putting in the hard work regardless. Why stress over the minutiae?
[by Tait Hearps of Sweat Elite]
