Renato Canova – 2 Key Marathon Training Sessions
Renato Canova’s training methods have influenced a large percentage of the top marathon performances over the last three decades.
To list the World Champions, Olympic Champions and World Record holders that Canova has either coached or advised would likely bore a reader of this article. It’s true that his training methods have influenced the elite running world more than any coaches have, especially over the events of 10,000m, the Half Marathon and the Marathon.
Below are two key training sessions that Renato Canova prescribes most of his athletes leading into a Marathon.
1. “Special Block” – a 45-50km training day over 2 sessions (one session in the morning and one session in the evening) that are both done at a hard effort, with no/minimal consumption of carbohydrates in between these 2 sessions.
This “Special Block” training day is ideally completed 2-3 times in the marathon training preparation, with 2-3 weeks in between each “Special Block.” To maximise this training idea, you would schedule this into your training plan at Week 9, Week 6 and Week 3 (Race week to be “Week 0”).
A classic example of a Special Block:
AM
3km warm up
10km @ in between half marathon and marathon goal pace
10km @ slightly quicker than the first 10km.
3km cool down
(Total 26km)
PM
3km warm up
10km @ in between half marathon and marathon goal pace
8x1km @ 5-10km pace with 2min recovery
3km cool down
(Total 24km)
This workout has several different effects and outcomes, but two stand out specifically: (1) muscular fatigue and (2) glycogen depletion/storage.
The length of the workouts and the no carbohydrates during or between sessions does wonders on glycogen storage through super compensation. By stressing the body and almost fully depleting it (“hitting the wall”) it will store even more glycogen in your muscles for the future.
There doesn’t appear to be very specific rules for this training day, in terms of intervals/tempo runs. As long as the total volume exists (40km+ for the day) with 30km+ at faster than Marathon pace and to finish with 6-8km worth of intervals at 5-10km pace.
Elite athletes have done “Special Blocks” under Canova comprising of longer tempo intervals in the morning (eg 5km warm up, 8 x 1600m @ Half Marathon pace with 400m floating recovery at just slower than Marathon Pace, then a 5km cool down) and then shorter faster intervals at 5-10km in the afternoon like 10x800m or similar.
So there doesn’t appear to be an exact formula, as long as the following boxes are ticked:
- Total Volume for the day: at least 40km, ideally closer to 50km split into 2 sessions of roughly the same total volume.
- Only warms and cool downs done at slower than Marathon pace (unless short floating recoveries between intervals).
- At least 30km at faster than Marathon goal pace.
- At least 6km, ideally 8km at 5-10km pace and these intervals are the final block of the day (in the afternoon session).
2. Long continuous runs with small pace variations (replacing some long runs).
When approaching race day (in the final 2 months) Canova has his elite runners alternate long fast continuous runs (commonly used by most coaches – 30-40km at 85-90% of goal marathon pace) with interval sessions that are completed as a continuous run with a brisk 1km recovery, not much slower than goal marathon pace in between the intervals.
4 x 5km @ just faster than Marathon Pace with 1km recovery at just slower than Marathon Pace
3 x 7km just faster than Marathon Pace with 1km recovery at just slower than Marathon Pace
7km + 6km + 5km + 4km + 3km + 2km @ just faster than Marathon Pace with 1km recovery at just slower than Marathon Pace.
Again, there doesn’t appear to be specific rules with the intervals, as long as there is at least 20km, ideally over 25km worth of running at faster than Marathon Pace with 1km recoveries (and this is always the case) still running at a brisk pace, around 10-15% slower than Marathon pace.
Rules to abide by:
- Total volume of at least 20km, ideally 25-27km worth of running at just faster than goal marathon pace
- The intervals should comprise of over 2/3s of the continuous run (ie it’s not ideal to do 1km fast, 1km float.. You want to do longer reps of at least 3-4km several times.
- Total volume of the continuous run: at least 24km, ideally 30-34km.
Adding on a 3-4km warm up and cool down at usual warm up/cool down pace adds up to a 32-42km training run in total at an average pace very similar to a 30-40km run at 90% of Marathon Pace. Yes, you’re going to take 5-10mins of rest between warm up and this continuous run and this continuous run and the cool down, but the total training effect is similar and has the body completely prepared for your goal Marathon Pace.
Renato Canova explains this very well in a presentation he made at the Valencia Marathon 2017 (around the 31min mark)
