changing a perspective of training and physiology.

In December of 2004, I had a meeting in Denver a day after Arthur Lydiard was giving a talk in Boulder. I had always been interested in Lydiard's methods, so I jumped at the chance to head out early and hear his talk.

The speech was difficult to understand, due to an accent and his recovery from a recent stroke (Lydiard passed on shortly after), but I clearly remember one thing he said.

"Americans train too fast."

I remember him saying it because he said it several times.

The debate about training at lactate thresholds vs. aerobic threshold (AeT) training to build endurance has always been a polarizing topic on Gordo Byrn's forum, but something I was (am) always willing to re-evaluate.

The reason that I'm back to this place right now is due to the book I just picked up, Lore of Running by Tim Noakes, MD. Even in the introduction of chapter one Noakes makes me anxious about the knowledge I've learned about exercise physiology by saying,

"Since the early 1920's, our understanding of exercise physiology has been dominated by a model that holds that the most important, perhaps the only, determinant of exercise ability is the capacity to transport oxygen to active muscles during exercise.... I have never been a devotee to that cause; now I am an active opponent"

What!? I've always learned that all things similar, he who has the largest VO2 Max wins. This is only on page 2 of the 930 page text, so I have lots of reading to do before I see where he is going, but it does allow me to rethink the theories I've always had and how I learned them (within the walls of a university).

At this point, my reading is for enjoyment and education. My training plan for the Derby marathon is in place and will remain consistent, based on passed experience training for this distance.

But I'm willing to keep an open mind for the future....

"American's train too fast"

-- That seems to describe a lot of aspects about our culture, not just training. Do you agree?