History
The name Marathon[a] comes from the legend of Philippides (or Pheidippides), the Greek messenger. The legend states that, while he was taking part in the battle of Marathon, he witnessed a Persian vessel changing its course towards Athens as the battle was near a victorious end for the Greek army. He interpreted this as an attempt by the defeated Persians to rush into the Greek capital and claim a false victory in the Battle of Marathon,[3] which took place in August or September, 490 BC,[4] hence claiming their authority over Greek land. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping, discarding his weapons and even clothes to lose as much weight as possible, and burst into the assembly, exclaiming νενικήκαμεν (nenikēkamen, "we have won!"), before collapsing and dying.[5] The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD, which quotes from Heraclides Ponticus's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles.[6] This is the account adopted by Benjamin Haydon for his painting Eucles Announcing the Victory of Marathon., published as an engraving in 1836 with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon. Satirist Lucian of Samosata (2nd century AD) first gives an account closest to the modern version of the story but is writing tongue-in-cheek and also names the runner Philippides (not Pheidippides).[7][8]
Keep Motivated During A Pandemic
These are turbulent times. I would use the word unprecedented, but it has been sprayed around so much that its impact is dwindling. With the world being ravaged by a pandemic, a lot of things are now up in the air. Life as we know it is changing rapidly… The economy is facing a drastic downturn, many people are threatened by unemployment and disrupted income, the health of you and your loved ones is being threatened, and many of the liberties you once took for granted are being stripped away. Drastic social distancing measures put in place worldwide mean that among many other (probably much more concerning) things, our attachment to our identity as runners is being strained.
Races are off. You can’t run with your normal training partners. In some areas, you can’t even run outside. Many have said that they are struggling with motivation at the moment, and that’s no surprise. But right now is a great time to reflect and reconsider your motivations, why you do what you do.
With upcoming races off, a huge extrinsic motivator is out the window for many people. And the joy so many take-ups from running outdoors with their friends is being tainted by the uncertainty around everything that’s going on. Is running, even just with one other person, unethical in the current circumstances? Are you opening yourself up to the risk of being infected? And could that ‘harmless’ run you did yesterday end up harming someone else tomorrow? In many places running outdoors alone, or with those sharing your home, is still allowed. However, in some jurisdictions, even that luxury has evaporated.
It says a lot about the social nature of us humans that solitary confinement is considered one of the most abhorrent punishments within a prison. Although the social distancing people are experiencing is much less extreme than strict solitary confinement (people are spending time with the people in their home, and online connectivity is blossoming now more than ever), the resultant disconnect is still placing many people under a lot of mental strain. Add to this the uncertainty and disruption and it’s no surprise some are struggling with motivation.
Even though it may feel like so much is spiraling out of control, and the uncertainty may be fuelling a growing flame of anxiety, it’s time to focus on what you can control. Amidst this chaos there is opportunity. The silver lining on the most ominous of stormy clouds may be very thin, but it will always be there. Much of what’s going on is well beyond your control as an individual. Incessantly checking the growing number of cases and deaths in your vicinity isn’t going to do anything to change the trajectory of the numbers. Worrying about what will happen to the economy won’t change the number of percentage points it fluctuates each day.
Instead now is a great time to practice shifting the locus of control inward. These disruptions are providing time to focus on things you normally neglect. Read those books you’ve been meaning to read, pick up that new hobby, do some strength work!
Maintaining exercise at a time like this is crucial, as it plays such an integral role in regulating mood. Gyms are closed in many places, but with just bodyweight, or the most basic of equipment, there are limitless exercises you can be doing from the safety of your own living room. With restrictions on movement, now is a perfect time to consolidate strength, forging a stable foundation to build upon once things begin to return to normal. Still, struggling for motivation? Get on a Zoom call with your training crew and work through it together.
A number of pros have been putting up content on social media to provide some motivation to their fans. With Tokyo postponed until next year and all races off for a while, it’s telling that these guys are still putting in the work, pushing through the uncertainty by maintaining productive momentum. Some are very insightful, some are comedic. Ryan Gregson ran us through the newest additions to his strength repertoire through his Instagram stories. Squats with his wife – steeplechaser Genevieve Gregson – on his back, and calf raises holding a cooler box to add some resistance.
We reached out to Zane Robertson – New Zealand marathon record holder (2:08:19) – and he kindly provided us with these exercises for readers. With a stress fracture of the femur, Zane, who is normally based in Ethiopia for much of the year, is back in New Zealand and focusing on recovery.
Brad Beer, Sports Physiotherapist and Founder of POGO Physio believe that the pandemic and necessitated race cancellations and social distancing measures affords runners an opportunity to build physical resilience or tissue conditioning, void of the performance pressures or stressors that tend to accompany event preparation based training programs.
Exploring this idea more, Brad cites that a runner is only able to absorb the training load that their physical capacity can tolerate. The COVID period affords runners an opportunity to enhance physical capacity through the inclusion, or ongoing continuation of strength and conditioning programs.
One challenge that runners face at present is the ability to access otherwise readily accessible gyms and training facilities. Some athletes may have quite good home resistance training options, but many don’t.
In the absence of access to a gym, or home gym, there are countless exercises that a runner can still benefit from. Brad’s advice is to stocktake each of the key running muscles and ensures that each muscle group is targeted through the home routine.
World record and most faster in long-distance in world
Eliud Kipchoge EGH is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly competed at a 5000-meter distance. He is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon winners. In addition, he set the world record in the marathon with a time of 2:01:39 at the 2018 Berlin Marathon
Eliud Kipchoge – A Typical Week of Training – Preparing For A Sub 2 Hour Marathon
As we said in the last article which looks at Eliud’s build-up to the INEOS 159 Challenge, little has changed in Eliud’s training in the last five or so years, bar the addition of a more significant amount of strength and core work. This article looks in more detail at a typical training week for Eliud.
The general structure of the training week is broken down by Patrick Sang in the second part of the documentary released by INEOS.
Monday
AM Easy to moderate run: 16-21km PM Easy Run: 8-12km
Tuesday
Tuesday is usually a track session. They basically do two kinds of workouts on Tuesdays and cycle them in two-week blocks:
– 15km of goal marathon pace work.
15km worth of intervals at right around their goal marathon pace (so 2:55min/km for Eliud). This is actually a bit harder to do on dirt and altitude than on road at sea level, but of course, that is part of the training. *Example workouts: – 15x1km (90sec rest) in an average of 2:50-2:55. They might start closer to 3min and end closer to 2:50, but the average is normally between 2:50 and 2:55. -12x1200m (90sec rest) in average of 3:24-3:30. – 5 sets of (2km, 1km) in 5:40-5:50 and 2:50-2:55.
Why athletes kenyas are best marathoners in the worlds
-First of all kenyas runners they training at a high altitude 2,400 meters above the sea
-Discipline and commitment
-to get out of poverty maybe this one one of the most important factory
-Eating healthy cause it's hard to find junk food in Kenya
-the sleep early and wake up early
-training always with a group
How high-altitude training can benefit elite endurance athletes like runners and swimmers.
When we refer to “high altitude” in sports medicine, we generally mean 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level or higher. Low altitude is approximately 4,000 feet above sea level or lower.
In high-altitude environments, you draw in less oxygen per breath than you would at lower altitudes. That means each breath will deliver less oxygen to your muscles. This may sound like a negative thing, but living in higher altitudes and getting used to breathing “thinner” air can enhance elite athletes’ athletic performance in competitions at lower altitudes.
During workouts at high altitudes, athletes feel like they’re putting forth more effort to perform as well as they do closer to sea level. The increased rate of perceived exertion is caused by altitude-induced hypoxia, which is a decrease in the amount of oxygen being delivered to the muscles to burn fuel and create energy.
As elite athletes acclimate to high altitude, they acquire more red blood cells which allow their blood to carry more oxygen. When they compete at lower altitudes, they get a natural boost to the muscles when additional oxygen is available. This blood-expanding effect can enhance performance in elite athletes by 1 to 2 percent. While that sounds like a tiny improvement, it can be the difference between missing the final cut for a competitive team and earning a medal.
Traditionally, elite athletes have lived and trained at high altitudes, such as Colorado Springs, Colo. However, our research has shown it’s more effective to follow what Dr. Stray-Gundersen and I call the “live high, train low” program. Elite athletes should live and lightly train in high-altitude areas to acclimate their bodies to lower oxygen levels. But they should train harder and compete in lower altitude areas, where the muscles can work harder with the maximal amount of oxygen available for aerobic performance.
http://www.hida-athlete.jp/english/