Keep Going Michael Krajicek & Steve Sisson

Last time around we covered the essentials of a quality session. This time around we attempt to cover what to consider when starting a training cycle. Jury is out on whether we succeed or not. What we most certainly do is get our rant on. Steve pops off all over the goddamn place. Trigger warnings for vegans, overreachers, those who are full of shit & many others. This is definitely a wide open conversation heavy on Steve's "strong opinions".Godspeed, friends, godspeed. 

What makes a workout something other than just a run? In this training deep dive, Michael & Steve describe the architecture of a workout. The two categories we use are form & function - following the famous quote of Louis Sullivan: "Form ever follow function." The full quote is pretty cool, actually:
 Whether it be the sweeping eagle in his flight, or the open apple-blossom, the toiling work-horse, the blithe swan, the branching oak, the winding stream at its base, the drifting clouds, over all the coursing sun, form ever follows function, and this is the law. Where function does not change, form does not change. The granite rocks, the ever-brooding hills, remain for ages; the lightning lives, comes into shape, and dies, in a twinkling.It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things superhuman, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law.-Louis Sullivan
In our discussion we break things down as such:
Form
pace/effortdistance/durationrest/recoverywarm-up/cool-downFunction
variationspecificityone discrete wholepurposeWe go pretty deep here. Enjoy & godspeed, my friends, godspeed. 

In essence a Part II of episode 54 - The Privilege, in this episode we unpack Michael’s IM Woodlands race experience. We cover how we can think through race results that go wrong & so much more.

The Women's 10K/5K History
The 10K wasn't even added into the WC or Olympics until 1988.  
Again, the domination by the East African countries, especially Ethiopia & Kenya has been total. 
I'll mention Ingrid Kristiansen, a Norwegian badass in the 80's who revolutionized the women's 5000/10,000 before moving up & getting steam-rolled in big races by the inimitable Joan Benoitin the inaugural women's Olympic Marathon (LA-1984). After this though, she utterly dominated the marathon between 1985-1989. Why is she not the GOAT? 4th in 1984; DNF in 1988. 
After this the East Africans come in & start dominating, same as with the men. 

Recent Results setting up 2024 Paris Olympics
10K/5K
2019 World Championships at Doha: VIDEO & SUMMARY
2020 Solo WR by Letesenbet Gidey at Valencia with the wavelights VIDEO 
2021 Olympics in Tokyo VIDEO not the full race unfortunately & SUMMARY
2022 World Championships in Eugene VIDEO & SUMMARY
2023 World Championships in Budapest VIDEO & SUMMARY

The women's 5K/10K players over the past 5 years. Sifan Hassan (1500m to Marathon) the world's greatest all around talent, hand's down.. But she loves to play. & simply wants to enjoy her career. If winning happens (& don't get it twisted...she wants to WIN) so be it. If not, she honors the Gift. 
Letesenbet Gidey (WR - 10K/Half/fastest marathon debut ever) Perhaps the greatest overall potential. But she has a hard time holding off the kickers - except in Eugene. 
Hellen Obiri (NYC Marathon wins '22 & '23; 5K World Champion '17 & '19; 5K Olympic silver in Tokyo; 10K World Championship silver '22)Gudaf Tsegay (5K WR - 14:00.21/10K World Champ '23; 5K WC '22; 1500m silver WC '22)
Faith Kipyegon: The greatest miler of all time AGOAT (male or female...the A stands for Absolute) moved up to the 5K last year at the WC & won an epic battle with Sifan. 
Americans: 
Kara Goucher was our last great 10K woman. We have some solid potential here but we don't have our Grant Fisher yet. 
Alicia Monson was stellar in the WC 10K battling to 5th but will struggle since the event is dominated by women who ha e equal or greater aerobic talent & sub 4 min 1500m wheels & gears on top of gears.
& Karrissa Schwitzer has been close but can't hold up under the final 800m pressure. Elise Cranny could be in there but it seems she wants to move down to the  1500m/5K. 
We have seen women lead the world in willingness to move freely between the roads & the track, led by my favorite runner - male or female - right now, Letensebet Gidey. The most representative race to cover in the 2022 Eugene WC 10K Race. Watch the final 800m (30:54)Until the rash of WR 5K performances this past summer, Gidey held the WR in the 50K, 10K, 15K road (where, in the final 10K, she ran the fastest time ever recorded by a woman at the time - 29:12) & the Half Marathon. SHe's run two marathons now Valencia - 2:16 where she was 2nd in her debut - fastest debut ever - & 2nd at this fall's NYC Marathon. 
But Obiri is now the NYC/Boston x2 champ & looks to be the best strategic marathoner in the world. But what will happen in the 5K/10K this summer? 
I am most excited for these two races in Paris. 
--

Where we start with X - & weak sauce social media takes, move into Michael's pre-race thoughts around IRONMAN Texas on April 27th (no pressure, dude!) & finish with privilege of celebrating the human experience of training & racing. Hot takes on Death, predictive processing, & the recent Kara Goucher/Rich Roll episode.We hope you dig this one. Godspeed, my friends, godspeed. 

In this episode Steve takes a deep dive into the 10,000m track event in our series on trying to make Michael into a track & field fan in anticipation of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. For the notes Steve created to help introduce Michael to the event, please see below. Please note that we while we didn't go into the women's 10K nearly enough, we'll continue to bring out the important storylines over the coming months to ensure Michael has as much intel on the women's events as the men's. 
The 10,000m Episode Notes
Relevance. It's more likely that you have experience running/racing the 10K than the 800m. Also, you understand the energy needs for this event more than the 800m. The TEN. One of the biggest 10Ks of the year was run this weekend. Sound Running put on the their yearly 10K on So Cal in perfect conditions where athletes were trying to get their Olympic standards. This provides an excellent opportunity for you to watch the race before we talk & have it top of mind. Here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdnO--7pbP4You won't know many/any? of the names before watching this video & I won't be surprised if you want to fast forward to the final 5 min or so. If you do fast forward, I recommend you jump to 17 min (18:17 on the video). One argument for listening all the way through is you can get a chance to be exposed some of the lingo & energy. How To Qualify for the Olympics. This will give us a chance to go over the rather confusing & complicated process for getting on the starting line of the 10K in Paris. Another important 10K happened over the weekend in Spain where two of the favorites for the 10K gold medal ran on the roads. You can see that HERE of you are interested. Main Discussion Points
We want to talk distance. How the event feels when racing. We want to talk surface. Track (25 laps of the 400m track) vs Cross Country vs Road. I want to talk about technology & how wavelight & new "super" spike/shoe tech has revolutionized the distance. Also, here is an interesting review of the top 6 models as of summer 2023.I want to talk a quick overview of the history of the event: Flying Finns, Emil Zatopek & then the African Dominance of the past 30 years. See below for a bit more on that. Set Up for the Olympic 10K final. Is the 10K redundant?Quick HistoryThe Men
The Flying Finns: Paavo Nurmi & the dominance of Finland in the first Emil Zatopek, of Czechoslovakia East/North African Dominance At the World Championships, between 1991-2023, out of 51 potential medals, 47 were won by East or North Africans. The other four were won by Mo Farah of Great Britain, who was born & raised in Somalia, in East Africa. . 
At the Olympics, between 1988-2020, out of 21 potential medals East/North Africans won 17 of 21. 2 of these were Mo Farah. The other two were an Italian in 1988 (EPO era) & Galen Rupp in 2012. 
There have been a few eras in the 10K since the 70's.
The Lasse Viren era (Prefontaine & Frank Shorter competed in this era).The Haile Gebraselassie/Paul Tergat era.The Kenenisa Bekele era.The Mo Farah era.& the Joshua Cheptegai era we are in currently. The Women
Women did not begin competing in the 10K until the late 80's at the World Championships (1987) & 1988 Olympics. 
Similar story to the men in the dominance of East/North Africans in the event. 

Recent Results & Race Videos setting up 2024 Paris Olympics
2019 World Championships at Doha: VIDEO & SUMMARY
2020 Solo WR by Joshua Cheptegai at Valencia with the wavelights VIDEO & SUMMARY
2021 Olympics in Tokyo VIDEO & SUMMARY
2022 World Championships in Eugene VIDEO OF FINAL 1K & SUMMARY
2023 World Championships in Budapest SHORTER VIDEO & SUMMARY

The TEN (VIDEO) was raced this weekend & 8 runners got the Olympic Standard. 

& that's just the men.