My journey as a marathoner...

JUNE 14, 2011, 7:47 PM JST Yuki Kawauchi, Citizen Marathon Runner When Yuki Kawauchi broke the tape as third overall and the first Japanese f inisher at the Tokyo Marathon in February, the 24-year-old stood out from the crowd. Associated Press Yuki Kawauchi of Japan crosses the finish line to finish third in the men’s division at the Tokyo Marathon on Feb. 27, 2011. Not for his lean 5’7, 130 lb distance runner physique, not because he collapsed and was taken to the medical tent, and not even because his stellar time of 2:08:37 won him a chance to run on the Japanese men’s marathon team at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships’ Marathon in Daegu, Korea, later this year. Mr. Kawauchi stood out because unlike most elite-level runners in Japan, who’re backed by a corporation, he’s an amateur in the full sense of the word. Dubbed the “Citizen Runner” in the next day’s local headlines, he works a regular job a full five days a week and pays his own expenses. The key to his success? Wo...

Marathon Training Methods By Renato Canova (ITA) The author of this article is based in Italy and during his more than 20 years experience in coaching the marathon he has produced numerous champions. In 1998 he attended one of the Nairobi RDC’s High Altitude Training Camps as a Coach and Lecturer. The article is reprinted from the bulletin of RDC Nairobi. BASIC TRAINING I will begin by skipping over those training methods which, although they have their own importance, we can consider as complementary, and in some cases interchangeable, with other middle distance specialties related to the improvement of muscular efficiency in its various forms. Instead I would like to describe those methods which are able to influence the metabolic bio-energetic systems the most, and how we usually use them in unison. Essential training points for the marathon are based on two fundamental concepts. One is the increase of the AEROBIC POWER LEVELS, identified more or less by the ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD and...