Some recent emails from Glen:

this is liflted from lets run. It fits my ideas entirely. The key is to get fit enough to do it. It means getting the mileage up steadily until 70-100 and gradually making the fast sessions faster. there is nothing unconventional in this programme, just good track and hill sessions with lots of volume as you are all stating to do and fast steady runs at AT pace (on the edge of difficulty).

Notice that with Skah the weights are done before christmas andd he emphases lots of reps as I do. El G keeps the weights going in the summer but does low weight and low number (12-15) but as fast as possible every movement.

Khalid Skah's training from http://www.mariusbakken.com/index.php?parent=11&groupid=21

The other school of Maroccan training.

The followers of the Khalid Skah training train a little bit different from the El Guerrouj group. They basically run hard Vo2 max sessions three times (sometimes 4) a week, and endurance sessions the rest. The endurance sessions usually start at a tempo around 4 min/km, and gradually pick up to 3.05-15 where they will continue for a total of about an hour of running (what they call “footing” –start slowly and build the pace). This progressive AT training is where they get their endurance. There is nothing called easy running here either, but the pace on days of AT is somewhat slower than the El Guerrouj group.

Power, in terms of hill running is also emphazied in this group. Khalid Skah runs about 2 sessions of hill work each week, year around. Sometimes 20x400 meter hills in the morning and 20x400 meters in the afternoon on the track in around 58 - 63 seconds. This because he claims the muscles he uses is different in uphill compared to flat running and the restitution will go quicker. The other Vo2 max sessions, is typically one fartlek where they run for example 5-4-3-2-1-2-3-4-5 minutes reps, sometimes times two. This at a blistering pace. Then a last session of longer track reps of either 6-8x1000 meters/3x2000 meters/3000-2000-2x1000-2x500/2000-1000-2x500 meters.

The distance runs are between 45 minutes and 60 minutes and average is around 200 km a week, ranging from 160-70 to around 220. Khalid also builds strength through weight workouts with many reps (to avoid bulky muscles) in the fall/winter period, and says that this together with his extensive use of hill training gives him the incredible kick he has. He has outkicked Gebreselassie, he has run 24.3 in the last 200 meters in a fast race, and 11.8 in the last 100 m. at the end of a 10000 meter, and together with Gebresalassie, Morceli, Aouita and Yifter the best kicker the world has seen. This, with only a 3.38 1500 meter to his credit. But through his training, he is able to sustain speed at the end of races.

Mohammed Mouhrit (world cross champ 2000/2001/12.49 5000 meter) follows more of the Skah training, with 400 meters in hills at 61-64 seconds and 400 meters on the track at 60 seconds with 40 sec. recoveries, where he is said to just absolutely bury extremely good marathon runners. (more info and details on Mouhrits training would be appreciated ! :-) ) As you can see again, endurance is needed to run fast in the longer distances, and the way to get great endurance is AT training. Then, power, speed and Vo2 max on top of this, and you can perform at your absolute best. It goes for the Kenyan system, the Maroccan system and the Portugues system. Plus for the training of Grete Waitz.

This article is based on some first hand knowledge though mostly reliable second hand information, and any further details and information would be greatly appreciated if this would correct any of the details published here.

Marius Bakken, 2001

More info here: http://www.fasterskier.com/training/020519Skah.htmlhttp://ingrid-kristiansen.com/holisticfitness/running.htm