In 2007, Bernard Lagat won both the 1,500m and the 5,000m at the World Championships in Osaka. The conditions were horrific. Humid, hot, and yet, Bernard kept his wits about him until about 50 meters left in the 1,500m and to very late in the 5000m.
Bernard Lagat is the cross country coach at the University of Arizona. He is a wonderful man and a fierce competitor. We spoke many times during his career, including sharing a taxi from our Birmingham hotel after an AVIVA British Indoor Grand Prix. I remember asking how he kept his cool so late into a race, reminding him that the top ten guys in the 1,500m in Osaka were all under 53.5 seconds for the last lap!
Bernard Lagat, Head Coach, University of Arizona Cross Country, photo by University of Arizona Athletics
Bernard told me that he kept his cool, until the last hundred meters because, when he moved there, most could not react. It was a favorite move by Bernard, a move that few others perfected.
What can we learn from the great ones?
To run our own races.
This is your workout for today, June 6, 2022, Monday: warm-up, 40-50 minutes moderate running, 6 x 150m stride outs, cooldown
2022 RunBlogRun Spring Middle Distance Daily Track Training (800m-5000m), Week 22, Day 1
Monday: warm-up, 40-50 minutes moderate running, 6 x 150m stride outs, cooldown
Tuesday: Warm-up, 30 minutes moderate running, 4 x 800m, 3,000m pace, jog 400m in between, 20-minute cooldown
Wednesday: warm-up, 40-50 minutes, moderate running, 6 x 150m stride outs, cooldown
Thursday: Warm-up, 30-minute easy run, 5000m, sprint straights, jog turns, 20 minute cooldown
Friday: warm-up, 40-50 minutes moderate running, 6 x150m stride outs, cooldown
Saturday: warm-up, primary race distance or, 3 miles, sprint straights, jog turns, cooldown
Sunday: 75-80 minutes moderate pace, on trails
