Good Morning (runners),
I’m often asked, usually by A-type analytical high achievers, what, exactly, will be their finishing marathon time given their; talent, training commitment, lactate threshold, the course, the weather, their nutrition breakdown to the gram, and the music they intend to <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/rrrrrr.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2812 size-full" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/rrrrrr.jpg" alt="rrrrrr" width="259" height="194" /></a>use on race day.

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<span style="color: #008080;">It is easy enough to answer. Buggered if!</span></blockquote>
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Well, that’s not quite right. Practicing repeat sets over a set distance can certainly give you a reasonably close estimate of one’s race day performance. Certainly it provides the athlete with belief they can continue to hold a given pace, hopefully, limiting race day perceived doubts.

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Of course race day performance is not only a test of one’s physical attributes, but perhaps more importantly, is one’s talent to dissociate from negative, and performance limiting perceived thoughts.
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<span style="color: #008080;">However, a time honoured marathon predictor known as <span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Yasso’s 800’s</strong></span> has been well utilised, assessed, and supported by distinguished running coaches for over a couple of decades.</span></blockquote>
Yasso 800’s supposedly predicts one’s marathon finishing time from a session of 10 x 800 <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/run-picc.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2813 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/run-picc.jpg" alt="run picc" width="150" height="210" /></a>metres with equal time rest between each 800.
Now, while it is largely coincidence that this set connects with the demands of an actual 42.2km marathon, it is still probably worth a crack. Founder of the method, Bart Yasso, doesn’t support his claim of predicting one’s marathon time with significant physiological data. He simply suggests his method, tested with over 500 athletes (all varying in talent &amp; running interests), is a predictor that doesn’t leave the athlete negatively fatigued – like a 42.2km time trial would. And, he claims his method challenges and mimics both the physical demands (muscle recruitment, strength, neural coordination [holding – good – form], and the mental and emotional demands of running 42 clicks (I guess he’s referring to your ability to not give up!).
He has based his methods on trial and error, not Correlation vs. Causation. And, as a bad arse runner himself, the results suggest he gets it damn close. Don’t however bother questioning him on VO2 max, blood lactate, stride length, breathing rates, impact cost etc etc. He doesn’t give sh^t. His results speak for themselves.
There are many more educated running coaches who claim Yasso’s method is well and truly flawed. Most say the suggested the method asks for an intensity which is too high relative to marathon running. I tend to agree. If you’re running a marathon over the time of 2.30 (which is most people on the planet), I believe muscle recruitment (strength) is of greater priority than top end heart &amp; lung efficiency.
Anyway, client John Williamson – no, not “True Blue” John Williamson – but 36 yr old 3.15 marathon finisher from Bondi John Williamson, is willing to give it a crack.
<span style="color: #993366;"><strong>Yasso’s method</strong></span>
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<span style="color: #008080;">*You’ll need to perform this session 4-5 times over 3 weeks.</span>
<span style="color: #008080;">*10 x 800m flat straight track at max effort, knowing you have to run 10 repeats in the set. So don’t catch yourself blowing out deluxe in your last 3 reps for example. </span>
<span style="color: #008080;">*A complete stop rest is required for the time it takes to complete your rep – eg say you ran your 800 in 3.10, then give yourself exactly 3.10 rest. Then rip it our again/ and so on........</span>
<span style="color: #008080;">*Your goal is to complete all 10 x 800’s in roughly the same maxed effort time. </span>
<span style="color: #008080;">*Let’s say you ran all of them between, in your 4 or 5th session, 3.08 – 3.13,</span>
<span style="color: #008080;">*Yasso would then predict your finishing marathon time would be pretty damn close to 3.10-11 – on a benign (flattish) course. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #000000;"><strong><span style="color: #993366;">Results:</span> </strong>JW’s best Yasso set (his 5th Yasso session) was 10 x 800’s in 3.14 (average time but with only a 4 second margin). </span>
<span style="color: #000000;">He just ran the New York Marathon in 3.19. So not too bad- but not great. He lost time <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/ffefdfdd.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-2811 " src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/ffefdfdd.jpg" alt="ffefdfdd" width="186" height="156" /></a>over the final 10kms, and I’m told a 7km head wind section slowed his pace. #hatewind</span>
<span style="color: #000000;">So, maybe give it a crack just for a bit of fun. Hey, it’s a damn solid workout in any instance. </span>

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Personally, I tend to favour longer intervals, and greater volume of miles on feet. Eg; I’ve found, a set like 8 x 4km repeats on a flattish deck, tests both aerobic capacity, a tick over aerobic threshold (as in race day hurt pace), and strength endurance (relative to form maintenance).
Thx JW
BP