Finding the Lydiard Foundation
Coming across the Lydiard Foundation, founded by Lorraine Moller, was the beginning of a whole A-ha journey for me in understanding how to train. It beautifully brought together all that I have discovered over the years through trial and error, implementing and experimenting with the conflicting messages out there. More than just bringing together what I had already learnt on my own journey it added a lot that I haven’t discovered yet and was eager to implement!
The method resonated well with me, as it is based on principles rather than formulas. This makes it very easy to individualise, taking into account the age, gender, ability, fitness and event of each individual athlete.
So who was Arthur Lydiard?
He was a New Zealand coach, born in 1917. He developed his methods through trial and error, using himself as the chief guinea pig. Many of his athletes became national champions, Olympians and Olympic medallist, making New Zealand dominant on the world stage in middle and long distance running during the 1950’s and 1960’s. His methods became widely adopted and applied to many different sports with great success.
“If you want to be a successful runner, you have to consider everything”
“If your coach can’t tell you why you are doing a particular workout, get yourself another coach”
And who is Lorraine Moller?
Lorraine must be one of the greatest female marathon runners of the 20th century. She is a four time Olympian and won the bronze medal in the Olympic marathon in 1992, aged 37. Her love for running and huge vitality remains evident as she continues to impact the world of running through education and inspiration. Her book: ‘On the Wings of Mercury’ is a fantastic read, evidence of her sparkling creativity, humor and intelligence.
‘Life is an endurance event; and the body is primarily an aerobic machine. The efficiency with which the body can process oxygen underscores vitality, health, fitness and athletic performance’
So what are the principles?
‘Principles, not formulas, are the keys to successful training’
The effective implementation of a method depends on the understanding and implementation of the principles behind the method. In other words, it is important to know why you are doing what when. Progression towards a peak performance requires the skill full harnessing and coordination of the various rhythms of adaptation.
Aerobic conditioning
Aerobic Conditioning is the Foundation. Lydiard recognized aerobic development as being the basis of athletic performance for any event over 2 minutes in duration. Aerobic capacity is not only the single biggest determinant of performance in endurance events, but is also the foundation that services recovery.
Response Regulated
Any training program should not be controlled by pre-determined values, but rather by how your body is responding to the training and adjusted accordingly. Daily attention and appropriately responding to recovery indicators is essential for optimal training. This is the job of a coach until the runner has developed their own internal feedback systems (as in Principle 3) and can accurately gauge their readiness for work.
Feeling- based
Learn to accurately interpret the language of your physiology and develop a rapport with your internal feedback systems. Do this by mindfully tuning in to how you feel while running. Learn to distinguish the stimulus of stretching your training envelope from the stress of overtraining or the pain of a developing injury. Know how it feels to run at threshold. Tune in to your body, and learn to trust how you feel.
Sequential development
Lydiard™ training follows a pyramid model. Training begins at the bottom of the pyramid, where the athlete first establishes a foundation of aerobic conditioning. As one advances up the pyramid subsequent developments of strength, anaerobic capacity and speed are introduced. The lower intensity and higher volume of general conditioning is traded off for workouts of higher intensity and overall lesser volume. Each development has to be placed in the correct order to arrive at a peak performance state on race day.
Timing
For effective training and to peak in competition, when it matters, timing is everything. A poorly timed workout can have completely the opposite effect of that intended.
From the Lydiard Foundation Course Manual.
Yoga practice is absolutely brilliant for aiding the development of the feeling base.
Journalling is a powerful tool for reflection and discovery, helping you gain an understanding of your physical progression and mindset evolution.
Enjoyment of the training and the process is the key to sustainability and the possibility of running and fitness to become an integral part of your life.
The Lydiard method is ideal for my philosophy as a coach. It gives me the opportunity to empower my clients to be able to write their own training plans. I will still be there to support me through mentorship calls and training plan reviews. This they can then book on an ad hoc basis.
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