I joined Vorsprung in May 2021, after around 15 years of club running. I was getting a bit stale (and old!) like many others, so, I decided to re-evaluate when Covid-19 struck.
Having run most weeks and raced a zillion times including ten marathons & race results, that, I’m generally happy with, I took a step-back and found new hobbies during the early days of the pandemic. Running was restricted to two or three flat 5 miles plods around town per week, plus a few bike rides: and it all kept me generally fit.
With no races to focus on, it took a chance meeting with Vranek to convince me to come and try something different. Something, that, was going to help my running and, also, my general well-being.
The new stuff (balance exercises, mind-challenging drills) all trying to make the process of form become a subconscious effect. I’m still not quite there, but Vranek's own running background of coaching elite sprinters and middle-distance runners (as well as, world-lead Judo fighter, professional and club football players, rugby players, swimmers, tennis players) shows just how important the fundamental values are to running ‘efficiency’ and movement in general.
The two core sessions are generally about an hour-long, with only the last half-hour dedicated to actual running, with a real focus on warm-up and all-body strength work in the first-half.
Embedding the good work is encouraged, in-between the core sessions, via solo runs and weekend longer runs or races.
The reason for this testimonial, I guess, is to stress the Vorsprung ideology of patience, consistency, balance and SPEED!
Not just any old speed, but track sprinting in addition to core speed-endurance work such as 500-1k efforts. Like most middle-aged club runners, 150 metres sprints are surely reserved for younger legs and are best avoided for more fragile beings, yes?
Yes, at first. My knees really struggled to adapt for about two months. After this time, I found that my body actually recovered more easily from grass or track sprints, than it did for a hard 8 miles road run.
My mileage has reduced dramatically whilst training with Vorsprung. Perhaps an admission here, but sometimes if I only actually manage two runs a week, it’s the two Vorsprung track sessions. This can sometimes mean only 10 miles run a week, sometimes less!
© Unknown May 2022.
I’m not promoting this as a recommendation… but it’s an extreme example of managing the best sessions to pick when life gets in the way, like it does a lot for me.
Also, I’m still undecided about the amount of time I want to give to sport at present, so the Vorsprung way works for me!
How does it work?
One example, for me is via some recent races. At my best, when I was 40-44 (late-comer to running), I could race a flattish road race at around 6 minute miles pace up to 10k. After that, I was into the 6.10 - 6.20 area.
Fast-forward four years, with eighteen months of knee issues, followed by the Covid-inspired slow-down of running inspiration, and I was lucky to manage 7 minute miles at my best.
After ten months with Vorsprung, I am now back to enjoying running again, via the new approach and taking a steady view to pacing and not trying to emulate the past just yet, allowing it to come naturally.
The first few post-injury runs were poor after a slight calf tear, in December 2021. Within three weeks, I was back to track work and within six weeks I was running a full session again: and haven’t looked back since. Perhaps, it’s the lower mileage and so lower tax on the body? Maybe, it’s the better form (less time on the ground, more time in the air)? Maybe, it’s the hips now taking more of the donkey work from the quads, calf’s and knees?
Either way, the post-injury races were poor because I was still racing as the old me, forgetting some of the Vorsprung ideologies.
So, by March 2022, I decided to run slower: to accept my age-reduced ability a little. I ran 32 minutes at Rhyl 5 miles in pretty tough conditions. Getting there a little by starting slow and building. I ran a Parkrun in 19.02s minutes: way-off my PB but still better than the ‘started too fast’ 21 minutes efforts pre-Christmas 2021.
I threw some trail races into the mix, more recently, and surprised myself by being in close company to some of the local guys, that, I respect as ‘proper’ trail runners.
© Mark Whitehead May 2022.
Then recently, I raced another 5 miler. Hilly, but, in good conditions. This time, despite not expecting much, it was one of those days where my body (almost) forgot it was 48: it was 40 again! I ran a steady start, as did the others contenders. By mile two I was 3rd.
Listening to Vraneks advice to 'run on feel'.
But, checking-back to my watch data, I was running at sub-6 minute mile on the slight descents and coping well with the shorter steeper inclines. I was passed, but held firm.
There was no pain, no over-threshold blow-ups like there has been so many times before. I could push myself to the limit and the only limits were my body’s own mechanical ability. This resonated in a final time of 30.58s: 4th place and just 6:15s mile pace. My PB is a dip under 30 minutes, on a pan-flat course as a sprightly 38 year old, so I’ll take this as equally satisfying.
So, to sum-up. Mileage is down. Speed-work is very much up. Fitness is getting me back to times from when I was a younger man: who was training hard at the time, but, maybe not training quite the correct way…
Watch this space!
© Shelley Childs May 2022.
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