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Meet The Guest
Stuart Stokes
Stuart Stokes is ranked the 12th fastest British athlete ever for the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8minutes 23seconds, he has represented Great Britain on a number of occasions and represented England at two Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and Manchester finishing 4th at Manchester just outside the medals.
Personal Bests
1500m - 3mins 45secs
2000m - 5mins 08secs
3000m - 8mins 14secs
3k Steeplechase - 8mins 23secs
5mile Road - 23mins 29secs
10k Road - 29mins 29secs
During my training over the years I found I quite liked training alone and never really worried if I had to run a hard session on my own, but I still think that group sessions are a great benefit and coming into summer season they could be vital to really get the quality needed, in the way that you would really help each other out and share the work load. In all my travels around the world be it Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco those countries always train in groups and that is probably part of the problem with Britain that everyone is spread across the country where as even in British Cycling, Rowing, or Swimming they now all relocate to one place to train together which as paid massively.
Group training would be great in a perfect world but to get in a group especially steeplechase were you would all be doing the same thing is very hard to achieve, Also with the fact I always liked to get out early in the morning meant I run alone and was happy to do so, but the banter you can create in a group can get you through some tough or long runs on a Sunday, I will run with the likes of Pete Riley if I can.
Speed Work
Sessions would change dependant on seasons, with winter being mainly longer with a lot of fartlek work over the moors making it up as I go along from running hard for 30seconds up a hill or as long as 8-9minutes, and is something that because of the unplanned nature of it makes it a good session. The main thing I would say I differ from most track athletes is that I will run a flat out track session at least every 2 weeks even in the winter as I am not blessed with speed, so feel I always need to keep in touch with it for example:-
6 x 300m - 3minutes recovery - target 40seconds.
Warm up would consist of 15-20minutes of easy jogging, drills dynamic stretching (legs swings etc..) but would never do any static stretching before some stride work and then cracking on with the session. Warm down again would be around 15minutes VERY easy jogging but would always end it with something like 4x60m strides.
Q. What's your favourite Session?
A. Don't have one, im working to hard to ever enjoy them!
Q. If you had to say one is slightly better than the others?
A. Maybe 5 x 1k with minute recovery's, I'll hit 2mins40secs but will run the first 400m flat out in 60secs and then ease up as its a harder way to run them.
Q. Do you have a race tester session?
A. Yes, always in the week of a big race I'll run 2000m with barriers on my own.
Q. How often will you do barrier work?
A. Every 10th day, its vital!
I will often do a barrier session while others run on the flat, so they would run on the inside lane and I would be in lane 2 or 3, I would also change my session times according to the race I was aiming for, so if it was a night track meeting I'll run my sessions at roughly the same time, and then if its a 10k like the recently Bupa Cardiff 10k I will run them around 8:30am-9am to try and make sure my body is used to running hard at that time.
Racing
Q. How often?
A. I race very sparingly.
Q. Do you ever race as training?
A. Yes, I might run a 10k at tempo pace or jump in a linger run and just pull out when iv done what I wanted.
Q. Is cross country important?
A. No, I never do it. Iv never seen the point of running slow over mud. I can do that on my own.
For me personally I don't like to race to much I find a lose that edge of really getting up for it mentally. I prefer to go away and prepare 100% for the race im aiming for and maybe have 1 or 2 warm up races just to get the feel for it. I think jumping in a road 10k as training can be a great session running at tempo pace (around 5min milling).
Easy Runs
Q. Do you do them?
A. Yes
Q. How often?
A. A few times a week.
Q. what sort of pace?
A. just faster than walking pace, if its an easy run then it should be EASY, I will barely move. Its just to recover more than actually get anything out of the run.
Steady Runs
Q. How often?
A. Most mornings
Q. What sort of pace?
A. Sub 5minutes 30second pace.
After I went to Kenya and watched them run steady every morning I realized how important steady runs are and make the base of your running speed. If you run mostly at 7min per mile pace then that’s a slow base to work from. A typical steady run would be:-
30mins - sub 6minute milling
20mins - 4:50 - 5minute milling
20mins - easy
Massage / Weights / Circuits
Q. Is Massage important?
A. Yes
Q. How often would you have one?
A. Twice a week
Q. Weights?
A. Yes
Q. How often?
A. Twice a week. For steeplechase you have to be strong and dynamic, it also helps prevent injury.
Q. Circuits?
A. No, if you want to get your hear rate up then go for a run.
Today's Runners
I think the main difference between the last generation and today's is the training groups. There just isn't the same pool of runners coming through anymore as in the past. It is getting smaller all the time with guys/girls staying indoor to play on the Playstation or watch telly, it's a lazy nation full of fat people eating to much! Its very hard work to make it as a runner and people just don't want to put the effort in anymore.
Also things like altitude training can be very cheap if you are happy to go somewhere where there are no cafe's or bars to go to at night, people would rather go to Spain so they have somewhere to go to enjoy themselves rather to go to the middle of nowhere to train hard. If you want to make it as an athlete these days and to compete with the Africans you have to make it a lifestyle in that its not just about training hard/smart but what you do outside of that... eating right, sleeping more, doing the extra drills and skills!
You have to ask yourself how much do you want it? ... you can either go to Kenya, Morocco etc.. which you can afford to train hard for 2 months or do you want to go on a nice holiday, too many people think they want to be a runner but have no idea what it takes.
There also seems to be a trend to reward people to early as well, if you're a good junior you suddenly get everything when really you haven't actually achieved anything, to me it doesn't count till you get to senior when it’s an even playing filed. Some people will mature faster than others but when everyone is 26, 27 etc... you see who is the better athlete and not to mention that it can take away your hunger.
In my opinion funding should be spent on facilities and training setups/camps not on individuals... for example, rather than give 10 athletes money to go training abroad on their own you build somewhere where all the athletes can stay for free and will all be in the same place, this will also last for generations not just a generation of athletes taking the money and getting nothing back.
Olympics 2008
Q. Still disappointed not to make the team?
A. No, the responsibility and accountability lies 100% with the federation.
Not many people know the effort I put in to make that team and the sacrifices I made and then for the dream to be taken away by the federation was way out of line, after I had run the 'A' standard required I was then up for 48hours with my wife before the race at the trials (having a baby). It was made worse when others who had excuse's (genuine or not) and didn't make the top 2 places were picked. I wont go into details but I feel let down by a federation that is suppose to deliver the best team it can to an Olympic games of that time, not looking to another 4 years away or having medal potential when so much can change. The Olympics for a lot of people is the dream of running in an Olympic Games, not winning the gold because not everyone can.
Q. You going to try for 2012 Olympics?
A. You never know! but I cant promise a medal which seems to be the criteria these days so even if I run the times and qualify I probably wont get picked.
Q. Any regrets?
A. No, hand on heart I can say I gave it everything I had and that's all you can do.
One Last thing ... ....
"Read all the Lance Armstrong books if your still not sure how to train hard!"
Stokesy
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