How Do the Elites Train? An AI Study of Ethiopian Marathoners
AI analyzed the training of 14 elite Ethiopian marathoners. Five takeaways, and a prompt to train more like them.
I found a fascinating article that used the leading AI models to analyze the training of 14 elite Ethiopian marathon runners.
5 key takeaways
Week shape: about 74 miles per week on average, with 40% of days as doubles and Sunday for rest.
Effort over zones: they trained by intensity, not specific zones. 65% easy, 27% steady, 8% hard.
Surface variety: long runs on gravel, easy runs on soft, high-altitude trails, and hard sessions on the track.
Session structure: 39% continuous, 40% smoothly varying, and 21% fartlek or intervals.
Group training: 75% of sessions were run together.
I also built a prompt to tailor your own training to look more like the elites. It's included with the summary.
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