This is one of the instructional videos that Men's Track & Field Coach Bill Dellinger produced at the University of Oregon in 1995. This 12 part series that is entitled "Bill Dellinger's Track & Field Fundamentals" has four tapes dedicated to improving running performance (the rest are throwing and jumping focused). Coach Dellinger is the host of this distance tape and shares his experience as both a coach and Olympic medalist in the 5000 meters to further aid the development of middle and long distance runners. A variety of competition footage is provided by Prime Sports Northwest and collegiate level runners can be seen training and racing on the track as well as in cross country conditions. The focus during the 45 minute presentation is on five primary principles: moderation, progression, adaptation, variation, and callousing. Moderation is the ability to reach the big meets healthy and injury free. Rudy Chapa and Alberto Salazar are used as examples to contrast mileage changes due to running technique. It is better to enter the championship undertrained than overtrained. Progression: during this five minute discussion charts are used of Matt Davis' goal of running 13:30 for 5000 meters. By adjusting the date and goal paces, workouts can be tailored for each athlete. Charting progress and changing intervals are the guides to each workout. Steve Prefontaine is used as an example of adjusting goals. Adaptation is described as the "art of coaching". By allowing athletes to succeed, whatever the ircumstances, then you will find that "success breeds success". Coach Dellinger reveals personal examples from his training as well as adaptation used leading to a Salazar 10k record attempt. Variation: this section is extensive, lasting 15 minutes, and goes into detailed explanations of seven types of variation: intervals, repetitions, fartlek (both unsteady type, Holmer; and steady type, Lydiard), tempo runs, circuit training, hill running, and simulations (cross country starts and finish, 40/30 drills on the track). Callousing: the basic premise here is that an athlete should not try to do anything in competition that they have not done in training. Examples of running up and down hills and using uneven pacing are illustrated. This program ends with specific examples of running patterns (21 day cycles at three stages of training), insights into running technique, and program development, including Summer running. If you are a coach that has been looking for other options than just sending your distance runners out for solitary runs then this video may be the answer you have been looking for. Your athletes will welcome the extra attention to detail and their performances will encourage them to strive for the next level of achievement. Some quotes from Bill Dellinger: "Having been involved with track over the past 30 years from the high school level, junior college level, and collegiate level, I think really one of the most neglected areas of track and field is with the distance runner", "Give the runners variation; you will find it to be more successful", "One of the things that I have learned over the years is that you cannot instill desire into individuals: what you want to do is present a program that is based on good sound solid principles as a foundation, and this is the type of goal you should have for your program".
