How to Train the Kenyan Way

Over the last two weeks it has been my privilege to work with the members of the Kenyan Olympic Athletic Squad, at their holding camp at Bristol, prior to the Olympic Games in London.

I took this as an  opportunity to watch them train, to look at how what they did in training, and to see them outside of the training situation.

Observations from my time with the Kenyan Olympic Team

In this  blog post I simply want list of some of the things I saw during my time with them. In later posts I'll perhaps then try to expand on some of these points.

N.B. The aim of this specific post isn't to dissect or analyse their training methods and practices.  I just want to give a brief account of my overall impressions having spent two weeks working with the squad.

If you'd like some particular insight then please comment and I can tailor follow-up blog posts to cover these points in further depth.

• They did every training session as a group. I saw no indication of any solo training.
• Their warm up routine was long and meticulous, not unusual for a track session.
• They conducted a great deal of ballistic movement in this warm up.
• I never once saw them run barefoot nor did I see them in what we would call minimalist shoes.
• The coach had to borrow my watch; neither of the female athletes I worked with owned a watch. I can't say if this is typical.
• I never once saw them eat between meals but I wasn't with them 24/7.
• I never once saw any form of sports nutrition at training or outside of training.
• Their main sets were short and sharp. 2 x 450m fast was the extent of one session. They went through 400m in 51s.
• They seemed always to be happy and positive.
• They never once ran on the road. It was track or grass only in their time with us.
• Technically they were naturally adept but not "perfect" - if such a thing exists.