QOTD

"We use science, every bit that we can, on top of old-school training. We are going to train as hard as anybody else, and then we're going to train more by adding things that don't get us injured. And we're going to train smarter than anybody else." -Alberto Salazar

So its been a while since we've had a QOTD, but we like to go for quality over quantity here at the WWA and this is no exception.

This particular article is about Mo Farah, the British runner who's career had stagnated.  Sure, he was the best runner in Europe, having won Championship races in both Indoor and Outdoor Athletics as well as Cross Country, but he couldnt make a splash on the international stage, as he failed to reach the final of the 5k in the 2008 Olympics.  So, realizing he needed a change, Farah moved to Oregon to work with Salazar as part of Nike's Oregon Project.  Since then, his career has taken off with recent wins over top fields at the 10k at the Prefontaine Classic and 5k in Monaco.  In fact, after the 5k in Monaco, respected veteran and 2nd fastest 1500m runner in history, Bernard Lagat, said, "Today, Mo Farah laid out clearly that he is the favorite in the 5000m in Daegu." (Daegu is site of the World Championships this year.) Clearly then, he is now one of the top few 5k/10k runners in the world.

So while this is just a singular example, it exemplifies why Salazar is such a great coach.  No doubt Farah was training hard before.  But Salazar has taken his training to the next level, ensuring that every detail is covered. Many people like to talk about "old school" versus "new school" or high mileage versus high intensity but Salazar demonstrates that to reach your maximum potential, many of these decisions are not an "either/or" question, but rather what works?