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These differences are mainly explained by more running kilometers on each session for marathon runners. The weekly running distance in the mid-preparation period is in the range 160–220 km for marathoners and 130–190 km for track runners.
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World-leading track runners (i.e., 5000 and 10,000 m) and marathon specialists participate in 9 ± 3 and 6 ± 2 (mean ± SD) annual competitions, respectively. Herein, we describe how fundamental training characteristics and well-known training principles are applied. In this review we integrate the scientific literature and results-proven practice and outline a novel framework for understanding the training and development of elite long-distance performance.
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