 |
Hicham El Guerrouj stretching before an interval session (20x300) at mile-high altitude in Ifrane. /all photos by Sieg Lindstrom/
|
 |
Abdelkader Khada has coached El Guerrouj since 1991. In training terms, he says, El G "is a 5000m/10,000m runner until the competition season."
|
 |
El Guerrouj (r) and his four training partners perform form drills prior to the interval session.
|
 |
The drills continue even though the temperature is 36° (2° Celsius) and a brisk wind that makes it feel much colder is blowing a light rain onto the track.
|
 |
Strides on the track before the real running begins.
|
 |
Two of El Guerrouj's training mates are competitors: 3:35 1500 runner Anis Selmouni and 13:15 5K runner Hicham Bellani. The other two are pacemakers. Houssein Benzriguinate (leading here) has served as the mile king's chief workout rabbit, friend and confidante for 8 years.
|
 |
Recognize that stride? With 45-second rest intervals between each 300, El Guerrouj runs the first few repetitions in 45 seconds before dropping the pace to 43 for most of the session.
|
 |
With a pacemaker at the fore on every repeat, El Guerrouj runs either 2nd or 3rd in line. The group clicks off the 300s in silence as Khada watches and offers the occasional instruction for one of the pacemakers to sit out a repetition.
|
 |
El Guerrouj, one of his pacemakers and Khada converse before an easy 14K morning run on the Royal Circuit trails in a forest above Ifrane.
|
 |
The forest into which El G is about to jog could, by appearances, be a woodland almost anywhere in the world, although its cedar trees are characteristic of North Africa and the Middle East, and monkeys, rather than deer, are the most common local wildlife.
|
 |
This morning's run is an easy jog. The hard work for the day will take place in the weightroom in the afternoon.
|
 |
No long out and back for El G and his partner. Instead they run several circuits, passing the watchful eye of Khada a handful of times during the outing.
|
 |
|
 |
|
