The Hard-Easy System
A course for racers who want to train better and get faster
About the Course
The Hard-Easy System is the best training system yet for all endurance athletes. Brian Clarke has developed the course by teaching it continuously since 1979 when he began training runners for the Honolulu Marathon.
The course is based on Clarke’s experience as a runner on the University of Oregon’s track team under legendary coach, Bill Bowerman. Clarke’s experience at U.O. taught him the power of the Hard-Easy System. He has also written three books on the subject and has developed this course as a way for student-athletes to quickly adopt the system as their own.
Course Fees
Note: The first class session carries no obligation to attend sessions 2 and 3, but is intended as an orientation. The easiest way to sign up is to pay the course fee (see below);
it is fully refundable if you decide not to participate.
Members: $30
$30 for current marathon program members. The course fee is waived for BC Endurance location directors, group leaders and mentors.
Newcomers: $50
$50 for newcomers, $20 of which will be refunded after the course depending on your attendance and the quality of your work.
Course Video
A 26-minute video summarizes Hard-Easy System concepts so you can apply them to your current training and racing. See the sylabus below for a quick course overview. Here’s a link to the video.
Course Syllabus
Course Syllabus
Introduction. How to Read Your Body.
Lesson 1. A Workout is an Exertion Structure.
Part 1. Pace Exertion and Race Ability
Lesson 2. Building Race Ability.
Lesson 3. The Rules of Right Exertion.
Lesson 4. Tempo Intervals.
Part 2. Understanding Effort and Energy
Lesson 5. Workout Effort and Capacity for Exertion.
Lesson 6. Optimizing Workout Effort.
Lesson 7. Scheduling Workouts.
Part 3. Training Periods and Training Cycles
Lesson 8. Optimizing Shock.
Lesson 9. Establishing New Workouts.
Lesson 10. Becoming Able to Train.
Conclusion. The Marathon Revisited
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