Throughout the RT Journals | The Workout Series, top athletes from Australia and abroad will share with us their current top 3 favourite and most beneficial workout sessions. This is a gift to runners of all levels. We hope you can benefit from the words and practices of these motivated and talented people.
3. LONG RUN THROUGH THE NEWRY FOOTHILLS
The roads and tracks through the heart of the Gippsland bushland are the foundations of my running career. The long grinding runs to the tops of Mt. Hendrick and Ben Cruachan reward you both with aerobic benefits and majestic views across the Great Diving Range and onto the Macalister Valley.
2. WILLIS ARB LOOPS
A Very Nice Track Club year round favorite. This workout was developed by Nick Willis and has become the bases of his spring training over recent years. The workout is completed in the Nichols Arboretum –the central point of workouts for cross country teams in the Ann Arbor area (Michigan). The 2.7km workout loop starts with a flat mile through the dirt trails in the prairie before climbing up the famous Arb hill. The 1km Arb hill has been an institutional part of Michigan running, challenging the likes of Alan Webb, Tim Broe, Will Leer, Kevin Sullivan and Morgan Uceny. The workout usually consists of 3-4 loop reps.
1.THE MICHIGAN
Since October 2011 I’ve been part of the Very Nice Track Club, training under the guidance of Coach Ron Warhurst. Ron has developed a program centered on the environmental features of our training base in Ann Arbor– home of the University of Michigan Wolverines who Ron coached for over 36years. Ron’s workouts are very unique in nature, with a strong focus on periodization, technique and race simulation. ‘The Michigan’ is Ron’s most iconic workout. It stimulates and blends the components of speed and endurance. The workout has become high school, college and professional distance runners most loved and loathed workout. It involves a 1,600m @ 10km pace – 2km tempo – 1,200m @ 5km pace – 2km tempo – 800m @ 3k pace – 2km tempo – 400m All you’ve got!!! Over the course of a year Ron will get us to complete a Michigan 3-4 times. At different times we will focus on running faster for the track or tempo reps. The best Michigan I have personally witnessed was when I paced Nick to track times of 1600m – 4.20, 1200m – 3.13, 800 – 1.58, 400 – 52. 17 days later he broke 3.30 for the 1500m for the first time. It’s also of note that a Michigan is never finished until you have a cup of chocolate milk and donut in hand. Dec ’14 – Completing a Michigan at Albuquerque Academy, New Mexico (1,700m).
