Mead 1993 Mileage

Since guys who were actually on the team have now chimed in, there isn't much left for outsiders to add about Mead's training. However, at the risk of sounding like a kiss-ass, I will add that the "gut-busters" that they did every day were absolutely grueling. I went to a camp headed by Pat Tyson before my senior year of HS, summer of '96. I was in very good shape at the time and did a lot of ab work. One session of Tyson's gut busters was enough to make me realize one of the reasons why I couldn't catch Mead's top guys.

Also, I know I said earlier that the program in 1995 was 50-75mpw, but after examining the old workout sheets, it looks like we were doing more like 40-60 (the two weeks I posted earlier were like 42M for a summer week and 56M for an in-season week).

Not that anyone cares how the 1995 team trained, BUT I just wanted to get the point across that the Mead system was never about lots of mileage. While mileage was probably bumped up a bit in years with lower overall talent levels, someone would have to be going significantly above and beyond the normal program to do 65+ miles/week in any year.

Having had younger brothers in the system since then, I know that the overall mileage philosophy has not really changed. I know that a lot of successful HS programs are criticized for burning out their kids with a lot of miles; Mead was never like that.

wut? wrote:

You CANNOT be serious. Go run the Islander Splash or UTSA Invite if you truly belive that....

You're joking right? UTSA is a pancake flat dirt road looped course. I know you don't count that little bump at the end of each loop a hill.

On another note, while scanning that cross country list I noticed one Cameron Copher, nice as hell guy, but is now twice the man he used to be.

Can anybody shed light on "gutbusters"?

Hey Rob, as far as that time trial goes, I had heard a rumor that your top 4 runners all ran 4:13 or faster with your 5th man running 4:18. Is there any truth to this rumor? and if so would you care to discuss it in further detail?

dsaff wrote:

Hey Rob, as far as that time trial goes, I had heard a rumor that your top 4 runners all ran 4:13 or faster with your 5th man running 4:18. Is there any truth to this rumor? and if so would you care to discuss it in further detail?

That's not quite right. We had a time trial the week before state cross. Our first time on the track that season and it was a cold morning. Matt & I came through in around 2:05 and 3:08 (which was probably a 1200 pr for me at the time). Matt ran a 60 point for 4:09. I ran like a wimp for 4:16, Greg James, Skiy DeTray and Micah all leaned in at 4:22. We were pretty excited given it was morning and cold.

Without Matt, the other 4 went on to run 4:10(james) 4:11(myself) 4:12(micah) and 4:13(3:56.0 -1500)Skiy that next season. Matt ran 4:10 as a junior and a 4:09 time trial in cross, so you can pretty much safely say he would have punished 4:09 that track season if he ran (big shame he was injurred). That's where you get the 5 guys at 4:13 or better.

Put it this way, Jason Rexing can run sub 14 for 5K in trainers, but he'd shriek at a session of gutbusters. Basically 7-10 minutes (depending on variation) of nonstop stomach excercises in a a combination that never lets you relax. About the time you burn out one quadrant of muscles you switch over to a different set and keep the burn going. I can't imagine how may sets of gut busters Tyson has done in his life. Basically 5 days x 52 weeks x approx. 30 years = a lot of pain. That doesn't count the sessions done after morning runs.

Rav Simcha wrote:

Can anybody shed light on "gutbusters"?

This may have been posted already but this is what I remember from an old issue of the Harrier.

Matt Davis (1993, 3rd)

Mead HS, Spokane, WA

Summer Training: 25 to 30 miles a week

Early Fall: 35 to 40 a week, strength workouts

Peak Fall: 45 to 50 a week, strength and speed

Quality Work: 6 x 800, start at 2:20, work down to 2:08, or, 12 x 400, start at 75, work down to 58, with 60 sec. rest between

Cross Training: Weights twice a week, pool work when injured

Favorite Food: Steak

H.S. Track PRs: 4:10.77 in 1600 meters, 9:04.37 in 3200 meters

Success after HS: College running at Oregon, placing 2nd twice in PAC-10 10,000 meters.

considering who was in the pac-10 at that time, 2nd is no joke.

I remember Keska, Meb, Keino, Hausers, Nutter, Jimmerson, Abdi, and the list goes on.

About all I can add is that I ran alot with the Mead guys in the late 90's (I was from the rival HS Ferris) and their mileage had definitely increased at that point. Summers were in the 70's and every year I went down with them to Arcadia we got in a week of mid 60's for the race week. Hadway and Tyson were coaching all of these workouts and runs together so we were doing the exact same thing. Some others can chime in on this, but Hadway and Tyson together, maybe even adding in Keisel, created some of the funniest dialogue I have ever heard.

BUMP

you would definitely have to add Keisel to that one. hanging out with hadway and keisel at oregon camp was often times more fun than hanging out with the other campers.

Bump

Unbelieveable high school team. I was living in Eugene when they were at UO, a lot of injuries to the guys. I think Matt had 19 surgeries or something like that. His most impressive performance was something like a 5th-place finish at NCAA nationals on about three weeks training.

I think Matt could've shattered a lot of UO records had he been healthy. Heck, he was pretty darn good at 50 percent, I would've loved to have seen him run healthy, which basically he never was at UO.