what I recall from Arkansas, there would always be a handful of runners trying to legitimize themselves by doing a training run very fast or fabricating something they did when no one was around. When Reina was 4th best performance on the V02 Max test and winning nationals, always trumped my triumph on the treadmill with a V02 of 79.
you are correct with the Weddinton run! Everyone tapered and prepped more for this event than they did for any other throughout the year, just to go to Calif!
The Air Mariah and Duelist was worn by Skinner and Green in order to crank out a good performance.
My sophomore year, it was my second best race of the year, running 60min for the 11.2 on dirt roads. While the average mile speed is not that great, I recall that the first few miles were a jog, then on the gas the last 6 or 7 miles. I think I developed bunions that day! Coop took gold!
It was intense, and it wasn't for the faint of heart. I used to joke that it wasn't a contest to see who could run the fastest, it was a contest to see who could run the fastest workouts, and still run that fast. We trained hard, no doubt. Some guys couldn't take the day to day pressure. To say 1991-1994 was cut throat is an understatement. We used to have a contest indoors to see who could come closest to the 29.50 split, and Reina could hit 29.50, 29.51, 29.49, just like that.
I averaged 70 miles per week, and about 40 beers per week.
jimmyricitellme
Zinn?
schiefer wrote:
Mailbox to Mailbox, not 10. I measured it using GPS. The day falcon claims to have run 49, he started late, actually ran the opposite way around the square loop met us before halfway, and ran 49. That's not a legit 49, I was there, that was the day I ran 51:50.
Negative Shief. The mailbox to mailbox was 'Burner' certified at midnight on a full moon in 1992 and stands as an Arkansas 10.
Hawkrunner,
Sorry, I don't want to derail this thread but if you're still reading I'd like to hear some stories of the old Ridge teams of the 1970s. I graduated from Ridge in 2002 and now I coach the club team at the University of Illinois. I had no idea that we had a sub-4:00 guy back in the day.
If you have a chance, could you email me at
?
Thanks,
Jacob Englander
schiefer: "Falcon once told me he ran 1:45 in practice for 800m in 1992."
- I held the watch. It was on the SMSU track in Springfield. I remember being completely shocked. I also called splits for a workout of 2 x 1600m- both in 3.59 with about 10 minutes rest between also in 92. I had never seen a sub 4 mile at that time (still have not seen another), and i think I was just as happy as Joe. I was just a chump jogger, but Joe was just as nice to me as he was to his own brother. He was that way with everyone. One last highlight would be when abdi bile came to Springfield for 2 months to train with Joe in 92. I have never seen two guys go at it as hard as those two on the track. Timed Bile at 48.xx for a last 400m repeat. Also, I distinctly remember Bile going easily 9 minute pace for his "distance runs"- they consisted of about 5 miles.
loving this thread. yeah, falcon had a heart of gold. like the above poster says, he was kind to everyone. i was just a freshman at sms when he came on as assistant coach. he used to give away boxes of custom spikes and brand new asics gear in the locker room. being so near in distance to fayetteville, it was great going down and running their indoor meet. that was in '91-'95 when the amount of studs was unreal. they were on a whole different plane than any of us could have ever hoped to be. really, it kind of made you believe that maybe you could do it too. i remember phil price from oklahoma, 2 years behind me in high school, going to arkansas and ended up running well under 14 minutes for 5k. seemed mcdonnell and that atmosphere really knew how to get the best out of someone. my college coach i believe was fairly close to mcdonnell, and we would hear rumors of crazy workouts. i worked with alex dressell in 1996, and i heard some great arkansas stories out of him as well. keep up the thread!
I'm really interested, as with most threads, they're typically about college teams that are considered "legendary" if you will, and I've read up on certain teams, but arkansas seems to have a certain mystique to theirs, one that only people can guess about. I'm really interested in seeing a legitimate 2 week block of training during whatever track season, with actual races/results. I continue to hear of mysterious workouts, or the standard 'arkansas' workouts... let's see the whole picture (or atleast 2 weeks of it), with an end result. Information like this, and such that deals with the coaching of Mcdonnell is what makes training for others more enjoyable, and gives people a look into the training fo young elite men!
Interesting request. What do you guys think? Is the McDonnell training system his intellectual property or does it belong to those that also went through the system? Say for instance someone had 5 years of fully logged workouts from their time at Arkansas, should they post it? Would it be a betrayal of their old coach? Just a question.
nice summary - Think I'll go throw up now. John had a way of finding the right mix of personalities then letting everyone take a shot at each other. Crazy times - Drinking and stinking, then doin it all over again. Not sure how we survived.
nice summary - Think I'll go throw up now. John had a way of finding the right mix of personalities then letting everyone take a shot at each other. Crazy times - Drinking and stinking, then doin it all over again. Not sure how we survived.
Someone said that the "benchpress" story I have believed for 20 years is not true? For those that don't know, Falcon was extremely small, about 117 lbs. I heard that he was also extremely strong and I didn't really believe the story until he ran the 3:49 mile and then I thought "Well, he may have some kind of freak strength?"
Any truth to the story?
If you believe the benchpress story, then you probably also believe the 1:45 in practice story
I also recall being very impressed when he placed 7th at NCAA XC on broken foot (stress facture). Apparently according to Consiglio's "Smokin' Joe" stories, that one was as exaggeration also.
Somewhere in my boxes of old treasures I have my high school and college training logs. I ran for the hogs from the fall of 1990 through the spring of 1993. I guess I should dig through my stuff and find those training logs, but let me assure the workouts were intense. Most of what I've read from my former teammates is true. We did do 16x400 at around 60 seconds with a 45-60 second recovery (I'd have to check my old training logs to confirm the recovery time, but I think it was less than 60 seconds). I remember doing a 3x1600 workout on the old indoor track with Falcon, Reina, Omara, Donovan, and maybe a few others. We hit the first one in 4:13, the second one in 4:12, the third one in 4:12 (I fell off on the third one and ran a 4:20). I literally couldn't feel my arms for the last 300-400 of the third one. Recovery was 3 minutes. Another workout I did with Hood, Bruton, Morin, Schiefer, Baker, Mitchell (Matt not Teddy), and some others was 8x300 in 38 seconds with a 100 jog recovery. I fell of on the 8th one and ran around 40 seconds. Pretty crazy stuff and yes it's all true. I could go on and share quite a bit more, but I have to get back to teaching my 9th grade History students. My prep time is over :)
Wow those are intense workouts! I ran at the only school to beat the Hogs twice in XC during the Falcon/Reina days and we never did anything near that tough. I was a 13:38/3:45 guy and never did that intense of quality. Remember doing a 1600 in 4:20 than resting 10 minutes and putting on spikes and going 4:12. Or 4 times 1200 with 4-5 minutes rest going 3:18-3:15-3:13-3:06. And 5 times 1000 starting at 2:42 and finishing at 2:33. Probably 3 minute recovery. Those were the best workouts I remember.
Probably the difference was our team was almost entirely 5k/10k guys. Only 2 or 3 of us could run one 38 300 in a workout let alone 8!
I have all of the workouts. If you really want to see 2 weeks of training, meet me at the NWArkansas Mall's Footlocker. I will be sitting outside the store with a box of Nike Air Stabs- You get a pair of shoes and a copy of 2weeks of workouts for 50 bucks.
So I have a point of correction. Joe originally told me he ran 1:45 in practice in the time leading up to the 1992 trials (in 1992). I have since learned that this did, indeed happen, but not in 1992.
I'll be back, going to run 8 on the turf.
Leo Manzano supposedly ran 1:45 for a time trial, Webb ran 2:46 in a workout so I don't find it too far fetched that Joe ran 1:45.