Before he was a University of Oregon track star and before he became an elite distance-running coach, Brad Hudson often ran between 140 to 150 miles per week as a student of South Eugene High School. He broke three hours in the Gettysburg Marathon at age 12, a respectable time for most seasoned runners, and went on to set a national record for the indoor 5,000 meters as a high school junior.
“He knows his subject,” said Mike Black of the Eugene Running Company, a training group. “He was his own guinea pig for 25 years.”
Accompanied by his star athletes Ed Torres, Dathan Ritzenhein and University alumnus Jason Hartmann, Hudson spoke at the Eugene Running Company’s store Monday night about distance running, hard training and the importance of proper recovery.
Hudson, who ran for the University and was a Pac-10 Conference cross-country champion and an All-American in both track and field and cross-country, now trains top distance runners with the Boulder Performance Training Group
“I think if there is one thing we can say about Brad,” Black said. “It’s that he’s known for his high mileage and tough training.”
Although he had a successful career, Hudson said he learned the lessons of good distance running mostly through trial and error.
“I was un-coachable,” said Hudson of his track career at the University. “I didn’t go easy enough on my easy days. I didn’t understand the importance of recovery.”
Drawing on the influences of many coaches, including former University track coach Bill Dellinger, the athlete-turned-coach developed a program for training U.S. runners at high-altitude. His workouts combine high mileage, core work and intensive yoga to build strength.
The workouts are marked by Hudson’s trademark high-mileage philosophies, but even with some 108-mile weeks, his athletes are not complaining.
“I think the best way to get in shape is not to get out of shape,” said Ritzenhein, a 2004 Olympian and 2005 10K road racing champion. “You can take breaks and slow down and enjoy it, but your body is going to atrophy if you don’t keep training.”
Hudson and his athletes are in Eugene this month for a sea level training camp, which is a part of the altitude training. After training all year in Boulder, Colo., Hudson said the lower altitude of Eugene will help the runners prepare for their fall races. Ed Torres and Jason Hartmann will debut in the 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Oct. 22, while teammate Dathan Ritzenhein will debut in the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 5.
Their progress can be tracked at www.bouldertrai ning.com/notes/.