How 16-Year-Old Sam Ruthe Ran a 3:48 Mile — Coach Craig Kirkwood Breaks Down His 60–80km Training Weeks (#27)

“He's running probably in track season, about 60 to 70k a week. During the winter build, he was around 80km a week. So yeah, I mean, there's heaps of room for growth there. He can quite legitimately get to 140, 150 before he'd really be reaching his peak.”

“I think the biggest takeaway for us is just being consistent. And I really believe that that is the biggest key to any training program. There's no point in trying to be a superhero in any particular workouts if you have to have a couple of days off because you've hurt yourself.”

“You could have a kid with a really high VO2, but just be, for the lack of a better term, a bit soft. And another kid who's got a low VO2, but extremely tough-minded and can hurt themself, and they're probably going to run faster and be more successful in the long run. So, yeah, I think numbers in the lab are just numbers in the lab. They don't always carry over onto the track.”

“A good example of learning was Sam, when he got busted around by the boys on the track in North Carolina, and that he just learned so much from that experience, having traveled there from here where he can dominate races or only have 10 to worry about in a group, and to face 10 guys who want to own the same track space he did. So you learn things in racing as well, which is important.”

“We always try and do it straight after a workout. We finish on the track and go straight into the gym, and so the sessions are all done there. That almost mimics the breakdown of an athlete over time in their race. So as they're getting tireder and tireder, their form falls apart and they get fatigued and can't keep their posture very well. So if we go into the gym when they're in that state already, then we can help improve their positioning at that stage.”

“I think hills is just at various paces, it has its benefits. But hills are just speed work in disguise, really. Just good strength and good speed. As long as you're not running down the hills too fast, then you'll be all right.”

“He's got a contract with Nike. And because he was there so early, they invited him up to Portland, to the Nike headquarters. And so he had to look around there and he ended up going out to a barbecue. And when he showed up to the barbecue, was the top, all the heads of Nike running at this barbecue globally. So they were really welcoming and basically said to him at the time, you know, if you need to get into any race and you need any help with anything, then you make sure you let us know and we'll make it happen for you.”

“Hayden Wild was a big part of our environment for a number of years and, you know, he's won two Olympic medals. And so, for the young kids to be at the track or training in, you know, the same group as him and see that he's just a bloke with two arms and two legs and a beating heart and that he can do these things and he's from here and why can't I be successful? And so, when you can see it and touch it and understand that it's just a normal thing, I guess, maybe not normal, but like it's reachable, then it makes them believe that they can do it too.”

“When you're doing a workout, if you're not as fast as someone you're training with, then don't let your ego get in the way, and try and keep up with them, because you're probably just bearing yourself, and they'll be comfortable, and you'll be in a state of distress, and that is going to cause you problems in a couple of days' time. So, and that goes for long runs as well. So if you generally run your long run at like five-minute Ks, and you go out with someone, they're running four thirties, and you try and run with them, and yeah, you may get through it, and you survive, but you'll probably pay for it.”