A small, almost miniscule group of women training for different events in the middle of an urban New England environment might not seem to be the ideal formula for success, but it seems to be working for Molly Huddle and her training mates.
"We've had a bunch of national records come out of the group, so we must be doing something right," says Kim Smith, who's amassed many of those marks for New Zealand as part of the Providence crew that currently consists of Smith, Huddle and Irish steeplechaser Roisin McGettigan. Smith and McGettigan went to Providence College, where Ray Treacy has been the coach for 26 years, and continued the relationship after graduation; Huddle joined in 2007.
Compared to other more formal and better funded training setups in places like Boulder, Mammoth Lakes or Eugene, the Rhode Island trio is casual to the extreme, and that's the way they like it. It's also integral to their success, Treacy feels.
"They're very self-sufficient," he says. "They like the idea of going off on their own, not in my back pocket. And I like it, too. They have to be able to think for themselves, to deal with things and not panic. A lot of athletes would like to have their coach there all the time for every workout and race, but professional athletes who travel to race and train need to not become too dependent on you as a coach. You don't need to have someone with you all the time."
Indeed, Smith and Huddle spent the early part of 2011 in Arizona to escape the New England winter, and touched base with Treacy only a couple of times a week.
Treacy's training is fairly simple, and doesn't change much over the course of a competitive season. It's based on a two-week cycle, during which the key workouts are one long run, a set of longer repeats, a tempo run, and a session of shorter intervals. The only thing that varies throughout the season is the emphasis and the specifics. "For example, Kim, who's training for the marathon, will do a long run of 20 miles or more," says Treacy. "Molly will only go up to about 16."
The longer repeats will be miles or 2,000m, nothing shorter than 1200m, and the tempo runs might be 5 to 6 miles. "They'll do a lot of these on a bike path or a road," says Treacy. "There's no need to go to a track. They know how that pace should feel."
As the runners move into the track season the emphasis shifts to shorter work–400s, 600s, 800s, "getting quicker as the year goes on," says Treacy.
While Treacy gives his runners plenty of freedom in their training, sometimes even asking them what type of workout they feel would be most beneficial, he's careful to monitor their hard running. "We have no problem making adjustments on the fly," he says, "putting off a workout for a day or two if someone's tired, or ratcheting it up a bit if it looks a little too easy. They're pretty good at reading their bodies." He is fairly adamant about leaving 72 hours for recovery between sessions. "We want them recovered for the next one. When we work out, we work out hard."
Treacy believes there isn't any magic formula or secret workout to make someone a champion or record-holder. "It's just getting the body ready to race," he says. "People put too much emphasis on workouts and times. When I hear someone say, 'I just had the best workout of my life,' I get scared. It probably means they just ran their race in practice."
Treacy thinks the somewhat repetitive nature of their training schedule allows his athletes to have extended seasons where they can race well most of the time. "If you look at Molly's season last year, she ran well early in cross country, did some great racing on the track, and was still running strong into the fall on the roads.
"The key is being able to do huge blocks of training between races," he continues, noting that lower-key races can serve as an impetus to better performances in major events. "There's nothing like a race," he says. "Racing always brings you along. I'm a big proponent of that."
In terms of ancillary training, the women go to the gym a few days a week for core work and drills, but Treacy eschews any kind of heavy weight lifting. "I believe in keeping the body efficient, and the best way to do that is by running."
While Providence may not be blessed with miles of trails or nearby mountains, Smith doesn't feel their training environment is any real handicap. "I still do the same runs I did in college, through parking lots and along busy streets," she says. "People put too much emphasis on where you run. Having a good coach is more important."
Treacy realizes that some adjustments need to be made during championship years like this one and the next. "We've got to be very aware as we go into the U.S. trials what it entails in making the team," he says. "You can't be off your game–if you're too flat you won't make the team. You need to be fit enough to make the team and then be even sharper in another two months for the world championships or Olympics."
