Interview with Kevin Sullivan

Kevin Sullivan is probably the greatest distance runner in Canadian history. The three time Olympian ran a 3:59 mile in high school and a 1:53 800m at age 14. Kevin, a Michigan graduate, was also a four time Big-10 cross country champion, an NCAA 1500m and mile Champion and a member of six World Cross Country Championships team, representing Canada. He is currently a volunteer coach at Florida State University and coaching several post-collegiate athletes. Kevin has had an extraordinarily long career at the top.

We want to thank Kevin for all the time he gave us.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

MICK: When and how did you get into running and when did you decide that you really loved it?

KEVIN: I first started running in elementary school in 2nd Grade. I went out for the XC team. I wouldn’t say I loved it. I ran because it was the only school sport that I could do at that age. My only race of that season came just after I got back to school from having my tonsils removed so it was not a real pleasant experience. I didn’t really run/race again until 4th Grade when I was required to participate in the school field day. I ran the 400m, 800m, 1500m, and finished well back in every race. My running was put on hiatus again until the following year when I returned to running XC and ended up as the top runner in my class and competed well at our city XC championships. I took part in our field day again, and won the 800m and 1500m and then went on to the city meet and finished 2nd in both races for kids in 4th-6th grade.

I didn’t really start getting into the sport until the 6th Grade when my principal suggested I join the local track club. So in the winter of my 6th Grade year I started going to track practice 2x a week and things took off from there. Running still wasn’t really a serious pursuit for me yet. I was very active as a child growing up. I was playing soccer and golf in the summers, flag football in the fall, and travel hockey during the winter. Running started out as just another sporting activity to keep my busy.

MICK: What is your progression in times, since the beginning? You can pick the event(s) How about your progression in training?

KEVIN:

MICK: Out of your long list, what are the accomplishments you are most proud of?

KEVIN: That’s a tough question. The two that really stand out are my Olympic Games 5th place in 2000, as well as my 1994 Commonwealth Games silver, both in the 1500m.

MICK: What have been the keys to your longevity at such a level? You've performed at the highest level at every stage; youth, high school, college, pro. There are a number. I’ve been fairly injury free throughout my career. I continue to enjoy the sport so it makes it very easy to go through the rigors of training day in and day out. I love the competition and trying to push the limits of what I can achieve. And I have been blessed with a good amount of luck as well.

MICK: In a perfect world, based on your experience how would you develop distance and middle distance kids from day one, starting at age 10 (or whatever age you think is proper)? You will have these kids for their entire career and can dictate everything; mileage, workouts, races, rest, etc.

KEVIN: Honestly, I think this is not the right question. I’m not sure any child at that age is ready to starting looking at a career in running. There can be no hard and fast rules for mileage/workouts/races etc since each new athlete will be different in their physical and mental maturity as well as their experience in this and other sports. Ok, assuming that kids come to you not looking at planning a running career, and understanding that each kid comes to you with unique ability and experience, how would you coach young kids who enjoy running? I would honestly steer them away from a specialized event or specialized training. As a coach of a young athlete, I feel it is wise to have a solid understanding of fundamentals of track and field (running, jumping, and throwing). Incorporating games and drills which emphasis the fundamentals of track and field will have a much longer lasting effect on kids then funneling them towards specific events at a young age. I am purposefully being vague on this question because I think there is a tendency in this day and age of pushing kids (in any sport) to specialize at too early an age which typically ends up in burnout, frustration, and ultimately quitting the sport.

MICK: If kids play soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, track, etc., what would you do to build a better athlete? What is more important; speed or strength?

KEVIN: I think they are both important, but much depends on the genetics of the particular athlete. Some athletes are going to have more natural speed than others. In either case, in the sports that you have mentioned, aerobic capacity is going to play a huge role. Each sport has an explosive speed element to it, but ultimately, speed is useless if you don’t have the endurance to use it when it is needed most.

MICK: Right now in the United States, a lot of attention is being paid to the increase in obesity and the decrease in physical fitness in youth. What is different now from when you were growing up?

KEVIN: Well, there is a much more sendentary lifestyle now than when I was growing up. And, on top of that, more and more physical education programs are being cut out of schools for budget reasons. And in our work obsessed lifestyle, I think parents rely more and more on take out, fast food, and pre-packaged meals which are all going to be higher in fat and calories.

MICK: At what point would you be starting to identify talent? What would you do at that point?

KEVIN: I think you start really identifying talent at age 16 or later. By age 16, you get a good idea of what events to start specializing in. And usually by a couple of years later you can get a much better idea of identifying talent. I think in pre-teen years, you definitely practice/compete in a variety of track and field events. By teen years, I think you allow the athlete to determine which event(s) they want to compete in, and then by mid/late teens you can start steering athletes towards events the coach feels they are most suited for.

MICK: You ran very fast times younger than 16, including 1:53 for 800m as a 14 year old. Can you tell me about your training at ages: 12-13 14-15 16-17

What would you change for kids you coach?

KEVIN: My training at all of those ages was much more intense and structured than what I advocate for those ages myself. This is one of the reasons try to get kids to focus less on specific training at those ages. I was one of the lucky kids that got through the training program unscathed and actually improving on into college years.

At age 12-13 I was only "training" 3-4 days a week, but there were at least 2 very structured track sessions. By 14, I was up to 5-6 days a week and by 16, 6-7 days a week. I never did a lot of mileage, but track sessions were very intense, and there was also usually strength/endurance sessions throughout the year sprinkled in. By 15-16, I was "full" time track athlete having given up most of my other sports.

MICK: What do you feel are the most important factors in long term development?

KEVIN: The most important factor is to avoid specializing in sport to early. Children should be encouraged to be active in a number of sports and in track and field they should be encouraged to try a multitude of events. I think early emphasis needs to be enjoying the sport and learning various movements required for a number of events. Proper biomechanics are going to be import to start developing. A fun and relaxed atmosphere should be provided when it comes to racing. Emphasis should be taken off of time and place and instead focus on learning events and how to be competitive.

MICK: What are some particular movements and skills that are common to many sports that you would teach?

KEVIN: The foundation of all sporting events comes down to running, jumping, and throwing. All of these skill sets are important to teach at a young age.

MICK: Do you spend much time on form drills, plyometrics, etc.? What do you recommend?

KEVIN: I spend one day a week on form drills/plyometrics. I have a set of about 6-7 form drills that I go through in warm-ups plus the one drill/plyo day. Basic Mach drills are great for beginners and then you can progress to more advanced drills as skill/form improve. I also do some run throughs and hops/jumps over 18” speed hurdles, hurdle hops, and hurdle mobility drills.

MICK: What does your base phase look like?

KEVIN: My base phase lasts from Oct through March and usually includes a couple of weeks of easy running after taking a break at the end of the season. Then we progress to adding in drills/strides and tempo sessions in the early weeks and gradually start uping the intensity in one session per week.

MICK: MPW?

KEVIN: Can vary from 75-95 mpw

MICK: Tempos?

KEVIN: Once a week. Either straight tempos of 20-30 min duration or broken into 8-10x1000m or 5-6x1 mile off one minute recovery

MICK: Do you do intervals during base phase?

KEVIN: Yes. I think it is a very common misconception that base phase should just be easy mileage and tempo sessions. All energy systems should be engaged at some level throughout each phase of training.

MICK: How has your approach to training evolved over the course of your career?

KEVIN: I have become less focused on weekly mileage and more focused on the quality of the sessions that I do. I have a much greater frequency of tempo sessions now than I did 10 years ago and feel this has been one of the reasons I have been able to extend my career as long as I have.

MICK: What do you use for final peaking workouts right before the most important races of the year?

KEVIN: There is no magic session that we do. Usually we will begin bringing down the mileage from a couple of weeks out, and the last really intense session is normally about 10 days out from a major competition. At that point, we go into more of a maintenance phase where we do just enough work to feel like we are training without leaving the body drained and needing extended recovery time.

MICK: How do you deal with setbacks?

KEVIN: You realize that there are a lot worse things that could be happening to you. I am much better at dealing with setbacks at this point in my career than I was when I was younger. Trusting your fitness and your ability to retain fitness while dealing with setbacks is extremely important.

MICK: Some people get frustrated and leave the sport. How have you been able to be a warrior for so long?

KEVIN: I just enjoy the sport. I’ve also been lucky in that I have a great support system around me who never pressure me to continue.

MICK: What are your keys to injury prevention?

KEVIN: Taking care of the aches and pains of training and the pain that will likely morph into something bigger. Doing the little things in recovery (proper hydration, nutrition, recovery) is also a major key to injury prevention

MICK: Tell us about where you are coaching now. How has your experience shaped your philosophy of coaching?

KEVIN: I am a volunteer coach at Florida State University where my wife, Karen Harvey is the women’s XC coach. I also coach a small group of post collegiate runners with ties to Florida State University. I think my experience has certainly broadened my scope of training philosophies. I don’t subscribe to one train of thought when it comes to coaching and really like to bring in the best practices of different coaches and athletes that I have been involved with over my many years in the sport.

MICK: Who are the major influences in shaping your coaching philosophy and what are some of the specifics you learned from each?

KEVIN: I have a number of major influences. My two personal coaches over the last 15 years, Ron Warhurst (1993-2005) and Juli Henner (2005-present) have been huge influences. And then, my two favorite coaching manuals are Training Distance Runners (Peter Coe & David Martin) and Daniels’ Running Formula (Jack Daniels). Coach Warhurst taught me aggressiveness and fearlessness, Juli Henner has taught me patience in training/racing/dealing with setbacks, Coe/Martin showed me detailed planning in every aspect of training, and Daniels showed me the importance of the threshold/tempo run as well as selecting proper pacing for various types of sessions.

MICK: What was it was like running for Coach Warhurst at Michigan?

KEVIN: Running for Coach Warhurst was an experience like no other. Despite the sharp tongue and rough exterior, he has a tremendous caring/respect/love for all of his athletes. Ron took me from being a very good international junior to being one of the most respected 1500m runners in the world in the time I worked with him. So much of what I have achieved I owe to Ron.

MICK: How do you mentor athletes of different ability levels and commitment levels?

KEVIN: This is a tough question because I expect all of the athletes I work with to be fully committed. But this is known ahead of time and if an athlete came to me with more of a recreational commitment I would direct them to a different coach. But I think with athletes of differing abilities, the most important thing is to make them feel as important as the top athletes you are coaching. They have goals and aspirations like any other athlete and the fact that they may not be as talented should take away from the attention and commitment you give that athlete.