http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/?pid=2&nid=225
See the link above for an audio interview with Dwayne Miller who is Merritt’s track coach, strength coach, and nutritional advisor. Some interesting topics such as a focus on 1hr long road runs in the fall and a good amount of overdistance type work in general throughout most of the season. There is an overall focus on “strength” (aka endurance or “lungs”) as he says speed work is damaging to the body and is more of a risk for injury.
I am curious what Albert Pike, member here who claims to train LaShawn, has to say about this.
Hour long road runs… 600s… key.
this type of training is going to benefit lashawn more than many 400m runners as he has very good speed for a 400m runner he is a 19 sec 200m runner…people with good speed benefit from more endurance orierontated training…slower 400m runners will need more emphasis on speed
It is well known that Dwayne Miller is LaShawn’s coach. And while the methods of implementing the philosophy are different, the emphasis on aerobic function does not seem much different from Clyde Hart’s philosophy.
but to what extent??? hour long road runs seem severe. And i Beleive albert Pike said he was merrits strength coach only…who knows
Agreed. I can’t believe an hour long runs unless it’s from the horse’s mouth.
An interview with Dwayne Miller isn’t from the horses mouth? That’s the equivalent of saying you don’t believe Charlie when he says Ben didn’t do heavy squats an hour before his championship finals.
If ur fit for it - Hr long road run is pretty easy, relaxing and great for O2 ability. Not very demanding at all if you slowly build up to em. Far from demanding actually.
Road work to sand to hills to a long to short type track work, interesting progression. He says fall is all cross country work but I think he does more split runs than he mentions. He mentioned a long run before running 10x50m hills, would this be considered cross country work or speed? I would say speed.
I like his long to short progression, reminds me of some sample plans that I’ve seen before…
LOL, you guys like to make every program a speed program; we should accept the fact not all successful runners do speed work.
lol How fast do you think the 10x50m hills is going to be after a cross country run? 
To me, the horse is Merritt, not his coach.
Mate you are doing speedwork for 1500, 100 = a 10 minute run.
I haven’t listened to the interview yet but it sounds very much like the Bud Winter program for Lee Evans.
If it was me running after a cross country run they’d probably be slow, dirt slow. But I would imagine LaShawn can bang them out at a reasonable pace.
Actually, this is the old Bud Winter 400 program for fall/winter:
October:
Mo -2 x 440 y, stretching
Tu - 4 x 220 y , lifting
We - 880 y easy with fast last 20 m
Th - 15 min. jog with acceleration after each 2 min. of run
Fr - 3 x 330 y with long strides
Sa - 2 x 880 y easy with 20 min. rest
Su - RestNovember:
Mo - Rolling starts, 2 x 330 y, rolling starts, lifting
Tu - Rolling starts, starts, 2 x 220 y, lifting
We - Rolling starts, starts, 2 x 330 y, 2 x 352 y, short sprints, lifting
Th - Rolling starts, starts, relays
Fr - 15 min jog on the grass
Sa - 75 y trial, 180 y trial, 6 x 110 y relay
Su - RestDecember:
Mo -Rolling starts, 5-10 starts, 330 y, 1 lap of short sprints
Tu -Rolling starts, 6 x 50 y starts, 5 x 220 y, 2 laps of long sprints
We -2 x 60 y trial, 2 x 330 y, 2 x 352 y
Th -Rolling starts, 6 starts to the tape, game, 3 x 110 y relay
Fr -easy on the grass
Sa -75 y trial, 180 y trial
Su -Rest
Doesn’t look like what’s being discussed here.
Here’s what I have, the claim is it’s Winter’s “long sprinter” program, what he had Lee Evans doing:
Fall:
Work up to 10 mile run in 4 weeks.
Pre-Season:
-M - 3x 600m
-T - Ladder: 1-2-3-5-3-2-1
-W - 10x100m
-Th - 3x320m
-F - starts/finishes, finishes are 6×200m
-SA - Testing 2x 60, 2x 320m
In-Season:
-M - 2x 600m or 2x 500m
-T - 500-300-200-100 or 5x 200m
-W -Time Trial 2x 60, 1x 165, 2x 320m, hard but not all out
-TH - starts/finishes
-F - Rest
-S - MEET
Winter or not, whatever this is has similar elements to what Dwayne Miller describes in the interview.
Here’s the program in writing:
It is my understanding that this presentation is an honest representation of Merritt’s training program.
Stikki, this is Winter’s sprint program for an “endurance” type athlete, a la Lee Evans, Tommie Smith was trained on a different type of program, more speed based, Winter revised his program in 1973. You’re correct about similarities between the above and Merritt’s program. Everyone borrows from everyone, Smith borrowed from Charlie, Carson from Hart, Hart from Winter and on and on.
Thanks for the link!
I have a few questions though.
Lots of off days in the programme. The title says “From prep to pro”, so for whom is it written, high school, college?
And what are drill outs? I suppose nothing too intensive.
Thanks in advance.