I came across this information and was wondering if you would like to share with us what you did in that period from 1986 to 1988 that took Maree from a solid national level athlete to world class and an Olympic Final?
I realise you have much of your information in the lactate thread however, it would be interesting to hear how the transition and progression happened especially for her.
What was the reason she did not compete in the 4 x 4 in 1988? Injury? Did this then impact on her ability to return back to those levels?
Regards
1985 Pacific Conference Games
200 metres 2 2nd 23.59(-1.1)
400 metres 2 Ht1 2nd 53.42; Final 2nd 51.72
4 x 100 metres 3 3rd 45.00
4 x 400 metres 2 2nd 3:33.40
1985 World Cup
200 metres 6/8 6th 23.71 (-0.7)
4 x 100 metres Disqualified
4 x 400 metres 6 6th 3:35.93
1986 Commonwealth Games
200 metres 5/16 Ht1 3rd 23.43(+1.1); Final 5th 23.64(+2.1)
400 metres 6/14 Ht1 3rd 53.64; Final 6th 52.08
4 x 400 metres 3 (54.0) 3rd 3:32.86
1988 Olympic Games
200 metres Ht6 Did not compete
400 metres 8/46 Ht5 2nd 52.29; QF1 1st 50.90; SF2 3rd 50.24; Final 8th 51.25
4 x 400 metres Did not compete
1989 World Cup
4 x 400 metres 6 6th 3:33.72
1989 World Indoor
400 metres 4/14 Ht1 1st 52.90; SF1 3rd 52.21; Final 4th 52.17
1990 Commonwealth Games
400 metres 4/13 Ht2 4th 53.28; Final 52.68
4 x 400 metres 2 (54.10) 2nd 3:30.74
As you noted above, all of Maree’s sessions are documented in the lactate threshold thread because she followed the format to the letter pretty much.
About the only difference between 1986 and 1988 is she left me to work with two other coaches and returned to me after running something like 55sec to finish last in the 1987 Oz nationals. She then did a lot of non specific running on country and road and this had the effect of cutting her bodyweight down from about 60kg to around 57kg and during her work with me when we reunited in around September 1987 she was more fastidious about her diet, maintained aerobic runs (usually no more than 15mins during the Australian summer competition period) and her weight dropped to around 54kg at the Seoul Olympics where she ran her PB of 50.24.
The 4x4 was a last minute idea thrown up by someone without consultation with Debbie Flintoff-King (the 400m Hurdles gold medallist for Australia in Seoul), Maree or their respective coaches. Both camps (Debbie’s & Maree’s) felt it would be better to leave the Olympics on a high note than have to run their guts out to give a very unbalanced team any hope at all of surviving the 4x4 heats. We felt it was typical of the lack of professional support and foresight of the Athletics Australia administration at that time that no thought had been given and certainly not expressed or communicated from on high to the athletes or their personal coaches about a 4x4 until the federation realised they had two Olympic 400m-related finalists which would have been a great basis for a long relay.