courtesy of Gary CohenCraig Virgin is the only American distance runner to win the IAAF World Cross Country Championships; which he did twice, in 1980 and 1981. On the roads he won the 1979 Falmouth Road Race in a course record 32:20, the 1980 and 1981 12 km Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco and the, 1979, 1980 and 1981 Peachtree Road Race 10k in Atlanta. He twice set American records for the road 10k in 1981 with a 28:06 2nd place at the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans and later a 28:04 win at Peachtree. . His fastest marathon in only four attempts was a 2nd place finish in the 1981 Boston Marathon in 2:10:26. Craig won three U.S. track 10,000 meter titles (1978, 1979, and 1982), was a three-time Olympian (1976, 1980 and 1984) and the winner of the 1980 Olympic Trials 10,000 meters. He was a nine time member of the U.S. squad at the World Cross Country Championships. While at the University of Illinois, Craig won nine Big Ten Conference championships and the 1975 NCAA Cross Country championship. He was the top American in eight NCAA national meets. He broke Steve Prefontaine’s American record 10,000 meters with a 27:39.4 in 1979 and lowered it to 27:29.16 in 1980 that was the second fastest 10,000 meters in history at the time. His personal best times include: 1,500m – 3:45.7 (1979); Mile – 4:02.8 (1976); 2 miles – 8:22.0 (1978); Steeplechase – 8:52.1 (1978); 5,000m – 13:19.1 (1980); 10,000m – 27:29.16 (1980) and Marathon – 2:10:26 (1981). Craig won five high school state championships (two in cross country and three in track) and set the national outdoor high school 2-mile record of 8:40.9. He competed despite having been born with a congenital urological disease which led to the 1994 removal of his right kidney. In 1997 he was involved in a head-on car collision where he almost died from his injuries. In 2001, Craig was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. Currently he does freelance TV and radio commentary, personal coaching, and sports-themed motivational speaking for companies, running camps and schools. Craig grew up in Lebanon, Illinois where he currently resides and has one daughter, Annie.
GCR: What do you feel is the relative importance of quality versus quantity in training and what was your typical training mileage?
CV In the 1960s it seemed that U.S. middle and long distance runners were oriented too much toward speed and quick intervals. Then in the early 1970s the pendulum had swung toward more distance and the ‘LSD’ approach of long, slow distance. As a result, there were four to eight years where the U.S. didn’t have many sub-four minute milers. Then in the late 1970s and into the eighties we reached a happy medium. From the mid-eighties until somewhere around 2004 distance running suffered in our country at the high school, collegiate and pro ranks. When high school running started to improve in the late 90s and early 2000s it translated to more competitive collegians and then faster racers at the pro level. I think there has to be a balance between quality and quantity and a focus on aggressive, time-oriented racing, not just racing to win. If runners just run tactically and fast enough to win, they aren’t tested enough. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Todd Williams and Bob Kennedy were way out front and didn’t have too much competition domestically. I do feel that if you err on one side you should err on the side of quality. My high school training program consisted of 60-80 miles per week. If there were two competitions in a week it would be on the low end, one competition on the high end and in the off season the same. In college I went into the 80-100 mile range with my first 100+ mile week during my junior year. I would alternate a week over 100 miles with the week less than 100 miles. It may not be a coincidence that I won my only NCAA Cross Country title that fall and made the Olympic team the next summer. I also started doing my first 15-mile runs that year. I feel 15 miles is the most a runner should do unless training for a marathon. Post collegiately I ran three weeks of 100-105 miles in a row and then a recovery week of 85-90 miles. In the peak summer racing season post-collegiately I dropped to 70-80 miles per week as my intense speed sessions increased. I believe that all runners need some recovery time where they take time to recover and heal. A runner also must figure out as an athlete if he thrives on a bit more quality or quantity which is a decision determined by an athlete and his coach.
GCR: What are your thoughts about the differences and intertwining of the ‘science’ and ‘art’ of coaching?
CV I divide coaches into two categories – there are scientific coaches like Jack Daniels and Joe Vigil that are proponents of max VO2 training and long intervals. Many coaches follow that protocol. The other coaches I call the ‘artist coaches’ and I’d put myself in that category. This approach combines knowledge gained by experience and a little book knowledge with a huge dose of instinct and intuition thrown in for good measure. Some coaches are making training too technical and too complicated. I believe, like Vince Lombardi, that if you master certain basics and work certain systems that all will fall into place. I wish I could claim that there was some exotic formula, but it’s all out there. It’s like a chef – there are certain ingredients that go into a dish and its how you mix and match them that determine the outcome. That is how the mastery of the chef comes into the picture. That’s why I believe coaches should be more artists than scientists. It’s nice to have all of the scientific or medical testing and formulae that science coaches use, but running is more than that. Many high school and college coaches ‘eat that up’ as it’s all written down in black and white. It’s in front of them and they can turn pages and look at charts to see what they should be doing. But there are times that instincts and intuition need to kick in based on environmental, physical and mental conditions. Then you have to go with both your brain and your gut instinct.
FULL INTERVIEW
ShareThis