Volume 7
The Dover XC Crew met with us to share their staple workout that they use season after season. The men’s program has seen much individual success with the likes of Ben Wallis, James Godin, and more recently with Tyler Sheedy. The women were a little more middle of the pack until 2020 when they made the meet of championships as a team for the first time since the Cathy (Schiro) O’Brien era. While the women have been more team oriented, winning the meet of champions in 2021 with standouts Brooke Marshall and the triple headed monster of Izi McIntyre, Alison Bortz, and Margaret Spuler. More recently, Anique Poulin led the Dover women’s squad, finishing 4th at this year’s Division 1 Championship meet. Let’s see what workout the Greenwave had to dial up to take them to the next level.
NHXCTF: Who are you? How long have you been coaching?
“Nick Piatti and this is my 20th year coaching. I have been with Dover for 19 of them”
NHXCTF: What program do you represent?
“Dover High School (@DHSCCTF)”
NHXCTF: What workout would you like to feature from your program?
“4-5 x 1200 meter repeats on 90 seconds – 3 minute rest”
NHXCTF: How long has this been a go to workout?
“This has been a staple workout for the program for probably 10 or so years.”
NHXCTF: What part of the season do you usually implement this workout?
“This is one we repeat 1-3 times per season. I like to put it in just after the Manch Invite and then again after Battle of the Border. We have a couple options for this workout that we have used in the past. One is a relatively flat loop that we run on so it’s nice for the athletes after a hilly adventure at Derryfield Park. The other is a dirt road behind the recycling center and we adjust depending on how the athletes are feeling.”
NHXCTF: Where did you get the workout and how did it come about?
“5 x 1000 is a staple workout for many programs across the country, it was something we did at UNH on the indoor track, back in the day (one of my favorites) and it has been featured already as a workout of the week. 1200 feels like the right update to an old classic, especially since the loop we have is exactly 1200m. I like the 200 meter extension because it helps to train both mental and physical aspects of running with the option to go under distance (4800m) or over distance (6000m). In addition, I discovered a 600 meter dirt track at one of the elementary schools in town, so the two lap math makes it easier than dragging measuring wheels all over the place. It is about 1.5 miles from the high school, and is a better/softer surface than the track. The team will jog over, run 4-5 x 1200 on the flat dirt track that surrounds some soccer fields, and then jog back to the school. Having the 600 meter loop means I can have some athletes run only 600 if they need to back off a rep or two. We also vary the rest depending on both fitness level and time of year. This year we also discovered a road that was cut behind our local recycling center. They maintain the packed gravel surface really well so it is an excellent place to run. It also has some elevation to it so we have the option to go flat or hilly.
