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As spring marathon and half marathon training gets underway for many runners, Heather welcomes elite runner and coach Luke Humphrey to the Michigan Runner Girl show to talk about his books Hansons Marathon Method and Hansons Half Marathon Method. {Click on the player above to listen to this episode}
Luke, who is a runner with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in Rochester, Mich., wrote these books with Keith and Kevin Hanson, elite running coaches and owners of Hansons Running Shops in southern Michigan. Their training method is used with impressive success by members of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project as well as everyday runners all across the country.
Runners who follow the plan often achieve personal best times — sometimes huge PRs — given the method’s unconventional approach (one example: the longest run in the marathon plan is 16 miles, not the traditional 20 or 22). Luke explains in detail how the method’s combination of “smart science with proven practice” makes all the difference. You’ll hear about the importance of “cumulative fatigue” and how you learn to train hard and consistently by following the plan, resulting in a strong performance on race day. As a member of the elite training team, he’s been a longtime follower himself: “That’s the beauty of it — I’ve done this system for 12 years and it’s gotten me down to 2:14 [in the marathon] and the only difference is I’m doing more mileage. But the philosophy and the training is the exact thing. I am doing the same workouts, the same everything. It’s a volume program, it’s a strength program, it’s definitely going to make you stronger.”
Luke also shares his own personal running journey, which began in high school and continued at Central Michigan University. He has qualified for three Olympic trials in the marathon — in 2008, 2012 and 2016 — and has a personal best marathon finish time of 2:14:38.
Luke also answers reader questions during the show; Heather had put a call-out for questions on the Michigan Runner Girl Facebook page. Thanks for all the great questions, everyone! Interested in learning more about this training method and connecting with Luke and athletes following this method? Check out the Hansons Coaching Community Page on Facebook here » This is a closed group, with about 1,500 members currently, but is open to anyone interested in this training method; simply ask to join.
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A special thanks to Mike Moran, Mike Youker and Jonny Tornga of Quarter After Productions in Traverse City, Mich. for producing the show. Check out this studio’s work here, and if you like Michigan craft beer like me, tune into the popular Short’s Cast, a show Quarter After Productions produces for Short’s Brewing Company of Bellaire, Mich.
