Coach Hudson’s Little Black Book
My Review of Coach Hudson's Book
If you're looking for an insightful and engaging short read
on running training, I recommend Coach Brad Hudson's "Little Black
Book." Hudson's book provides detailed insight into some of his
best-loved workouts, ranging from 800 meters to the Marathon. Not only that,
but Coach Hudson also shares some good suggestions for some general Fartlek
training early in the training cycle.
And if you're looking to mix things up in
training, you'll like the "Spice it up" sections, where he outlines
some creative ways to make standard workouts more interesting while allowing
for some extra work in a low-impact manner. His special blocks section
at the back of the book was particularly helpful, where he discusses ways to
incorporate two hard workouts daily.
Although Hudson's workouts are primarily
designed for national and world-class athletes, they can be modified to suit
various experience levels. What I appreciated most about Hudson's book was that
he gets right to the point by providing some of the best workouts for various
distances. The writing was clear, and he explained things like recovery time
between reps and sets well, which is often not the case in many running
publications. His book contains no unnecessary content.
Although Hudson provides only brief guidance
on where to place the workouts in each training phase, experienced coaches can
certainly determine the appropriate placement of his workouts in each phase.
As a coach, you may
need to introduce some variation to keep things interesting for your athletes.
Hudson's book can help you achieve this goal. His workouts are physiologically
sound, and he also integrates workouts that promote mental toughness in
training.
I recommend adding Hudson’s Little Black
Book to your training, racing, and coaching library. The small book is a
spiral-bound book and is easy to store or take with you to the track.
For more information, you can message Coach Hudson on his Facebook page here: Facebook
About Coach Hudson
Hudson was a successful runner who
represented the USA in two World Championships in the marathon. He competed for
the University of Oregon during his collegiate years, where he won his
conference cross-country title and helped his team to secure a runner-up finish
at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships.
He has coached several world-class runners,
including Dathan Ritzenhein, Shayne Culpepper, Sarah Schwald, and Jorge Torres.
He also coached athletes in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympic Games.
Blessings,
Coach Weber
Philippians 4:13
Brad Hudson is a world class coach who has helped others for decades.