Michael Hillardt: 1985 World Indoor 1500m Champion

© 2008 The Runner's Tribe, all rights reserved.

The nineteen eighties decade was a rich one for middle distance running. In Britain the likes of Cram, Coe and Ovett dominated, whilst in Africa, Said Aoutia was the man. Down under, there was one man who had a stranglehold over Australian 1500m and mile running for most of the eighties, his name, Michael Hillardt. Mike won eight Australian titles for 1500m and two for the 800m. He also was the victor at the 1985 World Indoor Athletics Championships 1500m which was the highlight of his career. He also was a semi-finalist at the 1984 LA Olympics and placed 7th at the 1987 World Championships over 1500m. He finished his career with personal bests of 3:33.39 for the 1500m (2nd on all time Australian list), 3:51.82 for the mile, 2:17.49 for 1000m and 1:45.74 for the 800m.

We were fortunate enough to catch up with Mike to reminisce on his career itself, his training methods, as well as anything else that came up.

RunnersTribe: Mike, thanks for your time. To start things off, what are you up to these days?

Michael Hillardt: No problem at all. I am involved with a few different areas of interest. I help manage a commercial property company with my Father, I am an ambassador for Arthritis Queensland, I am the head coach for cross country and track and field at St Aidan's Girls School in Queensland and I'm deputy chairman of Athletics Queensland, among other things.

RT: You have quite a collection of Australian titles for the 1500m and 800m, do you have one or two standout highlights from your career?

MH: I guess winning the 1985 World Indoor Championship 1500m would have to be classed as my biggest highlight. Finishing 7th at the 1987 World Championships 1500m would also have to be up there (Steve Cram finished 8th).

RT: Do you have any regrets?

MH: In terms of times, I would have really liked to have broken 1:45.00 for the 800m, I just feel that my personal best of 1:45.74 could have been a little faster. For the mile I would have loved to break 3:50.00, compared to my 3:51.82.

I think if I had my time over again I would have seen a sports psychologist more often from a young age. I started seeing one at 26 and it really helped. However, I think seeing one from 20 would have been even more beneficial. It is an area that I think a lot of athletes don't utilise as much as they should, athletes spend all this time and energy with their training but many of them neglect the mental aspect, this is a big mistake.

RT: What year did you retire and why?

MH: I got injured in 1988 and had to withdraw from the Olympic team which was obviously a major disappointment for me. I got hit with an Achilles tendon problem and just kept breaking down. I had surgery in 1988 and kept trying to come back but I just wasn't able too. I was stubborn and refused to give in to it and pushed on until 1991 when it became obvious that it was my time when a kid of about 12 beat me in some cross country race. I had an extremely enjoyable career, it was time to move on.

 Vancover 1984. Beating John Walker in a Canadian Record 3.52.34

RT: Apart from that unfortunate career ending Achilles injury did you suffer from other injuries throughout your career?

MH: Not really, my body seemed quite resistant to the standard injuries that most runners succumb to. I had a few stress fractures as a junior but none as a senior, I had some plantar fasciitis at one stage but it resolved soon enough and it didn't affect my training much. However, I did get sick quite often. A lot of the time when I went out socialising I would end up picking up some bug and spending 3-4 days away from training trying to recover. But I had no serious medical problems, just a lot of little bugs. I think that sometimes a few days off can be a blessing in disguise.

RT: Tell us about your work for Arthritis Queensland

MH: I am an ambassador for Arthritis Queensland. I was affected at a personal level as my Mother was a sufferer. I met Bob Unger (Chief Executive Officer for Arthritis Queensland) and one thing led to another. Bob Unger has put together a brief summary of my involvement with the organisation.

'Mike Hillardt has been a proud supporter of the Arthritis Queensland for more than 3 years. He became an ambassador after seeing how his mother struggled with the condition. Last year, Arthritis Queensland spent over $1,400,000.00 providing services to Queenslanders with musculoskeletal conditions, 97% of this had to be found from the Queensland community. In 2007 there were nearly 750,000 Queenslanders with arthritis, or 18% of the population. Contrary to popular belief, arthritis is not a condition suffered exclusively by the elderly. In fact, 62% of arthritis sufferers are under 65'.

'Children can also be affected by arthritis. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) affects 1 in 1000 children. Arthritis Queensland maintains a juvenile arthritis support program, which includes education for children, parents and teachers about JIA and attending clinics with the only Paediatric Rheumatologist in Queensland. We also sponsor children attending Camp Footloose, a special camp for children with JIA'.

To view Arthritis Queensland's website, to donate or to volunteer, Click here

RT: What sort of involvement have you had with the sport since your retirement in 1991?

MH: I have been on the selector's panel since 2001 and I have coached and mentored various runners. They include Dane Frey, Julian Marsh and Youcef Abdi. I also assisted Roy Rankin with his coaching for a while a couple of years back. Now I am the head coach for cross country and track and field with St Aidan's Girls School in Queensland, which I thoroughly enjoy.

 Sydney, 1984. Mike leading Steve Ovett. Mike ran an Australian record of 3:34.19 in this race

RT: There isn't much literature around regarding your coach, Norm Osborne, and his training methods. Can you tell us about both Norm's methods as well as a bit about your favorite sessions?

MH: Norm was a great coach. I moved from Brisbane to Melbourne specifically to train with Norm, it was a very wise decision. The major change Norm made to my program was that he increased the intensity of my reps. For example, instead of doing a lot of 800m reps in around 2:13, he dropped the number of reps but got me to do them all in around 2:00 or faster. This single change helped produce some big personal bests shortly after switching to Norm.

Norm's training was traditional in many ways, he had a high emphasis on the correct amount of mileage but he also never neglected the pure quality sessions that are needed to race with the best. I ran around 100km/week during the summer months and around 150km/week during the winter months. I have dug up some of my old training diaries for you: (See end of interview for detailed training diaries)

RT: Thanks so much for all the great info Mike, and all the best

MH: Thanks

1985 in season training 22nd July to 3rd Sep

- 22/7/1985: am: 21 minutes. Pm: 20 minutes with 5 run throughs at the end.
- 23/7/1985: am: 17 minute jog. Pm: Race mile in Edinburgh. 3:56.4. 3rd place. (Splits 58, 1:58, 2:59)
- 24/7/1985: am: 40 minutes. Pm: Rest, travel.
- 25/7/1985: am: 20 minutes. Pm: Track. 2 sets of 3 by 300m (walk 100m rec between reps/5 min rec between sets). Average 41.5secs
- 26/7/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 20 minutes easy
- 27/7/1985: am: 20 minutes easy. Pm: Rabbit for Oslo Dream Mile in which Steve Cram broke the world record. (Splits 56, 1:53, 2:52)
- 28/7/1985: am: 40 minutes. Pm: Rest
- 29/7/1985: am: Rest Pm: Track. 600m, 400m, 200m. 83.7, 52.4, 24.3.
- 30/7/1985: am: 30minutes easy. Pm: Track. 2 sets of 5 by 200m. 25.8, 26.1, 25.5, 25.8, 25.9, 24.9, 25.1, 25.3, 25.5, 25.7
- 31/7/1985: am: 30 minutes Pm: 32m minute run and 6 run throughs
- 1/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 42 minutes and 6 by 100m run throughs and 2 by 50m fast.
- 2/8/1985: am: 30minutes with last 10 minutes hard. Pm: Rest, travel.
- 3/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 30 minutes and 6 run throughs
- 4/8/1985: am: Race warm up routine. Pm: Race 800m in Budapest. 1:46.34. 4th. (400m split of 51)
- 5/8/1985: am: 32 minutes. Pm: 100m and 150m run throughs
- 6/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 23 minutes easy
- 7/8/1985: am: 30 minutes easy. Pm: 30 minutes easy
- 8/8/1985: am: 23 minutes and 6 run throughs. Pm: Rest
- 9/8/1985: am: Race warm up routine. Pm: Race, Mile in Gateshead. 3:57.16. 1st. (Splits: 57, 1:56, 2:58. Didn't feel too good.
- 10/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 20 minutes easy, felt tired.
- 11/8/1985: am: Rest Pm: 30m minute run
- 12/8/1985: am: 30 minute, travel. Pm: 40 minutes with the last 10 minutes at a solid pace. Then 3 by 150m fast with 1/2 a mile jog recovery.
- 13/8/1985: am: 31 minute run. Pm: Track session. 400m, 300m, 200m (all with 5 mins recovery) 53.1, 39.7, 25.2
- 14/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: Time trials: 800m in 1:47 (split 52). I hour later 1200m in 2:52 (splits 58 and 1:58)
- 15/8/1985: am: 60 min run. Pm: 25 minutes easy
- 16/8/1985: am: 30 minutes easy. Pm: 20minutes then 600m, 400m, 200m (8 minutes rec).Times: 80.7, 50.2, 22.9
- 17/8/1985: am: 30 minutes. Pm: 53 minutes = 10 miles
- 18/8/1985: am: 30 minutes easy. Pm: 3 by 300m (41 secs), 3 by 200m (25,26,25), 3 by 100m.
- 19/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 20 minutes
- 20/9/1985: am: Rest, travel. Pm: 25 minutes with 4 run throughs
- 21/9/1985: am: 15minutes easy. Pm: Race, Zurich Mile. 3:52.21. (Splits: 58. 1:54, 2:54) 3rd.
- 22/9/1985: am: 26 minutes. Pm: Travel
- 23/9/1985: am: 22minutes Pm: Race 1500m, Berlin. 3:33.39. (Splits: 57.2, 1:54.1, 2:51.4) 4th
- 24/9/1985: am: Rest, travel. Pm: 35minutes
- 25/9/1985: am: Rest. Pm: Race 1500m, Colonge. 3:36.9 (Splits 56, 1:53). 6th
- 26/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 40 minutes
- 27/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 20 minutes easy and 5 run throughs with 2 by 50m run throughs off the bends fast
- 28/8/1985: am: 17 minutes easy. Pm: Race mile in Koblenz. 3:51.82. Splits of 56.1 400m, 1:54.4 800m, 2:53.7 1200m, 3:38.76 1500m.
- 29/8/1985: am: Rest. Pm: 21 minutes easy
- 30/8/1985: am: 22 minutes easy. Pm: race 2000m in Brussels. 5:05.9
- 31/8/1985: am: 31 minute easyt. Pm: Rest
- 01/9/1985: am: Rest. Pm: Rest
- 02/9/1985: am: Rest. Pm: Rest
- 03/9/1985: am: Rest. Pm: Rest
 

1986 pre season/build up phase training. 26th April to 18th May

- 26/4/1986: am: 42 minute run. Pm: 42 minute run
- 27/4/1986: am: 75 minute run - 14 miles. Pm: 20 minute run
- 28/4/1986: am: 36 minutes. Pm: 65 minute run with a fast last 20 minutes
- 29/4/1986: am: 22 minutes and weights. Pm: 50 minute run and tan (Melbourne) session (3.8km) in 11:06
- 30/4/1986: am: 38 minute run and 6 by short fast hill. Pm: 50 minutes with a hard 20 minute surge
- 1/5/1986: am: Weights. Pm: Track: 5 by 600m with 90 secs recovery. (Times: 92, 91, 91, 91, 90). 17 min warm down jog.
- 2/5/1986: am: 34 minutes. Pm: 50 minute run
- 3/5/1986: am: 23 minutes Pm: 4 mile race at Sandown in 17:45
- 4/5/1986: am: 1 hr 40 minutes (15 miles)
- 5/5/1986: am: 38 minutes Pm: 66m minute run
- 6/5/1986: am: 20 minute run and weights. Pm: 20 minutes easy, 11 minutes hard, 29 minutes easy.
- 7/5/1986: am: 38 minute run Pm: 45 minute run and 6 hill reps
- 8/5/1986: am: 33 minute run. Pm: Track: 1000m (2:31), 800m (2:00), 600m (89.5), 400m (57.1), 3 by 200m (27,27,25) (3 min jog recovery for all)
- 9/5/1986: am: 20 minute run and weights Pm: 33 minute run
- 10/5/1986: am: 61 minutes. Pm: 33 minute run
- 11/5/1986: am: 72 minute run Pm: 29 minute run
- * 96 miles for the week
- 12/5/1986: am: 38 minute run. Pm: 62 minute run
- 13/5/1986: am: 21 minutes and weights. Pm: 21 minute run and tan (Melbourne) session (3.8km) in 10:52. Then 21 minute warm down run
- 14/5/1986: am: 33 minutes. Pm: 3 mile warm up run. Track. 10 by 400m (200m jog rec in 55 secs). Ave 60-61 seconds.
- 15/5/1986: am: Rest. Coming down with a head cold. Pm: 15 minute jog and weights
- 16/5/1986: am: 23 minute run. Pm: Rest
- 17/5/1986: am: Rest Pm: Rest
- 18/5/1986: am: 38 minute run. Pm: Rest
- * 54 miles for the week
 

1986 pre season/build up phase training. 30th May to 8th June

- 30/5/1986: am: Weights. Pm: 41 minute run.
- 31/5/1986: am: 34 minutes. Pm: 10km race at Ballarat. 29:17.
- 1/6/1986: am: 70 minutes Pm: 24 minutes easy
- * 94 miles for the week
- 2/6/1986: am: 50 minutes (8 miles). Pm: 23 min warm up jog. Track: 6 by 400m (57,57,57,57,58,57) with 200m jog recovery in 70 secs. Then 4 by 150m fast with walk back recovery
- 3/6/1986: am: 20 minute run and weights. Pm: Track: 4 by (600m fast, 200m jog, 200m fast). Times: 89/26. 87/26. 89/26. 87/25.
- 4/6/1986: am: 44 minute run Pm: 43 minute run, 5 by long hill reps and 5 by short hill reps.
- 5/6/1986: am: 25 minute run and 6 by 120m reps. Pm: 23 minute warm up run then 6 by 300m (with 4 1/2 min rec) in 39,38,39,39,39,38.
- 6/6/1986: am: 20 minute run and Weights. Pm: 32 minute run.
- 7/6/1986: am: 21 minutes. Pm: 1200m and 600m time trials with 15 minutes recovery. 2:56 (Splits: 54, 1:53) and 80.3 (Splits: 26,53)
- 8/6/1986: am: 50 minutes Pm: 31 minute run
 

Other sessions of note - All below sessions done during the lead up to big races

- Track Session: 4 by 400m (10 to 11 minutes recovery). Times: 49.1, 49.2, 49.5, 49.9
- Track Session: 3 by 800m (8 minutes recovery). Times: 1:56, 1:53, 1:51
- Track Session: 3 by 1000m (4 minutes recovery). Times: 2:37, 2:34, 2:32. Then 6 by 200m avering 26 seconds. (4 minutes recovery)
- Track Session: 4 by 400m (5 minutes recovery). Times: (averaged 51.2)