We have all seen it at track practice. The whistle blows, the athletes hammer a 400m repeat, and then… they stop. Hands on knees, walking in circles, waiting for the heart rate to drop so they can do it again. This is fine if you are training for the 100m dash. But for the 5k…
You can feel it in the air. The humidity of August is a distant memory. There’s frost on the grass in New Hampshire, and the mornings are crisp enough to see your breath during warmups. It’s Championship Season! This is the payout. This is why we sweated through the summer and grinded through the mud…
The honeymoon is over. The warm, conversational miles of August are gone. The “first day of school” excitement has faded into the routine of homework and darkness falling a little earlier every day. The leaves in New Hampshire are starting to turn, and so is the mood of the season. We are now in the…
There is a specific smell to late August. It’s a mix of cut grass, humidity, and for a high school cross country coach, a cocktail of anxiety and teen spirit. The first day of practice is the great equalizer. You look out at the group and you see the full spectrum: the varsity veteran who…
Why This Australian Madman Was Right About Everything Grit Over Garmin: The Stotan Training Method A Coaching Essay for High School Distance Runners It’s 1960. Herb Elliott—undefeated in every 1500m and mile race he ever ran—is charging up a 60-foot sand dune in Portsea, Australia. His coach, Percy Cerutty, is nearby, likely shouting something unfiltered…
Speed as a Skill: A Guide for Distance Runners The Problem with “Aerobic Base Only” Training Traditional high school distance training often produces athletes who are aerobically fit but mechanically broken. By prioritizing “aerobic base” while ignoring top-end speed, coaches inadvertently lower their athletes’ performance ceiling. The missing piece? Speed as a skill. While most…
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