The First 4 Weeks of Spring Track: A Head Coach’s Survival Guide

There’s a moment every March that defines the season before it even starts.

It’s 3:15 PM on the first Monday. I’m standing at the 50-yard line. To my left, throwers are eyeing the cage before we’ve checked the netting. To my right, 60 sprinters huddle in sweatpants, waiting for direction. And somewhere in my distance-coach brain, a voice whispers: “Can’t we just send everyone on a 3-mile run?”

The transition from Cross Country’s focused simplicity to Spring Track’s organized chaos is jarring. You go from managing 25 kids and one event to managing 100+ athletes across four disciplines—with dangerous implements flying through the air.

If you don’t have a plan for the first month, the season will manage you.

This guide is for the Head Coach who’s navigating this complexity—especially if you’re a specialist in one area but now responsible for the whole program. Here’s how we survive, organize, and set the foundation for a successful season in the first four weeks.

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Phase 1: Pre-Season Organization & Staffing

Before the first whistle blows, your job isn’t coaching technique—it’s building systems.

Build Your Chain of Command

The biggest mistake I made in Year 1 was trying to answer every question myself. I had high jumpers asking about approach steps while timing a tempo run. I was managing logistics when I should have been coaching.

The System: Think of your staff as department heads, not just assistants. Study successful programs like Union Catholic (NJ) or Great Oak (CA)—they don’t operate with one omniscient head coach; they operate with clear hierarchies. Give your assistants the freedom to take control and make mistakes. They’ll be happier, the athletes will be happier, and your job will be easier.

The Rule: Athletes consult their event coach first. If the event coach can’t solve it, then—and only then—it comes to you.

Real Example: A parent once cornered me at the grocery store, demanding to know why her son wasn’t competing in javelin at the upcoming invitational. Truthfully, I only recognized the kid’s name because of a ‘porta-potty incident’ the week prior (don’t ask)—I had absolutely no clue where he actually ranked on the depth chart.

That encounter changed my protocol. Now, my response is automatic: ‘Have you spoken with his event coach, Coach Raymond? That’s step one. If you’ve done that and still have concerns, email me and we’ll set up a time to talk.

This isn’t about deflecting—it’s about respecting expertise and building accountability within your staff. You need lieutenants.

Managing Uniform Distribution & Inventory

Nothing depletes your budget faster than replacing lost jerseys and shorts that vanish into the black holes of teenage bedrooms.

The System: No uniforms distributed until Week 3 (right before the first competition). The numbers always fluctuate the first two weeks. Many athletes will leave after they realize you won’t let them sun themselves on the high jump mats.

The Requirements Checklist:

• Physical clearance on file
• No missing uniforms from other sports
• Minimum 10 practices attended (modified for legitimate absences)

This simple policy accomplishes three things: It protects your inventory, it establishes attendance expectations early, and it gives athletes something to work toward.

The Parent Meeting (And the 24-Hour Rule)

Schedule this for Week 1. Keep it under 45 minutes. Your goal isn’t to make everyone happy—it’s to set clear boundaries and communication protocols. If parents want to talk about their kid, they can reach out via email to the event coach or the head coach.

The 24-Hour Rule

“Parents, I value your investment in your child’s success. But emotions run high immediately after competitions. If you have concerns about a lineup decision, race result, or coaching strategy, I ask that you wait 24 hours after the meet ends before contacting me. This gives everyone—including your athlete—time to process and reflect.

Other Key Topics to Cover:

• Practice schedule and attendance expectations
• Meet entry process (who decides which events and how many)
• Transportation and meet logistics
• Injury reporting protocol
• Academic eligibility requirements, school drug & alcohol policy
• Behavior expectations
• Boosters/Volunteer needs

Give them a one-page handout summarizing these policies. You’ll reference it all season.

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Phase 2: Establishing Order (Weeks 1-2)

The goal of the first two weeks isn’t peak fitness—it’s operational consistency.

Attendance Systems That Actually Work

Paper sheets blow away. Clipboards disappear. I switched to digital check-in using a QR code linked to a Google Form during the Covid era, but the technology matters less than the policy behind it.

The “Teacher Pass” Standard:

“I don’t care if you’re late because you were getting help in Math or meeting with your counselor. But if you arrive without a signed pass from that teacher, it’s marked unexcused. Your time is valuable—mine is too.” Determine consequences. 3 unexcused = dismissal from team

This teaches athletes to plan ahead and to understand the importance you place on being present.

Track the Data: By Week 3, you should know who’s chronically late, who has legitimate conflicts, and who needs a conversation about commitment.

The Universal Warmup

One of the most effective changes I made was implementing a unified warmup for the entire team—regardless of event group. I adapted this from Boo Schexnayder’s LSU structure with one modification. I separate the girls and the boys on opposite sides of the track. Once that happened the attention paid to the coaches greatly improved.

The First 15 Minutes (Everyone Together):

• Jog: 400m (adjusted for fitness level—keeps sprinters from revolting)
• Dynamic Flexibility: High knees, leg swings, walking lunges, Frankensteins
• Coordination Drills: A-skips, B-skips, carioca, backwards running, hurdle step-overs

Why This Matters:

1. Team Unity: It makes 100 individuals look and feel like one team
2. Injury Prevention: Progressive activation prepares all athletes safely
3. Observation Window: It gives me 15 minutes to scan who’s injured, who’s absent, who’s wearing inappropriate footwear, who’s moving poorly, and who’s missing

After the universal warmup, groups split into event-specific training led by the event coaches.

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Phase 3: Training the Groups (Weeks 1-4)

This is where a distance coach learns to manage the entire circus.

Sprints Training: Implementing ‘Feed the Cats’ for Beginners

My instinct as a distance coach is volume. This destroys sprinters.

For the first month, I lean heavily on Tony Holler’s “Feed the Cats“ philosophy: speed development over grinding volume.

The Common Mistake: 10 × 200m at 70% effort. This creates slow, tired runners.

The Better Approach: 3-4 × 40m fly sprints at 100% effort with 5-7 minutes recovery.

Note to Distance Coaches: Yes, it will look like they’re standing around. That’s the point. Speed requires full neurological recovery. Trust the process, even if it feels uncomfortable.

Sample Week 1-2 Sprint Workout:

• Warmup (universal)
• 4 × 30m buildups (50% → 90%)
• 3 × 40m fly sprints (100% effort)
• Core circuit (10 minutes)
• Cooldown jog

No watch-checking. No split times yet. Just movement quality and effort.

Distance: The “Shin Splint” Prevention Protocol

Every spring, two distinct groups arrive at the track:

1. The Winter Warriors: Ran 30-40 miles/week through the indoor season.
2. The Couch Potatoes: Haven’t run once since the Cross Country banquet.
3. The Freshmen

If you give them the same workout, Group 2 will have shin splints by Friday and possibly be gone by Week 3.

The Strategy: Separate immediately based on winter training history.

For Deconditioned Athletes:

• Run only every other day for Weeks 1-2.
• Alternate with Low-Impact Cross-Training: Use the bike, pool running, or elliptical to build aerobic capacity without the pounding.

The Tool: I use a cross-training conversion ratio (approximately 1.5 to 1 bike-to-run minutes). Try my Free Cross-Training Calculator to instantly calculate these conversions for your athletes. This keeps them engaged while their connective tissue adapts.

Field Events: Safety and Fundamentals First

For the first two weeks, nobody throws a javelin at full effort and nobody jumps into the pit.

Throws (Weeks 1-2):

• Towel drills (holding a towel instead of an implement to establish positions)
• Medicine ball circuits (developing power patterns safely)
• Release mechanics with tennis balls
• Equipment inspection and safety protocols

We’re building movement patterns, not measuring distance.

Jumps (Weeks 1-2):

• Approach consistency (hitting marks within 10cm)
• Runway mechanics without the pit
• Bounding progressions
• Takeoff timing drills

If an athlete can’t consistently hit the board, they’re not ready to jump. We spend hours on approach work before any serious jumping begins.

Pole Vault Safety:

• Week 1: Pole carry, plant box timing, short approach work
• Week 2: Low height clearances (focus: getting upside down safely)
• Weeks 3-4: Progressive height increases with coach supervision

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Phase 4: The Conversations That Define Culture

The most important coaching happens away from the stopwatch.

The Goal-Setting Framework (Week 2)

I meet with event groups—not individuals initially—and we talk about trajectory, not trophies.

The Script:

“We have 12 competitive weeks. If you PR in April, you probably did it wrong. We’re training to peak when the weather is warm and the championship meets happen—not when it’s 40 degrees in March. Early-season times are data points, not definitions of your season.”

We identify:

• Current baseline (realistic assessment)
• End-of-season goal (ambitious but achievable)
• The 4-week checkpoints between now and June

This shifts focus from “I need to run fast NOW” to “I need to trust the process.”

Download The 4-Week Head Coach Checklist – A day-by-day operations guide

Conclusion: Survive to Thrive

The first four weeks aren’t about fast times or early wins. They’re about building the infrastructure that allows everything else to succeed.

If you reach Week 5 with:

• Healthy athletes (no epidemic of shin splints or hamstring pulls)
• A finalized and committed roster
• Parents who understand communication protocols
• Event coaches empowered to lead their groups
• Systems running smoothly without constant intervention

…then you’ve done your job as Head Coach.

The PRs will come. The victories will follow. But only if you build the foundation correctly first.

The season is long. The chaos is manageable. Remember, you are training and educating your athletes over a 4-year span. Every year, the athletes with experience can help guide the new ones as long as your program is stable and your expectations are clear.

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Frequently Asked Questions

[Download] The 4-Week Head Coach Checklist – A day-by-day operations guide