I’ll be speaking at two conferences I recommend you attend. On Saturday December 1, I’ll be at the Maine State Track Coaches Conference at Thomas College. It’s not a huge event yet, but I like that these Maine college coaches are taking the initiative to create content for high school coaches in order to…
Archives for 2018
The Foundation of the Distance Running Program
There was a time in high school sports when the only thing that really mattered was what happened during the season. For better or worse, that time has come and gone for many high school distance runners. Most good runners have found that simply running 500 miles during the cross country season is not enough…
Trainability of the Middle Distance Athlete
Why do some athletes develop into accomplished middle distance runners, capable of running fast and winning races, while others get just a little better despite doing similar workouts throughout their careers? Also, most young seventh and eighth graders are about equal in distance running ability after their first season and usually only a few seconds…
Using the Kosmin Test to Determine Middle Distance Athlete Fitness
Athletes and coaches need easy ways to predict race performances and adjust their training without running the full race distance at maximum effort. A coach can predict their middle distance runners 800 meter and 1500 meter times with the Kosmin Test in as little as ten minutes. The Kosmin test is one of the most…
Understanding the Competition Period in Middle Distance Training
In considering the unique construction of a middle distance training macrocyle, the first point should be the length of time available. Ideally, it should be set up to be between fifteen and twenty weeks in duration. Secondly, the macrocycle should be divided into two phases which are called preparation and competitive. In essence, the first…
Training Ecosystems in Cross Country Teams
Some of the best descriptors in lively conversations are analogies, and cross country coaches often make use of them when talking to or about their teams. A good one for biology types is the analogy that relates a cross country team, and the training they do, to the hierarchy and organization of life on Earth….
Distance 101 – The Workouts Cross Country Coaches Use
In a simple distance training scheme it is effective to longitudinally separate the season into three different segments of time and the workouts cross country coaches use in each. Early season is a strong preparation time characterized by general running, athletes not focused on their best event (all training together), and races that are interesting…
Protein for the Win – Protein Needs of Cross Country Athletes
Low fat, high carbohydrate, low calorie intake, carbohydrate cycling, vegetarian, vegan, junk food! What else have coaches heard from their endurance athletes regarding nutrition? Today we will focus on the importance of protein. In the last few decades cross country runners have increased their awareness in how nutrition affects performance, but with diet fads, advertising,…
600 Meter Repeat Workouts – Three Different Styles for Middle Distance Training
Prescribing 600 meter repeat workouts for middle distance runners is a staple in any program. The training effects of this length of workout will tax the aerobic energy system, place huge demands on the anaerobic energy system, increase the cross-sectional diameter of Type 1 (slow twitch) muscle fibers, increase the cross-sectional diameter of Type 2…
Five Basic Workout Themes the Cross Country Coach Should Use
Cross country training can be rather complicated and confusing for a coach just getting started in the profession. Many times, a new coach will start by merely constructing a training program that looks pretty similar to what they ran in high school. Pretty soon it becomes apparent that circumstances and location are different, so adjustments…
Managing the Racing Schedule of the Middle Distance Athlete
Middle distance and distance racers cannot be effectively managed in the same manner as sprinters, jumpers and throwers are, despite rules that allow it. Cross country coaches, for the most part, understand the many aspects of managing the racing schedule of distance runners: 1) race with a purpose, therefore schedule only enough competitions to address…
October Training for Cross Country Athletes
For cross country runners, October is the time of racing in big Invitationals and preparing for the championship meets to follow. For a cross country coach, October is especially stressful because it is the month of capacity training schemes and sequences which are the hardest to master because the training effects are so individualized. Already…