Hello Reader, Think about what you’ve asked your athletes to do to run PRs this time of year since they started training this winter. Things like... A new warm-up New post-run work Workouts you didn’t do last spring that you knew could lead to PRs this spring Hopefully, these adjustments have led to your athletes running fast and having fun. Now that it’s mid-April, you will probably ask them to do things they’ve never done before so they can PR. Perhaps you’ll ask them to... Go out faster in...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Hello Reader, This is a hectic time of year - but also a fun time of year - for you and your athletes. Today, I want to help you plan for the rest of the season with a tip that will help your kids PR in the last three meets of the year. The Long Run The long run is a key workout in my training most months of the year. Both cross country runners and 1600m/3200m runners gain significant fitness from weekly long runs (or a long run every 10 days). And... When an athlete only has 3-4 weeks left...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, One of the biggest questions coaches and athletes have during the track season is how to properly warm-up when the athlete is running two races (aka "doubling"). Great question! Here's my concise warm-up for running track races on the track. Quick Mobility Routine After finishing the first race of the day, the athlete should take 10-15 minutes until they feel mostly back to normal. They can choose to jog for 2-3 minutes, though this isn’t necessary. What is necessary is mobility...
3 months ago • 10 min read
Hey Reader, It’s the last week in March and it’s a great time of year to be a track coach! There’s a very good chance you have athletes on your team who either didn’t train this winter or had a very inconsistent winter, or, as we talked about in a previous email, they might have been basketball players or swimmers for whom you have to be really cautious with the training in the first few weeks of the season. It’s tempting to want to give these athletes the same aerobic workouts you do in the...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, I hope the season is going well and that your kids are staying injury-free. Let's talk about the 1600m... One of the reasons I love seeing kids run this distance is that the race can unfold so many ways. From sit and kick races to races where kids run fast from the gun and the winner speeds up just a touch in the last 100m, to a race that starts fast, slows in the middle, then gets fast the last 400m, 200m, 100m. But most of the time, in most high school races, if an athlete can...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Hey Reader, We’re changing gears a bit this week. I’m sharing an article on my site that’s written for your athletes, with tips that you’ll likely agree with. Here’s the article: Running A PR in Track: 12 Tips for a Breakthrough Performance I’ve pasted it below as well. Next week I'll have a list of tips for you. I hope the season is off to a great start! Let’s go! Jay ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This article is for high school runners who run the 800m or 1600m or 3200m and are “stuck” at a certain...
4 months ago • 9 min read
Hey Reader, This is a short email about a term we’ve all heard, and likely used ourselves: the “rust buster” race. The rust buster is the first race of the year, one where both the athlete and coach have low expectations. The rationale is that the athlete hasn’t raced in months and that they need to “get a race under their belt” before they can chase PRs. I’ve used this term for many years, and for younger athletes and athletes new to the sport, it’s super useful. But I don’t think it’s the...
4 months ago • 5 min read
Hello, The official outdoor track season started on Monday here in Colorado. Let's go! 😀 Today I want to talk about one of the most important things you can do this outdoor track season to ensure that in April and May your kids are running PRs and running to their fitness level. If you don't read the rest of the email, please make sure you do the following: When you have a break in the weather and it's nice, make sure you go to the track and run a race pace workout (or a time trial). Why is...
4 months ago • 8 min read
Hey there. It’s mid-February, and most coaches have a variety of athletes that they are trying to help. You’ve got some athletes that started running in December and have been fairly consistent over the holidays and all of January. You’ve got other athletes who will be joining you later this month or in March who are playing winter sports. Today, let’s focus on the athletes who’ve been consistent this winter and what you can do the rest of this month to make sure the outdoor track season is...
5 months ago • 8 min read