Nikki Rafie
Nikki Rafie is a 2-time US Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier (1996 and 2000), and the winner of the 1995 Portland Marathon. In her 30 years of running, she has run 20 sub three-hour marathons, and continues to be a competitive master’s athlete. She still loves a good race, and remains active in the local running community.
Nikki started coaching in 2004, working with adult distance runners of all levels. Her passion for helping women develop and succeed has made hundreds of women achieve their goals. She was a founding member of the Portland running club, Team Red Lizard. She has captained winning women’s and co-ed teams in the famous Hood-to-Coast Relay. As the Head Coach of Team Athena from 2008 - 2014, she helped grow the team to one of largest all women running clubs in the region. Currently a senior manager at Nike, she continues to coach and mentor women runners on a selective basis.
Nikki started coaching in 2004, working with adult distance runners of all levels. Her passion for helping women develop and succeed has made hundreds of women achieve their goals. She was a founding member of the Portland running club, Team Red Lizard. She has captained winning women’s and co-ed teams in the famous Hood-to-Coast Relay. As the Head Coach of Team Athena from 2008 - 2014, she helped grow the team to one of largest all women running clubs in the region. Currently a senior manager at Nike, she continues to coach and mentor women runners on a selective basis.
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"The strong women in my family have taught me that women’s instincts and emotional intelligence can be extraordinary. Women coaches should use their instincts in working with athletes. What you feel and observe in an athlete can truly direct how you work with them. Use your emotional intelligence to connect with your athletes, helping them to find the right approach to training and racing." |
Coaching and Leadership
Words of Wisdom from Coach and Runner Nikki Rafie
Words of Wisdom from Coach and Runner Nikki Rafie
Coaching and Leadership go hand in hand. To be a good coach, you must be a good leader. Women leaders and coaches are seeking a chance to be significant as we see the world through a prism of opportunity. The opportunities for women coaches are happening now. It is our time to become the best coaches and leaders possible.
Women already possess many of the qualities needed to be a great coach –
Having been a women's running coach for years, and also holding leadership roles in the corporate world, I’ve grown to understand the decision-making processes, and the dynamics and subtleties of women’s personalities and styles. These are the very same qualities needed to be a skilled coach and leader of a team and of athletes.
A family tradition of strong and independent women –
In my family history, I grew up surrounded by strong-willed, hardworking and purpose-driven women. It is through their leadership that the traditions, values and legacy of my family have been upheld. It is these same qualities that make great women coaches. Strong willed, hardworking and purpose driven. Overseeing a team, managing athletes' training and racing, and unifying a team and staff, require all of the above characteristics.
The strong women in my family have taught me that women’s instincts and emotional intelligence can be extraordinary. Women coaches should use their instincts in working with athletes. What you feel and observe in an athlete can truly direct how you work with them. Use your emotional intelligence to connect with your athletes, helping them to find the right approach to training and racing.
Coaches as managers –
The best women coaches/leaders seamlessly manage crisis and change. They are turnaround experts, sensing and neutralizing any signs of danger well before it disrupts the peace. As a coach, you will be faced with athletes that are challenging and distracting to the team dynamic. Lead by example and bring them into the fold, putting them in roles of teaching and leading.
A Head Coach has the responsibility of leading her individual athletes, team, and staff. She must be a leader and manager of her assistant coaches. She helps to shape the goals and attitudes of an entire team and staff. This is one of the most important aspects of having a successful team.
Working with male colleagues -
Many men do not understand powerful women. It can be difficult for men to understand how independent, self-reliant women think, act, and innovate. There are some males who have been closely and positively influenced by the women in their lives. My experiences have taught me that great women make it a point to teach men about our strengths as women, and not compete with them. It is important to respect and recognize that both men and women, though different, have equally valid perspectives.
Working with male coaches and athletic directors, requires patience, intelligence, and perseverance. Know who you are, and what you value. Be confident, yet humble. Maintain your strength and conviction, and yet be open-minded and collaborative. Seek to understand, and share your point of view positively, diplomatically, but firmly when needed.
Great and successful coaches –
Great coaches believe in what they stand for, and understand it is simply a matter of knowing how to strategically activate those around them.
Successful women coaches don’t rely on favors and drama! They earn respect by truly believing they can influence their own advancement by developing others. Look for respect, more than recognition. The most successful coaches don’t seek to become the star of the show. They coach and support their athletes to create a great show.
Women already possess many of the qualities needed to be a great coach –
Having been a women's running coach for years, and also holding leadership roles in the corporate world, I’ve grown to understand the decision-making processes, and the dynamics and subtleties of women’s personalities and styles. These are the very same qualities needed to be a skilled coach and leader of a team and of athletes.
A family tradition of strong and independent women –
In my family history, I grew up surrounded by strong-willed, hardworking and purpose-driven women. It is through their leadership that the traditions, values and legacy of my family have been upheld. It is these same qualities that make great women coaches. Strong willed, hardworking and purpose driven. Overseeing a team, managing athletes' training and racing, and unifying a team and staff, require all of the above characteristics.
The strong women in my family have taught me that women’s instincts and emotional intelligence can be extraordinary. Women coaches should use their instincts in working with athletes. What you feel and observe in an athlete can truly direct how you work with them. Use your emotional intelligence to connect with your athletes, helping them to find the right approach to training and racing.
Coaches as managers –
The best women coaches/leaders seamlessly manage crisis and change. They are turnaround experts, sensing and neutralizing any signs of danger well before it disrupts the peace. As a coach, you will be faced with athletes that are challenging and distracting to the team dynamic. Lead by example and bring them into the fold, putting them in roles of teaching and leading.
A Head Coach has the responsibility of leading her individual athletes, team, and staff. She must be a leader and manager of her assistant coaches. She helps to shape the goals and attitudes of an entire team and staff. This is one of the most important aspects of having a successful team.
Working with male colleagues -
Many men do not understand powerful women. It can be difficult for men to understand how independent, self-reliant women think, act, and innovate. There are some males who have been closely and positively influenced by the women in their lives. My experiences have taught me that great women make it a point to teach men about our strengths as women, and not compete with them. It is important to respect and recognize that both men and women, though different, have equally valid perspectives.
Working with male coaches and athletic directors, requires patience, intelligence, and perseverance. Know who you are, and what you value. Be confident, yet humble. Maintain your strength and conviction, and yet be open-minded and collaborative. Seek to understand, and share your point of view positively, diplomatically, but firmly when needed.
Great and successful coaches –
Great coaches believe in what they stand for, and understand it is simply a matter of knowing how to strategically activate those around them.
Successful women coaches don’t rely on favors and drama! They earn respect by truly believing they can influence their own advancement by developing others. Look for respect, more than recognition. The most successful coaches don’t seek to become the star of the show. They coach and support their athletes to create a great show.
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Haley Downing
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Coach and Trainer Haley Downing attended George Fox University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Performance. While at George Fox she played both soccer and basketball, and currently works with the George Fox soccer team as head strength and conditioning coach, and assistant soccer coach. As the strength and conditioning coach, she works directly with all team members, developing in-season and offseason strength and conditioning programs. She also works directly with the athletic trainer to connect coaches and athletes who are injured.
Haley is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor at OHSU and a personal trainer at Therapeutics Associates in Lake Oswego. Additionally she is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, and a Functional Movement Screen and EXOS Certified Fitness Specialist. Haley owns her own business, Downey Performance Training and can be reached at haley@downeyperformancetraining.com and downeyperformancetraining.com |
For a Cross Country Team, what kind of strength, conditioning, and agility program would you suggest?
Strength is built in the off season and maintained during the season. My #1 goal for in season training is for the athlete to stay healthy. Keep in mind that your newer runners may get stronger through the season but that is not the main objective. Gaining balance, working on technique, making sure they are staying mobile, and most importantly as the season wears on, making sure they stay mentally engaged. One simple way I keep them engaged is to switch up the warm-up routine on a regular basis. I don’t want the athlete to get complacent. Make sure they are constantly being challenged!
Runners need to be more flexible, more agile, and have a stronger upper body. What kind exercises would you give to a XC Team to help them develop these skills?
It is important for all athletes to be able to squat, bend, lunge, pull, push, anti-rotation, abdominal bracing, and carry. It is no different for runners. They need to be strong throughout their entire body. If a team is unable to get into a weight room, it doesn't mean they can’t still strength train. They can do body weight squats, double leg and single leg dead-lifts, different lunge variations, pull ups, push ups, pallof presses (http://www.stack.com/a/pallof-press), planks, and carries. Being creative is one of the best things about working with teams, you almost never have enough equipment for everyone to use or you have just a few simple pieces. Use your imagination, use medicine balls for stronger athletes on the squats, dead lifts, and lunges, use benches for those who struggle with push ups from the ground, find bike racks or a sturdy railing to do modified rows on, use a post as an anchor for a simple long band band for pallof presses, or have one athlete hold the band while the other presses. Find more fun and challenge planks for them to do over the standard crunches.
Injuries are always the fear and frustration of many coaches. What injury prevention tips can you give us for both new runners, and also more experienced, but still young runners?
Runners have to be strong and stable, especially on a single leg. Running is basically a lot of single leg balance as they go from leg to leg in their running stride. Because of this, runners experience up to seven times their body weight in force. With the high level of repetition in running, it is important to train the body to be able to absorb these forces. I like to do this with single leg balance drills, starting out with simple drills done in place working with the eyes open and closed. You can also add a partner, a small ball like a tennis ball, and the runners can play catch while working on a single leg. Something as simple as adding in runners touches to a warmup routine can make all the difference in stability and strength on a single leg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT31s0XaCZ8 To progress this I move it to a single leg skater balance (see video). This will have the athlete working on single leg balance, shifting from one leg to the other, while slowly progressing forward. As this movement becomes perfected and the athlete is proficient in technique, you can transition into a larger movement, a single leg jump and stick. This will take the previous exercise into a movement more similar to the impacts of running. The athlete will now jump into each landing working on maintaining position and absorbing the impact. In addition to doing this in running shoes, this drill and many of the balance training drills can be done barefoot. Getting the athlete to connect their foot to the ground and not rely on the shoe to create stability.
In XC, conditioning is taken care of with the running but do you have any advice on overtraining or too much repetitive training? Any cross training ideas? For a whole team or an injured runner?
I am a firm believer in cross training, whether that is another sport in the off season, or training differently with strength training. But make sure the athlete has an off-season. This is important both physically and mentally. Biking and swimming are a great way to get in some active recovery after hard workouts or races. During the season you can also incorporate games to create a fun and inviting environment for the athletes. Ultimate Frisbee is a favorite with many teams!
How is working with young runners different than working with adults runners?
For young athletes it is extremely important to coach proper technique when you begin a strength program. The form and technique they use will carry over as they age. It is much easier to teach a new athlete proper technique then to have to change their technique later on.
With adults they typically have more aches and pains from either many years of running or from their current occupations. Most of the time you are working on the same problems that if addressed at a young age through strength training, may not have been a problem as they aged.
How would we as coaches progress our strength programs?
It can be as simple as adding weight or time to a weightlifting routine. As we touched on earlier, most teams don’t have much equipment, and this makes things more challenging than just increasing the weight. I would incorporate progression in your program by adding on to an exercise they have already learned. For example, a stationary lunge can progress into a reverse lunge and then into a walking lunge. Or while working on correct bracing with the dead bug, you transition to a bird dog and then into an elevated bird dog. All of these progressions happen when the athlete has mastered the initial exercise.
Can you suggest a warm up for a xc runner before training and racing?
I always make sure they get in mobility, activation, and dynamic stretching in a warm up. I typically start slower with a couple of mobility exercises, then 4-5 activation exercises varying in difficulty, next standard dynamic stretches getting the athletes moving, and finally I build up into a few more maximal running efforts. My goal is to get them warm, mobile, and working the correct muscle groups without getting them exhausted prior to a practice or race.
Here is a video of Haley Downey doing many of her suggested exercises:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f6ew9-WTlpaJWNNJgWmMqk1kINxA5Wg1/view?usp=sharing
Strength is built in the off season and maintained during the season. My #1 goal for in season training is for the athlete to stay healthy. Keep in mind that your newer runners may get stronger through the season but that is not the main objective. Gaining balance, working on technique, making sure they are staying mobile, and most importantly as the season wears on, making sure they stay mentally engaged. One simple way I keep them engaged is to switch up the warm-up routine on a regular basis. I don’t want the athlete to get complacent. Make sure they are constantly being challenged!
Runners need to be more flexible, more agile, and have a stronger upper body. What kind exercises would you give to a XC Team to help them develop these skills?
It is important for all athletes to be able to squat, bend, lunge, pull, push, anti-rotation, abdominal bracing, and carry. It is no different for runners. They need to be strong throughout their entire body. If a team is unable to get into a weight room, it doesn't mean they can’t still strength train. They can do body weight squats, double leg and single leg dead-lifts, different lunge variations, pull ups, push ups, pallof presses (http://www.stack.com/a/pallof-press), planks, and carries. Being creative is one of the best things about working with teams, you almost never have enough equipment for everyone to use or you have just a few simple pieces. Use your imagination, use medicine balls for stronger athletes on the squats, dead lifts, and lunges, use benches for those who struggle with push ups from the ground, find bike racks or a sturdy railing to do modified rows on, use a post as an anchor for a simple long band band for pallof presses, or have one athlete hold the band while the other presses. Find more fun and challenge planks for them to do over the standard crunches.
Injuries are always the fear and frustration of many coaches. What injury prevention tips can you give us for both new runners, and also more experienced, but still young runners?
Runners have to be strong and stable, especially on a single leg. Running is basically a lot of single leg balance as they go from leg to leg in their running stride. Because of this, runners experience up to seven times their body weight in force. With the high level of repetition in running, it is important to train the body to be able to absorb these forces. I like to do this with single leg balance drills, starting out with simple drills done in place working with the eyes open and closed. You can also add a partner, a small ball like a tennis ball, and the runners can play catch while working on a single leg. Something as simple as adding in runners touches to a warmup routine can make all the difference in stability and strength on a single leg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT31s0XaCZ8 To progress this I move it to a single leg skater balance (see video). This will have the athlete working on single leg balance, shifting from one leg to the other, while slowly progressing forward. As this movement becomes perfected and the athlete is proficient in technique, you can transition into a larger movement, a single leg jump and stick. This will take the previous exercise into a movement more similar to the impacts of running. The athlete will now jump into each landing working on maintaining position and absorbing the impact. In addition to doing this in running shoes, this drill and many of the balance training drills can be done barefoot. Getting the athlete to connect their foot to the ground and not rely on the shoe to create stability.
In XC, conditioning is taken care of with the running but do you have any advice on overtraining or too much repetitive training? Any cross training ideas? For a whole team or an injured runner?
I am a firm believer in cross training, whether that is another sport in the off season, or training differently with strength training. But make sure the athlete has an off-season. This is important both physically and mentally. Biking and swimming are a great way to get in some active recovery after hard workouts or races. During the season you can also incorporate games to create a fun and inviting environment for the athletes. Ultimate Frisbee is a favorite with many teams!
How is working with young runners different than working with adults runners?
For young athletes it is extremely important to coach proper technique when you begin a strength program. The form and technique they use will carry over as they age. It is much easier to teach a new athlete proper technique then to have to change their technique later on.
With adults they typically have more aches and pains from either many years of running or from their current occupations. Most of the time you are working on the same problems that if addressed at a young age through strength training, may not have been a problem as they aged.
How would we as coaches progress our strength programs?
It can be as simple as adding weight or time to a weightlifting routine. As we touched on earlier, most teams don’t have much equipment, and this makes things more challenging than just increasing the weight. I would incorporate progression in your program by adding on to an exercise they have already learned. For example, a stationary lunge can progress into a reverse lunge and then into a walking lunge. Or while working on correct bracing with the dead bug, you transition to a bird dog and then into an elevated bird dog. All of these progressions happen when the athlete has mastered the initial exercise.
Can you suggest a warm up for a xc runner before training and racing?
I always make sure they get in mobility, activation, and dynamic stretching in a warm up. I typically start slower with a couple of mobility exercises, then 4-5 activation exercises varying in difficulty, next standard dynamic stretches getting the athletes moving, and finally I build up into a few more maximal running efforts. My goal is to get them warm, mobile, and working the correct muscle groups without getting them exhausted prior to a practice or race.
Here is a video of Haley Downey doing many of her suggested exercises:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f6ew9-WTlpaJWNNJgWmMqk1kINxA5Wg1/view?usp=sharing
Building a Cross Country Team
Part 1, August 9, 2018
By
Melissa Hill and Charlotte Lettis Richardson
By
Melissa Hill and Charlotte Lettis Richardson
This article is about building a cross country team and the many details you need to think about as you plan your season. Part 2 will focus on planning your XC season. We will talk about workouts that are specific for pre-season, pre-competition, main competition, and championship competition.
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"What do you want to accomplish with your XC team? This is the first question you should ask yourself. If you are the head coach, you should write down your goals for your team, and share and ask for input from your coaching staff. This will be a key as you begin to plan your season. Think of these goals as a road map. As you plan your season, these goals will be the map you follow as coaches and team." |
Kids today! We worry that they spend too much time on their phones or gaming systems. We’ve read the alarming statistics on inactivity; so how do we encourage participation in something other than a screen? Cross Country is the perfect activity for runners of all abilities. If we build a Cross Country team and get them to join, how do we encourage a team atmosphere for these young runners? How do we get them to like the sport we love? How do we keep them coming to practice and races? And how do we encourage parents to help their kids learn and love the discipline our sport demands? We hope to provide a few answers to these questions.
Below is a simple "how to" build and maintain a cross country program. You could be building upon an already existing school program, or beginning from scratch at the middle school or youth and/or adult club levels. With planning, thoughtful preparation, and your love of running, a wonderful team opportunity for runners can be created. Making it fun, keeping it simple but appropriately challenging should be your goal. Running is a simple and pure form of sport, and anyone can be a runner. Remember that every athlete is important and worth your time as a coach. You will find that you will be the one inspired by what your cross country team can accomplish. Good luck and have fun!
Getting Started -
If you are lucky enough to get hired as a head coach at a high school, middle school, or youth or adult program that already exists, you are ahead of the game. You now have the opportunity to make the program yours, but still maintain the goals of the school or club. If you are starting from the beginning, there are several tasks you will need to accomplish.
Decide what age group you want to work with. At the high school level you will need to be hired by the A.D. or principal. Check the local high schools and see if they need an assistant coach, or even a head coach! If you are starting a program for club and youth levels, you will need to decide how to structure your program. Will you be a parks and recreation program, a school club, or a community club?
If you are working with school programs, contact the main office to find out the date of registration for the students. This is a great opportunity to set up a table with flyer's and registration information for students and parents to find out about the program and to sign up. Make sure you have several volunteers there to help meet the students and the parents, and to give them information about the cross country team.
Recruit knowledgeable coaches and helpers. They are the heart of your program. You will not succeed without a good staff. Find good people who are as passionate about running and coaching as you are. Your choice of staff will make or break the program. Find people who have similar goals. Make sure they are organized and on time. Coaching doesn’t make you rich, but it can make you happy!
Below is a simple "how to" build and maintain a cross country program. You could be building upon an already existing school program, or beginning from scratch at the middle school or youth and/or adult club levels. With planning, thoughtful preparation, and your love of running, a wonderful team opportunity for runners can be created. Making it fun, keeping it simple but appropriately challenging should be your goal. Running is a simple and pure form of sport, and anyone can be a runner. Remember that every athlete is important and worth your time as a coach. You will find that you will be the one inspired by what your cross country team can accomplish. Good luck and have fun!
Getting Started -
If you are lucky enough to get hired as a head coach at a high school, middle school, or youth or adult program that already exists, you are ahead of the game. You now have the opportunity to make the program yours, but still maintain the goals of the school or club. If you are starting from the beginning, there are several tasks you will need to accomplish.
Decide what age group you want to work with. At the high school level you will need to be hired by the A.D. or principal. Check the local high schools and see if they need an assistant coach, or even a head coach! If you are starting a program for club and youth levels, you will need to decide how to structure your program. Will you be a parks and recreation program, a school club, or a community club?
- Contact your local school or community recreational office to find out the procedure for setting up a running program/club. There are often coaching skills or information classes you will need to take before you can start. You will probably have a background check, and take a first aid class. The safety and well being of your athletes is of the utmost importance.
- Figure out how to reach your target audience depending on who it is - young athletes, joggers, adult runners through schools, clubs, or rec departments. School websites, local newspaper, posters, principals newsletter, etc. Get the information out well before your first practice.
If you are working with school programs, contact the main office to find out the date of registration for the students. This is a great opportunity to set up a table with flyer's and registration information for students and parents to find out about the program and to sign up. Make sure you have several volunteers there to help meet the students and the parents, and to give them information about the cross country team.
Recruit knowledgeable coaches and helpers. They are the heart of your program. You will not succeed without a good staff. Find good people who are as passionate about running and coaching as you are. Your choice of staff will make or break the program. Find people who have similar goals. Make sure they are organized and on time. Coaching doesn’t make you rich, but it can make you happy!
A success story - West Sylvan Middle School Cross Country Team
Interview with former Coach Melissa Hill - West Sylvan Middle School in Portland, OregonSome suggestions for where to find assistant coaches -
Make sure to search your community and local schools for existing running teams. Can you build upon what already exists? Can these established groups help you to set up your program? Always best to build upon rather than recreate!
Parent Meeting -
For all youth and young adult teams, a date should be set for a meeting with parents and student-athletes. Contact your area high school or middle school to reserve a space to hold the meeting. Reservations are usually taken either in the main office or with the AD. Check with the high school secretary to ask how to go about making this reservation.
Posters should be put up in all schools and Park and Recreational offices. An announcement should be put in the school bulletin or rec newsletter with the date of the first meeting and the first practice. Flyer's and registration forms should be left in the front office of each school or on their website. Same with rec. PE teachers should be notified and asked to make an announcement about the XC program in their classes. (Offer to do a "XC day" in their PE class to get more kids interested!)
At the XC parent and athlete meeting you will need to:
1 - Introduce yourself coaching staff ("Jill is a long distance runner who loves cross country and ran in college, Mike is a PT who would has a runner on the team and would love to help as a trainer during the season...").
2 - Present an overview of the program that includes goals and core values (This will be in Part 2 next week!).
3 - Go over the location, dates, and times of practice.
4 - Go over your calendar of races and their locations.
5 - Review with the parents and athletes your policies, rules, and expectations of behavior.
6 - Tell them to go to your website to see your Team Handbook. This will include the schedule of practices and meets, as well as the location and times. Team goals and Core Values can also be included. Include contact information for the coaches. Sign up for volunteer positions. We use Signup Genius. It's free! www.signupgenius.com
7 - Go over clothing and shoe suggestions. Fun to have a shoe store rep come in and talk about shoes.
8 - Go over basic nutrition and hydration. Nutritionist would be great! Handouts are helpful to parents so they know what kinds of foods and liquids are runner friendly and necessary.
9 - Talk about injury prevention and injury policy. A P.T. or Doctor could do this part.
10 - Ask for parent volunteers. www.signupgenius.com is a great site!
11 - Make sure all forms are filled out including medical forms, athlete information cards with contact information, Permission to carpool to meets. (All can be put online on the team website) Talk about any fees that will be collected. BUT make sure parents and athletes know that NO runner will be turned away for inability to pay. Think about setting up a scholarship fund for these athletes.
12 - Snacks and drinks for a social time so you can get to know parents, answer individual questions, and have the runners meet their teammates.
Adult Cross Country Team -
If you are working as a coach of adult athletes, it is always great to have a informational meeting to explain your goals and philosophy of coaching. this is also an opportunity to establish a good working rapport with your runners. A local restaurant or pub is a relaxed and fun way to get to know each other.
Setting goals for yourself, your coaching staff, and your team
What do you want to accomplish with your XC team? This is the first question you should ask yourself. If you are the head coach, you should write down your goals for your team, and share and ask for input from your coaching staff. This will be a key as you begin to plan your season. Think of these goals as a road map. As you plan your season, these goals will be the map you follow as coaches and team.
Important questions to ask -
-What do I want to accomplish as a coach this season?
-What do we want to accomplish as a team?
-How will we accomplish these goals?
-How will I know if I have accomplished these goals?
Once you have answered the above questions you can begin to map out how you want to approach your season. If your goals are to create a XC team for middle schoolers that is a positive, healthy,and fun experience you will know how you want to structure your practices. If your goal is to have a competitive high school team with both varsity and jv athletes, this will dictate how you train and race.
Ask each of your assistant coaches to set goals. Knowing that all of your goals are compatible is important. This is your job as a team leader/coach. Have a meeting with your staff to discuss their goals. Work together to make a plan to get there.
Each athlete should also have goals. Next week in Part 2 we will talk more about this and have a sample goal setting sheet for individual athletes. Kids like having direction and structure, and a goal sheet will help them focus on what they want to accomplish during their season.
The beginner athletes will need help with the goal sheet, but will enjoy setting realistic goals that they would like to accomplish.
More experienced runners will have more sophisticated and specific goals, but they should be encouraged to be realistic. It is best to make the goals less time oriented and more effort based. Example - rather than setting a goal of running 11:30 for 2 miles they should be encouraged to race competitively and focus on the effort. The times will come! For the beginner runner it may be as simple as finishing the race! There are goals for the whole season, goals for a specific race, and daily goals.
The First Day of Practice
The first day will be the hardest and most challenging, BUT if you organize and plan ahead, it will go smoothly!
Set the time and place for the first practice. Make sure you have collected emails for all the students and parents, and remind them several times about the location and time of the practice.
On the first day, have parent volunteers and coaches help to sign kids in, and to help register new kids. Have a table set up, pens and forms ready to go. As soon as the kids have signed in, send them to the "warm up " area to stretch and chat with friends. Keep a volunteer with this group and area. The kids who have not handed in their forms should not practice with the team. They can come to the team meeting and watch the practice, but not participate. This is important! You want to have all the paperwork completed and signed. This protects the child, the staff, and the program!
The first 5 minutes of practice should be a team meeting. Make it short and fun!! Introduce each of the coaches and have them say a FEW words. Call them "Coach Kathy or Coach Wilson" so the kids know how to address them. It is important to state a few simple goals for the season and for the practice. ("We are going to have fun, learn about running cross country, get in shape, and be a strong team." "Today's practice we will teach you how to warm up and we will look at your running form.") Every practice should start with a brief meeting to make announcements, talk about upcoming meets, and to state the goal and plan for the days workout. Just keep it brief!
Workouts should be organized and planned well before the season begins. You can always change if the circumstances change! The first few practices should be team oriented and focused on skills you want them to learn...dynamic warm up, stretching, drills, etc. It is important to let them know that each practice has a routine and structure so they know what to expect. Routines help kids know what your expectations are also!
Gather together right before the end of practice. Say a few encouraging words, and have the athletes create a team cheer for everyone to be a part of!
At the end of each practice the runners need to know they must check out before they go home. Make sure there is a sign out sheet. Give one of the coaches that responsibility. (If a child is missing, it is important that you know whether or not she or he signed out!) This is a good precedence to set especially when you start going to cross country meets.
A success story - West Sylvan Middle School Cross Country Team
Interview with former Coach Melissa Hill - West Sylvan Middle School in Portland, Oregon
West Sylvan Middle School was first in the city of Portland, Oregon to have a Cross Country Team. Melissa Hill has been a leader and innovator in youth running, building the successful West Sylvan program and keeping it fun, age appropriate and cool. Below are some tips and ideas from Coach Melissa to help you as you build your Cross Country program.
How did the XC team at West Sylvan Middle School get started?
I moved to Portland in 1997 and realized that sports weren't offered through school. My son enjoyed running and as I was a runner with collegiate experience, I wanted to promote a healthy lifestyle and early experience and passion for these youngsters.
Describe how the team is structured and functions...numbers, races,etc.
We started with the help of PE teachers and announcements at school. We had a large team the first year, around 55 runners. We participated in Portland Parks and Recreation XC meets, and USATF meets on Saturdays for our more serious runners.
How did you recruit volunteers and coaches to the program?
I had a few parents help, some were runners, some helped with apparel and planning, photography, etc. Portland is a great running community and there were lots of helping hands.
What was the toughest part about starting the XC program?
All the little details-paperwork for meets, messages to the parents, staying organized.
How involved was the school administration? How did you approach them in the beginning?
It helped having our middle school PE teacher enthusiastically supporting our program. Later on, the middle school principal also became a staunch advocate for our program.
What is your proudest accomplishment with the XC team?
That a majority of the runners still run years later and enjoy it! Many went on to run in high school and college, and are still running!
What has really worked with the XC program in terms of training?
We make the program FUN and progressive, everyone has a chance to work themselves into shape and work to achieve the success they desire.
What advice would you give a new team getting started?
Keep it simple!
How do you get kids involved and how do you keep them involved?
We talk a lot about what it means to be on a team, have team leaders for dynamic warm ups, elect team captains. For many athletes the social aspect of being on a team is the main reason they come out for XC. The team means so much to them, and the friendships they develop.
How has the program changed over the years?
The coach has become a bit more organized!
What is the most challenging part of working with middle schoolers?
I love it and don't perceive any problems, but some would say their attention spans. They are also growing rapidly and dealing with growth issues, and puberty is challenging for them.
What is the most fun part about working with middle schoolers?
Their energy!
How do you approach the competitive part of running cross country?
We work progressively in our training, and talk and work on competitive situations prior to our meets.
Do you have a favorite story or two to tell us about coaching West Sylvan?
Favorite-the scary stories come to mind-I had a runner who forgot his asthma inhaler and continued to run through an asthma attack and when he finished he was barely breathing-that was an unforgettable and terrifying moment.
Some favorite memories are of the wonderful young runners I have had the pleasure to know-to see them grow into such fine young adults. I remember three runners going on a 6 mile run and not coming back for hours-they had been eating blackberries!
Fast forward to 2018, now some of the very runners who started out in my program are now coaching for Runner2Runner! I love the full circle!
How do you get parents involved and what roles do they play?
We have a parent meeting each season and I ask for help at that time. I specify jobs that are needed with a job description. The website www.mailchimp.com is a good way to stay in touch with the parents, and www.signupgenius.com has a great sign up app for volunteers. Both are free!
How do you plan the workouts for the season and for each day?
I have a template that I use from year to year, but even more important is to assess your team-what kind of shape are they in, what is their running "age"? We are aware of weather and environmental factors at our practices.
Do you have any organizational secrets to running a large cross country team?
Try to anticipate questions from parents and runners, stay up on communication emails or notes at home, publish your schedule, and give reminders to your team about that schedule... constantly. And have a plan for each day. Be organized and well-staffed to make sure all athletes have a coach or two they can call their own!
Interview with former Coach Melissa Hill - West Sylvan Middle School in Portland, OregonSome suggestions for where to find assistant coaches -
- Former high school and collegiate athletes. They are great because they are still close to the sport, and the skills that are needed. And they have team experience!
- Athletes from local running clubs. Teachers and school staff.
- Parent volunteers - Parents are always wonderful in terms of support and help with tasks other than coaching. There are some parents who will do a great job as coaches. There are others who are coaching because they want to coach their own child. It is important to make sure all coaches are there for all kids. Unless you know that the parent coach can be detached and objective, it is wise to keep parents in volunteer non coaching positions.
Make sure to search your community and local schools for existing running teams. Can you build upon what already exists? Can these established groups help you to set up your program? Always best to build upon rather than recreate!
Parent Meeting -
For all youth and young adult teams, a date should be set for a meeting with parents and student-athletes. Contact your area high school or middle school to reserve a space to hold the meeting. Reservations are usually taken either in the main office or with the AD. Check with the high school secretary to ask how to go about making this reservation.
Posters should be put up in all schools and Park and Recreational offices. An announcement should be put in the school bulletin or rec newsletter with the date of the first meeting and the first practice. Flyer's and registration forms should be left in the front office of each school or on their website. Same with rec. PE teachers should be notified and asked to make an announcement about the XC program in their classes. (Offer to do a "XC day" in their PE class to get more kids interested!)
At the XC parent and athlete meeting you will need to:
1 - Introduce yourself coaching staff ("Jill is a long distance runner who loves cross country and ran in college, Mike is a PT who would has a runner on the team and would love to help as a trainer during the season...").
2 - Present an overview of the program that includes goals and core values (This will be in Part 2 next week!).
3 - Go over the location, dates, and times of practice.
4 - Go over your calendar of races and their locations.
5 - Review with the parents and athletes your policies, rules, and expectations of behavior.
6 - Tell them to go to your website to see your Team Handbook. This will include the schedule of practices and meets, as well as the location and times. Team goals and Core Values can also be included. Include contact information for the coaches. Sign up for volunteer positions. We use Signup Genius. It's free! www.signupgenius.com
7 - Go over clothing and shoe suggestions. Fun to have a shoe store rep come in and talk about shoes.
8 - Go over basic nutrition and hydration. Nutritionist would be great! Handouts are helpful to parents so they know what kinds of foods and liquids are runner friendly and necessary.
9 - Talk about injury prevention and injury policy. A P.T. or Doctor could do this part.
10 - Ask for parent volunteers. www.signupgenius.com is a great site!
11 - Make sure all forms are filled out including medical forms, athlete information cards with contact information, Permission to carpool to meets. (All can be put online on the team website) Talk about any fees that will be collected. BUT make sure parents and athletes know that NO runner will be turned away for inability to pay. Think about setting up a scholarship fund for these athletes.
12 - Snacks and drinks for a social time so you can get to know parents, answer individual questions, and have the runners meet their teammates.
Adult Cross Country Team -
If you are working as a coach of adult athletes, it is always great to have a informational meeting to explain your goals and philosophy of coaching. this is also an opportunity to establish a good working rapport with your runners. A local restaurant or pub is a relaxed and fun way to get to know each other.
Setting goals for yourself, your coaching staff, and your team
What do you want to accomplish with your XC team? This is the first question you should ask yourself. If you are the head coach, you should write down your goals for your team, and share and ask for input from your coaching staff. This will be a key as you begin to plan your season. Think of these goals as a road map. As you plan your season, these goals will be the map you follow as coaches and team.
Important questions to ask -
-What do I want to accomplish as a coach this season?
-What do we want to accomplish as a team?
-How will we accomplish these goals?
-How will I know if I have accomplished these goals?
Once you have answered the above questions you can begin to map out how you want to approach your season. If your goals are to create a XC team for middle schoolers that is a positive, healthy,and fun experience you will know how you want to structure your practices. If your goal is to have a competitive high school team with both varsity and jv athletes, this will dictate how you train and race.
Ask each of your assistant coaches to set goals. Knowing that all of your goals are compatible is important. This is your job as a team leader/coach. Have a meeting with your staff to discuss their goals. Work together to make a plan to get there.
Each athlete should also have goals. Next week in Part 2 we will talk more about this and have a sample goal setting sheet for individual athletes. Kids like having direction and structure, and a goal sheet will help them focus on what they want to accomplish during their season.
The beginner athletes will need help with the goal sheet, but will enjoy setting realistic goals that they would like to accomplish.
More experienced runners will have more sophisticated and specific goals, but they should be encouraged to be realistic. It is best to make the goals less time oriented and more effort based. Example - rather than setting a goal of running 11:30 for 2 miles they should be encouraged to race competitively and focus on the effort. The times will come! For the beginner runner it may be as simple as finishing the race! There are goals for the whole season, goals for a specific race, and daily goals.
The First Day of Practice
The first day will be the hardest and most challenging, BUT if you organize and plan ahead, it will go smoothly!
Set the time and place for the first practice. Make sure you have collected emails for all the students and parents, and remind them several times about the location and time of the practice.
On the first day, have parent volunteers and coaches help to sign kids in, and to help register new kids. Have a table set up, pens and forms ready to go. As soon as the kids have signed in, send them to the "warm up " area to stretch and chat with friends. Keep a volunteer with this group and area. The kids who have not handed in their forms should not practice with the team. They can come to the team meeting and watch the practice, but not participate. This is important! You want to have all the paperwork completed and signed. This protects the child, the staff, and the program!
The first 5 minutes of practice should be a team meeting. Make it short and fun!! Introduce each of the coaches and have them say a FEW words. Call them "Coach Kathy or Coach Wilson" so the kids know how to address them. It is important to state a few simple goals for the season and for the practice. ("We are going to have fun, learn about running cross country, get in shape, and be a strong team." "Today's practice we will teach you how to warm up and we will look at your running form.") Every practice should start with a brief meeting to make announcements, talk about upcoming meets, and to state the goal and plan for the days workout. Just keep it brief!
Workouts should be organized and planned well before the season begins. You can always change if the circumstances change! The first few practices should be team oriented and focused on skills you want them to learn...dynamic warm up, stretching, drills, etc. It is important to let them know that each practice has a routine and structure so they know what to expect. Routines help kids know what your expectations are also!
Gather together right before the end of practice. Say a few encouraging words, and have the athletes create a team cheer for everyone to be a part of!
At the end of each practice the runners need to know they must check out before they go home. Make sure there is a sign out sheet. Give one of the coaches that responsibility. (If a child is missing, it is important that you know whether or not she or he signed out!) This is a good precedence to set especially when you start going to cross country meets.
A success story - West Sylvan Middle School Cross Country Team
Interview with former Coach Melissa Hill - West Sylvan Middle School in Portland, Oregon
West Sylvan Middle School was first in the city of Portland, Oregon to have a Cross Country Team. Melissa Hill has been a leader and innovator in youth running, building the successful West Sylvan program and keeping it fun, age appropriate and cool. Below are some tips and ideas from Coach Melissa to help you as you build your Cross Country program.
How did the XC team at West Sylvan Middle School get started?
I moved to Portland in 1997 and realized that sports weren't offered through school. My son enjoyed running and as I was a runner with collegiate experience, I wanted to promote a healthy lifestyle and early experience and passion for these youngsters.
Describe how the team is structured and functions...numbers, races,etc.
We started with the help of PE teachers and announcements at school. We had a large team the first year, around 55 runners. We participated in Portland Parks and Recreation XC meets, and USATF meets on Saturdays for our more serious runners.
How did you recruit volunteers and coaches to the program?
I had a few parents help, some were runners, some helped with apparel and planning, photography, etc. Portland is a great running community and there were lots of helping hands.
What was the toughest part about starting the XC program?
All the little details-paperwork for meets, messages to the parents, staying organized.
How involved was the school administration? How did you approach them in the beginning?
It helped having our middle school PE teacher enthusiastically supporting our program. Later on, the middle school principal also became a staunch advocate for our program.
What is your proudest accomplishment with the XC team?
That a majority of the runners still run years later and enjoy it! Many went on to run in high school and college, and are still running!
What has really worked with the XC program in terms of training?
We make the program FUN and progressive, everyone has a chance to work themselves into shape and work to achieve the success they desire.
What advice would you give a new team getting started?
Keep it simple!
How do you get kids involved and how do you keep them involved?
We talk a lot about what it means to be on a team, have team leaders for dynamic warm ups, elect team captains. For many athletes the social aspect of being on a team is the main reason they come out for XC. The team means so much to them, and the friendships they develop.
How has the program changed over the years?
The coach has become a bit more organized!
What is the most challenging part of working with middle schoolers?
I love it and don't perceive any problems, but some would say their attention spans. They are also growing rapidly and dealing with growth issues, and puberty is challenging for them.
What is the most fun part about working with middle schoolers?
Their energy!
How do you approach the competitive part of running cross country?
We work progressively in our training, and talk and work on competitive situations prior to our meets.
Do you have a favorite story or two to tell us about coaching West Sylvan?
Favorite-the scary stories come to mind-I had a runner who forgot his asthma inhaler and continued to run through an asthma attack and when he finished he was barely breathing-that was an unforgettable and terrifying moment.
Some favorite memories are of the wonderful young runners I have had the pleasure to know-to see them grow into such fine young adults. I remember three runners going on a 6 mile run and not coming back for hours-they had been eating blackberries!
Fast forward to 2018, now some of the very runners who started out in my program are now coaching for Runner2Runner! I love the full circle!
How do you get parents involved and what roles do they play?
We have a parent meeting each season and I ask for help at that time. I specify jobs that are needed with a job description. The website www.mailchimp.com is a good way to stay in touch with the parents, and www.signupgenius.com has a great sign up app for volunteers. Both are free!
How do you plan the workouts for the season and for each day?
I have a template that I use from year to year, but even more important is to assess your team-what kind of shape are they in, what is their running "age"? We are aware of weather and environmental factors at our practices.
Do you have any organizational secrets to running a large cross country team?
Try to anticipate questions from parents and runners, stay up on communication emails or notes at home, publish your schedule, and give reminders to your team about that schedule... constantly. And have a plan for each day. Be organized and well-staffed to make sure all athletes have a coach or two they can call their own!
Building a Cross Country Team (part 2)
In part two we will talk about workouts that are specific for pre-season, pre-competition, main competition, and championship competition. The WRCC will help you look at your season as a whole, and then use your season goals to break it down into manageable phases, planning the right workouts at the right time!
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"When I was a competitive runner, I was impressed by the coaches who had a plan. They knew what workouts to give me exactly when I needed them. As I became more experienced as an athlete, and then as a young coach, I began to decipher the “magical” talent some coaches had. I saw that each year should be broken up into segments that addressed the type of training needed for cross country, indoor and outdoor track. I saw the focus and planning that went into each competitive season. And within each season, I understood how it was broken into phases that addressed the workouts needed to make me run my very fastest in the championship races. It was a series of building blocks. Each phase build upon the one before it, finally reaching the championship part of the season." |
One of the most important tools you have as a coach is the pre-planning of your season. This tool will give you a road map to follow to achieve your training and racing goals for your XC season. As you head into this season you need to ask yourself several important questions. What are my goals for training and racing for the team? What kind of athletes do I have on my team? Where do I want to be at the end of the season? And finally, how do I get there? You will then be ready to make a Plan or Periodization Chart that will map out your season ahead.
Sadly, it is not uncommon for a coach to decide on a workout as she or he steps onto the field. It is also not unusual for coaches to repeat the same workouts over and over again throughout the season without building in any progression. Some experienced coaches have a workout template they use every year, only changing the dates for the new year. But to get the most out of your season, it is important to take into consideration the athletes you have, the races you will run, and the many workouts opportunities you have available. Learn all there is to know about the multitude of brilliant methods and philosophies. Incorporate them into your training bag of tricks. Take the time to look at the ideas and methods other coaches are using. See if they might help you reach you coaching goals for your cross country season.
(Books to inspire - Training for Young Distance Runners by Larry Greene and Russell Pate, Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor and Michelle Hamilton, Daniel's Running Formula by Jack Daniels, Running to the Topby Arthur Lydiard, The Bowerman System by Chris Walsh (Out of Print but try and find!), Joan Benoit Samuelson's Running for Women by Joan Benoit Samuelson and Gloria Averbuch)
When I was a competitive runner, I was impressed by the coaches who had a plan. They knew what workouts to give me exactly when I needed them. As I became more experienced as an athlete, and then as a young coach, I began to decipher the “magical” talent some coaches had. I saw that each year should be broken up into segments that addressed the type of training needed for cross country, indoor and outdoor track. I saw the focus and planning that went into each competitive season. And within each season, I understood how it was broken into phases that addressed the workouts needed to make me run my very fastest in the championship races. It was a series of building blocks. Each phase build upon the one before it, finally reaching the championship part of the season.
What the WRCC would like to do is help you look at your season as a whole. From there, break it down into manageable parts that focus on what workouts need to be completed when, and understanding why.
Below is a very basic chart that puts a season into four basic phases. Pre-Season/Summer, Pre-Competition, Early Competition, and Main Competition. Other phases can be added depending on your needs (Post Season, Recovery, etc). It is for you as a coach to create a plan that will help you to see the season as a whole, and then break it down into parts that focus on specific types of training for each phase. This visual aid is helpful to your assistant coaches, and your athletes, especially your varsity athletes. It helps them understand why you are asking them to to do certain workouts at specific times.Once you have put your season into a chart, you can then begin to break each phase into weeks, individual workouts, and races.
I have used a fictional team to help you understand this process. Remember you will customize your Plan or Periodization Chart for your use and your team. By knowing your goals for each phase of the season and putting in each of the races your team will participate in, you have a training map of how to plan your season. It is quite simple!
Sadly, it is not uncommon for a coach to decide on a workout as she or he steps onto the field. It is also not unusual for coaches to repeat the same workouts over and over again throughout the season without building in any progression. Some experienced coaches have a workout template they use every year, only changing the dates for the new year. But to get the most out of your season, it is important to take into consideration the athletes you have, the races you will run, and the many workouts opportunities you have available. Learn all there is to know about the multitude of brilliant methods and philosophies. Incorporate them into your training bag of tricks. Take the time to look at the ideas and methods other coaches are using. See if they might help you reach you coaching goals for your cross country season.
(Books to inspire - Training for Young Distance Runners by Larry Greene and Russell Pate, Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor and Michelle Hamilton, Daniel's Running Formula by Jack Daniels, Running to the Topby Arthur Lydiard, The Bowerman System by Chris Walsh (Out of Print but try and find!), Joan Benoit Samuelson's Running for Women by Joan Benoit Samuelson and Gloria Averbuch)
When I was a competitive runner, I was impressed by the coaches who had a plan. They knew what workouts to give me exactly when I needed them. As I became more experienced as an athlete, and then as a young coach, I began to decipher the “magical” talent some coaches had. I saw that each year should be broken up into segments that addressed the type of training needed for cross country, indoor and outdoor track. I saw the focus and planning that went into each competitive season. And within each season, I understood how it was broken into phases that addressed the workouts needed to make me run my very fastest in the championship races. It was a series of building blocks. Each phase build upon the one before it, finally reaching the championship part of the season.
What the WRCC would like to do is help you look at your season as a whole. From there, break it down into manageable parts that focus on what workouts need to be completed when, and understanding why.
Below is a very basic chart that puts a season into four basic phases. Pre-Season/Summer, Pre-Competition, Early Competition, and Main Competition. Other phases can be added depending on your needs (Post Season, Recovery, etc). It is for you as a coach to create a plan that will help you to see the season as a whole, and then break it down into parts that focus on specific types of training for each phase. This visual aid is helpful to your assistant coaches, and your athletes, especially your varsity athletes. It helps them understand why you are asking them to to do certain workouts at specific times.Once you have put your season into a chart, you can then begin to break each phase into weeks, individual workouts, and races.
I have used a fictional team to help you understand this process. Remember you will customize your Plan or Periodization Chart for your use and your team. By knowing your goals for each phase of the season and putting in each of the races your team will participate in, you have a training map of how to plan your season. It is quite simple!
Once you have your season broken into phases, like above, it is easy to begin to plan the workouts for each week.
Here is an example - We are looking at the #2 Phase - Pre-Competition of the Plan or Periodization Chart and week #1 of the 3 weeks.
Phase # 2 - Pre-Competition
Focus is on conditioning, longer intervals for endurance and strength, hills, starting to talk about racing tactics and skills, tempo runs, and some race pace intervals of medium length (400 - 800)
Week 1 - August 13 - August 19
Monday - 8/13
Medium Run (MR) of 30 - 45 minutes with Dynamic Warm up (DWU) and 4 - 6 X 100 meter strides at the end. Strength and core
Tuesday - 8/14
Normal stretching and warm up.
10 minute warm-up for all
1 - 2 sets of (4,3,2,1 minutes) (4 minutes @ 80 - 85% effort, recovery 2 minutes, 3 minutes at 85% effort w/ 2 minute recovery, 2 minutes at 85-90 % effort with 1 minute recovery, 1 minute quick and smooth) 2 minutes recovery. Do same for 2nd set. Cool down 10 minutes. 4 X 150 meter strides. JV and younger runners should do less according to their fitness and ability.
Wednesday - 8/15
Recovery Run (You can carry on a conversation!) of 25- 50 minutes depending on fitness level
Strength and core
Thursday - 8/16
Normal stretching and warm up. Jog another 5-8 minutes.
On a measured loop do some version of the following depending on fitness level
2 X 1200 meters with each 400 progressively faster (tempo to 5K race pace (RP), 3 minutes active recovery between 1200’s, 1 X 800 @ 5K RP (Date Pace - DP), 2 minutes recovery, 2 X 400 quick and smooth with 2 minutes between.
Friday - 8/17
Easy Medium Run (MR) of 30 - 45 minutes
4 X 200 meter strides working on form (on grass if possible)
Strength and Core work
Game or some sort of team building
Saturday - 8/18
Long Run (LR) - EASY
Everyone try and go 5 - 10 minutes more than last Saturdays LR
45 - 70 minutes
Foam Roll and Stretching
Sunday - 8/19 OFF
One day off each week is important for recovery, both physical and mental
Athletes - Make sure you know the start time of your race. Work backwards about 45-60 minutes to begin your warm up.
Warm up with a 10-15 minutes easy jog.
Find a flat, open surface (if possible) for your Dynamic Exercises. Mark out about 30 meters.
Begin with the slower dynamic exercises and finish with the more active dynamic exercises.
Dynamic Warm up - 30 meters
In and out feet - (Feet and toes inward and gently reach down to touch toes, walk a few steps, feet and toes outward and gently reach down to touch your toes.)
Toe walks
Heel walks
Hamstring Stretch - (gently pull your knee towards your chest, grabbing hold behind the knee and lifting up)
Quad Stretch - (keep the foot flexed and grab your ankle behind your back. Keep thigh aligned with the hip)
Hip flexor stretch - (James Bonds)
Over and Under Hurdles - (Imagine your self a mime! Step over the hurdle and duck under the hurdle)
Runners Touch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-SoCqdR1x8
Prisoner Walks - Hands behind your head, back straight and tall, lift knee up and down, lift same knee to the side and down. Take a few steps and do the other side.
Karaoke or grapevine - Arms out to side wide, right leg goes behind left leg and then behind right leg. Stay facing the same direction and come back - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euYH7H-I76c
"A" Skip and "B" Skip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFGw5pTcUl4
4-6 x 75 meter Progressive Strides
Time your warm up to finish the strides right as they call you to the starting line! Have fun and run fast!
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Melissa Hill talks with Adrienne Langelier, Sport Psychology Consultant, about competitive anxiety, fear of failure or success, overly involved parents, goal setting and much more...
"There are a few things I suggest coaches implement in their interactions with athletes re: race anxiety: First and most basic - remind them that what they’re experiencing is completely normal. Even the world’s best deal with pre-race nerves or anxiety - I know this first hand because a pro runner once told me this at a major marathon!" |
We've all been there, as performers and coaches of performers; you've got a big competition coming up and you've got to strike the right balance between nervous energy vs. nerves. How do you channel your performer to excellence?
One of my most vivid memories from college is standing at the start line, thinking that I would keel over from anxiety. Once the gun went off, I was ok, but before that, not so much!
Can we help our performers find a way to channel nerves and find focus and calmness prior to competition? We went to an expert to help us answer a few of the questions on the challenges we face on a daily basis. - Melissa Hill
One of my most vivid memories from college is standing at the start line, thinking that I would keel over from anxiety. Once the gun went off, I was ok, but before that, not so much!
Can we help our performers find a way to channel nerves and find focus and calmness prior to competition? We went to an expert to help us answer a few of the questions on the challenges we face on a daily basis. - Melissa Hill
Adrienne Langelier, MA, LPC, is a counselor and sport psychology consultant with offices in The Woodlands and College Station, TX. She has served as a counselor on the Houston Methodist Willowbrook Sports Medicine and Performance Fellowship and has extensive experience working with adolescents and adults along the continuum of mental health through peak performance. She works with clients of all backgrounds and interests and enjoys working with athletes dealing with anything from off the field difficulties to peak performance.
She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors Degree from Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Sam Houston State University. Adrienne has nearly a decade of experience using a host of research-based and effective techniques to move those she works with toward their goals, but emphasizes forming a unique partnership with every individual she works with.
She has contributed to and been featured in top publications including The Huffington and The Washington Posts and is a featured contributor in Olympian Kara Goucher’s book ‘Strong: A Confidence Journal’. Adrienne also enjoys speaking to organizations and groups on athlete mental health awareness and intervention and has experience assisting in mental health continuing education curriculum development for the Board of Certification of Athletic Trainers. A lifelong athlete, Adrienne pairs her experience with her work to help each individual become the best version of themselves. When not working with clients, writing, or presenting, she regularly trains and competes as a distance runner in the Greater Houston area. Adrienne is a 3x Boston Marathon Qualifier and has experience racing at the USA Cross Country Championships and Half Marathon Championships.
For more info, contact adrienne.langelier@gmail.com
Twitter: @alangelier
FB www.facebook.com/LangelierSPC
On the web: langelierspc.com
She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors Degree from Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Sam Houston State University. Adrienne has nearly a decade of experience using a host of research-based and effective techniques to move those she works with toward their goals, but emphasizes forming a unique partnership with every individual she works with.
She has contributed to and been featured in top publications including The Huffington and The Washington Posts and is a featured contributor in Olympian Kara Goucher’s book ‘Strong: A Confidence Journal’. Adrienne also enjoys speaking to organizations and groups on athlete mental health awareness and intervention and has experience assisting in mental health continuing education curriculum development for the Board of Certification of Athletic Trainers. A lifelong athlete, Adrienne pairs her experience with her work to help each individual become the best version of themselves. When not working with clients, writing, or presenting, she regularly trains and competes as a distance runner in the Greater Houston area. Adrienne is a 3x Boston Marathon Qualifier and has experience racing at the USA Cross Country Championships and Half Marathon Championships.
For more info, contact adrienne.langelier@gmail.com
Twitter: @alangelier
FB www.facebook.com/LangelierSPC
On the web: langelierspc.com
There is a fine line between anxiety or nervousness that enhances OR inhibits performance; how do we as coaches help our athletes find the balance for a successful outcome?
This is such a common issue and it can even vary much from athlete to athlete depending on context: how big the race, perceived quality of training, etc. There are a few things I suggest coaches implement in their interactions with athletes re. race anxiety: First and most basic - remind them that what they’re experiencing is completely normal. Even the world’s best deal with pre-race nerves or anxiety - I know this first hand because a pro runner once told me this at a major marathon! Once they know they are not alone in their experience, I recommend helping the athlete shift their perspective towards the event; framing it as something challenging versus something threatening. The rationale behind that is that when humans are typically approached with a challenge, they are likely to move toward it. When something is seen as threatening or beyond their capacity, we often see hesitation.
Coaches often work with athletes who have a fear of failure; what can coaches do to help athletes overcome this fear?
The first thing I would recommend is to help them clearly define what success means to them. Another mechanism coaches can use is to help the athlete set a range of goals, such as a range of finish times (ex. A 3:30-3:40 Marathon, etc.) and incorporate ‘process goals’ for races and big workouts. Some examples of process goals are: starting on pace or finish on empty, use positive self-talk, etc. Giving athletes helpful reminders to set who they are apart from what they do is also a good thing for coaches to remind athletes of. Lastly, helping an athlete understand that failure is part of becoming a better athlete and an opportunity to learn cannot be emphasized enough. When an athlete comes into my office after an unsatisfactory performance, I encourage them to reframe failure into something they can use instead of a way to judge oneself and their abilities.
Additionally, how do you help athletes who have a fear of success?
This is a trickier one! Setting shorter term goals for these athletes to help them experience “little wins” along the way and get used to the way it feels to make progress. Asking an athlete about past achievements and positive experiences may help foster a more favorable response. One thing I find in runners is the belief that they can only run “so fast”, and tend to get fearful if they push to certain paces they are actually capable of running. Getting them to see paces as just numbers or if you suspect someone isn’t performing to their potential, perhaps experiment or have them experiment training without a watch and by effort. Just like dealing with fear of failure, a coach can never reinforce enough that running in the big picture does not define the athlete.
I think every coach has encountered an involved parent who simply wants the best for his/her athlete but ends up hindering them, either through competitive anxiety (wanting to please parents with outcome) or unrealistic expectations of the athlete’s ability or outcome. Do you have any advice for coaches in balancing a parent’s expectations with realistic goals for said athletes?
The first thing that pops into my head is to build it into team policy and what I mean by that is to set the expectation and clearly define the roles of the athlete, coach, and parent in the youth sport context. Parents are a support role, providing the basics of transportation, etc. and have the opportunity to encourage their athlete. Good coaches communicate some guidelines for dealing with success and failure, such as not discussing for an amount of time or praising effort and ‘showing up’ over results. Coaches provide the structure, instruction, and feedback. They also are in a great position to make a difference by encouraging their athletes, regardless of their talent or standing on the team. The athletes, it’s ultimately up to them how hard they choose to work. When all three entities are at least in some degree of congruence, good things can happen. Notice how the emphasis on effort on all fronts and enjoying the sport no matter what the level rings true here. Back to the guidelines or expectations, this can be done in meeting or letter format, and I recommend regularly checking in with athletes to determine if any levels of pressure exist. Also, I like to tell coaches that at the end of the day, they can only control so much - it is ultimately up to the athlete and their family to draw boundaries.
Do you have suggestions on how to help an athlete who is “burned out” or athlete who has past success but currently struggling?
If possible, find a way to help them find or reconnect with their “why” for doing the sport and remind the athlete that ups and downs are common and may help them grow. De-emphasizing results (see a theme here?!) and setting some short-term, realistic goals is often helpful. I encourage athletes who are dealing with setbacks or lack of success to “be where their feet are” and work from there, not past results. To be honest, I’ve experienced both burnout and being “victimized by past success” in my own running and found to take where I currently am and make steps from there. If necessary, discussing the option of time off or changing events/races/distances to spice things up may also be helpful, as is investing in other parts of themselves outside of running.
How do you manage a group of athletes who have different motivations, fears, and hopes?
Good question! First, the coach needs to realize that everyone has a different story and a different ‘why’ for what they do. If it is a team situation, I suggest having a talk early in the season to work towards a common goal or objective. Typically, if discussed collaboratively, groups of athletes can find ways to come together. Keeping open communication and listening to athletes is important as well - remind them that they are free to discuss concerns and ideas and acknowledge them accordingly, and initiate consideration to an athlete’s viewpoint. Communication and building relationships are key to understanding whom you’re working with and creates some cohesion in settings even when not everyone’s viewpoints completely align. Realize as a coach, you have the ability to set guidelines you think are best for the team and trust your training, experience, and instincts - if athletes feel that they are at least ‘heard’, the likelihood of buy-in to a program typically increases.
This is such a common issue and it can even vary much from athlete to athlete depending on context: how big the race, perceived quality of training, etc. There are a few things I suggest coaches implement in their interactions with athletes re. race anxiety: First and most basic - remind them that what they’re experiencing is completely normal. Even the world’s best deal with pre-race nerves or anxiety - I know this first hand because a pro runner once told me this at a major marathon! Once they know they are not alone in their experience, I recommend helping the athlete shift their perspective towards the event; framing it as something challenging versus something threatening. The rationale behind that is that when humans are typically approached with a challenge, they are likely to move toward it. When something is seen as threatening or beyond their capacity, we often see hesitation.
Coaches often work with athletes who have a fear of failure; what can coaches do to help athletes overcome this fear?
The first thing I would recommend is to help them clearly define what success means to them. Another mechanism coaches can use is to help the athlete set a range of goals, such as a range of finish times (ex. A 3:30-3:40 Marathon, etc.) and incorporate ‘process goals’ for races and big workouts. Some examples of process goals are: starting on pace or finish on empty, use positive self-talk, etc. Giving athletes helpful reminders to set who they are apart from what they do is also a good thing for coaches to remind athletes of. Lastly, helping an athlete understand that failure is part of becoming a better athlete and an opportunity to learn cannot be emphasized enough. When an athlete comes into my office after an unsatisfactory performance, I encourage them to reframe failure into something they can use instead of a way to judge oneself and their abilities.
Additionally, how do you help athletes who have a fear of success?
This is a trickier one! Setting shorter term goals for these athletes to help them experience “little wins” along the way and get used to the way it feels to make progress. Asking an athlete about past achievements and positive experiences may help foster a more favorable response. One thing I find in runners is the belief that they can only run “so fast”, and tend to get fearful if they push to certain paces they are actually capable of running. Getting them to see paces as just numbers or if you suspect someone isn’t performing to their potential, perhaps experiment or have them experiment training without a watch and by effort. Just like dealing with fear of failure, a coach can never reinforce enough that running in the big picture does not define the athlete.
I think every coach has encountered an involved parent who simply wants the best for his/her athlete but ends up hindering them, either through competitive anxiety (wanting to please parents with outcome) or unrealistic expectations of the athlete’s ability or outcome. Do you have any advice for coaches in balancing a parent’s expectations with realistic goals for said athletes?
The first thing that pops into my head is to build it into team policy and what I mean by that is to set the expectation and clearly define the roles of the athlete, coach, and parent in the youth sport context. Parents are a support role, providing the basics of transportation, etc. and have the opportunity to encourage their athlete. Good coaches communicate some guidelines for dealing with success and failure, such as not discussing for an amount of time or praising effort and ‘showing up’ over results. Coaches provide the structure, instruction, and feedback. They also are in a great position to make a difference by encouraging their athletes, regardless of their talent or standing on the team. The athletes, it’s ultimately up to them how hard they choose to work. When all three entities are at least in some degree of congruence, good things can happen. Notice how the emphasis on effort on all fronts and enjoying the sport no matter what the level rings true here. Back to the guidelines or expectations, this can be done in meeting or letter format, and I recommend regularly checking in with athletes to determine if any levels of pressure exist. Also, I like to tell coaches that at the end of the day, they can only control so much - it is ultimately up to the athlete and their family to draw boundaries.
Do you have suggestions on how to help an athlete who is “burned out” or athlete who has past success but currently struggling?
If possible, find a way to help them find or reconnect with their “why” for doing the sport and remind the athlete that ups and downs are common and may help them grow. De-emphasizing results (see a theme here?!) and setting some short-term, realistic goals is often helpful. I encourage athletes who are dealing with setbacks or lack of success to “be where their feet are” and work from there, not past results. To be honest, I’ve experienced both burnout and being “victimized by past success” in my own running and found to take where I currently am and make steps from there. If necessary, discussing the option of time off or changing events/races/distances to spice things up may also be helpful, as is investing in other parts of themselves outside of running.
How do you manage a group of athletes who have different motivations, fears, and hopes?
Good question! First, the coach needs to realize that everyone has a different story and a different ‘why’ for what they do. If it is a team situation, I suggest having a talk early in the season to work towards a common goal or objective. Typically, if discussed collaboratively, groups of athletes can find ways to come together. Keeping open communication and listening to athletes is important as well - remind them that they are free to discuss concerns and ideas and acknowledge them accordingly, and initiate consideration to an athlete’s viewpoint. Communication and building relationships are key to understanding whom you’re working with and creates some cohesion in settings even when not everyone’s viewpoints completely align. Realize as a coach, you have the ability to set guidelines you think are best for the team and trust your training, experience, and instincts - if athletes feel that they are at least ‘heard’, the likelihood of buy-in to a program typically increases.
"De-emphasizing results and setting some short-term, realistic goals is often helpful. I encourage athletes who are dealing with setbacks or lack of success to “be where their feet are” and work from there, not past results."
- Adrienne Langelier, Sport Psychology Consultant
Advice from experienced coaches on how to deal with stress
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Coaching is a complicated and challenging career, and doing what you love has so many rewards. Each season brings new potential. The possibilities of the athletes and their team, the creation of new and better workouts, the potential of successful racing and the satisfaction of an athlete fulfilling his or her goals is exhilarating.
Years ago when I took an introductory coaching class I vividly recall one of the lecturers warning us about the dangers of coaching and its impact on family life. This coach was recently divorced and he warned us of the downside of coaching. He talked about the long hours that cut into family time, and its strain on marriages and partnerships. I remember being embarrassed for the man. I was a young coach and so it hardly registered. I was ready to begin my seasons of winning! The darker side of coaching was not yet in my sights. What I saw ahead was doing what I loved and knew so well--coaching runners. Nothing could be better.
Many of these coaching dreams have come true. I have worked with successful athletes and teams. I have felt the incredible connection between coach and athlete. I have loved every minute I have spent coaching. But within those experiences there has been a shadow side that has changed me as a coach and a person. It has made me want to look for solutions to help better cope with all that coaching is. As an older coach the relationship I have with coaching has matured. The many facets of coaching are about much more than coaching athletes. In hindsight I would not have changed being a coach, but I would have changed how I approached my coaching responsibilities.
Coaches of professional teams deal with a very different kind of stress having to do with winning and money. Their worth as a coach is based on a win/loss record. Keeping their job means they must win most of the time. Track and field and cross country high school and some college coaches deal with a different kind of stress. Many of the pressures are about creating the best training to allow athletes to compete at their very best. Additionally we worry about injuries and burnout. We deal with overly involved parents, or absent parents. We try to develop well -trained athletes who are confident and competitive. We work with sports psychologists to train our athletes to be less nervous and to race to their optimum. But who helps us? Who coaches the coaches to be confident, positive, and relaxed during the season?
As I prepare for the upcoming cross-country season, I am determined to find solutions to the stress I experience in my work. I want to enjoy the rewards but minimize the pressures. The research about stress in coaching is sparse. Much of it has to do with professional coaches and the pressures of winning and money. Most of the research is about athletes coping with anxiety and stress, and how coaches can help them.
Many of us are former competitors and we bring that competitiveness into our coaching work. To be honest one of the reasons we coach is that unique and strong competitive drive. We worry about doing the right workouts, or doing too much or too little. We stress about athlete injury. We deal with difficult parents and the emotions of our athletes. We worry about reaching our team goals. We hope our athletes will reach their season goals. We can control so little of these worries. Much of it is out of our control.
I sent an email to a group of coaching friends to see if I could ascertain what their stresses were, and how they deal with them. Below are the questions and answers I received. I summarized some of it, but I encourage you to read all of the answers below. It is really good advice and information.
Years ago when I took an introductory coaching class I vividly recall one of the lecturers warning us about the dangers of coaching and its impact on family life. This coach was recently divorced and he warned us of the downside of coaching. He talked about the long hours that cut into family time, and its strain on marriages and partnerships. I remember being embarrassed for the man. I was a young coach and so it hardly registered. I was ready to begin my seasons of winning! The darker side of coaching was not yet in my sights. What I saw ahead was doing what I loved and knew so well--coaching runners. Nothing could be better.
Many of these coaching dreams have come true. I have worked with successful athletes and teams. I have felt the incredible connection between coach and athlete. I have loved every minute I have spent coaching. But within those experiences there has been a shadow side that has changed me as a coach and a person. It has made me want to look for solutions to help better cope with all that coaching is. As an older coach the relationship I have with coaching has matured. The many facets of coaching are about much more than coaching athletes. In hindsight I would not have changed being a coach, but I would have changed how I approached my coaching responsibilities.
Coaches of professional teams deal with a very different kind of stress having to do with winning and money. Their worth as a coach is based on a win/loss record. Keeping their job means they must win most of the time. Track and field and cross country high school and some college coaches deal with a different kind of stress. Many of the pressures are about creating the best training to allow athletes to compete at their very best. Additionally we worry about injuries and burnout. We deal with overly involved parents, or absent parents. We try to develop well -trained athletes who are confident and competitive. We work with sports psychologists to train our athletes to be less nervous and to race to their optimum. But who helps us? Who coaches the coaches to be confident, positive, and relaxed during the season?
As I prepare for the upcoming cross-country season, I am determined to find solutions to the stress I experience in my work. I want to enjoy the rewards but minimize the pressures. The research about stress in coaching is sparse. Much of it has to do with professional coaches and the pressures of winning and money. Most of the research is about athletes coping with anxiety and stress, and how coaches can help them.
Many of us are former competitors and we bring that competitiveness into our coaching work. To be honest one of the reasons we coach is that unique and strong competitive drive. We worry about doing the right workouts, or doing too much or too little. We stress about athlete injury. We deal with difficult parents and the emotions of our athletes. We worry about reaching our team goals. We hope our athletes will reach their season goals. We can control so little of these worries. Much of it is out of our control.
I sent an email to a group of coaching friends to see if I could ascertain what their stresses were, and how they deal with them. Below are the questions and answers I received. I summarized some of it, but I encourage you to read all of the answers below. It is really good advice and information.
Summary -
- Stay in close contact with your past coaches.
- Create great support systems with other coaches, parents and AD’s.
- Find a mentor.
- Never stop learning about your craft. Read, read, read and talk to other coaches.
- Be open to new ideas.
- Find great assistant coaches and let them use their skills.
- Delegate!
- Prepare, prepare, prepare.
- Believe in preparation. The time and effort you put in will produce something special.
- The better prepared you are, the more you will have confidence in your coaching. This equates to less stress during the season!
- Be confident.
- Believe in yourself and what you are doing.
- Have a philosophy. What do you believe in as a coach?
- Set goals for yourself. Have your staff and your athletes set goals.
- Be really positive on meet day. The athletes pick up on your stress and nervousness.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself.
- Your best is enough.
- Try to unplug at home and be present.
- Take time for yourself.
- Take care of your health. Get your running (or other exercise) in too!
- Slow down.
- Breathe! Be calm.
- Have fun! Coaching is fun!
Question 1 - Do you feel stressed during the track and field or xc season? If so, what are those stresses and how do you deal with them?
Coach #2 (High School Coach)
Whether I was coaching high school or collegiately, I had no more stress during our seasons than I did in the off seasons. In all of my coaching jobs I have been blessed with great support systems whether it was head coaches, fellow coaches or parents volunteering to help. These people assisted me to even out whatever my stress was over the whole year. If some unforeseen issue arrives, I always use my mantra of remaining calm and problem solving. My father was a great role model for this (he helped to develop the stealth bomber—talk about stress!). He found that keeping calm in the face of adversity, whatever it was, gave you clear vision and helped you to be a better problem solver. Watching him definitely influenced my way of dealing with stress, coaching or otherwise!
Coach # 3 (High School Coach)
My biggest stressor during the season is my battle with kids and parents who don't read the handbook when it comes to our rules and expectations. I am constantly worried that I won't apply consistent discipline. I also stress about the application of discipline. My biggest struggles have been with overbearing parents who want their child/children to be involved with the team but don't want to live by team rules.
Coach # 4 (High School Coach)
I feel stress most when a big competition is approaching, and the preparation is mostly complete—I feel anxious about all the things that I cannot control that will come up. No matter how well I as a coach have prepared the athlete, it is time for her or him or them to execute. That makes me nervous.
Coach # 1 (High School Coach)
My greatest stress is working full-time as a teacher with 180 students + coaching. It means I work weekdays from 7 AM - 10 PM with maybe 1-2 hours off for cooking dinner and cleaning the kitchen. Then often I have a meet on a Saturday. While I do love coaching, the season is a tiring time for me.
Parents can be a big stress too. For all, I remind myself to stay focused on my overall coaching goals.
Coach # 5 (Club Coach)
I coach roadrunners year round, and yes, I get stressed occasionally. The athletes' stress and nerves can get to you as a coach and needs to be managed. I also worry and get concerned about how well they're taking care of themselves (rest, fuel, hydration, etc.) But I have a solid process for organizing the workouts, regular check-ins with all, and honest dialogue with high maintenance athletes.
Coach # 6 (Volunteer High School Coach)
No, I didn’t really feel stressed during the season but I did feel excited for our runners during their races. I acknowledge that I was far removed from the head coach role but I could see the stress that was often involved during big events on our Head Coach, and I tried to offer help her when I could, if it was just listening.
Coach #7 (Volunteer High School Coach)
Being a volunteer coach who is only there a couple days a week, I don't feel the stresses with practice. It's actually a relief for me. A way to find something I love. It does cause stress within my family and marriage because of being gone in the evenings and weekends. It has put a lot more on my husband's plate. But we have had many talks about how much happier I have been because of coaching. He sees it and honors it but it's still hard. For that reason I work really hard at planning babysitters to give him time. He isn't one to plan ahead so I schedule babysitters without always asking him. Then he has time, even if its just to go for a Mt. Bike ride or to the record store. Giving him time away from our kids and time for him. Or on weekends encouraging him to golf and do what he loves. Knowing that during this season we won't see each other as much but we can both find happiness.
Coach # 8 (Club Coach)
I would say the stress results from too many balls in the air. For me, I deal with 200 volunteers and 3 training programs with 2,000+ participants per year. I help the club put on events. I also help organize the Masters Team. I also do media as the "face of the training" for the club.
With the team the stress is from:
- athletes not buying in
- athletes not doing what is expected from the club (volunteering/event/etc) and then their lack of effort gets directed at me
- athletes being injured
- athletes not performing what we think they should
Coach # 9 (High School Coach)
Definitely. (Do you feel stressed during the season?) I think it is part of the game. You put in a lot of work with the kids and you want it to work out for them. They typically equal the amount of work that we as coaches put in so you want a positive experience for them. I deal with them by reflecting back on what we've done up to that point and knowing that we've taken care of all the little things. As a coach if you believe you put them in the best position to succeed, than that is all that you can ask for.
Coach # 10 (Private High School Coach)
YES...(Do you feel stressed during the season?) All of the details to manage, kids' emotions, and my family life.
Coach # 11 (Middle School, High School, and Club Coach)
Yes! (Do you feel stressed during the season?)
Making sure the right athletes have the right workouts at the right time.
Making sure athletes are taking in proper nutrition, hydration, and rest. Huge for high school athletes
I have a spreadsheet where I track everything. It gives me a sense of control- as much as I can!
- Stay in close contact with your past coaches.
- Create great support systems with other coaches, parents and AD’s.
- Find a mentor.
- Never stop learning about your craft. Read, read, read and talk to other coaches.
- Be open to new ideas.
- Find great assistant coaches and let them use their skills.
- Delegate!
- Prepare, prepare, prepare.
- Believe in preparation. The time and effort you put in will produce something special.
- The better prepared you are, the more you will have confidence in your coaching. This equates to less stress during the season!
- Be confident.
- Believe in yourself and what you are doing.
- Have a philosophy. What do you believe in as a coach?
- Set goals for yourself. Have your staff and your athletes set goals.
- Be really positive on meet day. The athletes pick up on your stress and nervousness.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself.
- Your best is enough.
- Try to unplug at home and be present.
- Take time for yourself.
- Take care of your health. Get your running (or other exercise) in too!
- Slow down.
- Breathe! Be calm.
- Have fun! Coaching is fun!
Question 1 - Do you feel stressed during the track and field or xc season? If so, what are those stresses and how do you deal with them?
Coach #2 (High School Coach)
Whether I was coaching high school or collegiately, I had no more stress during our seasons than I did in the off seasons. In all of my coaching jobs I have been blessed with great support systems whether it was head coaches, fellow coaches or parents volunteering to help. These people assisted me to even out whatever my stress was over the whole year. If some unforeseen issue arrives, I always use my mantra of remaining calm and problem solving. My father was a great role model for this (he helped to develop the stealth bomber—talk about stress!). He found that keeping calm in the face of adversity, whatever it was, gave you clear vision and helped you to be a better problem solver. Watching him definitely influenced my way of dealing with stress, coaching or otherwise!
Coach # 3 (High School Coach)
My biggest stressor during the season is my battle with kids and parents who don't read the handbook when it comes to our rules and expectations. I am constantly worried that I won't apply consistent discipline. I also stress about the application of discipline. My biggest struggles have been with overbearing parents who want their child/children to be involved with the team but don't want to live by team rules.
Coach # 4 (High School Coach)
I feel stress most when a big competition is approaching, and the preparation is mostly complete—I feel anxious about all the things that I cannot control that will come up. No matter how well I as a coach have prepared the athlete, it is time for her or him or them to execute. That makes me nervous.
Coach # 1 (High School Coach)
My greatest stress is working full-time as a teacher with 180 students + coaching. It means I work weekdays from 7 AM - 10 PM with maybe 1-2 hours off for cooking dinner and cleaning the kitchen. Then often I have a meet on a Saturday. While I do love coaching, the season is a tiring time for me.
Parents can be a big stress too. For all, I remind myself to stay focused on my overall coaching goals.
Coach # 5 (Club Coach)
I coach roadrunners year round, and yes, I get stressed occasionally. The athletes' stress and nerves can get to you as a coach and needs to be managed. I also worry and get concerned about how well they're taking care of themselves (rest, fuel, hydration, etc.) But I have a solid process for organizing the workouts, regular check-ins with all, and honest dialogue with high maintenance athletes.
Coach # 6 (Volunteer High School Coach)
No, I didn’t really feel stressed during the season but I did feel excited for our runners during their races. I acknowledge that I was far removed from the head coach role but I could see the stress that was often involved during big events on our Head Coach, and I tried to offer help her when I could, if it was just listening.
Coach #7 (Volunteer High School Coach)
Being a volunteer coach who is only there a couple days a week, I don't feel the stresses with practice. It's actually a relief for me. A way to find something I love. It does cause stress within my family and marriage because of being gone in the evenings and weekends. It has put a lot more on my husband's plate. But we have had many talks about how much happier I have been because of coaching. He sees it and honors it but it's still hard. For that reason I work really hard at planning babysitters to give him time. He isn't one to plan ahead so I schedule babysitters without always asking him. Then he has time, even if its just to go for a Mt. Bike ride or to the record store. Giving him time away from our kids and time for him. Or on weekends encouraging him to golf and do what he loves. Knowing that during this season we won't see each other as much but we can both find happiness.
Coach # 8 (Club Coach)
I would say the stress results from too many balls in the air. For me, I deal with 200 volunteers and 3 training programs with 2,000+ participants per year. I help the club put on events. I also help organize the Masters Team. I also do media as the "face of the training" for the club.
With the team the stress is from:
- athletes not buying in
- athletes not doing what is expected from the club (volunteering/event/etc) and then their lack of effort gets directed at me
- athletes being injured
- athletes not performing what we think they should
Coach # 9 (High School Coach)
Definitely. (Do you feel stressed during the season?) I think it is part of the game. You put in a lot of work with the kids and you want it to work out for them. They typically equal the amount of work that we as coaches put in so you want a positive experience for them. I deal with them by reflecting back on what we've done up to that point and knowing that we've taken care of all the little things. As a coach if you believe you put them in the best position to succeed, than that is all that you can ask for.
Coach # 10 (Private High School Coach)
YES...(Do you feel stressed during the season?) All of the details to manage, kids' emotions, and my family life.
Coach # 11 (Middle School, High School, and Club Coach)
Yes! (Do you feel stressed during the season?)
Making sure the right athletes have the right workouts at the right time.
Making sure athletes are taking in proper nutrition, hydration, and rest. Huge for high school athletes
I have a spreadsheet where I track everything. It gives me a sense of control- as much as I can!
Question 2 - What advice would you give to other coaches in dealing with stress?
Coach # 9 (High School Coach)
Trust your training and what you've done up to that point. If you don't believe in it, how can you expect the kids to believe in it (in your training). Be really positive on meet day regardless of buildup; the kids will feed off of that.
Coach # 2 (High School Coach)
Prepare, prepare, prepare! The best advice I ever got was to spend time learning how to coach (in my case from the 800m on up to the marathon). Read up on the latest research, pick coaches’ brains that you admire, and then mesh it all into how you are going to coach your athletes, whatever level. The better prepared you are, the more you have confidence in your coaching, which equates to less stress during your seasons. The great thing about this is your confidence is reflected in how your athletes perform—if you’re confident, it is contagious with your athletes as well, again, leading to less stress for all involved.
Coach # 10 (Private High School Coach)
I try to take time to myself when I can. I want to be a coach for the rest of my life so I need to have balance. A quiet run by myself, a pedicure, etc.. Anything to give myself a treat and help keep me balanced so I can be the best coach, parent and person I can be.
Coach # 3 (High School Coach)
I wish I could give advice about how to manage the issue that gives me the most stress. I try to unplug at home and just be at home. Sometimes that's tough. For others who stress about the X's and O's my best advice for dealing with those stresses is to adopt a philosophy about running somewhere along these lines: We get better as runners during recovery, not during workouts. It is harder to do wrong with more recovery than it is to do right with less. Err on the side of caution. Erring on the other side can lead to injury, under-performance, and disappointment.
Coach # 5 (Club Coach)
As a coach, you need to be self aware of your own emotional state, project confidence and calm to the team.
Coach # 11 (Middle School, High School, and Club Coach)
Keep monitoring your athletes, as that is all you can do. And remember they are the ones who have to perform. You bring them to competition prepared, and they do the rest. Athletes will sense your stress and take on an unnecessary burden. If coaches can stay relaxed and positive, athletes will be able to perform freely.
Coach # 1 (High School Coach)
I fundamentally want every person to have a sports experience as children and adults. I truly believe in the value of exercise and sports for overall health. I keep focused on that with everything I do. As I see more and more kids focusing on one sport, and more clubs making sports something that is a big expense for families, it keeps me dedicated to my dream of exercise for all. I fear that many of the people who will get the most out of high school sports, are losing access to them.
Coach # 4 (High School Coach)
The pre-competition jitters about having prepared well enough or what might happen on competition day, I just try to breathe and think positively, and believe in the preparation, and that the time and effort will produce something special. (And I like to tell athletes, being nervous and anxious is good energy that can make great things happen...and it means you care!)
As for the stress caused by parents or other significant people to the athlete, I try to minimize contact at the competition and steer athletes toward coaches and teammates for support.
Coach # 8 (Club Coach)
I had not taken care of myself for while. I now know I need to run at least 3 times a week or I don't feel good mentally or physically. And that is just 3-4 miles easy time.
Coach # 6 (Volunteer High School Coach)
Take good care of yourself so you can handle whatever comes your way. Have competent people that you can talk to and be sure to have the support of the school’s AD. Try to have a core group of parents that will help you when needed. Also, have a good knowledge of the dynamics of some of the potential problems athletes have both in the classroom and at home. This might be of help in a tense personality problem with an athlete.
Coach # 7 (Volunteer High School Coach)
I believe it is important to find your role on the team. Kind of like the athletes finding their role. See if you can identify to yourself how you best support the team and do that to the best of your ability. I am in a situation where I can only coach a couple of days a week. I am not the one who writes the workouts, manages the buses, schedule etc. so why put extra effort into those things when someone else is already doing a great job at it? My role has developed over time and I've become better at it because in my head I know how I can best support the team and how I can be the most beneficial. By nature, the athletes now come to me for certain things and other coaches for other things. I believe I've relieved some pressure off the head coach by taking my role and running with it. Also by doing this we have become a really great coaching team. And it definitely doesn't mean I do this in isolation. Communicating my ideas and getting new ideas from peers helps my practice evolve.
The other end of this, is the head coach has trusted me. It wouldn't work if he wasn't able to do this. He likes to manage things but he has let me run with it because he sees the benefits. It has to be a two way street. Both head and assistant coaches need to see the roles the coaches play and honor them. He still knows everything I'm doing, we discuss it so he is aware.
Question 3 - What books or articles could you suggest that helped you deal with your emotional strain or pressure in coaching that might be helpful to others?
Coach # 1 (High School Coach)
I stay in close contact with my past coaches. They are people I rely on to help me deal with the strain. I'm super grateful to how these coaches shaped my vision for sports and continue to support me. Also our current coaching team. We have fun together and enjoy working with kids. We have to always keep this at the forefront of what we are doing.
Andre Agassi's book Open was enlightening for me about how crazy sports can be and how it impacts people. I enjoy the Women's Running Coaches Collective Newsletter!
Coach # 2 (High School Coach)
I wish I had some magic book or article I used to help me deal with the strain of coaching. Mostly, I watched other coaches, good or bad, and tried to learn from them as much as possible. I don’t know anyone who stepped right into coaching and knows it all—most of the great coaches have years of experience. So find a mentor and be the best observer you can be!
Coach # 11 (Middle School, High School, and Club Coach)
Coach Bob Williams was such a great influence. (Williams Pace Calculator and one of the best middle and distance coaches in the US!)
And I don’t think I’ve read anything in particular. I do use my own competitive experience in coaching. Stay relaxed and focused.
Coach # 3 (High School Coach)
I'm not one for self-help books but I have read the book Mind Gym a few times. It has some good exercises for being mentally prepared for competition. Those same exercises can help a coach, too.
Coach # 4 (High School Coach)
I can’t single out a book or article, though Running with the Buffaloes was quite good. It was about a cross country preseason and season at U of CO, that got in depth with training, coaches, athletes, and many issues that came up in that season. Another great read was, Running with the Legends which was a compilation of interviews with prominent runners of the ‘70’s thru the 90’s, top level distance runner men and women from all over the world, who shared favorite workouts, their race prep and strategies, etc. Both books gave valuable insight into how to prepare for competitions physically and mentally, and both inspired my mindset as a coach, and both books dealt with stressful and difficult situations that come up when one is coaching and competing.
Coach # 5 (Club Coach)
Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz just to keep grounded.
I rely on my personal experiences, insights and learning from other athletes and coaches.
Coach # 8 (Club Coach)
For me, there have been books or apps about taking time for myself. Slowing down and not being so hard on myself. Not so much about coaching.
Coach # 10 (Private High School Coach)
Hmmm…Honestly I have not read any. I wish there were more books written by female coaches balancing similar priorities that I could relate to.
Coach # 9 (High School Coach)
I'm not sure I have any specific books but I would recommend talking to as many coaches as you can. I think what's helped me to become a better coach is getting in the ear of everyone that I can and asking lots of questions. That's the easiest way for me to learn.
Coach # 9 (High School Coach)
Trust your training and what you've done up to that point. If you don't believe in it, how can you expect the kids to believe in it (in your training). Be really positive on meet day regardless of buildup; the kids will feed off of that.
Coach # 2 (High School Coach)
Prepare, prepare, prepare! The best advice I ever got was to spend time learning how to coach (in my case from the 800m on up to the marathon). Read up on the latest research, pick coaches’ brains that you admire, and then mesh it all into how you are going to coach your athletes, whatever level. The better prepared you are, the more you have confidence in your coaching, which equates to less stress during your seasons. The great thing about this is your confidence is reflected in how your athletes perform—if you’re confident, it is contagious with your athletes as well, again, leading to less stress for all involved.
Coach # 10 (Private High School Coach)
I try to take time to myself when I can. I want to be a coach for the rest of my life so I need to have balance. A quiet run by myself, a pedicure, etc.. Anything to give myself a treat and help keep me balanced so I can be the best coach, parent and person I can be.
Coach # 3 (High School Coach)
I wish I could give advice about how to manage the issue that gives me the most stress. I try to unplug at home and just be at home. Sometimes that's tough. For others who stress about the X's and O's my best advice for dealing with those stresses is to adopt a philosophy about running somewhere along these lines: We get better as runners during recovery, not during workouts. It is harder to do wrong with more recovery than it is to do right with less. Err on the side of caution. Erring on the other side can lead to injury, under-performance, and disappointment.
Coach # 5 (Club Coach)
As a coach, you need to be self aware of your own emotional state, project confidence and calm to the team.
Coach # 11 (Middle School, High School, and Club Coach)
Keep monitoring your athletes, as that is all you can do. And remember they are the ones who have to perform. You bring them to competition prepared, and they do the rest. Athletes will sense your stress and take on an unnecessary burden. If coaches can stay relaxed and positive, athletes will be able to perform freely.
Coach # 1 (High School Coach)
I fundamentally want every person to have a sports experience as children and adults. I truly believe in the value of exercise and sports for overall health. I keep focused on that with everything I do. As I see more and more kids focusing on one sport, and more clubs making sports something that is a big expense for families, it keeps me dedicated to my dream of exercise for all. I fear that many of the people who will get the most out of high school sports, are losing access to them.
Coach # 4 (High School Coach)
The pre-competition jitters about having prepared well enough or what might happen on competition day, I just try to breathe and think positively, and believe in the preparation, and that the time and effort will produce something special. (And I like to tell athletes, being nervous and anxious is good energy that can make great things happen...and it means you care!)
As for the stress caused by parents or other significant people to the athlete, I try to minimize contact at the competition and steer athletes toward coaches and teammates for support.
Coach # 8 (Club Coach)
I had not taken care of myself for while. I now know I need to run at least 3 times a week or I don't feel good mentally or physically. And that is just 3-4 miles easy time.
Coach # 6 (Volunteer High School Coach)
Take good care of yourself so you can handle whatever comes your way. Have competent people that you can talk to and be sure to have the support of the school’s AD. Try to have a core group of parents that will help you when needed. Also, have a good knowledge of the dynamics of some of the potential problems athletes have both in the classroom and at home. This might be of help in a tense personality problem with an athlete.
Coach # 7 (Volunteer High School Coach)
I believe it is important to find your role on the team. Kind of like the athletes finding their role. See if you can identify to yourself how you best support the team and do that to the best of your ability. I am in a situation where I can only coach a couple of days a week. I am not the one who writes the workouts, manages the buses, schedule etc. so why put extra effort into those things when someone else is already doing a great job at it? My role has developed over time and I've become better at it because in my head I know how I can best support the team and how I can be the most beneficial. By nature, the athletes now come to me for certain things and other coaches for other things. I believe I've relieved some pressure off the head coach by taking my role and running with it. Also by doing this we have become a really great coaching team. And it definitely doesn't mean I do this in isolation. Communicating my ideas and getting new ideas from peers helps my practice evolve.
The other end of this, is the head coach has trusted me. It wouldn't work if he wasn't able to do this. He likes to manage things but he has let me run with it because he sees the benefits. It has to be a two way street. Both head and assistant coaches need to see the roles the coaches play and honor them. He still knows everything I'm doing, we discuss it so he is aware.
Question 3 - What books or articles could you suggest that helped you deal with your emotional strain or pressure in coaching that might be helpful to others?
Coach # 1 (High School Coach)
I stay in close contact with my past coaches. They are people I rely on to help me deal with the strain. I'm super grateful to how these coaches shaped my vision for sports and continue to support me. Also our current coaching team. We have fun together and enjoy working with kids. We have to always keep this at the forefront of what we are doing.
Andre Agassi's book Open was enlightening for me about how crazy sports can be and how it impacts people. I enjoy the Women's Running Coaches Collective Newsletter!
Coach # 2 (High School Coach)
I wish I had some magic book or article I used to help me deal with the strain of coaching. Mostly, I watched other coaches, good or bad, and tried to learn from them as much as possible. I don’t know anyone who stepped right into coaching and knows it all—most of the great coaches have years of experience. So find a mentor and be the best observer you can be!
Coach # 11 (Middle School, High School, and Club Coach)
Coach Bob Williams was such a great influence. (Williams Pace Calculator and one of the best middle and distance coaches in the US!)
And I don’t think I’ve read anything in particular. I do use my own competitive experience in coaching. Stay relaxed and focused.
Coach # 3 (High School Coach)
I'm not one for self-help books but I have read the book Mind Gym a few times. It has some good exercises for being mentally prepared for competition. Those same exercises can help a coach, too.
Coach # 4 (High School Coach)
I can’t single out a book or article, though Running with the Buffaloes was quite good. It was about a cross country preseason and season at U of CO, that got in depth with training, coaches, athletes, and many issues that came up in that season. Another great read was, Running with the Legends which was a compilation of interviews with prominent runners of the ‘70’s thru the 90’s, top level distance runner men and women from all over the world, who shared favorite workouts, their race prep and strategies, etc. Both books gave valuable insight into how to prepare for competitions physically and mentally, and both inspired my mindset as a coach, and both books dealt with stressful and difficult situations that come up when one is coaching and competing.
Coach # 5 (Club Coach)
Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz just to keep grounded.
I rely on my personal experiences, insights and learning from other athletes and coaches.
Coach # 8 (Club Coach)
For me, there have been books or apps about taking time for myself. Slowing down and not being so hard on myself. Not so much about coaching.
Coach # 10 (Private High School Coach)
Hmmm…Honestly I have not read any. I wish there were more books written by female coaches balancing similar priorities that I could relate to.
Coach # 9 (High School Coach)
I'm not sure I have any specific books but I would recommend talking to as many coaches as you can. I think what's helped me to become a better coach is getting in the ear of everyone that I can and asking lots of questions. That's the easiest way for me to learn.