Athletes who can train and compete are much more productive than athletes who are injured and can not compete for their team. As a coach I want to avoid injury if at all possible. A big part of my coaching philosophy is training to your full potential (or even more) while staying healthy and injury free. To do this I believe in smart training; working hard when able to and holding back when necessary. Sometimes less is more!

 

Track and field athletes (specifically runners) often think that running crazy volumes, training till exhaustion every day, and repeated high intensity with no break will make them better athletes. In reality this can be problematic because we are not physically mature enough and can't handle such high volumes and repeated intensities as high school athletes. In my 8 years of running I have seen many athletes get injured because they did more than what they were told to do. I do not tolerate this. I am here to make you better runners than when you showed up on the first day of practice. I have a plan and I expect my athletes to follow this plan. Please be patient and “trust the process” (Coach John).

 

All athletes are people, you are people before anything. As a student your day is filled with significant academic responsibilities and other extra-curriculars. Life can be very demanding and sometimes we may need a break. Mental health is very important. We need to take care of each other physically and mentally to ensure success. 

 

My mission is to train athletes to improve throughout the season while staying balanced physically and mentally. By listening and communicating their needs each day, athletes will see a difference, and with that difference they will gain a love for the sport they can do for a long time to promote a healthy lifestyle. 

 

Injuries and setbacks do happen. As an athlete it is your responsibility to look out for and report red flags like sharp pains, changes in form, and repeated pain to a coach. As a coach it is my job to learn about injuries and change training programs to reduce the likeliness of recurrence in other athletes or the same athletes.