Coaching Distance Runners
From WikEd
Contents |
Descriptions and Definitions
The standard dictionary shows us that running is "to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step all or both feet are off the ground." However, the sport of distance running takes this idea to a level all its own. When people think of sports, their usually involves some level of running in that sport. To play that sport means that there may be running in it. When looking at the sport of distance running, there is no ulterior motive, no game to play, no other concept other than traveling an agreed upon distance and attempting to get yourself to the finish line faster than the other people.
Distance running as a sport in the American school system shows up in both the fall and spring under the names cross country and track. Cross country, at the high school level, involves a team of seven managing a 3 mile distance in an attempt to be as close together as possible. Scores are tabulated by the finishing places of each team's top five runners. Their place becomes the points that the team earns and the lowest team score wins. So the best way for a team to be successful has to do with making sure there are at least five athletes who can run well together and finish, not only close to each other, but also as close to the front of the race as possible.
The sport of track and field takes on a different set of circumstances because there are a variety of events such as jumping, throwing, and sprinting. But if we focus solely on distance running, there are about four distance running events which include: the 3200 meters (which is close to 2 miles), the 1600 meters (which is close to 1 mile), the 800 meters (which is about a half mile), and the 4x800 meter relay which involves four athletes each running 800 meters one at a time, handing off a baton to signify the exchange of the race to the next runner. In track, there are a predetermined amount of points designated for each place and the team with the most points is the winner.
Running, as a sport, isn't very complex. The difficulty lies in the training, the preparation, the ability to bring a team together, and the skill to motivate them. As a coach, there are three areas that must be developed in a runner in order to achieve success as an individual and a team:
The Body=the runner must have his/her body trained to the point that they have adapted to miles of training runs, speed, and endurance. This makes up only about 20% of a runner.
The Mind= the runner must have the knowledge to understand why they are doing what they are doing in order to get to a certain goal and then have the mental focus and confidence to see it through on race day. This makes up 35% of a runner.
The Heart= the runner must believe that he/she and the team they are running for will do their best and deserve to win the race. This is the most important piece of the puzzle because they can physically train their body and see on paper that they are the best, but if they don't truly believe it, they will never succeed. This makes up 45% of a runner.
It is the job of a coach to ensure that all three of these areas are developed in the athletes on that team so that together, they will all take part in ensuring a successful outcome.
Application in High School Athletics
At the high school level, it is important, as a coach, to give your athletes a place to belong, to be proud of, and to find success in. Given the right environment and administrative support, a high school distance running program can be the only high school sport that gives it's athletes the ability to train with the same team, under the same set of expectations, and with the same coach, for four years. These consistencies are the foundation for which a high school student can feel welcome and open to share ideas and be a committed part of. The typical adolescent, when uncomfortable, will have a difficult time finding his/her full potential. If an environment exists that allows for a certain level of comfort and comradery, the adolescent will tend to feel more free to be his/her self and in tern focus more on the task of running and racing.
Belief
Along with a feeling of comfort, the athlete must believe in the system. If an athlete doesn't believe in what they are doing in practice, they will never be able to achieve their full potential because they are always questioning their preparation. If they do not understand why they are doing something, they might not truly appreciate the benefits of what that activity can do for them. As a coach, it is important, that you convey that sense of confidence in what you are saying and doing. If you don't know what you are doing, you probably shouldn't be telling others to do it. At the high school level, they will pick up on a coach's lack of knowledge and insecurities and go into races not believing in what they are doing. However, having a basic plan, explaining to the runners why they are doing what they are doing, and exuding the confidence that you know what you are telling them is the way it must be in order to succeed will go a long way in building that belief and confidence in your runners.
Motivation
Finding ways to motivate the teenage runner to do, what is admittedly, a monotonous and, many times, arduous task is a major challenge. Motivation to see the training through is something that can be nurtured and reaching the successful outcome tends to help fuel the motivational fire. Part of coaching a team is giving the runners opportunities to set goals. These goals are what keeps each athlete in check and allows them to self assess throughout the course of the season, year, or whatever length of time they have set for themselves. Goals allow them to keep their interest alive and their interest allows them to stay motivated. People will engage in a learned activity more when they have a vested interest in it (Mayer 463). If a basic interest is not present in the runner, they will not be able to improve and find success, allowing them to continue to be interested. Most teenagers don't come to high school wanting to be runners. They will join the team because of a friend, because they want a challenge, or they realize that they can make a difference and be successful. A coach must be able to remind their athletes that the work they put in will bread success. This success is a motivational tool which can inspire them to find more success through harder work and continued dedication. In the end, success is fun and creating a nurturing environment that breads success, is the key to coaching high school runners.
Motivation can also be bread through awards. "Awards of all types are great motivators for young runners. They scrape and scratch to win them" (Newton 1998). Some programs will have t-shirts or patches for athletes who achieve certain standards. An athlete of the meet award is a great way to keep runners sharp and ready to give there all in order to be the one to earn the award. At the end of the season, along with Varsity and other letters, special awards are often given out to signify special achievements such as Most Improved, MVP, or Rookie of the Year. These types of recognitions can go a long way in promoting a positive and highly motivated running team.
Adversely, awards and recognition must also be dispersed throughout the individual runners on the team. "We must make sure to administer our recognition in a way that meets the needs of the (athletes), the rest of the team and the situation" (Morgan 43).If praise and attention is always focused on only the best and the brightest, then how will the lower-end individuals ever feel as if they deserve to be there? Pointing out the positives in every meet from a personal best time to how an individual may have passed a competitor at the right time on the track can go a long way to show adolescent athletes that what they do matters and there efforts are working. Whether it is the form of a tangible token or a simple high-five with a mention of what was done well, pointing out the positives in every individual will promote individual motivation and a greater team focus.
Consistency
Consistency in a runner's training is a major factor in finding one's true potential. Running is not a seasonal sport. To truly be able to improve, the runner has to run outside of just the traditional high school seasons of cross country and track. As a coach, it is important to be able to provide some level of consistency through winter and summer training. Opportunities to continue to run with the teammates they are friends with goes a long way to keeping that cohesive team as well as building a runner's strength and endurance. This way, when the season starts, they are prepared to take the next step as opposed to trying to catch up to where they left off at the end of the previous season. The human body is a remarkable system that can adapt to most anything given enough time. Any form of physical training is all about properly and patiently increasing the amount of stress to the body until it adapts at which time, the athlete can be gradually introduced to a higher level of stress (Vigil 2005). Creating an environment for this and expressing the importance of off-season training usually gives most of the athletes who want to, a place to stay involved and a way to continue the team chemistry. The most difficult part of this concept is getting high school athletes to understand that goals take time to achieve and it is not something that just happens overnight which brings us back to the importance of motivation. In a world where everything is instantaneous, running with a team teaches adolescents that things that are worth doing take time and with a strong work ethic, goals will be achieved.
Pride
To be proud of yourself and what you do is not an easy thing for an adolescent especially when they are involved in a sport that is not the most popular, people don't flock to see on a Friday night, and most people will never understand. This type of sport can tend to make outcasts of it's members in the eyes of the general student population or, with the right leadership, a coach can take advantage of the uniqueness and difficulty of the sport to build a unique sense of pride in the accomplishment of simply being on the team. Organizing unique and special clothing apparel that only they can get, is one way to make them proud of being on the team. When they wear the clothing and others want it, then they know that they are part of something special. Also getting them to realize that what they do takes a lot of strength and guts that most people are not confident enough to try. Because they don't rely on the big crowds, the major media attention, or the privilege of being on a well known sport, these teenagers need to be reminded that they are already doing an extremely difficult thing. And then to let them know that they run more in a week than most people will do in a year always builds up their confidence. As a coach, it is a key part of the training of the high school runner to build up their confidence so that they can walk the halls of the school proud of what they do and the work they put in, all wearing short running shorts.
Evidence of effectiveness
The first and most effective use of an interpretation of these ideals is the running dynasty of York High School. Head coach Joe Newton has built a running program from the ground up that is grounded in cultivating adolescent runners with "character." He has taken a program from the ground up, developing an environment where they feel comfortable to succeed and they step up to the challenge of his expectations resulting in more than 45 Illinois State and National titles in his tenure (Krider 2006).
Another example where these ideals have been utilized to great effectiveness is at Hoffman Estates High School where coach Kirk Macnider has built up a strong, confident, and united distance running program in only six years (Macnider 2009). As a coach, Macnider has created an environment where his runners feel welcome, comfortable, and motivated to succeed. Running has not only become an after school sport, it is a lifestyle.
Critics and their rationale
Why anyone would criticize an environment where adolescents can build confidence, learn goal setting, make friends, and stay healthy, I do not know however there has been criticism to the sport of distance running in general. Comments referring to the amount of running that is done, the distances, the time practices take, and the fatigue that runners may experience when training are common. Criticism also comes up when runners will ice or sit in an ice bath to aide in muscle recovery after a hard workout. No one questions when a football player needs to have his bruised shoulder iced or taped after every practice but if a runner needs to sit in an ice tub to help prevent injury, then something is wrong. Running is one of the most natural activities the human body can do. The human body was designed to run and since the dawn of time, humans have been doing just that for survival. Only in the last century have our cultural ideals shifted so that getting shoved, hit or smashed to the ground is okay but putting one foot in front of the other for an extended period of time is somehow unnatural. With patience and a little bit of effort anyone can run. The criticism of the sport comes when people get injured from trying it for only a short amount of time. Injuries like that tend to occur because people will take on more than their body is ready for. Anyone will break down trying to do something they are not used to. With proper training and a will to succeed, running can become as second nature as sitting on the couch in front of the television.
Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
As a coach of high school age runners, the diversity of talent, drive, self-determination, experience, home life, physical development, and emotional development are a constant. The coach needs to find a way to look past all of these things and focus on what the individual wants to get out of their time on the team. helping the athlete set goals that are both challenging yet possible with work, can help even the field a bit. Coach the individual person based on their own abilities focusing on the positives they bring, not the things they are not (Martens 2004).
Running as a sport draws in all types of people from different ability levels. The challenge as a coach is how to get everyone to find success and improve themselves. If this is your first priority, not winning, then more success will come. Success breads success, no matter how small it starts. Eventually, with enough motivation and positive attitude, the winning will happen too. But everyone can be successful in distance running, even if it means completing a run for the first time without stopping or only stopping twice instead of three times or finally breaking 4:20 in the 1600m. No matter how big or how small, success is possible. The development of that is where the coaching comes in.
Signed “life experiences”, testimonies and stories
Not exactly distance running, but a similar train of thought: Many of the athletes in our school compete because they enjoy the activity (chess, baseball, golf, track/cross country) and want to participate. The similarity to XC is in the discipline required: many of our teams aren't going to win championships and many of our students have "other" activities that are more rewarding ($$) or accepted (like gangs) - so the discipline required to commit to a team for several months is very similar to the discipline required to run for long distances. ~Patrick
This was a great article. I enjoyed it, I would only add that when I coach I am in it for the "long run". I want to instill in my runners the dedication and discipline to run throughout their life, not just in high school. I want them to enjoy running so much that in 10 years they are still running. Rewards on my team are personal and handed out daily. Greg Van Hoorn
References and other links of interest
Krider, David (2006, October 11). Newton's Self-Made Cross Country Dynasty. Retrieved May 7, 2009, from SI.com Web site: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/dave_krider/10/10/newton/index.html
Macnider, Kirk (2009). Mac's Pack: HEHS Girl's Distance Running. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from Mr. Macnider's Webpage Web site: http://www.hehs.d211.org/people/macniderkj/index1.html
Martens, Rainer (2004). Successful Coaching: Coaching Diverse Athletes. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from Human Kinetics Web site: http://www.humankinetics.com/SuccessfulCoaching/IG/chp_05.htm
Meyer, Richard E. (2003). Learning and Instruction. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Morgan, Matt (2000, September). Recognizing Individual Differences. Coach and Athletic Director, 70(2), 43-44.
Newton, Joseph (1998). Motivating Runners:excerpt from Coaching Cross Country Successfully. Retrieved May 11, 2009, from Human Kinetics Web site: http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showexcerpt.cfm?excerpt_id=3046
Vigil, Ph. D., Joe I. (2005). The Anatomy of a Medal. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from Cool runnings Web site: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/the-anatomy-of-a-medal.shtml
