A weekend learning from some of track and field’s greatest coaches was time well spent. Saturday I sat with friends and colleagues and absorbed as much information as possible in regard to training, planning, athlete psychology, and coach-athlete relationships. Here are only a few of the great parcels of info that were shared:
Margo Jennings (world renowned 800 and 1500m coach):
· ¾ of what she presented dealt with the mental/psychological/emotional side
· Four areas are vital to the making of a champion – Physical Preparation, mental strength, emotional control, attention to detail.
· So given similar genetic abilities, it is the mental prep side that makes the difference between a champion and also-ran
· Yoga utilized not only for physical purposes (control of tension – relaxation) but also for the breathing and mental aspects
· Massive use of positive talk, affirmations, goal setting along with intentional disturbances of the athlete’s prep to prepare them for any eventuality come game day
· 4 to 5 positive words are needed to counteract 1 negative word
Wynn Gmitroski (coach of recently retired 800m Canadian superstar Gary Reed)
· Almost purely physiological approach to 800m prep
· Maximum speed moderately low on the priority for 800m running however must have 47 sec or faster 400m to make a good 800 a reality
· Cycle through Intensity week, Volume week, Recovery week constantly through season. Recovery week is typically 50-75% of the average volume of the Intensity and Volume weeks
· Only 1 to 3 hard days per week through season, heavy emphasis on recovery modalities (hands on therapy as well as athlete self care)
· 3 to 6 weeks rest at the end of the season – athletes need 7 to 10 days off to feel how tired they actually are
· It may take 6 to 8 races to actually achieve top performance capability (races are important training)
Darren Treasure (Nike Oregon Project sports psychologist)
· 90% of communication is non-verbal and non-verbal messages are up to 16x more powerful than verbal ones
· Be conscious of how your energy as a coach affects the athletes – do you act tired, bored, angry, stressed – these will all be reflected by your runners
· Involve athletes in their planning/goal setting
· Provide a rationale for the type of work you are asking the athletes to complete
Alberto Salazar (Running Legend and coach – Nike Oregon Project)
· All coaches have the same ingredients, it’s just the mix that changes
· Aerobic, Long Runs, Tempo, Long intervals, Medium intervals, Short intervals – a program missing one of these components will not be optimal
· ALWAYS keep “Goal Pace” – i.e. goal race pace – in throughout the season but in varying amounts … one short interval workout per week early in the season to more extensive later on.
· Do as many aerobic miles per week as the athlete will tolerate – aerobic system needs sustained pressure to improve
· One long run is better than splitting the distance in two (on the same day) – more adaptations through more fatigue in the system
· Purpose of long intervals (efforts of 3 – 3:30) is to improve ability of body to tolerate threshold lactate
· 2x/year – 6 to 7 week blocks of very heavy training
· Alternating weeks – week 1: 2 x hard workouts, week 2: 3x hard workouts
All in all a well-run conference with great speakers. Strength and conditioning coaches are often weaker in the “conditioning” side so any opportunity to expand knowledge in this area should be taken. The information I gathered has already started to be utilized in the prep of my athletes, so that is a good thing!
Cam
