Magness & Marcus on Coaching

Lactate, Anaerobic, Aerobic Threshold? What do any of them mean and are they useful training zones? In this episode Jon and Steve break down what in the world threshold actually means for coaches. In addition, we debate whether or not we should sped much time training at marathon pace or if it is a “grey” training zone. And finally, are you training threshold zone or are you training the quality that is the threshold? As is usual on the podcast, we go an entertaining tangent about overcoaching and creating athletes with the ability to improvise.   Resources mentioned during this episode: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle Stephen Seiller Interview- GAINcast Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahnemann Arthur Lydiard’s Running Training Schedules   Support the Podcast: High-Performance West–   Jon and Steve’s new platform to enhance coaching knowledge. Check out the Scholar program and the Scholar Supreme. Both offer insight and guidance on how to train runners and reach the highest level of performance. Peak Performance– Steve’s latest book. Now available on audible, which you can get for free with a 30-day free-trial. Share your thoughts with us on social media: High-Performance West Steve: Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube Jon: Twitter and Instagram Ways to Listen and Subscribe to the Podcast:  iTunes Stitcher via E-mail Youtube

  This week, we are all about winning! When it comes to racing, there are two kinds of racers: The active participants and the passive ones. 75% of the people in any track meet are simply role players. Even if they are fit enough to compete, they defer control of the race to the active…

  This week, we are all about winning! When it comes to racing, there are two kinds of racers: The active participants and the passive ones. 75% of the people in any track meet are simply role players. Even if they are fit enough to compete, they defer control of the race to the active participants, the 25% who take control. Control doesn’t mean leading necessarily, but it means that you are proactive and not reactive. You aren’t waiting for the move to be made. When competing, there are two steps that need to be taken. First, you need to be in the club. You have to be able to be in the race when the real racing occurs. What that means will differ depending on the level of competition, but what it means is that it doesn’t matter if you have a great kick or finish if you are 100 meters behind entering the final stretch of the race. The second step, once you’ve joined the club, is to figure out how to do something. Fitness gets you through step one. Tactics, mentality, and fine-tuning gets you to step two. In this episode, we go through the physical aspects, the mental game, and the tactics needed to compete at any level. We explain how to create the habit of giving everything you have, the importance of taking ownership and having control over what you do, and much more. Resources mentioned during this episode: Staring into each others eyes team activity 4×400 conference championship race with 800m anchor Sponsors: High-Performance West–   Jon and Steve’s new platform to enhance coaching knowledge. Peak Performance– Steve’s latest book. Now available on audible, which you can get for free with a 30-day free-trial. Share your thoughts with us on social media: High-Performance West Steve: Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube Jon: Twitter and Instagram Ways to Listen and Subscribe to the Podcast:  iTunes Stitcher via E-mail Youtube

This week, we welcome a very special guest and good friend, Alan Webb. As many of you know, Alan is the fastest American miler to ever walk the planet. He’s run the fastest mile in the 21st century. To reach that level, he and his coach at the time, Scott Razcko, had to break new…

This week, we welcome a very special guest and good friend, Alan Webb. As many of you know, Alan is the fastest American miler to ever walk the planet. He’s run the fastest mile in the 21st century. To reach that level, he and his coach at the time, Scott Razcko, had to break new ground. They were explorers, trying to bring the U.S. out of a period of time when we had few runners capable of competing at the highest level. In this episode, we go through the detailed workouts, a full day in Alan’s training life, and much more. Have you ever wondered what it took? This is the episode for you. Topics covered: * Alan’s entire workout routine during easy days, hard workouts, and pre-race. * His warm-up routine, plyos, strength training, drills, and the use of “Acc’s” * How Alan fooled everyone into thinking he was fast. * 20x 400 meters, closing in 50.1- Hear Alan walk us through one of the craziest workouts of all-time. * Alan’s strength training routine. * Why Alan used drills, plyos, and a short workout (2×200, 2×150, 2×120) the day before his main workout. * “There should be a purpose for everything you do in training.” * “Remember, the best way to get better at running is to run.” Frank Gagliano’s advice to Alan * Why Alan trained with a master’s swimming group in 2004-2005. * “Respect the work.”- The importance of recovery, and what Alan would change. * “Hit it!”- How Alan ingrained the ability to surge, which he discusses in relation to his 2007 victory at the Reebok Grand Prix to defeat Bernard Lagat.   Resources mentioned during this episode: Sub 4: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile Video of the 2007 Reebok Grand Prix The 3:46 mile American Record Thanks for listening, for more  thoughts on coaching, follow us on social media: High-Performance West Steve: Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube Jon: Twitter and Instagram Ways to Listen and Subscribe to the Podcast:  iTunes Stitcher via E-mail Youtube

This week, we have a special guest, Lauren Fleshman. Lauren is a modern day polymath, excelling as a runner, activists, entrepreneurs, business owner, and of course, a coach. In this episode, we dive into Lauren’s coaching. We can’t thank Lauren enough for bringing a fresh perspective and valuable insight to the podcast. My notebook is…

This week, we have a special guest, Lauren Fleshman. Lauren is a modern day polymath, excelling as a runner, activists, entrepreneurs, business owner, and of course, a coach. In this episode, we dive into Lauren’s coaching. We can’t thank Lauren enough for bringing a fresh perspective and valuable insight to the podcast. My notebook is filled with gems from this conversation. And more importantly, with actionable takeaways that I will utilize in my own coaching. Some of the notes include: * On the myth of the magic training schedule: “It’s not the program that was magical…it’s the program applied to me in that moment.” (20min into the conversation) * On giving feedback: “Tune into the athlete right in front of me, in this moment.” (26 minutes) * On the requirements of an athlete: “Show up, get the assignment, get it done, leave.” (34 minutes) * On the mental game: “Just because it’s in the mind, we don’t have to make it a huge deal…treat it like we would a strained hamstring.” (37 minutes) Other topics covered include * How she navigated the transition from elite athlete to elite coach. * What was it like running for Vin Lannana, Mark Rowland, and Terrance Mahon? * How did she decide what lessons to keep and what to discard from the world-class coaches she trained under? * How the “believe in yourself” mentality is a cop out for the coach. * The mixture of Art, Science, and what Lauren calls “woo-woo.” * How to deal with an athlete who is struggling with pressure, expectations, and stress. Resources mentioned during this episode: Endure by Alex Hutchinson Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor Lauren’s website PickyBars- Lauren’s Company     Thanks for listening, for more  thoughts on coaching, follow us on social media: High-Performance West Steve: Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube Jon: Twitter and Instagram Ways to Listen and Subscribe to the Podcast:  iTunes Stitcher via E-mail Youtube

This weeks episode is all about recovery! No, not ice baths, protein, compression boots, and all of that nonsense, but on how much recovery time should you take during workouts? Should I take three minutes between my mile repeats or four? Jogging or standing? How about some exercises in between? We delve into our own…

This weeks episode is all about recovery! No, not ice baths, protein, compression boots, and all of that nonsense, but on how much recovery time should you take during workouts? Should I take three minutes between my mile repeats or four? Jogging or standing? How about some exercises in between? We delve into our own models for determining the appropriate recovery times and styles for each workout. In this episode you’ll learn how we judge when an athlete is ready to go for the next repeat, why we sometimes insert moderate 100’s or 200’s in the middle of a workout to increase recovery, why your ability as a coach to predict when an athlete will hit their breaking point might be the most important thing for determining recoveries, and so much more. We hope you enjoy our dive into the minute details on recovery intervals. Thanks for listening, for more  thoughts on coaching, follow us on social media: High-Performance West Steve: Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube Jon: Twitter and Instagram Resources Mentioned: Run, Run, Run by Fred Wilt A Scientific Approach to Distance Running by Bernie Dare The Science of Winning by Jan Olbrecht Ways to Listen and Subscribe to the Podcast:  iTunes Stitcher via E-mail Youtube

              It’s time to talk the 5k. We cover everything, from how to approach the training of it (Is it a speed or endurance event? What’s the best type of intervals to improve your 5k?) to what the best race tactics are. In this sprawling conversation, we delve deep…

              It’s time to talk the 5k. We cover everything, from how to approach the training of it (Is it a speed or endurance event? What’s the best type of intervals to improve your 5k?) to what the best race tactics are. In this sprawling conversation, we delve deep into our experiences in racing and coaching the 5k. We also outline the day by day training of Natosha Rogers in the 3 weeks leading up to her 15:08 5k PR. If you are looking to run a fast 5k, or understand how to coach it, this episode is for you! Thanks for listening, for more  thoughts on coaching, follow us on social media: High-Performance West Steve: Twitter, Instagram and Youtube Jon: Twitter and Instagram Resources Mentioned: Run, Run, Run by Fred Wilt Subscribe and Listen on:  iTunes Stitcher via E-mail Youtube

In this episode, Jon and I delve into our coaching blunders with middle distance athletes. What mistakes did we make early on and what have we learned from them? Topics covered in this episode include We dive into the misconceptions on speed and power development. How we both messed up plyos when we first introduced…

In this episode, Jon and I delve into our coaching blunders with middle distance athletes. What mistakes did we make early on and what have we learned from them? Topics covered in this episode include * We dive into the misconceptions on speed and power development. * How we both messed up plyos when we first introduced them. * Why throwing “speed and fast stuff” at your miler is a typical panic move and doesn’t work. * Why we shouldn’t just “check the box” in training components. * How your world view (speed vs. endurance) tends to shape your training model and why we need to be cognizent of the other side. * The more models you have, the more options you have to apply them. Thanks for listening, for more  thoughts on coaching, follow us on social media: High-Performance West Steve: Twitter, Instagram and Youtube Jon: Twitter and Instagram Other Resources Mentioned: Dr. Peter Weyand Paul Spangler Presentation- Power and Its Importance in Running Frank Horwill’s Training Speed Reserve work by Gareth Sandford Roger Bannister and Franz Stampfl’s 400m repeats Subscribe and Listen on:  iTunes Stitcher via E-mail Youtube

As promised, we’ve brought back NAU coach Mike Smith to give us insight on how his team won the NCAA Cross-Country Championships. As he did in our previous episode, Mike delivers numerous pearls of wisdom and shows how he has grown and evolved as a coach. He walks us through the week leading up to…

As promised, we’ve brought back NAU coach Mike Smith to give us insight on how his team won the NCAA Cross-Country Championships. As he did in our previous episode, Mike delivers numerous pearls of wisdom and shows how he has grown and evolved as a coach. He walks us through the week leading up to nationals, discussing the training and emotions, as well as taking us inside the team meetings. Some of the insights Mike covers are: * The Importance of Recharging throughout the season and at the end of the year. * “If you can’t be great, be good”- Why his runners don’t shoot for perfection. * Listen for silence- How silence tells you the emotional pulse of the team * Riding the Line- The importance of knowing where your limits are. * Why he doesn’t do big team meetings the night before the race * Why his runners did 10 miles two days out from the big meet. * “Make it about the work” * The importance of Muscle Tension and neuromuscular work in getting ready for a race. We’d like to thank Mike for his oppenness and willing to share. Thanks for listening, for more  thoughts on coaching, follow us on social media: Steve: Twitter and Instagram Jon: Twitter and Instagram Resources Mentioned: The Education of a Coach by David Halberstrom The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts Shop Class as Soul Craft by Matthew Crawford Subscribe and Listen on:  iTunes Stitcher via E-mail Youtube