Season 3 Archives - Page 4 of 5 - High School Running Coach

Paul Vandersteen – Bio and Key Workout

Paul Vandersteen – Neuqua Valley (IL)

Paul Vandersteen is the boys head cross country coach and boys track distance coach at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois. Coach Vandersteen’s teams have placed in the top ten in the Illinois State Meet the last eleven years, placing in the top 4 all but two of those years. His teams have won the State title three times, with his 2007 team winning the Nike Team National Championship. His 2016 team placed 5th at NXN. The Wildcats have competed in five Nike Cross Nationals meets. He coached current Nike runner, Chris Derrick, who was part of the 2007 team that won the national title. Coach Vandersteen recently started coaching track and field, with his

3200m relay winning the State title in 2016. Coach Vandersteen has recently been inducted into the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coach’s Hall of Fame.

Key Workout

Active warm up that includes leg swings, lunges, butt kicks, high knees, etc.

2 mile easy run followed by a couple strides

Spivey Workout: 30-35 minutes, alternating 100, 200, 300, 400, or 600 m reps of their choice with full recovery between.

I call this the Spivey Workout. After once talking to Olympian Jim Spivey about how he prepared for his best 1500 m on the track, he talked about doing faster running of his choice of distance while also ‘feeling fresh’ and ‘in tune with his body’. Therefore, I decided I wanted the athletes to ‘own the workout’ to replicate this as much as possible. I put guys in small groups (no more than four) of equal speed ability. I tell my athletes they must jog for recovery of at least 3 minutes if they choose to do a 400 or 600. Other distances require at least 2 minutes of recovery. I require them to do at least one 400 and one 600 during the workout, otherwise, they get to choose the distances and sequences they run. The pace is limited to one second per 400 m faster than mile race pace, no faster. It is important that guys are not matched by their best 3200 m time, for this criteria might include a runner that is more slow twitch and he will be forced to run too fast to keep up with stronger, faster runners. It is best to form the groups based on their best 800 or mile.

I do this workout fairly frequently in the track season, for it allows everyone from 3200 m runners to 800 m runners to do the same type of workout to match their needs. We will also do this during the cross country season as a rep workout. In the fall, I ask they do this on the grass, while using their watches to monitor distances and times. The goal of the workout is to provide some mechanical/neuromuscular work without a lot of anaerobic stress. It is a workout that can be followed by another moderate quality workout the next day that puts emphasis on the aerobic system. The third day following this sequence is definitely a recovery day.

2 mile cool down followed by some plyometric exercises such as burpees, lunges, frog hops, step-ups, etc.

by Jay Johnson

Andy Dalton – Bio and Key Workout

Andy Dalton – Carmel HS (IN)

Andy Dalton serves as the Head Coach for Carmel Girls Cross Country and the Asst. Coach (Distance) for Carmel Girls Track and Field. In one of the only remaining states with a single class system, Carmel Girls Cross Country has won 7 of the last 8 State Championships and 18 out of 37 Championships in the history of the state meet. The Carmel Girls team is a 7 time NXN Qualifier with 2 podium finishes. Individually, Carmel boasts 4 individual state champions and 4 Foot Locker finalists, 3 of which Andy has coached in the last 3 consecutive seasons.

Key Workout

Hollow 12’s

This workout is typically done mid to late season because it takes a decent level of aerobic fitness and strength to make it most effective. The primary purpose of this workout is to improve the athlete’s mental strength by simulating the perceived level of effort during a race and building her confidence by her ability to dictate the pace instead of being a victim to the pace of others or her own fatigue. Easiest to accomplish this workout on the track, but it is also possible to create ¼ mile loops on the grass if desired.

Warm up:

5 minute warm-up jog

Dynamic flexibility and muscle activation drills

10 – 15 minute run

Running workout:

5 x 1200m repeats with 3:00 rest

1^st 400m @ mile race pace (i.e. :80)

2^nd 400m @ mrp + :10 (i.e. :90)

3^rd 400m @ mrp (i.e. 80)

Cool Down:

10 – 15 minute run

Core Strength

Static Stretching

Notes:

Longer rest is important so that the athlete can fully experience the change of pace.
Goal is to make a conscious decision to slow down and speed up pace under stress.
Simulates racing mindset that is able to start fast, back off and then finish strong.
Most important to make the pace jumps, so back down the pace if unable to hit all 3
Teach the fact that they are not “victims” to how they feel or the pace of others

by Jay Johnson

Kim McConnell – Bio and Key Workout

Kim McConnell – Peak to Peak Charter School (CO)

Kim McConnell is the boys and girls head cross-country and track coach at Peak to Peak Charter School in Colorado. Previously she coached at Great Hills Christian School in Austin, TX and The Episcopal School (boys’ team), Houston, TX.

Kim’s highest goals for her student-athletes are that they would become well-rounded, happy, healthy, giving members of society. Her highest aim is to develop the whole person.

Athletically, Kim’s Great Hills boys won the TX State private school cross country championship (1997) and also hold the still standing TX Class 2A 4 x 400 meter relay record set in 1997. Her current Peak to Peak boys team most recently placed 3rd at the CO State 3A XC Championship.

Kim’s Peak to Peak girls XC team has been ranked as high as #1 nationally on RunnerSpace for small schools. Her most recent girls’ team is the two time defending State XC 3A champions (led in 2017 by a 1-2-3 sweep). In track they are the four-time defending 4 x 800 meter relay champions and currently hold the 3A All Time 4 x 8 record of 9:12.

Kim has coached two individual female NXN qualifiers including her daughter Quinn (All-American at NXN 2016) who has also raced the Brooks PR mile and was a member of the silver medal junior team at the World Mountain Running Championships (2017). In track, her athletes have won multiple state titles.

Key Workout

This is done in General and Specific Prep to build aerobic capacity.

First, “leg swings and hip things” (this is leg swings in all directions and then standing hip circles, forward and back). We are also going to add back the lunge matrix this year.

20 minute aerobic run/last 5 minutes “up tempo”

Full set of drills (Butt kicks, A’s, B’s, A’s with a huge hop, very fast feet running high knees, backwards running, ankle flips, straight leg bounding, karaoke step overs, side skipping) 2 x 20 meters each drill with short run out at end. Note – later in season once we have done a plyometric progression, we would add in bounding, bouncing, hopping, etc.

4 x 20 seconds, each one getting faster, jog recoveries between each. NOTE: on a warm day we might do H.I.T. which is 3 x 10 seconds flat out w/30 second floats between each.

This workout done on a 1 km flat loop or flat out/back (1 km each way).

Done continuously (i.e. no rest or jogs): 1k at current 5k race pace – 1k at 85-88% of vVO2 (% depending on where we are in the season) – 1k at 5k race pace – 1k at 85-88% – 1k faster than 5k pace (closer to 3k). Then, 1 minute rest. “Tag” 200. (I am mentored by Dr Joe Vigil who uses the term “tag”. It simply means a very very fast rep tacked on to the end of the session.)

Depending on how much mileage we want for the day, they’ll do 1-2 miles easy cool down.

We would follow this session with body-building type strength (i.e. overall full body strength work).

by Jay Johnson

Steve Schadler – Bio and Key Workout

Steve Schadler – Rio Rico (AZ)

Steve Schadler was a high school Millrose Games Mile champion and Penn Relays 1500 meter champion in 1984. He then attended Stanford University to run for Brooks Johnson and eventually the Reebok Aggies. In 1992\ he moved to Arizona and served as an assistant track coach at Nogales High School for three years.

In 1995, Steve moved to the brand new Rio Rico High School and started the running program from the ground up. After starting with four boys and two girls, the program has risen to prominence across Arizona and the Southwest over the past 23 years. Under Steve’s head coaching leadership, boys cross country has won 2 state championships, five state runners-up trophies, and 19 consecutive regional titles (1998 – 2016). They have also won three boys track championships and been runners up twice. The girls program has won a state cross country title, a state track runner-up trophy, 12 regional cross country titles, and currently enjoys a streak of five consecutive individual state cross country champions. Three individuals (1 male, 2 female) have qualified for NXN on four separate occasions, earning two Nike All-American certificates. Also, Steve coached Carlos Villarreal to the Arizona state 1600 meter record and his daughter Allie to the Arizona state cross country course record and the state 3200m record. Carlos (2) and Allie (4) combined to earn six Arizona Gatorade Athlete of the Year awards in both track and cross country.

During a seven-year hiatus when Steve was not coaching, the program won two more boys team cross country titles, four runners-up trophies, kept the regional streak alive, qualified two male runners for NXN, won one girls cross country team state championship, and produced three consecutive female individual state champions.

Altogether, Rio Rico athletes have won 284 state medals, including 60 individual or relay state championships.

In 2017, AZMilesplit.com declared Rio Rico the #1 Boys Cross Country program all-time in Arizona based on a virtually scored meet of the fastest five runners from each school’s history. The Rio Rico girls ranked #6 all-time.

Today, Steve is the Assistant Superintendent for his school district and volunteers as the head cross country and track and field coach at Rio Rico High School. He is also the founder and president of the Rich River Athletics Club, a community-based, non-profit running and walking club that promotes elementary and middle school running events while also sponsoring an annual scholarship for a graduating senior.

Key Workout

While I often try to bring variety to my middle distance workouts by including 300’s and 500’s as “off” distances, infusing short tempo runs in the middle of a track workout, or otherwise trying creatively simulate race conditions, I find my bread and butter workout is always basic 400 meter workout.

• I vary the volume but typically go 9 to 12 with rare occasions going as many as 15 (see below).

• I vary the sets (3×4, 4×3, 2×5, 2×6, 3×5)

• I hover the pace near target race pace but often drop the pace across sets. For example, a boy with a 4:24 target may go: 4×4@ 67…4×4@ 66…4×4@65

• I vary the recovery with a 300, 200 or 100m jog. I always have them jog rather than stand and recover. I think the movement keeps them loose, the mental toughness they develop is amazing, and logistically, we so many groups on the track, it ensures that no one stands around too long and gets forgotten. Struggling athletes are encouraged to cut across the field or jog backwards around the track to stay with the group.

• We will likewise jog in between sets…typically an extra 400 meters above the regular recovery. In other words, if we are taking 200 recovery jogs, the between sets recovery will be 600. If we are taking 300 recovery, I’ll round up to 800 between sets.

Here are two examples from Carlos Villarreal in 2015: [Read more…]

by Jay Johnson

Mike Harris – Bio and Key Workout

Mike Harris – Hopkins (MN)

Coach Harris is completing his 27th year coaching cross country and track/field in North Dakota and Minnesota. In the 90’s he assisted ND hall of fame coach Russ Schmeichel at Jamestown, ND. During this time the Jamestown boys and girls each won 6 North Dakota State Cross Country titles.

In 1998 he moved to Hopkins, MN (10-12 school of 1700 students) teaching high school science and coaching cross country and track/field. At Hopkins, his boys and girls cross country and track/field programs have always operated as a joint program 7-12. Our cross country and track/field coaches work with both genders at all levels.

Since 1998 the joint boys and girls cross country and track/field program highlights:

5 boys and 2 girls MN State Cross Country Team titles

1 footlocker national qualifier,

2 individual NXN qualifiers,

1 NXN team qualifier, (boys placing 7th)

1 girls and 1 boys MN Track/Field AAA True Team State championship titles

2 girls, 1 boys MN AA State Track/Field Championship titles

4 MN State All Time Track/Field Individual Best Performances

5 MN State All Time Track/Field Relay Best Performances

2 girls teams in 2011 & 12 qualified for The Nike Track Nationals (5th, 8th)

1 Brooks PR Track Invite 3200 qualifier

1 Dream Mile qualifier

Key Workout

One of our simple distance routines we employ in cross country and track is a variation to the normal strides done after completing a run. Depending on the time of the season runners complete their last mile on the track. At the 250m mark athletes do a progressive pick-up for 150 meters. I like to use the top of the corner to simulate what we want the body and mind to perform on race day during the track season. This progressive 150 beginning at 60% race pace reaches the 100 start at 80%, at the 350m mark we ask athletes to accelerate up to 90% to the finish of the 400m line. It is a continuous run without stopping for the 4 laps and allows changing gears. Recovery run at conversation pace for 250 meters until the next stride begins.

This drill was suggested by Joe Klecker a Hopkins alumni now attending Colorado. The purpose allows for a speed play event at the end of a recovery run without the normal break leading up to a separate running strides session. We call them “Colorado’s” in our workout plan and they are employed frequently at the start of the season when base miles are the staple for many of our multi-sport athletes who are just coming off a winter nordic season. Focus on the track is relaxed arm and leg drive down the home stretch of the track whereby the coaches can observe the athlete natural form and body mechanics. It provides a workout that gives them time on their feet along with a speed component that our coaches can give direct feedback to all athletes. Using a phone to record individual athletes gives kids focus and a chance for coaches to breakdown and communicate with our young or new runners.

A variation that is used during the cross country season during the weekly long run is ending the session with “trail Colorado’s.” The last 10 min of the long run athletes start a 25 sec progressive run completing the last 10 sec at 90% effort, then a 2 min recovery run. Again the drill is a continuous run.

by Jay Johnson

Colin Altevogt – Bio and Key Workout

Colin Altevogt is the head boys cross country coach and assistant boys track coach at Carmel High School in Indiana. He has been coaching high school distance running in Indiana for the past 11 years. In his four years as the head cross country coach at Carmel, the team has captured two state championships (2015 and 2017), two state runner-up titles, and two qualifications for Nike Cross Nationals (2014 and 2017), including a tenth-place finish in 2017. The program has grown from 96 to 159 athletes in those four years.

In the spring, Colin coaches athletes in distances 400 meters and farther. Carmel has won the last three state championships (2015, 2016, 2017) in track & field after finishing second in

2014. In the 2017 season, Carmel athletes qualified for the state finals in Indiana’s single-classification system in all individual and relay events that he coaches, including winning the state title in the 4×800 relay in 7:43.

Colin teaches Spanish at Carmel High School and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in secondary education.

Key Workout

Split 800s

This is a 500 and then a 300 with only a minute rest between run pretty close to 800 meter race pace. We usually do three of them in total with eight to ten minutes between each split 800 (but only the 60 seconds between the 500 and 300 to “split” it). We typically get to this workout about a month out from the state meet once we’ve had opportunities to do a couple 800 pace workouts like repeat 300s. Those preceding workouts make the speed of this manageable, but the volume is the real challenge.

This is primarily a workout for 800 runners—Indiana scores the 4×8 at the state meet—but longer distance runners and even 400 guys can benefit. We occasionally have more sprinter-types that run on the 4×4 and 4×8 so we might adjust their workouts to do the first and the third with a bigger break in the middle.

Last year we had four guys average 1:59 or 2:00 for the three split 800s, and those four ran 7:43 in the 4×8 at the state meet so it’s probably four to six seconds slower per 800 than eventual race pace. Our best 400 guy ran 1:57 and 1:56 for two with the big break in the middle, and he ran 1:56 in the open 800 in the regular season and 48.78 in the open 400 at the state meet.