Is it weird our coach runs with us?

Pics?

Too much camaraderie. Hurts the coach/athlete relationship. Coaches need to coach, not use the time to get a run in.

People who say it is lame aren't good enough to keep up with their teams. When you run with your athletes, whatever their pace, they know they have to finish it and they can't complain about coach setting workouts he wouldn't do himself. Running alongside them helped me to see and correct their form and pacing during the workout, rather than between intervals, based on a few seconds observation as they ran away from or to me. If coach is trying to beat them, he's competitive and trying to push them, because what collegian wants to be beaten by his coach. Besides, how else is he supposed to get in his mileage and workouts when he's busy coaching the team?

My college coach ran with us pretty much every day. No one was confused about who was the coach. If anything, we had a little more respect for him because he was leading by example.

One of my coaches in college was a 2x OT qualifier in the marathon from back in the day when a low 2:1x guy was relatively anonymous. That aside, it was great to run with him, wasn't weird at all. Learned a lot about training and the dedication that it took to get to his level. We called him "coach" but when he was out for a run with us, he was just one of the guys.

my coach is more of an old guy who claims to be once part of a big college team but was left off varsity and is now trying to relive his college opportiunities as a 38 year old has been :(

This prompts me to add one thing. I only run with people who are slower than I am, and I always tell them my goal is to get them to a point that I can no longer run with them because they have improved so much.

Obviously, I am not running with the varsity guys. I do ride alongside on my bike on their long runs. They tell me that my being there helps them pass the time quicker, and a lot complain when I take a turn with a different group. I am saying this to say that a coach can do it right, if he wants to. Those who see it otherwise are probably Debbie Downers who envy their coach or their teammates. Ignore those clowns as much as you would ignore a coach whose goal is to beat the team in workouts.

Ok I already posted earlier about the benefits of running with your team, and over the years I have had countless coaching opportunities arise only because I have been out on a run with the kids. But the most beneficial piece of running with them, I get to know them better which allows me to coach them better. How are some of you not seeing this? By the time my kids are Juniors or Seniors it doesn’t matter if I don’t know training or the technical side of distance running, my athletes are running well because I actually know them as a person and they like that. They totally buy in to my philosophies on training because of this, which to be honest is as important as anything else. I don’t know, to each their own.

At one point I was on a team coached by a multi-time All American, and he got slightly faster after graduating. He was still young and exceptionally fit. He would run with us, both on easy days and workouts. He was a fantastic coach. He had a real knack for bring out the best in everyone. I think everyone or at least 90% on the team ran significant PRs under his guidance. The team suffered very few injuries. However, there was no question that him running with us was slightly odd. He was effectively reliving his glory days. Nevertheless, he was a fantastic coach, so nobody on the team cared whatsoever. The athletes also liked his personality even though he was a little different.

However, the AD felt he crossed the athlete-coach "line" by running with the team and trying to relive those glory days. The department refused to renew his contract despite the fact that the coach had 100% team backing. The AD also refused to provide a recommendation because of the "line" that the coach crossed, so he wasn't able to land another coaching gig.

Thread is a bit off the rails, there's a big difference between a coach running with a HS team vs college. In HS you have young kids out there on a distance run, I think having the coach long whether running or on a bike is good for general safety reasons.

In college, unless the coach is a VERY runner, and pretty young themselves, I don't see how he/she could run, and do workouts with college level athletes. This is a "problem" that will take care of itself in a short amount of time.

You can run with them, but not with them.

Run to the park with the team but don’t run with the group of guys or gals. Long run on the trails? Run behind, a reverse loop. Always should be shorter so you are back well before the first runner. Never should a coach be out there running when the team is done. Ride a bike and meet them out there with water.

You can do it the right way. Unfortunately many do not.

My HS coach ran with us only occasionally, but between seasons (XC/indoor/outdoor) he was always available for a run if we wanted to join him.

I did a 10miler with him one evening and he coached me up a big hill around mile 6 when I wanted to quit. somehow I got over the top and didn’t even realize that it only took will to overcome that obstacle.

I’ll not forget that moment. it has helped me through many races. So I was happy to have our coach run with us. he helped many others the same as he helped me.

See this is what I expected (though it's a stretch to call 38 old for a college coach). 

This is different! He made himself available instead of FORCING a run with his teammates. Coaches coach, runners run, but at some point there can be intersection and a takes a confident coach to let that intersection come naturally 

So if the team is out doing a 6M easy run how exactly should the coach be coaching? I am interested to hear what you think they should be doing with that time.

If this is true you should have no worries racing him as you will bust his ass.

You are slow and unathletic. You have always been this way. You have never been an athlete or a coach. You wouldn't know coaching from your a$$.

Part of coaching is keeping the appropriate coach/athlete distance. Easy long runs for athletes, whether in HS or college should be a time for ATHLETE bonding. It's not a time for a coach to get a run in. My correct view on this will always have some detractors because there will be selfish coaches who want to get a run in and justify it ("coaching") by running with the team, and SOME athletes don't mind it and even like it. It's still not appropriate or ideal.

INCORRECT! I have been both. Ran in high school and college and coached track and field for several years.