I had to give my coach the workouts.
I had to give my coach the workouts.
My high school coach (for both XC and track) was very good. Didn't show in team results(small school, smaller team) but he was very good at developing the runner as an individual. Never burned them out in HS and was great at getting kids to continue running after high school (he's had a lot of kids do great things in college at all levels, whether it was DI, DII, or DIII). Workouts were always a bit similar but thought out well enough. His main drawback was he wasn't much of a motivator, he ran for a DI school and had the mindset that "only you can make yourself be a good runner," which is true of course, but there has to be some coach involvement. So if you had the self determination he was good, if you didn't he pretty much didn't care about you.
My junior year we had a co-head coach in track who was insane. Ran 20.X low for a 200 in college and was borderline Olympic quality, he was incredibly intense. I have very mixed feelings on him, obviously knew his stuff but had the mindset that just because he was an elite athlete meant everyone else could be too, so if you didn't run 4:10 for a mile you were a waste of space. Everyone improved under him though.
Superb. Multiple national team coach for youth & junior. Consider that our track was covered in snow until mid-april every year.
At one point he had three females pole vaulters with SBs of 3.80, 3.75, and 3.50. Male high jumpers to 1.95, 1.93, 1.90. Male throwers to 15m and 16m shot put, 43m, and 45m discus. Female high jumpers to 1.78, 1.64 (at age 14).
"So if you had the self determination he was good, if you didn't he pretty much didn't care about you."
How does a coach make a kid care enough to do what it takes to fulfill his talent? Is that the coach's job when he has other kids who already are doing everything to be the best they can be?
suburbanxcore, aren't you a pennsylvania runner/coach?
If so, can you comment on any knowledge you have on the type of training that Coach Kelly of Henderson has his 800 guys do? He seems like a magician the way he gets his guys so fast
Or if you have any info on North Penn, Wissahickon etc.
Southeastern PA wrote:
suburbanxcore, aren't you a pennsylvania runner/coach?
If so, can you comment on any knowledge you have on the type of training that Coach Kelly of Henderson has his 800 guys do? He seems like a magician the way he gets his guys so fast
I'm familiar with Coach Kelly and I see his guys run regularly (I just coach at a middle school, but very close to Henderson). I couldn't say much about his training with any certainty. I remember AJ Chaborek, one of his current 800 guys, blowing the doors off our top runner in middle school my first year coaching. Kelly does do a hell of a job with his team and a lot of good for the running community in general around here.
Well, let's see... Thirteen years ago we hadn't had a guy who could break 10:00 for 3200 for about twenty years.
Then my coach came in.
This year we've had:
9 runners 2:00 or under in the 800 including a 4x800 of 7:46 @ State(1:55, 1:57, 1:58, 1:54) and an alternate 4x800 that could run 7:57 (1:58, 1:59, 2:00, 2:00), which was our 4x8 school record going into this year.
3200 (Which we barely run on this team) runners going 9:19, 9:37, 9:44, 9:48, 9:50 and 9:53
1600 (Also barely run) runners going 4:15, 4:22, 4:29, 4:30, 4:38, 4:38 and 4:39
You think, maybe it's just the talent, but nope, he knows how to develop an athlete without burning them out.
2009: Turned a 4:42 1600 Freshman into a 4:20, 9:05 Senior
and a 4:55 1600 Freshman into a 1:56, 4:26 Senior
2011: Turned a 4:47 1600 Freshman into a 1:57, 4:18, 9:25 Senior
Turned a 5:20 1600 Freshman into a 4:26, 9:24 Senior
2012: Turned a 4:46 1600 Freshman into a 1:55, 4:29, 9:48 Senior (Focusing on the 8)
Turned a 52.2 400 Freshman into a 49.mid, 1:54 Senior (Focusing on the 8)
Turned a 4:47 1600 Freshman into a 1:57, 4:15, 9:19 Senior (Focusing on the 32)
Turned an 11:35 3200 Freshman into a 9:37 Senior
So yeah, he's a guy we could really put our trust in.
thank you for the info
does any other PA runners have any info on Coach Kevin Kelly and his magic?
MmmmKChildren wrote:
Turned an 11:35 3200 Freshman into a 9:37 Senior
Wow, that's really impressive.
Thunderbolts wrote:
He's now in the Ohio coaching HOF.
IMHO he is absolutely the finest distance coach in OH. Period. Can anyone dispute this?? I didn't think so!!
Thirty years later, not a week goes by that I don't think of my high school coach. A great runner, coach, and person.
The best. 4+ (don't want to give exact number) cross country state championships in a row currently, brought me from a 5:40 1600m, 2:30 800m freshman to 1:58 800m my senior year. Frequently brought 11+ minute 3200m runner freshmen to sub 10 by senior year. Sub 8 4X800s the past 5 years. And coached a future Olympian (before my time) and at least one pro (in my time, keeping my fingers crossed for another).