Should High School Cross Country Coaches Run with the Team?

Unlce Travelling Matt wrote:

Hdhdjdjd wrote:

No. Separation of roles. You coach they run. Run on your own time.

WRONG, as long as the coach is actually faster than the kids, then they are good pace setters. They don't need to do that for every run, but it's good to keep them honest and get the most out of them.

Exactly. I was always jealous of coaches who could outrun most of their athletes. In my case I did not get to do that often and only in my first few years.

The runners got faster and I kept getting injured trying to stay with them.

I suppose it could be used wrong but I never thought of running with the kids as bad. I only thought of it as a plus.

OregonSteepler wrote:

fasdfsdfs wrote:

What do you say, high school cross country coaches? Is it better to ride a bike to more quickly go between different groups, take a vehicle, or run with the team?

Ran with the kids and they really appreciated it and wouldn't bellyache about workouts and long runs because I was right there with them so knew how tough it could be.

Exactly to that last comment. I often heard kids, parents, teachers, and community members asking me why I was or wasn't running with the kids. I do not know where Flagpole and others live, but it's really an EXPECTATION THAT THE COACH RUNS WITH THE KIDS!

And old coaches need to be careful out there...this is not good 😔

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article166409022.html

anytime we were out on a distance run off campus, I ran "with" my teams but did the "cat and mouse" routine. I would start 5 minutes behind the group on a run of 5 miles or more, and would always catch all except the best all staters.

They were motivated to NOT get caught, and it gave me a chance to check in on the others. Many times I would fall in and pace a kid who was struggling. Several times I shut down runners who appeared ill or injured.

FWIW, most of the bet teams in our state have coaches who run with their kids.

This is not a one size fits all argument...there are valid points for both opinions.

I don't think I've ever disagreed with your posts as much as I do in this thread. Congrats.

Yes, f#cknut. Read a book about running training. Work on the schedule. Get ready for the next workout. Write out core. There are plenty of things a coach can do while kids are out on their run

I coached XC teams to state team titles and I have never run with my teams, nor would I. Ever. When I ran in HS, my coach ran with us. I hated it, the entire team did. In college, my coach didn't run with us, we all loved it. HS team wasn't so good, college team was top 15 in country all 4 years I was there. Anecdotal but not a coincidence in my book. Made a vow that if I ever coached, I would never run with the team. It just kills team-bonding and kills the ability of your captain to step up and be a leader. To you coaches who think your team loves you running with them, you're wrong, even if they tell you this, they are just sucking up to you. No self-respecting HS runner wants their coach running with them. You're the authority figure, not a teammate. Be the authority figure. You coach, they run. If you want to run and race, do it on your own time and do a favor to your HS XC team. Flagpole nailed it.

Centrowitz it is...Yes! wrote:

Yes...sit there and wait for them to come back, or run around in circles while you wait (so you can see if someone needed to come back early). I knew someone would defend this behavior, but it just isn't right. High school coaches should not be running with their athletes. Bad form.

I wonder if you are just trying to get replies. What if some of the kids don't come back? What if they go into someone's house while they are out running?

You do not know what they might do.

It's doubtful that you have coached before as a head coach.[/quote]

They don't need constant supervision. They go out on a run, you know how long it takes for them to get back (miles x historical avg. pace). If it takes longer, then you go investigate. Everybody I coach knows my cell phone number by heart and knows to call 911 first/get help if something happens.

What part of this is difficult for you? The part where you trust your kids? So what if they go to someone's house- I'll find out eventually (people ALWAYS talk) or their race performances suck. Either way there's red flags

Kids actually respond very well when they are given responsibly and expectations. If they respect the coach, that is. Maybe that's your problem?

Centrowitz it is...Yes! wrote:

What if some of the kids don't come back? What if they go into someone's house while they are out running?

I have already answered the second question.

What if they don't come back? You go looking for them.

I see high school teams running all the time without a coach running with them. It is not standard practice for a cross country coach to run with the team. For people to suggest that they need to be watched by a coach running with them is bogus and just a rationalization for running with them.

John utah wrote:

The right answer here is "sometimes" and it depends on "how you do it".

Nope. The right answer is NEVER unless dealing with a special needs kid as I said before.

A decade ago we used to run with the team. One in the back and one towards the front. We coach both genders. One of our seniors was struck by a vehicle during the room. I, had to double back to reach him. He survived with a concussion and multiple fractures. Since that time I shadow the team with my vehicle. 1. It provides hydration 2. Quick emergency transportation 3. And a hitch along GeForce distressed runners.

Centrowitz it is...Yes! wrote:

Exactly to that last comment. I often heard kids, parents, teachers, and community members asking me why I was or wasn't running with the kids. I do not know where Flagpole and others live, but it's really an EXPECTATION THAT THE COACH RUNS WITH THE KIDS!

That is bogus. The vast majority of high school cross country coaches do not run with the kids. I live in one of the best states for cross country in the country, and I see tons of coaches and their teams every day, and most of them couldn't run with their team if they wanted to (too old, out of shape, etc.). Do those coaches need to be fired? Any parent or community member who thinks that a cross country coach needs to be running with the kids is crazy.

Many schools have one coach for both the girls and boys teams. How does running with them work there? What if there's a stud runner and the rest suck? How do you run with everyone and watch what they are doing? You can't and you shouldn't.

Very clear expectations of behavior while on runs and representing the school should be made both verbally and in writing. Any deviation of the rules should be met harshly.

Guess this guy wasn't living up to expectations -

Lololololololol wrote:

I don't think I've ever disagreed with your posts as much as I do in this thread. Congrats.

Then you have never been more wrong. Congrats.

I come from NJ team with many top 10 finishes at Holmdel (guys) and a very strong girls team as well.

Our coaches never ran with the varsity or JV guys. On long runs they sometimes drive to a turn-around spot to hand out water and just check that everyone is OK. Maybe once or twice a year, a coach will bike along during long hard tempo runs to monitor the effort (usually to tell us to slow down) and call someone for a pickup if one of the guys bonks.

Our coaches handle the varsity girls the same way (drive to a spot along the route to check-in on long runs, and bike with them once or twice a year on hard long tempos). However, often a Mom or Dad (that can run well) would tag along with the JV girls on their "long runs." Not sure if that breaks any coaching rules or not. Anyhow, the parent would sometimes be seen walking back with a runner or two that couldn't finish the run.

I can't ever recall ANY coaches running during track workouts. They just watch and yell splits.

bleedingRed wrote:

I come from NJ team with many top 10 finishes at Holmdel (guys) and a very strong girls team as well.

Our coaches never ran with the varsity or JV guys.

Yep...this is common. Most coaches (the vast majority of them) of HIGH SCHOOL runners do NOT run with the team. Such a bad idea to do it on so many levels.

Flagpole wrote:

Many schools have one coach for both the girls and boys teams. How does running with them work there? What if there's a stud runner and the rest suck? How do you run with everyone and watch what they are doing? You can't and you shouldn't.

You live in the midwest. Keep in mind that many of us do not live in impoverished parts of the country where it is necessary to spread one coach over two teams. The boys' and girls' team at my school each had a head coach, an assistant, and two or three volunteer coaches for XC.

When I was in my 30s and early 40s I ran with my team. In the early part of the season we went to road races and raced against each other. The boys enjoyed running with me and told me that I inspired them. My teams were successful. However, my squads were small. As I got older and my running speed declined I stopped running with the team. I then noticed that more kids came out for the sport. My teams continued their success without me accompanying them on their runs. I realized that my teams had been small in the past because no one was paying close attention to the sub-varsity kids. Perhaps the problem was partly caused by the fact that I had no assistant coach. But then again all team members need attention and only the varsity runners were getting it back in those days.

poor people be crazy wrote:

Flagpole wrote:

Many schools have one coach for both the girls and boys teams. How does running with them work there? What if there's a stud runner and the rest suck? How do you run with everyone and watch what they are doing? You can't and you shouldn't.

You live in the midwest. Keep in mind that many of us do not live in impoverished parts of the country where it is necessary to spread one coach over two teams. The boys' and girls' team at my school each had a head coach, an assistant, and two or three volunteer coaches for XC.

[sigh]

1) Ohio isn't "impoverished" at all. Actually quite the opposite except for a few pockets that all states have.

2) That was just an example, and teams with one coach has more to do with size of school than wealth.

3) The school that my son runs for has the same setup as your school...and none of the coaches run with the team...as they shouldn't.

This is almost creepy to me. Of course a highschool coach shouldn't run with the team. Flagpole and prefan are 100% correct.

Seriously, one person's rationale was "what if someone gets hit by a car?"

I suspect a lot of these coaches are really just trying to get their own training in and while they care about the team, aren't putting them first. You are there to coach, not work out.