Coaches ignoring runners

If this true, yeah, your coach is an ass. You should talk to him about it.

Find a different coach. Especially with all the online private coaches available now. You don’t have to run for a school team if you’re in school.

i am a distance coach and i take pride in it, so im always at the track for my runners during a race. But there are A LOT of coaches who miss several races.

Do you and your coach have a plan going into the race? What kind of feedback do you typically get during those 2 laps when they are there? What do you perceive to be the reason he turns his back to you?

all we have is your perspective. even you yourself said you realized you weren't performing well enough for his attention. Are you performing well enough now? If not, why would anything change? track, especially distance running, is the ULTIMATE individual sport. perhaps you should ask yourself why you need the affirmation.

there is a lot of context missing.

If you want sympathy from this board, or your coach.......good luck.

Not all coaches are good coaches.

blank wrote:

I used to make excuses for my coach when he ignored me during my races, realizing I wasn't performing well enough for his attention or energy. But after all the injuries and pain emotionally and physically I have gone through, for him to turn his back to me 2 laps into my race (consistently) is really starting to get me angry. You're a coach and I am your athlete. You should coach me regardless, especially when I am not giving up, and putting in my best effort every day. When he gives up on me, a part of me gives up on myself. Thoughts?

Quit being a punk. Run faster

blank wrote:

I used to make excuses for my coach when he ignored me during my races, realizing I wasn't performing well enough for his attention or energy. But after all the injuries and pain emotionally and physically I have gone through, for him to turn his back to me 2 laps into my race (consistently) is really starting to get me angry. You're a coach and I am your athlete. You should coach me regardless, especially when I am not giving up, and putting in my best effort every day. When he gives up on me, a part of me gives up on myself. Thoughts?

Ugh, you sound insufferable.

blank wrote:

I used to make excuses for my coach when he ignored me during my races, realizing I wasn't performing well enough for his attention or energy. But after all the injuries and pain emotionally and physically I have gone through, for him to turn his back to me 2 laps into my race (consistently) is really starting to get me angry. You're a coach and I am your athlete. You should coach me regardless, especially when I am not giving up, and putting in my best effort every day. When he gives up on me, a part of me gives up on myself. Thoughts?

From the USATF Safe Sports Guidebook:

"Emotional Misconduct - Acts that Deny Attention and Support. A pattern of (a) ignoring an athlete for extended periods of time or (b) routinely or arbitrarily exclude participants from practice."

There's more in the USATF documentation discussing improper behavior by a coach. Read it and if your coach fits the description then they are not just a bad coach, they are violating rules of being a coach and should be removed. There are ethics associated with being a coach and the USATF guidelines are the authority for that in our sport.

Are you in jr high or high school or college or club?

That's some interesting stuff there. Wouldn't have thought of it. Too bad it doesn't apply to youth recreational and club sport leagues where "daddy ball' is often a blight on entire leagues.

What do you mean when you say your coach ignores you during the last two laps of races? Let's start with asking how many laps are in these races, i.e., what distance are you racing? And what exactly would your coach do if s/he was not ignoring you during that time? You're pretty much on your own by then. Your coach can't train you at that point. If you'd made a race plan and those last two laps are late in the race it's unlikely your coach can adjust the plan. What is it that you want your coach to do then?

HRE wrote:

What do you mean when you say your coach ignores you during the last two laps of races? Let's start with asking how many laps are in these races, i.e., what distance are you racing? And what exactly would your coach do if s/he was not ignoring you during that time? You're pretty much on your own by then. Your coach can't train you at that point. If you'd made a race plan and those last two laps are late in the race it's unlikely your coach can adjust the plan. What is it that you want your coach to do then?

Not the last two laps, after the first 2 laps.

I'm an amateur coach and every runner is important to me, watching them is enjoyable and there is always something to learn. The last part of the run is also the most interesting because that's when you see the determination really come out.

You need to bring up with your coach your needs as a runner, stick it out, or transfer (assuming you don't go to a public hs at the moment). I've always felt anything a coach can do once a race has already started other than call out time or place is useless. Once I've made a plan with my coach before the race starts (when I was in college/hs and not self coached), there isn't much more that can be done and any deviation from that plan rarely benefits.

Okay. Thanks. But I'm still curious about the other things I asked.

HRE wrote:

Okay. Thanks. But I'm still curious about the other things I asked.

Regardless of if a coach can help or not they should at least have the courtesy to watch the races as best as they can. I know if I watch my athletes race then I can help with future strategy, training, how to direct the athlete in the future. There isn't an excuses to just not watch an athlete unless they are coaching a team and there is some type of emergency.

Channel your anger towards your coach into effort on the track.

Where is Pure Hate Pupil when we need him?

Maybe it was an 800m race?..