Training Well Done

Summary:Coach Donald & Coach Tim debrief after the track season, and share some athlete success stories as well as key coaching takeaways from the season.Noteworthy Moments/Quotes:0:30 - The coaches chit chat about their inability to complete basic life functions outside of the coaching and training world3:25 - Coach Tim recaps his battle with a broken lawnmower & Coach Donald shares his experience with automotive maintenance8:58 - Coach Donald provides the listeners with the latest family updates12:50 - Final athlete updates from the Spring Race Training program16:00 - Coach Donald takes a deep dive into the Spring ‘26 track season, with broad stroke insights, coaching takeaways, athlete success stories and training philosophy45:10 - Coach Donald continues the discussion with additional athlete highlights1:01:43 - Coach Donald tackles the “long to short” versus “short to long” approach to sprinting1:11:50 - Coach Donald recaps the episode and mentions the Summer Trackside programResources Mentioned:Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/Website: https://ghperformance.com/Next Episode Teaser:In Season 2: Episode 19, the coaches introduce the topic of sports psychology, and explain some of the core concepts behind the science of “brain training.”

Summary:Coach Donald and Coach Tim discuss the key points of building an aerobic fitness base, and why it is such an important component of overall athletic performance regardless of an athlete’s sport or experience level.Key Discussion Points:Addressing Common Misconceptions:1) Aerobic capabilities don’t matter for power sports2) High-intensity activities are required for base-buildingDeep Dive:1) Cardiac and metabolic adaptations2) Tendon, bone & muscle adaptations3) Nervous system adaptations & efficiency/economyWebinar Pitch, Outro & FeedbackNoteworthy Moments/Quotes:5:22 - Coaching Highlights include learning programming techniques and fielding questions from athletes13:00 - The coaches dispel some common myths and discuss how the aerobic base serves a purpose as recovery in most sports19:30 - The purpose and dosage of high intensity interval work required when building an aerobic base22:50 - Defining what “base building” actually means26:05 - Sprinters, team/field-sport athletes, and endurance athletes all need aerobic development — just in different proportions26:30 - The coaches take a deep dive into cardiac and metabolic adaptations and tendon, bone and muscle changes to aerobic base building42:10 - The nervous system refines landing mechanics, making each step more uniform, more efficient and less costly46:00 - How strength training plays an important role in aerobic base building52:30 - Episode re-cap & Coaching ConsiderationsResources Mentioned:Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/Website: https://ghperformance.com/Actionable Takeaways:All athletes can benefit from having a good aerobic base!Do a lot of low intensity work early in the training cycle, to support higher intensity activities laterLoad and intensity will differ for each individual athleteSupport the podcast by downloading Coach Donald’s Strength Training for Runners webinar!

Hosts:Coach Donald: Coach Donald, M.Ed Exercise Science, Owner of Global Human PerformanceCoach Tim: MBA, CPT, PES, FNSSummary:Coach Donald and Coach Tim continue their discussion on the physiology of sprint training, and chat about what it means to run “fast” while exploring key concepts such as the metabolic demands of sprinting and the core aspects of speed training.Key Discussion Points:Coaching Moments:Coach Donald shares a story from Trackside, and Coach Tim chats about a recent in-gym onboarding session with a new youth athlete.Deep Dive:1) How to move the needle in sprint performance2) The foundation of sprint performance is a function of stride rate, stride length and endurance3) An exploration of the relationship of effort and fitness as it relates to speed expression4) The metrics and metabolic demands of sprinting5) The core aspects of speed training are acceleration, max velocity and speed endurance6) Managing load and volume7) A discussion on speed endurance8) Coaching and training considerationsWebinar Pitch, Outro & FeedbackNoteworthy Moments/Quotes:2:39 - The coaches share their most recent Coaching Moments.4:54 - Coach Donald and Coach Tim discuss what getting “faster” means in the context of running versus field sports, and rail against the fallacy of “more” again.9:27 - How do you move the needle in sprint performance? The coaches take a deep dive into the foundational components, the physiological mechanisms and the practical application of sprint training.10:05 - Coach Donald discusses the basic components of speed: stride rate, stride length and endurance.13:50 - The coaches talk about the differences between competing at all distances, and what max velocity or “full speed” means in a training and racing context.15:57 - Coach Donald explores the relationship between speed expression and the corresponding effort level, as well as the metabolic demands for power vs. speed.19:05 - The coaches talk about how an athlete can improve the most important metrics of speed and sprint performance, like stride rate, stride length, ground contact time and posture.22:03 - Coach Donald takes a deep dive into the metabolic demands of sprinting.24:38 - Coach Donald and Coach Tim go on a “6-7” tangent.29:24 - Coach Donald discusses how an athlete can improve their tolerance for sprinting, which includes skipping, drilling, lifting and running.30:32 - What are the core aspects of training for speed, and how do plyometrics, hill sprints and resisted running help?37:53 - Coach Donald talks about load management and proper volume with sprint training.39:01 - Fitness in the form of tempo running, speed endurance training and special endurance.43:25 - Coach Donald recaps the episode and shares some final thoughts on coaching and training considerations.Resources Mentioned:Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/Website: https://ghperformance.com/Actionable Takeaways:Sprint training is much more nuanced than just running “fast.”Speed is a function of stride rate, stride length and endurance, and all of those are trainable qualities.Quality training includes managing the metabolic demands of sprinting and balancing the ratio of tempo runs, speed endurance sessions and special endurance workouts or races.Support the podcast by downloading Coach Donald’s Strength Training for Runners webinar!Next Episode Teaser:In Season 2: Episode 5, Coach Donald and Coach Tim make the case for single-leg power training.

Host:Coach Donald: Coach Donald, M.Ed Exercise Science, Owner of Global Human PerformanceCoach Tim: MBA, CPT, PES, FNSSummary:Coach Donald & Coach Tim scratch the surface of endurance training, and discuss the physiological adaptations as well as different types of training stimulus. The coaches touch on heart rate zone models, high-intensity interval training and biological responses to jogging, running and sprinting.Key Discussion Points:Coaching Moments:Cross-country season updateGreat Race recapDeep Dive:Physiological adaptations to increased running volumeHeart rate zone trainingStimulus/training adaptation to different types of running workoutsHigh-intensity interval trainingWebinar Pitch, Outro & FeedbackNoteworthy Moments/Quotes:1:45 - The coaches introduce the topic of conversation, and lay the groundwork for the discussion.3:15 - Coach Tim talks about his personal journey with distance running.7:34 - The coaches talk about their recent Coaching Moments, and chat about their cross-country season highlights.14:15 - Addressing common assumptions and misconceptions in distance running and training.17:28 - Coach Donald’s leg falls asleep, and he shares a funny anecdote about it.18:30 - The coaches chat about the fact that more isn’t always better, but that more can be effective and how to properly condition to be able to effectively absorb more mileage.19:50 - A discussion on the physiological changes and adaptations to running.28:05 - Coach Tim unpacks heart rate zone training, and explores the nuances to the prevailing five-zone model.33:53 - The coaches explore LSD runs, tempo runs, lactate threshold and Vo2 max.38:48 - Coach Donald dives deep into lactic acid, lactate, pyruvate, acidosis and oxidative capacity.45:15 - Exploring high-intensity training as it relates to recovery needs, and highlighting density, volume and intensity as well as the “talk test.”52:04 - The coaches ask for listener feedback, get slightly distracted, pitch the webinar and then sign off.Resources Mentioned:Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/Website: https://ghperformance.com/https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2040-4603.2011.tb00346.xhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17099248/Actionable Takeaways:Run easy most of the time and run fast some of the time, but never do all your workouts at the same pace!When increasing training volume, focus on frequency first, duration second and intensity third.Heart rate zone training is a useful way to approach things, but is much more nuanced than it seems on the surface.Support the podcast by downloading Coach Donald’s Strength Training for Runners webinar!Next Episode Teaser:In Season 2: Episode 3, Coach Donald geeks out about the physiology of sprint training while Coach Tim just tries to keep up and apply the principles to the world of distance running.

I am beginning a series on plyometric training, aka jump training. On this episode I explain what plyometrics are & what the benefits are. 1) Springiness for running2) Power production3) Injury risk reduction

I finally did it! Broke the 20min barrier. I ran 19:56 during the P3R Turkey Trot. During my run & lift this morning I reflected on training and things that went well & things that could've gone much better.Check out my e-Book on Strength Training for Young Runnershttps://www.ghperformance.com/strength-training-for-young-runners Sign Up for Our Newsletter for Weekly Tips!https://ghperformance.activehosted.com/f/1Learn more about Global Human Performancewww.ghperformance.com We are on Instagram @GlobalHumanPerformance Find Coach Donald @Coach_Donald_

A kiddo of mine pulled a quad muscle! After taking summer off for much needed rest, she jumped back into the gear having a great season with new PR's. But she didn't heed to Fast Days Fast, Slow Days Slow - opting to run fast everyday. And well, it didn't workout. So follow along as I tell you how we are helping get her back into running form! Check out my e-Book on Strength Training for Young Runnershttps://www.ghperformance.com/strength-training-for-young-runnersSign Up for Our Newsletter for Weekly Tips!https://ghperformance.activehosted.com/f/1Learn more about Global Human Performancewww.ghperformance.comWe are on Instagram @GlobalHumanPerformanceFind Coach Donald @Coach_Donald_

With more widespread success and less nagging issues from our in season trainees, I am reflecting on changes made in the gym for our XC athletes and how they have contributed to, though certainly don't define, success athletes have seen this fall. From 2 heavier strength days to 1 fast lifting day + a plyo/sprint heavy dayCheck out my e-Book on Strength Training for Young Runnershttps://www.ghperformance.com/strength-training-for-young-runnersSign Up for Our Newsletter for Weekly Tips!https://ghperformance.activehosted.com/f/1Learn more about Global Human Performancewww.ghperformance.comWe are on Instagram @GlobalHumanPerformanceFind Coach Donald @Coach_Donald_