n this episode of the On Coaching Podcast, Steve Magess and John Marcus delve into the essence of motivation in sports, focusing on the significance of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. They discuss personal anecdotes from their high school and college experiences, the importance of creating a habitual routine (like the habit loop), and leveraging competitive…

How do you show up on race day? How do you flip the switch during the last 200 to kick like crazy? In this episode we use the recent Olympics as a way to unpack racing under pressure. Join us for a lively discussion with real world examples. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar…

What are the most common mistakes coaches make? In this episode we dive into where we and others have gone wrong, and what to do about it. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop for all things coaches education. It has 20+ courses plus an online interaction system…

Athlete + Event = Training Model. We don’t train for events, we coach athletes, with their unique abilities, to be able to take on an event. In this episode we dive into how to classify different athletes based on their physiology and psychology. This athlete profiling will help determine what type of workouts you do,…

We tend to simplify training into either hard workouts or easy days. In this episode, we bring you the nuance of training. Instead of hard and easy, we like to classify training as either building, maintaining, or restoring. You’ll learn why Canova includes a lot of ‘in-between’ moderate days. And why Alan Webb’s ‘easy days…

You can have the perfect training plan, but it won’t work unless you have buy-in. In this episode, we break down the keys to getting trust, buy-in and belief with your athletes. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor The Scholar Program is our one-stop shop for all things coaches education. Join the Scholar Program! From…

Famed high school coach Joe Newton used to have his team run for 45 minutes, take a 5min break, run for 30 minutes, another 5-minute break, and finally run for 15 more minutes. Ninety minutes of total running, but split up. It’s an idea that few other teams copied, yet seems to have helped York…

What does it take to perform on race day? The physical components are the easy part. But setting someone up to have the right expectations, the correct mindset, to be able to choose to the difficult path when you’re mind is yelling at you to quit, is often the difference-maker. In this episode, we outline…

The long run is a staple of the runner’s diet. In this episode, we explore how the long run became a weekly staple and whether that still holds true. We dive into the function and physiology of the long run, and how you may want to gradually wind it down as the season comes to…

Training is messy. You are dealing with human beings. In this episode we dive into adaptability, aiming for mastery, and giving your athletes autonomy to grow and develop. How do we manage the messiness of competing and racing and not just fall for the temptation of the training plan. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor…

Leibig’s Law of the Minimum states that “growth is dictated not by total resources available, but by the scarcest resource.” In this episode we discuss how to identity your limiting factor and what to do about it. Our limiting factor shifts as you adapt to training. That’s the reason why the same training for an…

How many times have you had an athlete who has fantastic workouts, yet when it comes to race day, it’s like a different runner shows up? In this episode, Jon and Steve dive into what is going on here. Why did what’s going on in practice not translate? From not having time to absorb the…

How do you handle failure? Do you freak out, let your anger get the best of you, or wallow in despair? Failure is a normal and expected part of racing. In fact, we ‘fail’ far more often than we succeed. In this episode, we dive into how to create an environment that frees athletes up…

Everyone is talking about zone 2! What is it, what do we get wrong, and how do we utilize it correctly. On this episode we dive deep into the science to understand aerobic training practices. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop for all things coaches education. It…

How do you survive heat and humidity? In this week’s episode, we delve into the science and practice of training in hot and humid conditions. From heat acclimatization and strategies to mitigate the deleterious effects of heat and humidity, we keep you informed on the latest research and best practices. Steve & Jon Visit our…

In this episode, we welcome coach Danny Mackey to the show to discuss the training and preparation of Olympic Bronze medalist Josh Kerr. We dive into everything that went into preparing Josh for the games. From the training decisions, and workouts leading into the race to the psychology. How did he prepare Josh for the…

Warming up should be simple. Go jog around for a bit, do some drills and strides and you’re ready to go. In this episode we break down the science of two staples of running that are often afterthoughts. You’ll learn how warm-ups and cool downs aren’t just about priming your body to perform and then…

We are taking a trip back into the time machine. It’s time to look back at training and coaching that we used to do, that we now look back upon and ask “what in the world were we thinking?” This weeks episode is about reflection. Not only to laugh at our ignorance, but to learn…

In this week’s episode we dive into how our striving to get better, to perfect every single thing may actually be holding us back. We dive into the disease of overplanning, what occurs when we chase the minutia and the distinction between fragile and robust athletes. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor The Scholar Program…

How do you get prepared for the big meet? It’s not only about physical preparedness, but also your mental and decision making framework. In this episode, we cover everything from understanding and setting up your psychological framework to priming for performance to making better decisions. Steve & Jon Resources Mentioned: The OODA Loop by John…

We’ve all been there before. The bear jumps on our back in the final 200 meters. Our legs turn to lead and cease to function. What’s going on when the bear jumps on our back? In this episode we explore fatigue related to acidosis, H+, and more. And as always, tell you how to deal…

Hitting the wall is a dreaded experience in the marathon. Your body runs out of energy and you feel like you are fighting your muscles every step. But what’s really going on? We don’t actually run out of energy. In this episode we dive DEEP into the physiology of hitting the wall and more importantly…

What do we do when it’s all going wrong? When an athlete seems to be headed in the wrong direction? In this weeks podcast we dive into how to get performance back on track. Do we take a week off, run easy for a while, change the workouts? Jon and Steve explore all the ways…

In our early days or running, improvement comes easy! A little bit of training and our performance improves. We get fooled into thinking work and improvement are directly correlated. This is great for getting us to put in the work, but what happens when improvement slows down, when it becomes a jagged line? Do we…

It’s time to talk about injuries, those dreaded things that pop up that derail a season. How do we prevent them, bounce back from them, and much more. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop for all things coaches education. It has 20+ courses plus an online interaction…

It’s time for a state of the sport check-in. In this episode, Jon and Steve take on the sleeping giant that is the sport of track and field. We discuss how to improve it, what we are missing, and how we need to change the narrative. From big ideas to small tweaks that we all…

As coaches, we obsess over the X’s and O’s. Did we get the training just right? But often it’s the mental side of the sport that makes much of the difference. In this episode we dive into what coaches need to know about sports psychology. We cover everything from anxiety, choking, motivation, and understanding our…

In this episode we dive into the bread and butter of coaching runners, designing and implementing workouts. Jon and Steve discuss their favourite marathon, middle-distance, and 5k-10k workouts. What are they? When should you utilize them? Who are they for? If you love diving into the details of workout creation, this episode is for you.…

Coaching is easy when everything is going smoothly. But how do we know when to pull the plug on an athletes workout or season? What do we do when an athlete is struggling in a workout? Do we give them more rest, adjust the pace, or pull the plug? When a season is going in…

How do you get ready to race after a long layoff? This might be something that you may be facing do to COVID or coming back from injury. In this episode we dive into how to get back into the groove of racing! Steve & Jon Resources Mentioned in the Podcast Bill Bowerman’s High Performance…

What’s effective training? What workouts are the best for improving endurance, speed, fatigued resistance? In this episode, we dive into how to determined what effective training is, and how we define effective training. Steve & Jon Resources Mentioned in the Podcast Bill Bowerman’s High Performance Training Visit our Sponsor We’ve just launched a new course…

Everyone is different. We all recover at different rates for different workouts. In this episode, we explore why some athletes need work work, why others need more recovery, and how to identify and modulate your training to give each athlete what they need. Steve & Jon Resources Mentioned in the Podcast Athletic Development by Vern…

Strength training can occur anywhere. It’s not dependent on the weight room. In this episode we explore ways to develop strength and power outside of the weight room. From utilizing sprints and hills to bounding, plyos, and throwing around heavy objects outside, we cover ways in which runners can develop strength outside of the traditional…

You’re at the track, watching a workout, when all of the sudden it starts to go south. Athletes are missing their splits, first by a few seconds, then by more and more. Do you pull the plug? Increase the recovery? Shorten the repeats? In this episode of the On Coaching Podcast, we dive into when,…

Should you follow the 10% rule for increasing mileage? Are you destined to be injured if you increase mileage too quickly? In this podcast we tackle all of the questions around mileage. How much, what does it do, when should we increase it, and much more. Steve & Jon Resources Mentioned in the Podcast Running…

What do you do when it all goes wrong during a workout? You call an audible! In this episode, we walk you through how and when to adjust a bad workout. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar Program The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop for all things coaches education. It has 20+ courses plus…

The title says it all: we need coaches! Why? Coaches are there to not only motivate but to provide perspective. Whether you coach at the high school, college, or professional level, coaches spend more time with athletes than that athlete spends with any teacher, professor, or anyone else outside of those they live with. The…

Periodization sounds complex, but it’s really just how we plan and organize our training. Do you build a big base and then go short and fast with speedwork? Or employ a blended or mixed system? In this episode we break down periodization and discuss how to use it not only when things are going well,…

Hard days hard, easy days easy. How much validity does that saying have? How hard should our hard workouts be? Should we jog slowly on recovery days or make them steady? In this episode, we dive into the balance between hard workouts and recovery days. Steve & Jon Resources Mentioned in the Podcast The Stress…

What’s it mean to be fit? What about to perform? Is there a meaningful difference? In this episode, Steve and Jon explore the continuum from fitness to performance. As we make our way from fitness to performance, the psychological demands shift. From high control to low. From low threat to high. Give this episode a…

What’s it mean to improve the lactate threshold? What about lactate buffering capacity? In this episode, John and Steve take you down the rabbit hole of workouts designed to improve every part of the lactate curve. You’ll learn why traditional tempo runs push the lactate curve up, but you can also pull the curve. You’ll…

The NCAA and college sports are in disarray. Facing a mass pandemic, postponement and cancelation of fall sports, and a growing understanding by the athletes the leverage that they have. With many of us wondering what in the world is the future of college sports, this week we brough on an expert, Dr. Roger Pielke…

The Middle Distance Events. That combination of speed and endurance makes them one of the most enjoyable but also challenging events to train for or coach. In this episode, we dive deep into the challenges of training for the 800m and 1,500m.We walk you through: The wisdom of Percy Cerutty on coaching the mid-distance events.…

It’s time for a deep dive into training. This week begins a multi-part series on the development of an athlete. We start with the intake process and deciding where to go with the athlete, and move on to what kind of training the athlete should do. For this week, we focus on the 5k and…

Fartleks, the wonderful invention of Gusta Holmer in the 1930’s, is something we are all familiar with. Run hard for a minute, jog for a minute, repeat twenty times. But in today’s world where everything is measured and coaches rely on that feedback to adjust workloads, the fartlek is becoming a lost art. In this…

Do the fastest athletes always win? The ones who come in with the best seed time. The athlete who threw down that fast mile at Mt. Sac or a blazing 5k at Stanford? If not, how come? In episode 114, we explore the world of racing. What does it mean to be competitive and can…

Is it every worthwhile to dig yourself a hole? It turns out the answer is likely yes! In this episode we go through Jerry Schumacher’s medium dig cycle, Canova’s special block training, and much more. Learn when to go a little bit more, to get long lasting gains. Steve & Jon Check out the Scholar…

“He’s really fit! They’re going to run really well!” How many times have you heard a coach excitedly proclaim that, only to see their athlete perform poorly? It happens to all of us. We’re left scratching our heads after the race. They were crushing workouts, we might think. How could they not put it together?…

One of my pet peeves when discussing endurance work is the concept of losing speed. In the middle distance world, this concept of losing speed is widespread. Go to any coaching conference, hang around enough coaches, or just talk to your athletes and you’ll hear this concept over and over. It’s used as an argument…

Highly motivated athletes are the best to coach. You don’t have to worry if they got their run or workout in, they are always eager to train, perform, and do what’s necessary to get better. But, there are pitfalls that even the most well-intentioned athletes need to be aware of. The higher the motivation, the…