Track & Field

Running

Why is it important to you to enjoy the journey?

Coach reveals the hidden joys of enjoying the journey

Why is it important to you to enjoy the journey? More and more these days it seems like people talk about the journey or the process or various other buzzwords that you can assign to the preparation leading up to an event, a race, a game, etc. And there is a lot to that, but I think answering this as a coach I can say that one of the pieces that is most gratifying when training athletes is that the coach's most impactful opportunities take place as part of the process, as part of the journey on the way to a goal. Ultimately on the day of competition a coach's job is done and there is very little that he or she can do at that point to affect performance. We can't actually step into the competitive arena ourselves on the day and perform. So to me the pieces where you can look back over the journey and remember where you've had an impact or things that have been accomplished are satisfying and good memories. The other piece about enjoying the journey is I think with the results based outcome the public at large is going to oftentimes be able to share in that, which is a privilege and a right. But I think it's also nice to be able to savor the pieces that took place out of the public eye as part of the process and the preparation along the way.

Enjoying the journey is important as a coach because it allows us to have an impact on our athletes' performance and savor the moments leading up to competition.

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The importance of enjoying the journey is a topic that has gained attention in recent times. People often emphasize the process and preparation leading up to an event, race, or game. As a coach, I find great satisfaction in witnessing the impact I can have on athletes during their training journey. On the day of competition, my role is limited, and there's little I can do to directly influence performance. I cannot step into the competitive arena and perform myself. Therefore, reflecting on the journey and recognizing the accomplishments and impacts made along the way brings me joy and creates lasting memories. Additionally, embracing the journey allows for personal experiences that may occur outside of public view. While the outcome of results may be shared with the public, it's valuable to savor the moments that took place in preparation and behind-the-scenes.

What are three things you do to be productive?

Productivity Tips: Set Goals, Take Breaks, and Collaborate!

What are three things you do to be productive? The first thing that I always do when I have a task or a project that I'm working on big or small is to have a goal. Know what I want to achieve or what I want the end product to look like in order to then lay out the steps that I that I need to get there. The second would be to break up the actual work itself. So if I'm sitting down to write a block of training or if there's something you know sort of a large task that I'm tackling I think it's important to take breaks rather than trying to lock in and do a two or a four or a six hour block at once. You know walking away and coming back and off often give you a good perspective. And the third thing is I like to bounce ideas off someone else or talk something out. It can often help and provide perspective and sometimes you think when you're talking about something you're not working but that can really help sort things out before you bunker in and do the work on your own.

To be productive, I set goals, break up work into manageable chunks, and bounce ideas off of others.

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To be productive, there are three things I always do. Firstly, I set a clear goal for the task or project I'm working on, regardless of its size. Having a defined objective helps me determine the necessary steps to achieve it. Secondly, I break up the work itself. Instead of attempting to tackle a large task in one continuous block, I find it beneficial to take breaks and step away periodically. This approach allows me to gain fresh perspective and maintain focus. Lastly, I like to engage with someone else and bounce ideas off them or talk things out. This external input often provides valuable insights and perspectives that can help clarify my thoughts before diving into the work independently.

How do you help your clients or athletes stay focused and present during competition or training sessions?

Unlocking Success: How to Help Athletes Stay Focused

Encouraging athletes to stay in the moment and literally and figuratively moving forward, whether that's in training or in a race environment, can be a really important aspect of continuing to focus on goals that are remaining out there. Sometimes that involves adjusting things on the fly. But one way that I do that in training is to use maybe similar or marker workouts that you can repeat from time to time while also making sure to vary things from week to week, from workout to workout, so that there isn't a level of stagnance and also the tendency to compare from workout to workout against yourself, as it were. Within a workout, you can use the same technique of mixing things up a little bit, distances, paces when appropriate, just to make sure that an athlete can shift gears, continue to concentrate on what the goal is or the purpose without feeling as though they are locked into doing something over and over. And sometimes that means adjusting on the fly and just saying, hey, we're going to shift gears. If you can do that in a practice setting, it does become easier to do in competition. Obviously, competition is a results-based environment, so it is important to be able to turn pages, keep moving forward, and keep finding new things to focus on in order to achieve success.

Encouraging athletes to stay in the moment and literally and figuratively move forward, whether that's in training or in a race environment, is important for focusing on goals. To do this, coaches can use similar marker workouts while also varying them from week to week. During workouts, mixing up distances and paces can help athletes shift gears and stay focused. Doing this in practice will help athletes adjust and make it easier to do in competition.

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To help my clients or athletes stay focused and present during competition or training sessions, I emphasize the importance of staying in the moment and continuously moving forward towards their goals. This may involve making adjustments on the fly. In training, I use marker workouts that can be repeated periodically, while also ensuring variation from week to week and workout to workout to avoid stagnation and the tendency to compare performance against oneself. Within a single workout, I introduce variety by modifying distances and paces when appropriate, allowing athletes to shift gears and maintain focus on the goal without feeling stuck in repetitive routines. This flexibility prepares them to adapt in competition as well. In a results-driven environment like competition, it's crucial to turn the page, keep progressing, and find new areas of focus for success.

Master the Art of Jockeying: Energy Conservation and Strategy

Any advice when it comes to jockeying? I think I'm going to assume by jockeying that you mean drafting or sitting behind another runner in a race in a secondary position. So I think, first off, what I would say is that drafting or jockeying in this case is a good strategy to use. It's going to help you conserve some energy while someone else does the work in front of you and helps set a pace that is going to be the more difficult portion of racing in that context. And also, if there's any wind or any breeze that is going to be prevalent in the race, sitting in behind someone can allow you to find a spot where you are not taking on the full brunt of that wind. And that is scientifically proven to help conserve energy as opposed to being out front. One thing that you need to also keep in mind when you're drafting is you probably will do it to a certain point and either find yourself unable to hold on and you might fall off pace, or you may get to a point where you feel like you have exhausted your use of a person and you need to go around and run your own race. So it's important to be able to judge that. And then finally, the other thing I would say is that if you're going to draft, do it respectfully. Don't clip a person from behind, step on their feet, jockey too hard. It is all fair in racing, but you've also got to make sure you don't impede the person in front of you that you're sitting in behind.

Drafting or jockeying is a good strategy as it conserves energy and helps you avoid the full brunt of the wind. Be aware of when to let go of the person in front of you and always be respectful when drafting.

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When it comes to jockeying, or drafting, in a race, here's some advice. Drafting is a strategy that can conserve energy by sitting behind another runner who sets the pace. It also helps shield you from wind or breeze, saving even more energy compared to being at the front. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. You might reach a point where you can't keep up with the pace or feel that you've maximized the benefits of drafting, and it's time to break away and run your own race. It's crucial to judge when that moment arrives. Additionally, when drafting, it's important to do so respectfully. Avoid clipping the person in front of you, stepping on their feet, or jockeying too aggressively. While competition is part of racing, make sure not to impede the runner you're drafting behind.

Do you get more nervous now as a coach or when you were an athlete? Why?

Coaches face more intense nerves than athletes – here's why

Do you get more nervous now as a coach or when you were an athlete? Why? This is a great question and it's actually a conversation I've had with a lot of athletes. And the farther removed that I get from my own competition days, I think maybe I do forget a little bit about the nerves involved at that level. But I do think that nerves as a coach are maybe a little bit more acute and harder to dispel in the moment. I think one of the traits of a lot of successful athletes is the ability to use nerves, channel that nervous energy, maybe even compartmentalize some of those emotions and direct it toward the competition venue, field of play, whatever your particular sport entails. As a coach, I think there are two things that really probably affect the nerves mechanism. One is that the job of a coach is not to project nerves or unease leading into a competition. So there's that management piece, maybe even quelling things that are going on inside so that an athlete doesn't notice that disruption. And then the second is that watching a competition, your job is done, there's nothing you can do anymore to affect the outcome. And for me, the actual competition causes more nerves for that effect.

As a coach, I do think that nerves can be more acute and harder to dispel. As a coach, my job is to manage and quell any emotions so athletes don't notice any disruption. Watching the competition can cause more nerves since there is nothing more I can do to affect the outcome.

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Do I get more nervous now as a coach or when I was an athlete? This is a great question that I've discussed with many athletes. As time passes since my own competition days, I may forget some of the nerves that accompanied that level of performance. However, I believe the nerves as a coach are often more intense and harder to alleviate in the moment. Successful athletes often possess the ability to channel and utilize nerves, directing that energy towards the competition itself. As a coach, two factors contribute to heightened nervousness. Firstly, it is crucial for coaches not to project their own nerves or unease onto the athletes leading up to a competition. Managing these internal disruptions becomes essential. Secondly, once the competition begins, the coach's role is complete, and they can no longer influence the outcome. Personally, I find that watching a competition induces more nerves due to this lack of control over the situation.

How do you balance the need for planning with being adaptable to changes in your daily routine or unexpected events?

Balancing Planning and Adaptability: The Key to Success

I think that as a coach and as a human, the yin and yang of a lot of successful execution comes down to balancing your ability, need, and maybe desire to plan with the necessity of also remaining adaptable and flexible in the way that those plans are ultimately carried out and sometimes changed. So I think speaking as a coach, I'm definitely a planner. I like to work backwards from key or main events on an athlete's schedule. And I always remind myself and then am very upfront with athletes in the fact that the best laid plans often look great on paper and the reality at the end of a process is that things never quite work out or look the way that you envisioned at the beginning of a process and that's okay. If plan A is what you've drawn up to get from your starting point to your outcome, that's great but it may be plan B or C or D that is the actual path that you take. I think it's especially important to keep in mind when you factor in people's busy lives and all the pursuits outside of running, planning and flexibility is going to be what gets you there.

As a coach, I emphasize the importance of both planning and flexibility in order to get from the starting point to the desired outcome. Planning is key, but it's also important to remain adaptable and flexible as plans may change due to outside factors.

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Balancing the need for planning and being adaptable to changes in daily routines or unexpected events is crucial for successful execution. As a coach, I believe it's important to strike a balance between planning and flexibility. While I am a planner myself, I recognize that the best-laid plans often need adjustments along the way. When working with athletes, I start by mapping out plans based on key events or goals. However, I always emphasize that the initial plan may not unfold exactly as envisioned, and that's okay. It's essential to be open to alternate paths (Plan B, C, or D) that may emerge during the process. Considering people's busy lives and diverse pursuits outside of training, both planning and flexibility play vital roles in achieving desired outcomes.

Drew Wartenburg answers your Running questions. See all the advice Drew Wartenburg has and get answers to your own Running questions.

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Middle and long distance coach for all events on the track and roads.
25+ years of coaching.
USATF Level 2 certified.
Based in Flagstaff, AZ.
I have had the good fortune of working with HS individual and team champions; conference and national-level athletes in the NCAA; runners on the Olympic and World Championship stages; and an array of recreational athletes spanning the global running community.