Post
by Tinman » Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:38 am
I formed a team this autumn to run at the USATF Club National Cross Country race held in Lexington, Kentucky. They won, even without Drew Hunter. With him, it would have been even more powerful. Individuals on the team placed 4th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 14th.
Morgan Pearson, who placed 4th was way out in front most of the race. But, he was reeled in over the last km by the pack. It was cold and windy day, and it even snowed a little bit during the race. The Tinman Elite were really tough. They ran solid the whole way and worked together in the second group to move up. The race was about attrition. Who could hang and who would fade was how it played out. My team was so tough; they really did the job and a coach could not be more proud of them!!!
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend because I was in Bradenton, Florida at a 1-week USATF/IAAF coach's education clinic (Youth Specialization). Next year, I plan to attend the Endurance clinic. Both are Level 3 (USATF) / Level 5 (IAAF), which are the highest certifications offered by the two organizations. The IAAF is in charge of the clinic, but USATF supports it with the management component. I listed to some amazing speakers, but in all honesty I had a lot more answers to physiology than they did. My cohorts often asked for me to explain ideas to them that were presented by the German professors. I suggest that the language barrier made it tough for the German's to explain fully the concepts in English. However, as a coach-physiologist, I have a distinct advantage of applying physiology regularly. Still, it was a great clinic, though grueling / tiring with the projects that kept us up until midnight or past. The lectures were 8:45 am to 8-9 pm each day, except for meal breaks and 10-15 minutes breaks every 3-hours.