Learning

Although I have been fortunate through my athletic career to get to learn from some incredible athletes and we are often surrounded by them in Victoria, it never gets old. I am a total endurance/Olympic/outdoor sports nut/geek (heck, I am marrying one of them soon enough).

While in Portland, we got to run with some incredible runners, further satisfying my geek fantasies (not that I really fantasies about scrawny dudes in short or tight shorts).

Our first hook up was with the Jerry Schumacher group. He was invited to help coach some of the new additions to the to the Oregon Distance Project. He brought along many of his top runners from Wisconsin to Portland (i.e. Matt Tegenkamp)

We did a tempo run with Canuck superstar Simon Bairu (not sure if he has ever lost a Canadian x-country championship; Tim Nelson (27:36 10km) & Evan Jager (13:22 5km at 19 & a crazy fast mile time).

It was a memorable run on a rolling 3.5 mile loop, in a torrential downpour and a violent wind. When we left, in a warm car, putting on dry clothes, they were still hammering out 2 more laps. A small example of "what it takes"!

What I learned?
They used lots of "athletic discipline" (Schumacher's term). They methodically descended the pace and were rotating the lead into the wind.
They did not bitch about the weather, they just got down to work. They put their heads down and did what they had to. 17 hard miles (+w/u & c/d) in those conditions, probably at the end of a solid training week, was impressive.
Jerry's attitude was notable too. He respected the athletes, suffering along beside them on a bike with 1 VERY big gear, yelling encouragement and tips. He was light hearted before the set, joking around and not putting any pressure on the athletes. He gave a simple, yet demanding, workout and for as much as we could see/follow, the athletes executed. The results that his athletes have had reflects his ability. A coach can get lucky with 1 athlete, but to have several succeed requires some skill.

The next day we met up with Alberto Salazar's squad. This group includes Galen Rupp (27:33 10k & US 10k champ), Dathan Ritzenhein (12:56 5km!!!!!), Alan Webb (3:46 mile); Kara Goucher (World Championship bronze medal 10k) & Adam Goucher.

Dathan and Galen (yes, we are on a first name basis now) were doing a set of 300 & 400 cruise intervals on grass. The pace was quite relaxed for them, which meant that they could work on form. I asked Galen what he & the group have been focusing on and he said that it is mostly getting their hips under them, which allows them to maximize their toe-off and drive.
We tagged along behind them, trying to feel their rhythm and watching their form.
They were metronomes, hitting their paces comfortably. Their upper bodies were incredibly relaxed and their feet are very quick off the ground.

The loop had a very tight corner at the end, which made it a bit strange, but they were also able to get back up to speed, or maintain their speed very comfortably.

What I learned
Dathan has an online journal that is worth a read. In his last post he talks all about attitude.
It seems like one thing Alberto does very well is have an intuitive "feel" for coaching and for his athletes. He is able to build their confidence and help them believe that, through hard & specific work, he can help them become world beaters. He does select the athletes (or they select him), so he only takes athletes who really possess the physical ability to compete, but he helps foster "the right attitude". It seems like the entire group has this attitude and, once again, the results speak for themselves.

Before the set, the mood was light and jovial. They were ready to work, going through their warm-up routine and the guys (& gal) just got the work done. They were methodical and professional, knowing what the purpose of the workout was and they did it. No big expectations & lots of patience, despite us following along like lemmings.

I realize that this is only a brief snapshot into their process and that I bring a lot of preconceived notions from what I have read online (being a total geek when it comes to this stuff) and what they choose to share, but it was still an incredible opportunity to watch, learn & geek out.

It was an honour to get to "toe the line" at a workout and to have them invite us to watch them work. I am more eager than ever to follow their progress from here.

(late addition)Simon made this video of a grass session that they did with the Schumacher group after I left. This is also most likely what I was day dreaming about while I was in class. It is a great example of the smooth, efficient, yet powerful stride that I talked about.
Also, Simon is apparently a man of many talents, as this is quite a good kick at the editing can. Good work!

running w. Bairu and co. from swhitfield on Vimeo.