Magness & Marcus on Coaching

In this episode of Magness & Marcus on Coaching, we take on one of the oft-forgotten and misunderstood items in the world of running: the Neural component. Starting off with defining the CNS and motor programming in coaches speak, we take a look at how to integrate this type of work in the realm of…

After a one week hiatus, Jon and I are back for our longest episode of the Magness & Marcus podcast yet. In this one, we meander through a wide range of topics with the central theme of looking at how we have evolved as coaches and to try to take away lessons from what that evolution means. Perhaps most interesting to me was tracking what we focused on in educating ourselves. What we found is that we have followed similar paths of first diving head first into the fundamentals of coaching with classic training texts like Lydiard, Daniels, and Cerutty before adding in a touch of science to understand why those methods worked. Then once the foundation was there, we’ve both branched out to focusing on concepts that on the surface are only vaguely related to coaching. In the podcast we try to go through why this progression tends to occur and what it means. After laying out our progression as coaches from a learning standpoint, we discuss how our coaching practices have changed over the years. Jon tells a great story of one of his coaching mentors, Rob Conner of Portland, and how he came to see that having less control is often the way to go. Instead of trying to micromanage every single factor of training, giving the athletes autonomy to make some of those decisions can lead to better engagement and in the end better performance. While there are a number of other topics covered, I’d highly recommend this episode for any young coach. Hopefully you can learn from our mistakes along the way! Thanks for listening, Steve & Jon Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe through RSS Books mentioned in the podcast: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek Daniels Running Formula by Jack Daniels Better Training For Distance Runners by Peter Coe Run, Run, Run by Fred Wilt The Mechanics of Athletics by Geoff Dyson  

After a one week hiatus, Jon and I are back for our longest episode of the Magness & Marcus podcast yet. In this one, we meander through a wide range of topics with the central theme of looking at how we have evolved as coaches and to try to take away lessons from what that…

In today’s episode of Magness & Marcus, we take on the myth of self importance. As coaches we put a large emphasis on the items which we can control and in coaching terms that means the workout schedule. There’s this idea that creating the perfect workout schedule is the key to success. For years, we…

In today’s episode of Magness & Marcus, we take on the myth of self importance. As coaches we put a large emphasis on the items which we can control and in coaching terms that means the workout schedule. There’s this idea that creating the perfect workout schedule is the key to success. For years, we spend all of our efforts in refining what kind of workouts to give and when and where to give them. When I go to coaching conferences, everyone wants to know the exact workout plan. It’s ingrained in our heads as coaches to place the workout schedule as the most important thing. Why? Because it’s the one thing we can control. It’s the item we can manipulate and has a direct impact on the athlete’s success. We’ve also invested a ton of time learning about workout creation, so we have this cognitive bias to think that it is the absolute key because we invested so much time and effort trying to figure it out What we are unknowingly doing is creating the illusion that the schedule is king and any deviation from the planned practice is a failure. It’s the reason why athletes will go into a panic if they are forced to take a day or so off and will often ask to make up the workout. We deviated from this perfect plan. This cultivates an environment where perfect conditions and a flawless build up to a race is needed for success. In this podcast, we give examples of athletes taking multiple days off per week PRing, 1500m runners turning into 10k runners, and athletes who didn’t warm up PRing, to illustrate that perfection is not needed. Instead we need athletes who respond to challenges and don’t expect perfection. So instead of falling into the trap of interventionism, where as coaches we feel this urge/need to do something to demonstrate some sort of control, develop athletes who are flexible and resilient to challenges. Often times it’s the decision not to do something that is the best decision. I hope you enjoy this week’s episode and remember to keep things in balance and don’t overestimate the value of things that we can control just because we can control them! Thanks for listening, Steve & Jon Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe through RSS

Whether it is going from high school to college or from college to professional, we’ve all know stories of those who transitioned well and those who went through a rough patch. In this episode, Jon and I delve into these transitions. In our longest episode yet, we initially look at some of the roadblocks and…

Whether it is going from high school to college or from college to professional, we’ve all know stories of those who transitioned well and those who went through a rough patch. In this episode, Jon and I delve into these transitions. In our longest episode yet, we initially look at some of the roadblocks and obstacles that might prevent people from making that jump to the next level. From here, we dissect what people who successfully transition actually do and then look at how to apply these concepts to our own runners. As the conversation progresses, we end with looking at the differences between the East African runners and the American’s in terms of mindset taken and how the mindset might make a bigger difference then any special “secret” like altitude, training, or diet. Whether you’re a high school runner getting ready to make the jump to college, or an athlete wondering how to make that jump to the next level on the professional side, give this episode a listen as they’ll be something for you to take away.   As always, hope you enjoy and feedback is appreciated, Steve & Jon Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe through RSS

In this weeks episode of Magness & Marcus we discuss how what matters most is often what goes on outside of practice. It’s the other 21 hours of the day when we aren’t working out that often is the deciding factor on whether we have success or not. It’s all about setting up the rest…

In this weeks episode of Magness & Marcus we discuss how what matters most is often what goes on outside of practice. It’s the other 21 hours of the day when we aren’t working out that often is the deciding factor on whether we have success or not. It’s all about setting up the rest of your day for success. We go into detail on three topics specifically that impact our recovery and adaptation. Starting with the big one, sleep. Going beyond the “sleep is good for you” mantra, we try and look at what it actually does and then go into how to actually change behavior to get more sleep. Next up is the topic of nutrition and what are the big concepts to get across to your athletes instead of getting bogged down with the minutia. To end we tackle the wonderful topic of stress. How do we deal with life that involves classes, tests, and life stress, and how do we combat that by creating the right environment. We end with a new segment to tie things together where Jon and I discuss two of the latest books we’ve both read so that you all can get an understanding of the process behind where some of thoughts come from. Enjoy and as always feedback appreciated, Steve & Jon Books or apps discussed in this show include: Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb Riveted by Jim Davies How We Are by Vincent Deary Flux–  blue light reduction app for sleep Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe through RSS

This week on the Magness & Marcus podcast, we take on the topic of strength training. It’s probably one of the hottest and most controversial topics in modern training theory. Mostly because it’s not our forte. In this episode we take on how you should lift, when you should lift, and what it actually does.…

This week on the Magness & Marcus podcast, we take on the topic of strength training. It’s probably one of the hottest and most controversial topics in modern training theory. Mostly because it’s not our forte. In this episode we take on how you should lift, when you should lift, and what it actually does. Using examples from American Record Holder Alan Webb and backing it up with ideas on neural and endocrine system changes, we take you through how to think about strength training for a runner. To keep things interesting, we bring up the fear of getting big, as well as discussing why mimicking running in the weight room is probably a mistake. Finally, we finish up with the importance of keeping the strength to it’s appropriate importance level (i.e. secondary to the running) and take on why doing some crazy looking and creative exercise where we stand on a bosu ball with one leg and move our arms in a running motion, just may not be the best way to transfer. New episodes every week, so please subscribe and give feedback. We’re looking at this as a way to promote higher level ideas, concepts, topics, and more than anything create some discussion and thinking in the community. Thanks for listening Steve & Jon Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe through RSS

In this episode of our weekly podcast, we explore The Rare Find. What are those attributes that set apart those individuals who can perform under pressure, make the jump to the next level, and perhaps exploit the limits of their potential. We start off by exploring this idea of talent identification from a recruiting perspective…

In this episode of our weekly podcast, we explore The Rare Find. What are those attributes that set apart those individuals who can perform under pressure, make the jump to the next level, and perhaps exploit the limits of their potential. We start off by exploring this idea of talent identification from a recruiting perspective and give insight into what little things we might like for that signal larger talent underneath. Using this as a starting point, we then try to identify the attributes that signal this hidden talent. From here, we diverge into preparing for races by adding uncertainty, keeping athletes on their toes, and mimicking racing in the training environment. Instead of simply focusing on the physical components of success, we should also plan for the mental and emotional components that play as large a role. To end the podcast, we finish off with how to become a Rare Find. What are the items that we need to work on and develop to make sure that, whether it’s in racing or life, that we are constantly evolving in our own practices and endeavors. This was a fun one to discuss with Jon, so I hope you enjoy. As always, if you have any comments, suggestions, or topics that you want to hear covered in future episodes, please post below to let us know! Thanks for the listen! Steve & Jon Subscribe on iTunes or through RSS

I’m a distance runner, which means I am really good at thinking that I can do everything myself, as our sport is sometimes portrayed as the ultimate loner sport. But the reality is that, regardless of level, we need help, sometimes a lot of help, to get to the places we aspire to get to.…

I’m a distance runner, which means I am really good at thinking that I can do everything myself, as our sport is sometimes portrayed as the ultimate loner sport. But the reality is that, regardless of level, we need help, sometimes a lot of help, to get to the places we aspire to get to. I’d been very fortunate to have some excellent mentors growing up and have always valued that type of system. I’m not sure if I lucked out with some great coaches, teachers, and mentors to guide me or what, but in 2014, I think I finally took full appreciation of it. You see I’ve also been fortunate enough to have some really great and smart friends who I could kick around “theories of life” on long runs or critique each others latest foolish decisions. I’ve had great coaching mentors like Tom Tellez, Scott Raczko and my HS coach Gerald Stewart. Along with great running buddies like Andy Stover, Marcel Hewamudalige, and Moises Joseph who I could spend discussing the secrets of life on those long runs. But what I’ve really been bad at is getting outside of my normal comfort zone of friends and acquaintances. You see, I’m a self described introvert, who becomes an extrovert when I’m talking about something I’m passionate about. This contradiction means unless I’m geeking out talking science, coaching, psychology or some other random interest it’s against my nature to seek out people and strike up a conversation. What I learned from another person I consider a mentor, Vern Gambetta, is to always learn from others. Every time Vern is in Houston he gives me a call up to see if we can meet for coffee and have a conversation. And it’s not because I’m special, it’s because the man soaks up knowledge. I always admired Vern for this because he didn’t have an ego and just sought out people doing interesting things regardless of what level or age they were at. The first time he reached out to me I was a 20-something nobody, and some of the best teachers of movement he’s brought in to his conferences were simply PE teachers, not some pro sport guru. In mid-2014, Shannon Leinhert reached out to me and asked to meet up when I simply posted I was in Eugene on twitter to chat about some of the things we were both doing. I didn’t know much about Shannon except for her running accolades, but what impressed me was that here was someone who was just super curious about learning and picking people’s brains. And after our quick meeting, it really made me ask the question of why wasn’t I taking advantage of all the smart people out there that I could learn from? Conversations can give us so much information. So, what’s the point? Well since that, I decided I’d copy Shannon and reach out to people doing interesting things whenever I travelled. Whether it was meeting with Phoebe Wright in Seattle, Jon Marcus in Phoenix, Danny Mackey in New Mexico, or a random assortment of really smart people on my lovely track trips. If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that everyone has an interesting story. The problem is that we live that life daily, so we’re blind to the knowledge and experiences we have. It’s our norm. So you have a lot of really smart, intelligent people who have hidden gems of ideas or ways of thinking and they don’t even realize it. The end of 2014, and hopefully 2015 is about exploring that. People are fascinating. Sometimes we forget that each one of us has a compelling narrative hidden behind whatever external facade we put on. So it’s been my goal to explore that narrative.The Podcast So in 2015, I’m excited to announce one step in that process, a podcast with my good friend Jon Marcus.  Jon is one of those guys who I go to when I want to be cha...