How to Develop Speed Without Injury

Sam Alexander is the head coach of the men's cross country and track & field teams at Connecticut College (Jason's alma mater!). Sam recently coached the track team to a historically high finish at the New England championships and helped the cross country team qualify for the National Championships for only the second time in program history.

This episode focuses on development - or, how to progress through beginner to advanced stages of running. We discuss:

• Athletic development for college runners vs. new runners
• The "order of operations" of development
• How to build speed and mitigate injury risk
• "Fundamental" workouts that build specific skills

Talking to college coaches is always educational because these are the operators, those in the trenches with athletes every day in high-stakes, performance-driven environments. We can learn a lot from Sam!

Resources & Links from the show:

• Follow Conn XC/Track on Instagram
• Listen to my interview with Conn's prior coach Jim Butler (Jason's coach)
• Training Excerpt! See a week of training from college cross country
• Connecticut College Men's Track Program info
• Develop with fewer injuries!

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