Advice to a New Cross Country Coach
Read time ~10 mins
By: Jonathan Horsely
“I wouldn’t change a thing” is a sentiment that is often expressed by our culture when discussing retrospection. Going into my 5th year as a cross country coach, I’d argue this statement is as foolish as Michael Scott’s pasta heavy and water light pre-race nutrition. While there is certainly value in learning to accept the past as it is and look to the future, the statement doesn’t make sense. If I could go back and re-coach my first year of cross country with the experience and knowledge I have now, I would for sure change some things. I would be crazy not to. Rather than going into the specifics of my own personal shortcomings as a first-year coach, of which there were many, I’d like to present the advice I would give a first-year cross country coach to help them avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made.
Culture is Everything- There are middle and high school students that just love running. They join cross country for the pure enjoyment of the sport itself, and as a Coach, I really value the presence of these athletes on a team. These athletes not only succeed at a high level but will be a positive influence on your whole team. However, a more common type of athlete you will find though is the athlete who dislikes running, maybe even hates it. The good news is those kids can be great assets to your cross country team if you have a positive team culture. I can’t tell you how many kids who run cross country would say “Running? I don’t love running, but I love cross country.”
Anyone who has been on or around a cross country team with good culture knows how infectious and powerful the culture of the sport can be. Just go to a cross country meet in your town and walk around the course during a meet and listen to how the kids push and encourage each other. They will even push and encourage kids from other teams if it looks like they are really struggling. The best cross-country teams have this kind of culture at practice. Kids push and encourage each other during workouts. They run in packs and pull each other through and improve together as a team. Unfortunately, this culture doesn’t just happen spontaneously. As a coach, you must be mindful of the culture of your team and evaluate how your strategies and procedures work towards or against the culture you are trying to create. Culture must be nurtured like a fire or a plant. Be explicit with your entire team about the culture you are trying to create and get some student leaders to get on board and help make the push for the growth of the team.Call a Spade a Spade- I love running, but even I have days where I do not give one hundred percent to a workout or cut some mileage from training days. Student-athletes have the same temptation. Early on, I was resistant to make assessments of effort and call kids out for sandbagging or walking. I believed they needed to find the self-discipline to run on their own. While I still believe self-discipline is a major part of cross country, I’m now more aware that correction is the feedback the coach provides to help athletes learn self-discipline. If an athlete is consistently underperforming at practice, you are doing them a disservice if you don’t call them out on it. If you leave this alone too long it will negatively impact your culture. Kids know when they are being lazy and get over getting called out on it a lot faster than you would think.
Strength Training. DO IT NOW!- Runners have to be strong. Not just endurance, not just legs, but genuinely strong all over. Make sure to incorporate strength training into your practices. This is key for injury prevention and athlete improvement. Exercises that focus on the core and working out tired muscles is key.
You’ll Love it- Coaching cross country has been one of the most fulfilling endeavors I have taken on. Every time an athlete comes back after a race and is excited about hitting a personal record or winning a medal, it’s a win. Every year I look forward to seeing how much the athletes can improve. This effect is amplified when you get the privilege of coaching athletes for multiple years and watching how they grow as runners and as people. Qualifying to compete in state is awesome and of course, we always push to perform well at meets, but for me the greatest victory is if a kid leaves better than when they came into the program. Running is a lifetime sport and high school cross country coaches should be honored to be able to be along for such a foundational and pivotal time for many future runners. I know I am.
Jonathan Horsely teaches AP environmental, biology, and physical science at Central High School in Carrollton, GA. Where he also is the head cross country coach of both, the boys and girls teams. He is an avid runner and hiker competing in distances from the 5K to a half marathon. Recently he hiked the JFK 50 Mile Challenge in Blue Ridge, GA.
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