Middle Distance & Distance: Training & Technical Phase-Based Approach to Seasonal Planning

with Tim O'Neill,
Assumption High School (IA) Boy's & Girl's Head Track Coach, Boy's & Girl's Head Cross Country Coach;
2x USTFCCCA High School Girl's Track & Field Iowa Coach of the Year (2014, 2017);
8x Iowa Track and Field Coaches Association (IATC) Coach of the Year; 5x Girl's Track & Field State Championships;
coached the 1600 M Medley Relay National Champions at the 2017 New Balance Indoor National Championships;
USATF Level I Certified Instructor; USATF-Level II Certified Coach (Sprints/Hurdles/Relays, Throws, Jumps & Endurance)

Tim O'Neill, the head coach at Assumption High School (Davenport, IA), begins this excellent presentation by explaining his philosophy regarding middle distance training. O'Neill diagrams each week of his in-season and pre-season programs, including individual workouts for each session along with how to progress volume and intensity throughout the season.

Coach O'Neill gives you several types of workouts, including long & slow distance, long intensity, short intensity, recovery runs, anaerobic threshold, and aerobic threshold training. You'll see how he alternates high volume and high intensity in order to build the fitness level of every athlete. Additionally, O'Neill shows how to tailor each workout to each individual on your team.

In-Season Practice Plans & Strategies

You will learn how to plan workouts for the competitive season. O'Neill's in-season workouts build on the athlete's level of fitness established during the pre-season phase. He explains how to plan workouts around your meet schedule to maximize the training effect and explains how he tapers his workouts in order to help athletes peak for championship meets. Altogether, you'll learn to:

• Program in-season workouts to avoid over-training and burnout.
• Utilize the competitive meet schedule as part of the training schedule.
• Taper volume for post-season peaking.

Strength Training

Coach O'Neill concludes by describing his philosophy on strength training and how to fit it into your overall training schedule. He also demonstrates the dynamic warm-up exercises, sprint mechanic drills, weight lifting exercises, and plyometric drills that make up the strength training portion of his program. You'll see several lifts demonstrated in the weight room using proper techniques, supplemented with coaching points, including:

• Warm-up drills
• Core strength exercises
• Sprint mechanic drills
• Plyometric drills

This video is a great addition to any track coach who wants to boost the performance of distance and middle distance runners. Coach Tim O'Neill, who has coached his middle distance and distance runners to great success over the past 18+ years, does an excellent job in this video of describing and demonstrating the methods he uses to produce championship athletes.

85 minutes. 2018.