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Science-backed training insights for coaches who want to get it right

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A high-school cross-country team on a cooldown walk after practice, two runners at the back of the group talking side by side, overcast light on a school track with the grandstand behind.
running swimming

Lean on Your Circle: What the Athletes Who Made It Say Actually Helped

What protects a young athlete isn't toughness. It's a small circle they can talk to and one door to a professional — and a coach builds both.

A high-school distance runner in team kit sitting on the infield grass beside the track in a walking boot, watching teammates run a workout in the late-afternoon light.
running swimming

Who Are You When You Can't Run? Building an Identity Before Injury Forces It

A strong athletic identity isn't the risk. A narrow one is — and it shows up in healthy teenagers, long before the injury that makes everyone notice.

A high-school cross-country runner standing at the edge of a grass course in late autumn, hands on hips after a run, teammates gathering their bags in the background.
running swimming

Choosing to Stay

Most athletes who quit aren't burned out — they've decided they aren't good enough. Two different problems, two different levers, and one of them is yours.

A high-school-age distance runner sitting in a plain galvanized stock tank of cold water on a practice field at dusk, towel over her shoulders, calm and unremarkable — no ice, no fog, no dramatic lighting.
running triathlon cycling swimming

Ice Baths for Endurance Athletes: The Temperature Debate Is a Distraction

A viral post corrects one myth about ice baths and commits two of its own. The real question was never how cold. It's what the tub is actually for.

A high-school cross-country runner sitting on a curb after practice, unpacking a simple snack from a backpack — a banana and a sandwich — in unglamorous everyday light.
running

Fueling the High-School Runner: The Numbers Everyone Argues About Are the Small Ones

The internet fights over protein grams and pre-run snacks. For a growing high-school runner, the bigger lever is simpler: eat enough.

A high-school swimmer sitting on the pool deck at dawn wrapped in a towel, eating a banana and drinking from a water bottle before an early-morning practice.
swimming

Fueling the High-School Swimmer: When More Yardage Is the Wrong Answer

Swimmers are told they burn enormous amounts — and that they quietly under-eat. Both can be true. The fix is the same: fuel the training you actually do.

Four runners seen from behind, jogging easy on an open road at dawn, relaxed and unhurried, with the sky glowing on the horizon.
running triathlon

Is Easy Running Overrated? What the 4×4 and the Lactate Shuttle Actually Say

Two classic studies get used to argue easy miles are wasted. Read correctly, both argue for the aerobic base — if your easy days are actually easy.

A lone runner on an open road at dusk, viewed from behind, the road stretching far ahead.
running triathlon

How Much Running Is Too Much? The Answer May Be a Single Run

The largest running-injury study ever run says the dangerous load isn't your weekly mileage — it's one session that's far longer than anything recent.

A runner performing a single-leg isometric calf raise hold against a wall, viewed from the side in a gym.
running triathlon strength

Isometric Strength for Runners: Buying Economy Without the Pounding

Strength work reliably makes runners more economical. Isometric holds are a low-fatigue way to get there — here's what the evidence does and doesn't say.

A high school cross-country runner alone on a wooded autumn trail, mid-stride, looking fatigued.
running

RED-S: The Underfueling Syndrome on Your Roster — and Why It Hides in Boys Too

RED-S is common, under-recognized, and shows up differently in male and female athletes. What coaches need to know.

An open-water swimmer in a green cap and goggles mid-freestyle stroke, arm recovering above the water with a sports watch, photographed at water level
swimming triathlon

Teaching the Adult-Onset Swimmer: The First Two Months in the Water

For a runner or cyclist entering triathlon, fitness is the trap, not the solution. How to coach the first two months of freestyle.