How to Run a Faster 800m: A High School Distance Runner's Guide to Training and Racing the Half Mile
The 800m sits at the intersection of speed and endurance, and most high school runners train it wrong. Here's what I've learned coaching athletes through this event and how to actually develop as an 800m runner this summer.
Should You Start Marathon Training Now? The 18-Week Indianapolis Monumental Window
If you're thinking about running the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon this November, today is not too early to start. It's exactly right. Here's what an 18-week build looks like and how to use the summer window well.
What Is Lactate Threshold Testing and Why It Matters for High School Runners
Most youth athletes train by feel. We use data. A tiny blood sample from the fingertip tells us more about your fitness than any generic training plan ever could. Here's what lactate threshold testing actually is and why it matters for high school runners.
5 Signs You're Ready to Hire a Running Coach (And Signs You're Not)
A lot of runners ask me when the right time to hire a coach is. The answer isn't about your pace or your race history. It's about where you are in your training and what's actually holding you back.
Marathon Training Over 40: What Changes and How to Run Your Best as a Masters Runner
One of the most common things I hear from runners over 40 is some version of "I'm doing everything I used to do but I keep getting hurt or I'm just not improving." Here's an honest look at what changes after 40 and how to train around it.
Mid-Summer Check-In: What Your Long Runs Should Look Like Right Now for Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Training
If you're training for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, mid-June is when your base-building should be in full swing. Here's what your long runs should look like right now — and how to handle Indiana's summer heat.
Boston Qualifier Coach in Indianapolis: How I Coached 65 Runners to BQ
As an Indianapolis-based running coach, I've now coached 65 Indiana runners to a Boston Qualifying time — and after working with all of them, I've noticed the same pattern: most runners who miss their BQ aren't lacking fitness, they're following the wrong plan
Westfield, Carmel & Noblesville Runners: Your 20-Week Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Timeline Starts Now
If you live in Westfield, Carmel, or Noblesville and you've been thinking about the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, here's the number that matters: November 7, 2026 is 20 weeks away.
Twenty weeks sounds like a lot. It isn't. It's the exact amount of time it takes to go from "I think I could run a marathon" to standing on the start line downtown, fit, healthy, and ready — if you use it well. It's also exactly enough time to turn a "just finish" goal into a real Boston Qualifier attempt, if that's on your radar.
Here's the timeline I'd build if you walked into my office in Westfield today.
Why Adult Runners Plateau (And What Actually Gets You Moving Again)
You've been running consistently for years. You put in the miles. But your times have stopped moving — or gotten a little worse. Here's why that happens and what I do to fix it with the athletes I coach.
Summer XC Enrollment Is Open: Your 10-Week Roadmap to an August Breakthrough
Cross country races are won in July, not October. The aerobic engine you race on in the fall is built during the unglamorous summer weeks of consistent, progressive mileage. The work that happens with no meets, no crowds, and no one watching.
That's exactly why summer is so easy to waste. Without structure, most runners either do too little (a few jogs a week, no progression) or too much too soon (jumping mileage, getting hurt by July). Both roads lead to the same place: a flat, frustrating fall season.
The Rising-Senior Summer Recruiting Checklist: What College Coaches Want to See by August
If you're a rising junior or senior who wants to run in college, the summer before your season is one of the most important recruiting windows you'll ever have. Most athletes don't realize it's even happening and they waste it.
I've sat on both sides of the recruiting table: first as an Indiana high school state champion trying to get noticed, then as Head Coach at IU Indianapolis deciding which athletes to pursue. Here's the checklist I wish every recruitable runner used over the summer.
The #1 Reason Indiana Runners Get Hurt Every Summer (And How to Avoid It)
Every August, the same thing happens. A motivated runner spends all summer training hard, shows up to preseason camp in great shape and within two weeks is on the sideline with shin splints, a stress reaction, or a cranky Achilles.
It's heartbreaking, and it's almost always preventable. After years of coaching at the NCAA level and working with high school runners across Indiana, I can tell you the cause is rarely bad luck. It's almost always the same mistake.
The Summer Training Window: What Indiana High School Runners Should Do Right Now
Spring track is over. The next 10 weeks will define your fall cross country season. Coach Justin Roeder covers base building, running mechanics, strength training, nutrition, blood work, and the mental side. Here is a complete summer guide for Indiana high school runners in Westfield, Carmel, Noblesville, and beyond.
11 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Scholarship Offer
Most families celebrate the offer before they understand it. Indiana running coach Justin Roeder spent eight years coaching and recruiting at the NCAA level and knows what coaches know that families don't. These are the 11 questions you need to ask before you sign.
Why Your High School Runner Benefits from NCAA-Level Coaching
Your athlete's school coach is working with 40 runners and a full teaching schedule. NCAA-level coaching is built differently — individualized, periodized, and purposeful. Here's what that actually means for your high school runner.
A Deep look INSIDE College Running. The Horizon League and Mid-Major Programs: A Smart Path for Distance Runners
Every high school distance runner has a list of dream schools — usually the programs they see on ESPN or the ones with the biggest track budgets. But for the majority of talented runners, the smartest path to a meaningful college athletic career runs straight through programs like ours in the Horizon League.
What I Learned as a Professional Triathlete That Made Me a Better Coach
Most coaches come to the profession through one lens — usually the sport they competed in. I came through a different path: running in college, then spending several years as a professional triathlete competing in the USA Triathlon Olympic Development Program, earning Olympic Training Center residency, and finishing 11th at the PanAmerican Sprint Triathlon Championships. That experience changed how I coach in ways I didn't fully understand until I was on the other side.
How to Send a Recruiting Email That Actually Gets a Response
As a former NCAA Division I head coach, I receive dozens of recruiting emails from high school athletes every week. Most of them go unanswered — not because the athlete isn't talented, but because the email doesn't give me what I need to take the next step. Here's what separates the emails I respond to from the ones I don't.
The High School to College Training Transition: What Nobody Tells You
The jump from high school to college athletics is one of the biggest transitions a young runner will ever make. The mileage goes up, the competition gets faster, and the expectations are completely different. Most athletes underestimate how much changes — and they pay for it in their freshman year.
Should Your High School Runner Work with a Private Coach This Summer? A Parent's Guide.
Most Indiana high school runners finish spring track and train on their own all summer. The ones who make the biggest jumps by August don't. Here's what a private coach actually does — and whether it's right for your athlete