Recovery Habits That Separate State Qualifiers From Everyone Else
The difference between good high school runners and state qualifiers usually isn't talent. It's what they do away from practice. Here's what I look for in the athletes I coach.
The First Two Weeks of Cross Country Season: What I Watch For As a Coach
The first two weeks of cross country season decide more about your fall than most runners realize. Here's what I'm watching for with every athlete I coach.
The Real Secret to Breaking Through a Marathon Plateau: Repeatable, Not Maximal
Part 5 of the series. If you've read this far, you already understand why your last training block didn't work. Here's how the pieces come together into an actual breakthrough.
Your Cardio Isn't What's Holding You Back. Your Legs Are.
Part 4 of the series. You probably have more cardiovascular fitness than your legs can currently handle. Here's why that mismatch causes most marathon injuries and plateaus.
What Elite Coaches Call the "Golden Zone" (And Why Almost Every Runner Misses It)
Part 3 of the series. Somewhere between too easy and too hard is a precise zone where the real gains happen. Almost every runner overshoots it.
Why Your Easy Days Are Too Hard and Your Hard Days Aren't Hard Enough
Part 2 of the series. Almost every runner I meet is making the same mistake without realizing it, and it's quietly draining their fitness instead of building it.
Why the Fastest Runners in the World Don't Train Harder Than You
Part 1 of a 5-part series on what elite training philosophy actually teaches marathoners. The difference isn't effort. It's something almost nobody talks about.
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.
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.
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.