Category Archives: Coaching

Remembering Jim Blackburn

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Jon Waldron

Newton North Varsity XC at Franklin Park, November 10, 2001 “Once thinking I was destined to be mediocre at pretty much everything, the fact that [Coach Blackburn] believed in me made me more confident and driven than I’d ever been … Continue reading →

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What I can and what I can’t control

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Jon Waldron

  As I stood near the start of the 2018 New England Prep School Athletic Conference Div III Cross Country Championship a few weeks ago, it struck me that — for the first time in about 12 weeks — I … Continue reading →

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Impactful

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Jon Waldron

Joe Newton

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Living the Dream (at Running Camp)

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Jon Waldron

Kingdom Trails, across from the Wildflower Inn Every time I mention to someone that I spent the first two weeks of August at running camp, I worry that this sounds juvenile and undignified… even for me. So I hasten to … Continue reading →

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A few thoughts on failing (gloriously)

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Jon Waldron

“[We] foster an environment where failing gloriously is just as honorable as succeeding greatly, where trying something new is just as respectable as setting a record, where the greatest thing we can accomplish isn’t necessarily winning at all costs, but … Continue reading →

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Red-Letter Days

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Jon Waldron

There they are, prominent among countless undistinguished runs dutifully recorded within one’s physical or virtual training log, the workouts that tower above the rest like monuments. They are the long, long runs, or the special blocks, or the hardest track workouts you’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, Training | 1 Comment

Traveller in Two Worlds

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Jon Waldron

    A week and a half ago I ran alone in the late afternoon, nine miles along the Reformatory Branch trail from Concord Center to Bedford Depot and back. A couple of days later I ran with the team, … Continue reading →

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Compassion and Sportsmanship

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Jon Waldron

“It’s the first race that I’ve ever really had where I crossed the finish line and thought there wasn’t even another second that I could have made up at any point in that race… If you can say that honestly … Continue reading →

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From the Archives: On Running Hard in Dual Meets

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Jon Waldron

[The beginning of cross country practices and the post-Labor Day surge at work has made it  difficult for me to think clearly, let alone sit down and write. So with apologies for the re-posting, here’s something from the archives: a … Continue reading →

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Confidence Game

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Jon Waldron

It has been a fairly quiet few days up here at the family cottage, overlooking Sawyer’s Cove, halfway up the Maine Coast. I had intended to share this time with Joni, but in the end she couldn’t make the trip, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Movies, Coaching, High School Runners, Running Research | 2 Comments