Category Archives: Coaching

Pushing the Limits

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Jon Waldron

“So here is where we are in track and field, back in an old familiar place to which the sport returns with dispiriting regularity, and seemingly evermore. Not just to storied Hayward Field (although there, too), but to a place … Continue reading →

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Until the Sprinklers Chased Us Away

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Jon Waldron

Spring Track 2015 began on the third day of March. On that day, the roads of Concord were dangerously narrowed by high banks of snow, and the athletic fields were buried beneath four feet of the stuff. At 3:30 that … Continue reading →

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Spring Insanity

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Jon Waldron

As I do almost every weekday in the Spring, I will leave my office today in the middle of the afternoon. And as I make my early exit from the corporate world, I will pass co-workers in their cubicles, perhaps … Continue reading →

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The Coach Needs to Train, Too

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Jon Waldron

In retrospect, I don’t think I appreciated how good I had it as an assistant coach. Oh sure, it can be a pain in the neck, especially when you know — you just know! — that you could coach the … Continue reading →

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Your Moment of Coaching Zen

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Jon Waldron

A vignette from Friday’s workout with the team: It is a rather clever workout, I think, and one that I hope will simulate of some of the demands of racing in the league championships in a week. I’m having the … Continue reading →

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We All Just Decided to PR…

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Jon Waldron

See, this is why I love coaching high school cross country. Every so often you have one of those days when the kids defy your wildest expectations and suddenly start racing like young Ritzenheims and Flanagans. OK, maybe that’s an … Continue reading →

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Taking up Arms

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Jon Waldron

A couple of months ago, the Journal of Experimental Biology published a study that looked at the energy cost of running with various different arm actions. (The metabolic cost of human running: is swinging the arms worth it?). The study’s … Continue reading →

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Data Driven

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Jon Waldron

I don’t deny that running can be an intensely aesthetic experience. Some afternoons I’ll be out there on my own, running around Great Meadows at dusk as the last rays of sun make long shadows on the path, and I’ll … Continue reading →

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The Dumb Guy in the Room

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Jon Waldron

For the last five years my official job title at Nuance Communications has been “Research Project Manager,” which means that I manage projects and facilitate communications for a department of about 20 PhD Speech Scientists. Although all of them are … Continue reading →

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Credentials

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Jon Waldron

Fifteen high school long jumpers formed a single line on the runway. It was Sunday afternoon, and after nearly two full days of warm ups, drills, lectures, and instruction, it would not have been surprising to see a lack of … Continue reading →

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