Sam Alexander is the head coach of the men's cross country and track & field teams at Connecticut College (Jason's alma mater!). Sam recently coached the track team to a historically high finish at the New England championships and helped the cross country team qualify for the National Championships for only the second time in program history.

This episode focuses on development - or, how to progress through beginner to advanced stages of running. We discuss:

• Athletic development for college runners vs. new runners
• The "order of operations" of development
• How to build speed and mitigate injury risk
• "Fundamental" workouts that build specific skills

Talking to college coaches is always educational because these are the operators, those in the trenches with athletes every day in high-stakes, performance-driven environments. We can learn a lot from Sam!

Resources & Links from the show:

• Follow Conn XC/Track on Instagram
• Listen to my interview with Conn's prior coach Jim Butler (Jason's coach)
• Training Excerpt! See a week of training from college cross country
• Connecticut College Men's Track Program info
• Develop with fewer injuries!

Please subscribe or follow the podcast and if you'd like to support us, support our advertising partners!

Thanks Previnex

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Thank you LMNT!

A big thanks to LMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at LMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You'll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best.

And BIG news! Their newest flavor is now permanently available : LEMONADE SALT!

LMNT's products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.

LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. I'm now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.

Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They're the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out LMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.