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Alex Ostberg – Episode 009 – Coaching Runners Podcast

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Alex Ostberg is currently entering his 5th year at Stanford University, where he has been an All-American in both cross country and track. This podcast is rooted in a presentation Alex did at the 2019 Boulder Running Camps titled, “The Ten Things I Wish I Knew As A High School Runner.” Alex is passionate about both the sport and helping high school athletes improve, which makes this podcast is a must-listen for high school coaches and athletes.

Alex has been running competitively for 11 years and has developed a passion for understanding the physiological, emotional, and psychological demands of running. He competed for 2 years in middle school with the Wilton Running Club. After that, Alex ran for Darien High school where he set 6 state records. He was a two-time qualifier at Footlocker Nationals, and the Northeast Footlocker Regional Champion in 2014. These performances earned him the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year twice.

In track, Alex was the Penn Relays 3000m champion in 2015 and the 2014 New Balance Outdoor Nationals champion. He finished his high school career with PRs of 4:06 (1600), 8:43 (3200), and 14:16 (5K). Alex was recruited to Stanford University where he has competed for 4 years and is entering his fifth year. He has steadily improved on his performances with four NCAA All-American certificates. He has excelled on the cross country circuit, placing 16th and 13th in the past two NCAA XC Championships. On the track his PRs currently stand at 3:59 (mile), 7:51 (3K), and 13:42 5K.

In 2018, Alex was elected by his peers to serve as captain of the Stanford Track Team. In addition to his training, Alex has developed a passion for learning about the science behind training and peak performance. He is pursuing a bachelors degree in Human Biology with an emphasis on Exercise Physiology and will also be getting a minor in Psychology. He has had the opportunity to be a TA for 4 different Stanford classes, including Exercise Physiology, Exercise and Aging, Clinical Anatomy, and EMT class. One day, when his competitive aspirations are over, Alex aspires to be a coach himself.

Jeff Boele – Episode 003 – Coaching Runners Podcast

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Jeff has a unique background as a coach, in that he was a distance runner in high school and college. He moved to Boulder, Colorado, to train, and found himself coaching the jumps at Lyons High School, just north of Boulder.

He took the challenge of becoming a great jumps coach seriously, and that meant taking a deep dive into the speed and power world. Jeff has a tremendous understanding of how distance runners can benefit from that training.

We get a bit technical during the interview, which I love because a successful coach, one who already knows how to develop athletes and has a culture where kids work hard and love the sport, can better understand how lifting and multi-throws may fit into their training plans.

Example: Jeff coached Paul Roberts, who finished fifth at Footlocker and made the world cross country team as a junior in high school (and I should note that Lyons HS has less than 300 students). Jeff shares that before they did focused work in the weight room, Paul would run his last 400m of a 1,600m race in 61-62, and run his last 400m of a 3,200m in 64-65.

Fast forward to Paul’s senior year and he was closing in 58, and even 57-point, in the 1,600m, and was able to close in 61 in the 3.200m.

Finally, Jeff has had the chance to not only go through the Altis coaching education offerings, but he has a close relationship with Dan Pfaff, one of the best track and field coaches in the world (many say THE best). I really enjoyed hearing how those experiences have shaped him as a coach.

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This episode of the Coaching Runners podcast is brought to you by the Fundamentals Education Course and the Boulder Running Clinics. Two great resources for coaches who are looking to take their program to the next level.

If you have questions or comments about the show, please email me – Jay@CoachJayJohnson.com

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