One of the things which puzzle me today is why there seems to be much less interaction between coaches regarding ideas about training, discipline, etc. Part of that is understandable with the internet and the availability of ideas on every conceivable topic related to distance running. However, what I believe is missing today with our younger coaches, is what I was greatly influenced by – the effect of coaching mentors. When I think back to how much I learned just from listening to and being around some of the people I had access to in my early career, I think many of today’s coaches are missing out on a goldmine of useful information.
What has accounted for this? Besides the internet and its instant feedback, many of today’s younger coaches have a different mindset. Part of it is the ‘millennial effect,’ where many of today’s younger people are a bit more self-centered than those in the past, and in some cases, don’t consider gaining information from experienced or long time coaches worth their while.
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Of the coaches at this clinic, not more than 20% of those present were newer coaches. The rest were older, experienced people including two that had more years of coaching than I did. At the end of my talk on distance running, I offered each coach my email in case anyone had questions afterward. In addition, I volunteered to send a copy of the PowerPoint presentation I had just given to every coach who requested it. In the next few days, I received many emails and all, but one of them, came from the older coaches