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Coaching is both knowledge and application. In my search for knowledge I’m fortunate enough to have some friends that know more than I. I consider Mark Young one of those people. That makes it easy to keep expanding my knowledge base.

After the MF conference at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City I spent four hours (it seemed like one) headed north in a car with Mark Young. Having mentioned him before on this site, I hope I don’t need to include his bio. He is one of the premiere distance coaches in the nation. As much as he would have liked to take a catnap due to his jet lag, I kept him awake with constant questions on two subjects. Foremost was my interest in the results of his distance summit in Las Vegas. I also questioned him about the progress of the O’Neal twins, Kate and Laura, whose transition from Yale to the professional circuit has been incredibly successful.

The following recollection is the product of sleep deprived individuals. As wheelman I am working from memory. At sixty-five MPH I was unable to take notes. There will be no direct quotes and if I have misinterpreted anything I take full blame.

Mind you, the purpose of the summit has one goal – to increase the number of United States’ Olympic medals in the mid-distance and distance events. On face value, that shouldn’t be hard. One would be an improvement! Despite the incredible success of the United States in sprinting and jumping, the results of throwing (with the possible exception of shot put) and distance running has been incredibly dismal. The Kenyans and other developing nations have developed a lock on the endurance medals. Just getting an American into the finals has been nearly impossible.

There is some thought that either genetically or environmentally the Kenyans have an intrinsic advantage. “Experts” could easily disagree on the subject. But for whatever reason they have become dominant.

If, and that is a big IF, they are predisposed to distance success, how does one compete? A possible answer is by having other nations focus on their strengths to a higher degree. For the United States that would mean focusing on science! If we are able to apply the principles of distance training on a higher plane, quite possibly we could compensate for any perceived disadvantage.

There are at least two areas in which the United States may be deficient in distance training.

Following is my own impression of the foot strength problem. Parentheses are not added to imply direct quotation, but are offered as an emphasis to my own terminology.

Considerable time in Las Vegas was spent considering the response of the foot in relation to contact with the ground. Ergo, if the foot was able to impart the same force within an incrementally shorter “ground contact” time frame, the result would be magnified by the total number of steps. The feeling is that the creation of shoes that have cushioned the feet have “increased” the force application time. In relation to cultures that spend significant amounts of time barefoot, our predisposition to protecting the feet has made them weaker. During “foot strike”, a weak foot/ankle absorbs greater shock before transferring the force to the ground. If that transition time does not include savings in muscular effort, the result is a loss in two dimensions. The athlete is working harder but producing less.

There is no quick fix for this inherent problem. One long-term cure would be to include barefoot running, walking on sand, and other foot stressing activities within the weekly program. These program adaptations must be developed over time. As with any other stressor, a quick increase in demand can produce injury. Eventually, the multiplied gains in foot response time could be significant.

Secondly, the most significant common factor connecting distance medal winners over the last four Olympiads has been training at elevation. Since 1988, approximately 95% of the medal winners from 800M up have either lived or trained at altitude. The optimal proportion of training time at elevation vs. sea level is still in question, but statistics suggest that lack of elevation training is a recipe for failure at the elite level.

When considering application of these factors to high school training, only foot strengthening is a viable consideration for most athletes. Incorporating drills designed to increase foot strength is both desirable and possible.

Another possible initiative is the re-evaluation of basic training principles.

The United States wasn’t always left out in the cold when it came to distance medals. Yet, as the world has gotten better, the United States has lagged behind.

I could offer a number of excuses for this. Whining won’t help. The bottom line is that the US has one of the largest athlete pools in the world, affluence enough to offer advanced training opportunities, a lifestyle that includes significant disposable time for the majority of its’ inhabitants, and some of the best physiology and kinesthetic science in the world.

This is a country that has proven its’ ability to respond to challenges. This is not the time to live on the memory of past succeses. The challenge of the 21st century is to reclaim its’ position in the world of human performance.