Running New Mexico podcast. Sharing and highlighting runners or groups. Share your runs, trails, goals, and accomplishments with #RunningNM
Albuquerque, NM
Joined January 2020
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RunningNM retweeted
Over the years, I've learned that there are 2 main coaching mistakes that lead to a plethora of problems for athletes and programs. They really all boil down to:
1) Impatience
2) Ego
RunningNM retweeted
State XC in New Mexico, cool temps, mountains in the background...beautiful! Good luck!
RunningNM retweeted
You belong before you're fast.
Help them feel like they belong here.
A kid can join cross-country without thinking of themselves as a runner.
Maybe a friend talked them into it. Maybe they're trying something new. They might spend the first few weeks wondering if everyone else belongs here more than they do.
Then things start happening. They finish a run they couldn't finish before. Someone learns their name. They find a group to run with. They realize somebody notices when they show up.
That stuff matters.
I want a program where beginners have a place while they're still learning. They shouldn't have to get good before they feel like part of the team.
RunningNM retweeted
Easy on the pep talks.
You can't want it for them.
I can get pretty excited about a goal. I can explain it, show the evidence, and talk until everyone would appreciate a little quiet. 😂
The athlete still has to want it.
Motivation belongs to the person doing the work. My job is to build an environment where they have reasons to care. A goal that means something to them. Teammates they want to show up for. Work they understand. Progress they can see.
I want to find out what matters to the kid. It might not be the thing that got me so fired up.
Probably good information to have before my next speech.
RunningNM retweeted
Academy Extravaganza live results -
rtspt.com/events/cif/2026Mee…
RunningNM retweeted
I was talking with one of the smartest coaches I know - who has coached at the high school level, the collegiate level, and coached Olympic Trials qualifers.
"College Coaches want guys who can come in and make an immediate impact."
That might be the biggest reason things in 2026 are different than 5-10-15 years ago. When a college coach gets an older, faster international athlete, they have someone who has a chance to score at track meets, or be a top 5 athlete on a good XC team.
My freshman year - 1994 - at CU Boulder, coach Wetmore was asked asked who in his freshman class could make an impact.
"In our business a freshman is a peach fuzz baby."
So the five of freshman were called the PFBs for a year or so by the older guys.
Eventually everyone in our freshman class - minus yours truly - became an All-American. And some guy named Goucher won a lot of NCAA titles - one the on exception to the PFB comment - he was second in the NCAA XC meet as a freshmen.
The rest of us were solid, but all of us really made a jump spring of our sophomore year.
Back to my point...
This issue of "need to make an impact now" applies more to 4:05-4:15 boys more than 4:45-4:55 girls, so good news if you have a daughter who is fast.
But for the boys?
I know of an athlete who broke 4 minutes this year for the mile and is a walk-on.
When 1-2 dozen college guys break 4 min in the mile in the same weekend in Boston on a fast track in magic shoes, it's worth considering why a 4:08 high school boys has a LONG way to go to make an impact at the DI level.
More to come at Next Mile Recruiting after the XC season. I'd link to the URL but Twitter will shadow ban me if I do.
If you're a coach and you want to read about the mistakes I see most families make, check it out. I will also send you a series of emails just for you - the HS coach - about how you can help your kids navigate this process.
To be clear THIS IS NOT A RECRUITING SERVICE. Rather, this is an educational company that helps families understand the process and find a great fit for their student-athlete. We educate the family - mostly the parents - and the family does the work.
RunningNM retweeted
The same sessions missing from your swim, bike, run training are also missing from your strength training...
Those easy technique sessions where the load is light enough, the tempo slow enough, and the awareness high enough to really master the movement.
#TheStrengthCode
RunningNM retweeted
There are 45 days until Sat, Oct 31.
There will be no magic workouts in the next 45 days, but you can make a small step towards having a great race each day.
- Run hard when you're asked to
- Do all the "little" things that aren't as fun as running
- Prioritize sleep
Let's go!
RunningNM retweeted
Recap from this morning's action at the North Course!
golobos.com/news/2026/09/05/…
RunningNM retweeted
Go Anna, Go Elliot! Academy XC alums.
The 2026 season is officially underway as the Bears competed at the Friar XC Invitational on Friday afternoon.
Sebastian Margetts led the men to a fourth place finish while Anna Hastings paced the women in her collegiate debut.
📰 RECAP- bit.ly/4iKYMrl
RunningNM retweeted
The main goal I have for my athletes every year is to improve.
Be better than you were last cross season. Then step it up over the winter. Be better during the track season. Be better over the summer. Improve over the year and improve from year to year.
The speed that you run is irrelevant. Just improve.
RunningNM retweeted
One of the greatest responsibilities in coaching is understanding this:
If you coach someone long enough, your voice eventually becomes part of theirs.
One day you won’t be standing beside them
But the way you encouraged them to talk to, view, & feel about themselves will be.
RunningNM retweeted
One of my favorite things about coaching is watching an athlete realize just how much they can improve.
We have a junior on the girls team who is a 2nd year runner. Recently, in the middle of a medium long run, she ran 4 progressive miles that averaged faster than ANY of her 5K races last season.
Her recent 2K time trial was 1:09 faster than her 2025 time, the biggest improvement on the team.
She has been consistent for an entire year. She follows the training plan. She wants to improve. She enjoys the process. She wants to move up on the team. And she genuinely enjoys being part of this group and that combination is powerful.
A motivated, coachable kid who enjoys what they’re doing and who they’re doing it with can improve by leaps and bounds.
They don’t just become a faster runner. They start to see themselves differently. They gain confidence, learn what consistency can accomplish, and begin to realize that they are capable of much more than they thought.
They literally transform as an athlete AND as a person.
This is one of the many reasons I love coaching cross country and track.
RunningNM retweeted
The longer I coach, the more I’m convinced that it’s mostly about putting people in a place where they can perform out of joy, curiosity, exploring their potential, and taking on a challenge.
Too often we let fear, protecting our self or our ego take over.
