I have been coaching since 2012, and I focus on working one-on-one with a small number of highly motivated athletes who are aiming for long-term development. At any given time, I am typically working with between 12 and 20 athletes, some of whom I've coached for as long as ten years.
Athletes I have coached in the past few years have ranged in age from 12 to 45, and have been preparing for every distance from 800m to 100 miles. Some highlights from athletes I have worked with include:
Middle school track: One Nike Outdoor National Champion and sub-10:45 3200m runner (female)
High school xc and track (assistant at Edina High School): five sub-9:10 3200m runners (all also sub-4:20 1600m); four NXN-qualifying teams; ten individual all-state cross-country finishes including one individual state champion
University/U23 level: One national U23 champion at 800m, personal best of 1:49.8
Marathon: Eight top-25 finishes at big-city marathons, all below 2:40 (men) / 2:55 (women)
Ultramarathon: Seven podium finishes including four wins at regional-level events from 50k to 100mi; one top-40 finish at a UTMB World Series Major race (100 km)
Many more athletes have set personal bests or achieved goals including hitting marathon time qualifiers for Boston, London, New York, and Tokyo.
I am currently available to take on a small number of additional athletes for the winter/spring 2026 season and beyond if you think my coaching would be a good fit for you. Drop me an email (john@runningwritings.com) and tell me a little bit about yourself and your running goals if you're interested.
I believe that how you do your workouts is just as important as what workouts you do, which is why I provide detailed training schedules (example here) with instructions for every workout as well as high-level guidance on your long-term running goals.
I have studied how the human body adapts, or fails to adapt, to distance running, and I have worked hard (and published scientific research) to understand injury prevention, treatment, and recovery. Planning how to individualize training to fit a specific athlete's needs is one of my specialties.
Additionally, I am always available for one-off or recurring consultation sessions. Here are some topics I've worked on with athletes and coaches in the past:
- Reviewing a cross country training plan
- Preparing a training and race plan for an ultramarathon
- Improving a marathon training plan
- Developing a strength routine for a high school program that has no access to lifting equipment
- Plyometrics exercises for 1500m versus 10k runners
- How to manage a "double peak" season (performing well indoors and outdoors)
- How to run high mileage injury-free
- Fueling strategies for the marathon (including strategies for elite-field water bottle placement)
- Training for injury-prone runners
- Cross-training to maintain running fitness while injured
If you'd like some advice on these or any other topics, let's get in touch.