What does it really take to build a championship distance program — and are miles enough? In this episode, I sit down with Andy Dirks, head cross country coach at Plainfield North, fresh off a state championship, to break down how he develops complete athletes, not just distance runners. We explore the parallels between distance training and speed development, including: Why sprinting still matters for distance athletesHow strength training fits into a championship XC programMoving beyond “ju...
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What does it really take to build a championship distance program — and are miles enough? In this episode, I sit down with Andy Dirks, head cross country coach at Plainfield North, fresh off a state championship, to break down how he develops complete athletes, not just distance runners. We explore the parallels between distance training and speed development, including: Why sprinting still matters for distance athletesHow strength training fits into a championship XC programMoving beyond “ju...
EP12: How Sprinting Changed Everything: The Birth of Feed the Cats with Brian Weiss
Feed the Cats Podcast
1 hour 11 minutes
2 months ago
EP12: How Sprinting Changed Everything: The Birth of Feed the Cats with Brian Weiss
In this episode of the Feed the Cats Podcast, Coach Tony Holler sits down with Coach Brian Weiss — a standout 400m/800m runner from the 1999 Harrisburg championship team and now the head coach at Triad High School. Brian was part of the very first team to experience the Feed the Cats philosophy in action — when Coach Holler shifted from traditional high-mileage training to a focus on speed, recovery, and max velocity. That season ended with a state title and marked a turning point in sprint-...
Feed the Cats Podcast
What does it really take to build a championship distance program — and are miles enough? In this episode, I sit down with Andy Dirks, head cross country coach at Plainfield North, fresh off a state championship, to break down how he develops complete athletes, not just distance runners. We explore the parallels between distance training and speed development, including: Why sprinting still matters for distance athletesHow strength training fits into a championship XC programMoving beyond “ju...
