Green Mountain Coaches Workshop Lyndonville, Vermont
The Green Mountain Running Camp Coaches Workshop offers a special learning opportunity for beginning coaches, (and even veteran coaches), looking for a more scientific approach to coaching your cross country teams.
The Coaches Workshop is designed for cross country coaches without extensive academic or coaching backgrounds. It is Green Mountain Running Camp's effort to give back to the sport by offering this tuition-free workshop as an intensive short course in the art and science of coaching distance runners.
The workshop is offered in conjunction with the Nike Green Mountain Running Camp. The curriculum is based on Coach Roy Benson's book, ""The Secret Workouts,' Coachly Wisdom about Effort Based Training." The workshop teaches the principles of hard/easy training and gives coaches the tools to individualize workouts by tying together pace, pulse, and perceived exertion.
Highlights Include
- Coaches are encouraged to accompany their cross country teams and attend the Coaches Workshop covering the latest in training and racing techniques.
- The workshop runs concurrently with the youth camp session.
- Study the Science of Effort Based Training.
- Discuss various speeds and paces of distance workouts.
- Examine the design and analysis of videotaping of running form.
- Review techniques and suggestions for program administration.
- Compare methods and materials for team organization.
Located at Lyndon State College, in Lyndonville, Vermont, in the beautiful Northeast Kingdon, the Green Mountain Running Camp is one of the oldest in the country. Coaches stay in the college dormitories, 2 per room. Coaches and campers run on backcountry dirt roads, cross country trails in evergreen forests and sun drenched meadows...and jump into a mountain stream to cool down.
Meet your coaching staff
Camp Director
Roy Benson
Roy T. Benson, MPE, C.F.I., is an exercise scientist and distance running coach.
He earned a Master's Degree in PE with an emphasis in exercise physiology from the University of Florida.
Since 1976, he has held a national certification as a Fitness Instructor from the American College of Sports Medicine. He has presented several hundred professional papers and lectures for academic and popular audiences.
He currently serves as a Special Contributor for Running Times magazine with a monthly readership of over 250,000 serious runners. His newest book "Heart Rate Training" will be published by Human Kinetics in the Spring of 2011.
Coach Benson ran competitively for over 45 years with personal bests of 1:52.7 for 800 meters and 4:19.8 for the mile. As a master's runner, he ran 36:06 for 10k, 17:22 for 5k, 4:52 for the mile and qualified for the Boston marathon with a 3:09:05 PR at age 40.
He coached at the U of Florida from 1969 to 1979 as head X-C coach for seven years and head T & F coach for three years. For 16 years, 1993 to 2008, he served as Community Coach at Marist School (a 2A size private school) in Atlanta where his girls and boys teams won 16 state class 4A X-C championships and individual runners won a total of 20 state titles in x-c and track.
He has co-directed the GMRC for 38 years and founded and directed the Smoky Mountain Running Camp for 40 years.
Mike Cohen
Coach Cohen coaches cross-country as well as indoor track and outdoor track and field at Simsbury High School in Simsbury, Connecticut. He has coached five state champion teams, two state class champions and twice was named Coach of the Year for Cross Country for the State of Connecticut.
Camp code: RNCRGM
Celebrating our 39th year!
The Green Mountain Running Camp Coaches Workshop runs concurrently with a GRMC youth session. July 28 - August 3.
Coaches will be able, should they choose, to join with staff and campers for daily runs. If they bring campers and desire to watch their videos of running form, special arrangements can be made. Individual consults are also possible and visitation with staff coaches at the coaches hospitality room is encouraged.
The Green Mountain Running Camp puts great emphasis on teaching runners the wisdom of the hard/easy training philosophy developed by the late, great U of Oregon coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman. To implement the Bowerman philosophy, we use Coach Benson's Effort Based Training Program to allow the whole camp to run the same appropriate effort while allowing each group to train at their individualized paces based on their current fitness, over-all ability and general goals. The instruction is serious and the training is right for this time of the summer.
Coaches are invited to bring their teams. Coaches will cover addtional topics with guest speakers and breakout sessions which include: sports psycology, sports nutrition, racing strategies, team dynamics, strength work and drills, stretching and biomechanics.
Sample Daily Schedule
- 6.45 Reveille--Wake up
- 7.00-7.30 Morning activity: easy morning run, yoga or pool running
- 7.30-8.30 Breakfast
- 8.30-9.35 Morning Lecture or clinic session #1 (Cohen or Benson)
- 9.45-10.30 Guest speaker in main theater
- 10.40-11.15 Breakout session (select 1 of several topics) conducted by staff coaches
- 11.25-12.00 Breakout session (select 1 of several topics) conducted by staff coaches
- 12.00-1.00 Lunch
- 1.00-2.10 Free time
- 2.10-3.00 Guest Speaker or program in main theater
- 3.15-3.30 Pre-run stretch on knoll
- 3.30-5.30 Afternoon run and creek soak
- 5.30-6.30 Dinner
- 7.00-8.15 Evening Lecture or clinic session #2 (Cohen or Benson)
- 7.30-9.45 Recreation activities
Programs:
The Primary Workshop is offered from Sunday evening to Wednesday noon. During this period, participants will attend a total 13 sessions with lead instructors Roy Benson and Mike Cohen, guest speakers and additional breakout sessions with veteran staff coaches.
The Extended Workshop is designed for coaches who attend with team members and want to stay until the camp session ends on Saturday morning -- an additional six hours of instruction are offered during this session. Coaches who bring five or more runners earn a rebate of $20/runner.
Additional topics covered with guest speakers and breakout sessions may include:
· Sports psychology
· Sports nutrition
· Racing strategies
· Team dynamics
· Strength work and drills
· Roles of stretching
· Bio-mechanics
Camp Check-in & Check-out Details:
Check-in TBA
Check-out TBA
Dorms:
Coaches stay in dorms on campus, 2 per room.
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