Today on the podcast is Coach Will Palmer!

He is the Associate Head Coach for Cross Country and Assistant Track and Field at the University of Florida.

During the 2024 indoor season, Coach Palmer coached Parker Valby to two NCAA Individual Championships (3000m & 5000m). Valby's 5000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships not only earned her first place but was a new collegiate record (breaking her own set earlier the same season), meet record, facility record, school record, and personal record.Coach Palmer also coached Flomena Asekol to an NCAA Indoor Championship appearance.

Coach Palmer comes to Florida from Alabama where he spent the last five years working with the distance runners. While at Alabama, he helped coach the Crimson Tide Women's cross country team to the 2022 SEC Cross Country Team Championship and a third place finish at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Prior to his time at Alabama, Palmer spent time at Georgetown (2016-18), Western Kentucky (2015-16), Iowa State (2013-15), and two years as the operations director for the track & field and cross country teams at Oklahoma (2011-13).

In today's conversation, Coach Palmer takes me through his journey in sport, all things coaching Parker Valby, his vision for the University of Florida, and much more!

Tap into the Coach Palmer Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-My Newsletter: https://therunningeffect.substack.com

Today on the podcast is professional trail & track runner, Anna Gibson.

Anna has one of the most insane resumes I've ever seen.

Anna was born in Jackson, Wyoming, where she had a record-shattering prep career, winning 17 (YES SEVENTEEN) overall Wyoming state titles combining track, cross country, and Nordic skiing. She was also the valedictorian of her class with a 4.0 unweighted GPA She won the 2017 Brooks PR Invite in the Mile in 4:43.77 and placed fourth at NXN in 2016 Nike Cross Nationals. She was the 2017 Junior National Champion in the 10k Classic for Nordic skiing.

After a brief stint at Brown, Anna transferred to The University of Washington where she was a part of the NCAA Record-Run in Distance Medley Relay. She was 2023 Second Team All-America (Mile, Indoors | DMR, Indoors) and Honorable Mention (1,500m, Outdoors), 2022 All-West Region XC, 2022 Honorable Mention All-America (1,500m, Outdoors), 2022 Second Team All-America (Mile, Indoors) & the 2022 Pac-12 1,500m Bronze Medalist.

Anna now competes for Brooks Running professionally both on the trails and on the track. She placed 18th at US Olympic Trials this past summer & holds a PR of 4:08 in the 1500m. She was 10th at USAs in 2023 in 1500m.

On the trails, she placed 6th at Sierre-Zinal 2024. She holds the course record at the Rendezvous Mountain Hill Climb 2024. 3rd at Pikes Peak Ascent 2023. 4th at Mammoth Trailfest 2023. 12th overall Golden Trail World Series 2023, having raced only two out of three scoring opportunities during the season.

In today's conversation, Anna takes me through the diet of a professional runner, her astounding high school years, growing up in a small state, her growth and development in college, the impact her UW years had on her, her transition to professional runner, her ambitions for the future, and so much more!

I absolutely loved this conversation; it was such a fun conversation! Put in your airpods, lace up your shoes, and hit the pavement with Anna.

Tap into the Anna Gibson Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-My Newsletter: https://therunningeffect.substack.com

Throughout the years, some of my favorite episodes have, funny enough, been with kids from the same high school, Valor Christian.

The man who coached these athletes is Coach Greg Coplen. After hearing so many positive things about him, I knew I needed to get him on the podcast and pick his brain.

Coach Coplen coached at Valor Christian in Highlands Ranch, CO, for 10 years and is now starting his 2nd full year at Chaparral High School in Parker, CO.

He's coached five teams in four different years, at two different schools, that finished the season in DyeStat National rankings, four of those finishing in the top 10 in the country. Throughout his tenure, he's coached state champions at nearly every event in both genders.

In his first year at Chaparral High School, he helped coach the five boys' State Champions and oversaw the emergence of the girls' cross-country team, which finished third in the state of Colorado, sixth at Nike Southwest Regionals, and 27th in the country. Before last season, the Chaparral girls had not been ranked in the top 10 in the state in over 15 years.

In today's conversation, Coach Coplen takes me through how to flip around a program in one year, how to instill excellence in your athletes, how to handle setbacks and disappointment, the lessons he's learned from coaching high-level athletes like Cole Sprout & Ashley Jones, the legacy he wants to leave behind in the sport, and much more!

This conversation was absolutely fantastic. I personally have many takeaways, and I hope you'll take the time to listen to it!

Tap into the Coach Greg Coplen Special.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.

If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

S H O W N O T E S

-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-My Newsletter: https://therunningeffect.substack.com