It’s been a good year of coaching.
A few years ago I would judge a year by the amount of miles I had run and the number of personal bests that I had set.
But now, a good year comes in the form of the teams and athletes that I coach and the amount of miles they have run and the number of personal bests that they’ve set. It’s crazy how things can change so quickly; but it’s a good change and it’s been a good year for my teams and my athletes.
Before getting into those details, which I fully intend to do, I wanted to bring up an idea that started about a year ago…that idea was to CREATE SOMETHING. About a year ago I was coaching just a handful of individuals, outside of my collegiate team, but wanted to really create something more….a community, a team, SOMETHING…
Back in 2011, my wife and I founded the Greater Texas Track Club (GTTC). Our vision of a high-level running team never quite took off, but the Greater Texas Track Club never died. Through the years we’ve had several athletes representing the GTTC, but have never fielded a full team.
Currently the Greater Texas Track Club has about eight athletes that race in the royal blue GTTC singlet. Of those eight athletes, all but one or two ran for Dallas Baptist University, and that’s okay with me. Honestly, I think one of the biggest issues with American distance running is athletes leaving a good situation. I believe that one of the reasons that Kelsey Bruce has become one of the best marathoners in the US, outside of her insane work ethic and talent, is because that she’s been in a consistent program for the past six-plus years.
The philosophy for that time period has been the same; it’s evolved and matured, but it’s been a focus on long-term development via high-end aerobic running and consistently higher mileage. Check the stats…every year she’s run a personal best and every year she’s climbed the ladder, getting closer and closer to the top of the US women’s marathon list. Is she there yet? No, but she’s getting closer, and part of that is due to her commitment to our program.
So, what am I getting at? Well, I wanted to CREATE SOMETHING…and I have, it just happened to be created in 2011…the Greater Texas Track Club, and in 2018 I am making a commitment to continue to grow and expand or club as we prepare athletes for the 2020 US Olympic Marathon and Track Trials.
Now, onto this past year…just a rundown of some highlights from the JHPRunning client-base….
Kelsey Bruce — 12th place at the US 20K Championships (2017), 6th place at the US Marathon Championships (2:34:03 personal best, US Olympic Trials / IAAF Olympic A Standard), currently ranked in the top-15 in the USA for women’s marathon.
Magaly Soto – 2nd place at the Dallas Marathon (2016) and 6th place at the Dallas Marathon (2017).
Sandie Nathan – Personal best at the NYC Marathon (2017).
Esperanza Lopez-Ledema – Personal best at the Dallas Half Marathon (2017).
Cashlee Rayas – Made her debut in the half marathon at the Dallas Half Marathon (2017).
Amanda Moore – Made her debut in the marathon at the San Antonio RnR (2017).
Zach Morgan, Ryan McSpadden, and Jake Powers all ran competitive races and are helping build back the Greater Texas Track Club in 2017.
The DBU Cross Country teams BOTH qualified for the NCAA XC National Championships this past fall with our men finishing 18th in the NCAA and the women placing 22nd.
It’s been a great year and has me very excited about this coming year!!! I’ve taken on a few more clients through the JHPRunning website and will be working on growing the Greater Texas Track Club with some cool and innovative ideas.
I also pledge to dedicate more time and energy to this website as well. Thanks for all of the current runners who allow me to be your coach. It’s a pleasure to work with you as you chase your running goals.
Thanks so much.
BE BOLD,
Coach
Phillips Running 