Blogs : NCAA Division III Blog

Interviews: Jeff Stiles of Washington University in St. Louis

 (Photo courtesy of the Washington University in St. Louis athletics website)

Coach Stiles is in his sixth season as the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country teams at Washington University in St. Louis.  Last year the men’s team finished 6th and the women’s team finished 1st overall at the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Midwest Regional Meet.  The women’s team went on to later finish 3rd overall at the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, matching a 3rd place finish from 2004.  The men’s team sent two individuals to compete at the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, Brennan Bonner and Kevin Gale. Coach Stiles was later named the 2005 Midwest Region Coach of the Year for his teams’ successes. 

By: Derick Lawrence (10/04/2006)

What made you want to become a collegiate cross country coach and what steps did you take in achieving this goal?

Running for Al Carius was easily the most influential person in my coaching career.  I used to go and hang out in Al’s office each day, and one day my senior year it clicked.  This is what Al does for a living; I had never truly digested that simple fact and when I thought about it, I thought how fun would that be.  Al used to tell me that he has never worked a day in his life and at that point running was the only subject area that I was truly passionate about.  So as I shared my desire with Al to become a coach, he helped me obtain a GA position @ Southwest Missouri State.   From there, I truly believe that God himself ordained me to be @ Washington U.  I applied for other jobs that I thought I would be a shoe in for, but I was never offered the job and sometimes never even an interview.  Yet, when Wash U came open I thought for sure that I had no prayer since I couldn’t even get an interview at what I thought were “rebuilding teams.”  Yet somehow the details fell into place, and I give full credit to the Lord as his plan, because it is greater than anything I could have asked for.  

In your profile on the Washington University in St. Louis athletics website it states you were a 1999 graduate of North Central College and qualified for eight NCAA Championships meets, earning All-America honors six times.  Could you tell us a little bit about your collegiate career (i.e., most memorable experiences, progression of your training each year, etc.)?

The everyday experiences such as: watching the movie Three Amigos almost everyday one summer w/ my teammate Greg Huffaker (who now coaches @ Illinois Wesleyan), running a 2 hour run in 60 below wind-chill w/ Steve Imig(not a smart move), listening to Al give some of the greatest speeches about life, running, and being a team at the top of Blackwell hill.  The experiences, people, and relationships are what I remember and value.  I still talk almost daily with two of my old teammates (Steve Imig and Greg Huffaker).

Would you briefly describe your program's training philosophy (volume, intensity, frequency, etc.)?

To me I want to help my athletes have a place where running is a very big commitment, but does not become their job.  Especially at such a tough academic school such as Washington U, I take into account their academics in terms of training and what I demand.  We only meet 5 days per week, to give them time to work on School.  But we will run in the morning 4 days per week, which requires a high level of commitment.  I am shooting for a place where running and academics compliment each other, but neither dominates their life even though they both take up a lot of time.  I believe they are very complimentary here at Wash U.

Two specific training concepts within our program are progression & individualization.  I have girls in our top 7 running between 35-80 miles/wk, so a huge range.  On our Men’s team we have guys running 40-90 miles/wk.  I would say majority of our women run 40-60 mpw w/ 20% running 65-80 and 20% running 35 mpw or less.  Our men are mostly running between 60-80 mpw; however, we actually train in minutes, but I can convert so people can better understand.

In the summer, each athlete will run a long run once per week, one Long tempo run starting in the middle of July and then alternate weeks w/ some hills starting in Mid July. 

During the season, One Long run each week, 2 workouts per week including racing.  Some athletes who I label “low efficient” which mean they need more Vo2 will alternate weeks w/ a long run and an added workout that will combine Threshold and 3k pace.  Some Athletes who label as “High efficient” may do very little V02 work during the season (ex) 5 miles during the entire season of faster than race pace running excluding strides.

We will run 6 weeks of 3k-5k workouts starting @ the end of Sept and go back to threshold the last 2-3 weeks on the season.  We are gearing for Regionals and NCAA’s.  I want them to do body circuit regularly, strides for economy 5 days/wk, ice bath for recovery, and I want my athletes running easier on their easy days.  I would rather have them run too slowly rather than too fast on recovery days.  Jim Spivey told me one time that the secret to distance running is consistency over a long period of time and I believe that.  Running too hard on easy days is something I believe can greatly hinder consistency.

Who has influenced you the most in your coaching?

       #1 Jesus, as he reminds me daily that winning an NCAA title isn’t nearly as important as loving my athletes as Christ demonstrated throughout his life.  I desire to attend to all of my athletes whether they are the slowest or fastest.   I know I don’t do a perfect job with all 50 distance runners, but that is my hearts desire.

Here are some others: Tinman, Al Carius, Scott Bradley (Wheaton College), Greg Huffaker, Houston Franks, Jim Spivey, Joe Vigil, Steve Imig, my personal running experiences, my failures and mistakes as a coach (what not to do) and simply trial and error. 

Could you give us an example of a typical microcycle in your training program from September to mid-October of a cross country season?

Early Sept

Mon – (7:00 am) Long Run (20-25%) Easy, 6 x 150 m barefoot strides across turf field, rope stretching, ice bath, Body Circuit

Tues- (on own) Easy Run (30-90 min Easy (1-2 runs depending on the person) Hurdle Mobility, Rope Stretch, Circuit, 6 x 150 barefoot strides

Wed – (7:00 am) 20 Min WU, Drills, 4 x 2k @ CV (between Threshold & 10k) w/ 2:00 jog rest (On Limestone Loop)

(5:00 rest) 5 x 150 meter hill @ 80% w/ 2:1 rest, CD, 6 x 150 m barefoot strides, Circuit, Rope stretch, Ice Bath

**Some people will do an additional 30 min 2ndary run

Thurs – (7:00 am) Easy run of 45-100 (1-2 runs depending on the person)

Hurdle Mobility, Rope Stretch, Circuit, 6 x 150 barefoot strides

(Some people will swim run today instead of run)

Friday- (4:00 pm) Easy run 30-70 min, 6 x 150 barefoot strides, Rope Stretch

Saturday (8:00 am- time will vary on weather, etc…) Race or Workout

4-8 mile Progressive Tempo run starting off @ 80% of Vo2 and working down to 90%

Followed by 4-6 x 300 w/ 300 easy jog starting off @ 5k and working down to mile    

Sunday (on Own) -30-70 min Easy, Body Circuit, Rope stretch, Ice Bath

**some athletes will swim run instead   

Early Sept

Only days that would change would be Wed and Sat

Wed – 2 x 2k @ CV w/ 2:00, 3 x 1200 @ 3k w/ 3:30 jog (on Grass field)

6 x 150

Sat- If we don’t race… 1 mile @ pace you would like to go out in on CC Course, 5:00 rest, men run 8k Tempo Run and Women run 6k Tempo Run @86-88% of Vo2

Could you tell us about your team this cross country season (returning upperclassmen, incoming freshmen, how your season has been going so far, upcoming schedule, etc.)?

This is the best Women’s team I have ever had.  I do believe that there is great depth in D III this year.  We have been 3^rd the last two years @ NCAA’s and I know our women would like to improve upon that finish.  But I know that Geneseo, Amherst, & Williams are all very good this year.  We could finish further back with a much better team, but we can’t control anyone else.  As long as we prepare well, compete hard, and have fun, I will be very satisfied.  It always feels good to know you took care of business.  To worry about other teams is just wasting energy.

My men’s team has the components to be very solid this year and I am excited to see where we end up.  We have been dealing w/ a lot of health issues such as potential mono, over training, sever shin splits etc… But I feel good about our team.  I believe in November that we will be better than we were last year; I just don’t know where that will place us @ our Regional.  I believe that we just need that one break through year like my women did my 2^nd year – where they stepped up their expectations and ran with a higher standard. 

Is there any running related training material (books, scientific journal articles, etc.) that you commonly refer to throughout a cross country season?

In terms of specifics about running, I mostly contact coaching Friends, many of which I mentioned earlier.  I do refer to Jack Daniels, Road to the Top, Old workouts, but mostly coaching friends who I trust and know what I am trying to accomplish.  My friends Scott Bradley (Wheaton), Greg Huffaker (Illinois Wesleyan), Steve Imig (Greenville), Mark Misch (AIA).

Are there any motivational techniques that you incorporate in your program to prepare your team for a meet?

Treat every meet the same, I just try and engrain into my athletes head that we are preparing them for November and just get them to fall in love w/ the sport and competing.  If we prepare well, our job at the championship meets is simply to relax, and enjoy the moment.  I try and keep our emotional tank full throughout the year by not getting too up or too down at any point.

What are your thoughts about the new qualifying procedures for the 2006 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships?

I think out of the options they were looking at that it is the best solution.  There is no perfect solution, so it is fair and I will be able to tell you more after I actually experience it.

What are 2 key workouts that you incorporate into the peaking period of a cross country season?

We go back to CV/Threshold at the end of the season and don’t back much off of the volume and to me that is our key.   3 x 2k @ CV w/ 2:00 rest

What concepts do you believe are necessary for success of a collegiate distance runner?

Enjoy the sport, run consistently, Deposit something in the bank everyday – make sure your hard days are solid but not spectacular, and Keep your easy days where you actually recover.  By doing this you can improve your aerobic development and then add in faster running w/ a conservative approach.  But someone must be willing to take a long term approach in order to see full fruit of their labor.

For those that are aspiring to become a collegiate cross country coach, what would be the best piece of advice you would give them?

Pick the brains of every coach you meet, be willing to sacrifice to get into the profession, and be willing to try new concepts to help you think outside of your personal box of experience.  Never be afraid to call a coach or talk to people at a meet.  I know that Al Carius @ North Central who has won 17 NCAA titles still tries new things every year.  That is not only good to improve your training, but it keeps things fresh.

Finally, develop a definition of success that will help you refer back to what you are ultimately trying to accomplish. You have to know why you are doing what you are doing.  Here is the one I created while sitting in Graduate School Classes which reminds me that success is about the process and not the end result.

“Taking advantage of your daily opportunities, to the best of your abilities, under your given circumstances.”

Thanks to Coach Stiles for a great interview.

Go Bears

9:00 PM, October 12, 2006 .. Posted by Hipp

Stiles, nice interview. Hope to run into you again sometime soon.

Hipp