Interviews: Kathy Lanese of Case Western Reserve
(Photo courtesy of the Case Western athletics website)
Coach Lanese has been the head coach of the men's and women's cross country programs at Case Western Reserve University since 2001. She was named the 2006 Great Lakes Region Women's Coach of the Year after her women’s team won its first regional title in school history. Prior to that, the women’s team won its first-ever UAA Championship. The women’s team finished 10th at the 2006 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships with two All-American performances by Stephanie Nothelle (33rd) and Esther Erb (34th).
By: Derick Lawrence (11/15/2006)
What made you want to become a collegiate cross country coach and what steps did you take in achieving this goal?
Initially, I had no intention on becoming a college coach. I majored in nutrition at Ohio University and worked in Clinical Dietetics for four years after graduation. I was on the hospital racing team which at the time was the highlight of my social life. I did not feel challenged after three years in the hospital so, in my fourth year I started to search for something else to do outside of work. My husband convinced me to go to a local high school to see if they needed help. In the spring of 1989 I started working under Coach Kevin O’Donnell at Beaumont High School. They were an extreme powerhouse in the state of Ohio and I considered myself very fortunate to have started my career with that program. I had a short stint with Beaumont due to some head coaching changes. They asked me to stay but the salary was not a living wage. My final season at Beaumont was very rewarding as the cross country team finished third in the Div. II state championships. In 1989 I left my job in dietetics and was then on to a new career in school; gaining an athletic training certification. At that time I also heard about a part time position available at Case Western as the ‘part-time’ head women’s cross country coach and assistant track coach. It was then I knew I could not be separated from the sports world. That was my first stint with Case from 1990-1993. During these years I became a mother, Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) and a coach. Now that school was again complete and I depleted our finances at home, I had to again make a living wage. I got a job in a sports medicine clinic administering rehab and covering a local college team. Even though I was close to the sports world I still felt a void. My goodness, I felt like a kid asking themselves, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Something unbelievable happened shortly after that time. I was called from one of the Cleveland State Administrator’s and they asked me if I was interested in applying for the Head Cross/Track Coach for Women. So…I left athletic training and began my continuous coaching streak in the Fall of 1994 from Cleveland State to John Carroll 1998-2001 and back to Case. Case was my first ‘full time’ job in Coaching and this was my first time I was completely in charge of the men and the women. I am proud to be a Spartan and most happy having a career in coaching.
Who has influenced you the most in your coaching?
There are two main people that have influenced me. First, is my father, Bill Nortz and second is the late Coach Bill Sudeck, Case Western Track and Cross Country Coach extraordinaire.
My father was my first coach in middle school and he established and led the first CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) cross country team back in 1975. That was a time I will never forget. Our team, which included three of my best friend’s, won the inaugural cross country meet. We were named Cross Country Queens!
I worshiped my father then for opening up this opportunity for me and my friends and I knew at this young age that running was a passion of mine. My father fostered my passion and made it fun for me. He was not my high school coach but he often offered advice and was on target most of the time.
The late Coach Bill Sudeck was a remarkable person. He was not only a great coach but an all encompassing individual. “Coacher,” as I called him, cared not only about the athletic performance of his athletes but more about them as people. He always had an attention-grabbing or humorous story to share with his athletes, colleagues and other coaches. I miss him often!
You were a 1986 graduate of Ohio University in which you were the captain of the cross country and track teams as a senior? Tell us about your collegiate running career (most memorable experiences, progression of your training, what you learned, etc.)
OK, so I am an old timer. Ohio University (O.U.) was a great collegiate experience and my memories were fond. I was certain I wanted to attend O.U. as soon as I got in the car to drive home from my visit there. The team, the school, Coach Stamm and the beauty of Athens, OH were sells for me. My career was what I would call good, but not great. I raced any distance from the 4 x 400 relay to the 5,000 meter run. I came out of high school running nothing more than 800 meters…ok I was forced to run the mile and 2 mile once but I loved the 800. I was a very versatile runner because I could handle high mileage (up to 80+ miles/week) but never felt like I ever found my place in one set distance in college. I believe if my coach tailored my training to the 800/1500 I would have had convincing results but she trained all the mid/distance runners very much the same. I was typically a backup point scorer for where ever she needed me. I helped my team but never fully achieved the results I wanted.
My 1986 indoor 1500 record will stand forever because Division I only runs the ‘mile’ now and the record stood until the change in 2002-I think? That was a great day at W.V.U., I was running out of anger which is how I typically ran the best!
My greatest memories were winning of championships.
-The first one we won was the All-Ohio XC Championships in 1982. I came off a great summer of training and popped an 18:11, 5K on Ohio Wesleyan’s course. My team took home the championship by one point over BGSU.
-Our two conference wins in 1983 & 1984 for Track and Field were also quite memorable. O.U. scored a record amount of points in 1984 that I believe still stands in the record books today. We were deep with talent during those years, we had three Division – I, All-Americans on the team and many others with a big heart.
-Aside from all the stats and scores I believe the most memorable experiences are the building and sharing of friendships, laughing a lot and being the kid that I was, and the evolution into adulthood and how I can allow my runners to understand that today. There are many bumps and bruises in youth but now I sometimes relay my ‘Ten year rule’ to my student athletes –Will what happens today ‘really matter’ in ten years? If yes, then re-evaluate what you are doing. If no, then carry on.
Tell us about your coaching history prior to arriving at Case Western Reserve University?
I covered much of this above but I will do a quick run-down:
1989: Assistant Track, Head XC, Beaumont High school for Girls
1990-93: Part-time Head W-XC, Asst. Track, Case Western Reserve Univ.
1994-1996: Part-time Head W-XC, W-T&F, Cleveland State University
1996-2001: Part-time Head W-XC, W-T&F, John Carroll University
2001-Present: Head M/W – XC, Head M/W Distance Coach (1500-10,000)
Physical Education Instructor
I was a green coach in the early 90’s and did not feel I could fully dedicate my self as part time staff. It was much more recreational for my team at Case back then. Cleveland State was not a happy time in coaching so I had to find my way out.
John Carroll brought me a few conference champs and one All-American but as a part-time Coach I did not feel I could fully dedicate my time to everything that coaching/recruiting demands. It was not until I had a full time position that my teams started having success.
Would you briefly describe your program's training philosophy (volume, intensity, frequency, etc.)?
Training Philosophy? Well…
1.) Train the individual
We are all different people with different running needs and different outside stresses especially at a place like Case. I have top runners who compete around the same level when one is running 35-40 miles/week because they break down with more mileage and others at about 70 miles/week because of their stamina and strength. They both thrive and compete well.
2.) Hard/Easy/Hard Schedule: This includes a long run, a tempo run and some type of hill or interval workout. If we have an important race one of those ‘hard’ days will be removed.
3.) Hills are our friends: We do some great training with hills for a good portion of our season. The Kenyan’s love hills and so do we!
4.) Weight/Strength Training: I have seen weight training have great impact on just one year’s results for runners on my teams.
5.) Visualization and Positive Affirmation: This is the touchy feely part of running but this has brought us much success this year.
6.) Those who train together, race together: I emphasize the importance of teamwork from day #1 of preseason and constantly remind them of this throughout the season.
7.) Have Fun!!! I do not mean to put this last because this is what I believe is the most important aspect of ‘our’ team. Practice is difficult but fun, Racing is focus, but fun. Our team has great comraderie amongst the men and women; they have a tremendous amount of respect for each other; and they socialize together.
These are memories that will always be remembered even if you had a bad race one day.
Could you give us an example of a typical microcycle in your training program from September to mid-October of a cross country season?
I am not big on intervals early in the season. – This usually lasts about 4 weeks.
Sunday: Long Run
Monday: Tempo
Tuesday: Easy
Wednesday: Hills within a loop consisting of ups, downs and flat land.
Thurs/Fri: Easy
Saturday: Race or Long Run today if we do not race.
*These next few weeks we start on longer intervals (1k – miles) on Wednesday.
Everything else stays pretty much the same.
What are 2 key workouts that you incorporate into the peaking period of a cross country season?
1.) Mile repeats at tempo pace with lots of rest
2.) Shorter intervals to keep them sharp but just a tad under race pace; again, lots of rest!
*The key is to save it for race day.
Is there any running related training material (books, scientific journal articles, etc.) that you commonly refer to throughout a cross country season?
1.) I believe in a learning a little from a lot of people. The best experience for me has not been from books but from my experiences with elder coaches. I have learned a wealth of experience from people like Roy Benson (I attended and worked at his Nike Training Camp in Ashville, NC), Coach Sudeck, and Coach Homan from Mount Union. I have had the opportunity to meet many fine runners and coaches and have gotten infinite words of wisdom by meeting, talking and having dinner with people like Stan Hunstman (past O.U. Coach and Olympic Coach), Alberto Salazar, Bill Rodgers and more. I keep my ears open when people of merit speak. I actually take notes, because my memory is not the best and I try things that I think might work. I feel like at this point in my career my program is becoming more polished but there is always an opportunity to learn more.
2) There are a few books I love. The guru book of distance running is
a.) “Training Distance Runners” by Coe and Martin. This book is very technical but talks a lot about biomechanics and I am a biomechanics freak. Also, Sebastian Coe is one of my hero’s and he amazed me that he could be a world class runner on such minimal training.
b.) I love Jack Daniels and any book by him. He has the background about the lungs and allows me to clearly understand VO 2 enhancement. Plus, one summer I stood outside his office to try and talk with him at Cortland but a secretary informed me he was on sabbatical. Darn!
c.) Running Research journal is great and anything journal on running injuries and ideas on rehab for my runners. The healthy runner is the successful runner.
Tell us about your men’s and women’s teams this cross country season? What are your goals for the women’s team heading into Nationals?
Stephanie Nothelle (#450) and Esther Erb (#447) at Nationals
(Photo courtesy of DePauw assistant coach Linda Skaggs)
Both teams have had great success this season. I like to create records and they go like this:
Women: They are undefeated in Division III competition this season with an overall record of 120-3. The three losses were to Edinboro, Ohio State and Ohio University (figure that). The women are running incredible this year. They are ranked 5th in the Nation before the National meet. I think we have as good a chance to win Nationals just like anyone there. That’s why they run the race to see who is best on that day. We have shined and won the last 7 meets, why stop the streak.
Men: The men had a record of 110-33 competing against 10 Div. I & II schools. The men had a very strong season with a lot of PR’s. Right before the UAA championship Stephen, our top runner had to sideline it. Stephen was the only guy with national experience and I believe the team had a sense of loss that really affected them. They did bounce back at Regionals for an 8th place finish over their 11th with Stephen last season.
What are your thoughts about the new qualifying procedures for the 2006 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships?
I was happy to see more teams going to Nationals. Most sports start with more teams in their rounds so I believe we are moving up to their standards. I really studied the rankings and compared the qualifying teams to the ranking after the team selection. It looked quite fair to me. There will always be someone who should be there who isn’t even with the old system. I guess we’ll just have to keep running fast!
What concepts do you believe are necessary for success of a collegiate distance runner?
Learning BALANCE between, school, running, healthy diet, sleep, and self care,
and also having a social life even if it is with your team mates.
Oh…and listen to your coach…that’s why the university pays the coach.
What aspects of coaching do you believe are the most rewarding?
It is not just about the wins although it keeps the coaching world exciting. It is about the lessons learned, seeing your people grow and learn in all aspects of their lives, marking their accomplishments, getting to know families and nurturing my Case XC family. I love to be challenged and coaching does just that on a daily basis.
And finally, I have a list of Alumni in my cell phone so I can call them after a big race to give them updates. It is the coach-athlete connection that lives on through the years that is an exceptional feeling. Knowing they are doing well in the world, hearing of their accomplishments and being able to share that in the years ahead.
Do you use different techniques when coaching men and women (motivation, leadership, etc.)?
Yes.
The girls are a quite silly and that silliness works for them and seems to relieve their pressure. At Regionals about 8 minutes before the race the women were doing the Hokey Pokey on the line…then they won the race.
The men thrive from details and facts that I try to present. Case guys are very technical and I think it is important for them to be informed on the facts about training, racing, etc. I also believe I am curter with the men and they seem to respond well from that where the women may fold under pressure with a raised voice.
For those that are aspiring to become a collegiate cross country coach, what would be the best piece of advice you would give them?
1.) Be patient when you are young just like when you were a developing runner. Everything you do in life has a learning curve. Success comes to very few people instantly. A friend of mine told me to give yourself a YEAR in any new job to learn all that is necessary to carry on day to day, then measure your success each YEAR after that. Talk to many experienced people, pay attention to your elders who have had success, attend clinic/campus, etc and use what you learn in the world as a tool to mold your program and finally,
Have Passion!
Thanks to Coach Lanese for a great interview.
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