Bill Gleason

I believe that the best way to achieve faster race times is to do the least amount of work for the most possible gain. That means you will take the path of least resistance and still achieve your uncompromised goals. This is really all about efficiency. This has always been a very individualized effort, unique to each athlete.

One thing I have learned through years of coaching experience and education is that there is no one “right way” to approach training for all athletes. There are many approaches that can work and there are big differences from one athlete to the next. This is one of the keys to being an effective coach. ANYBODY can throw a training plan at you. In my opinion, learning what type of athlete you are coaching is a requirement to even consider yourself a legitimate coach. I think this is the main reason I am opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach, and most “training plans.” This is especially important for any athlete beyond their 1st or 2nd year of real training and racing. The same holds true for the random training I see so many athletes do. I have watched so many athletes with tons of passion for the sport never come close to their potential, despite wanting very badly to do so, because they just don’t train right. This is where I feel that as a coach, I have a lot to offer.

As a coach, I teach the techniques to improve your efficiency, or economy, as an endurance athlete – techniques that are overlooked by many endurance athletes, yet critically important. Anyone can go out and hammer out hard miles, laps, hill repeats, or whatever. While that is certainly necessary at some point, it is the smart athlete who can do so in a very economical way. And I believe it is the smartest athletes, not necessarily just the fastest and most determined, who end up on the podium.