Coach Dave –
a/k/a “Z Coach”
Running has always been in Dave’s blood, even when
he was not competing. Whether it was while playing youth sports,
running around the neighborhood as a child or actively
training/competing, Dave always seems to be running somewhere.
Although talented in “major” sports, running was an
excellent outlet and key to Dave’s maturation and confidence-building
process as very shy high school student. Dave’s high school career
could be categorized as uneventful, barely breaking 5:00 in the Mile
during the running boom of the mid-1970’s – a mediocre peak at best.
But distance coaching at the time was unsophisticated and took a back
seat to most other high school sports.
Despite drifting away from competitive running for
many of his adult years, something always seemed to be drawing Dave back
to the sport. During his twenties, Dave trained a few months a year for
an annual corporate 5 miler, always placing first or second. “Retiring”
from running at age 28, Dave found other outlets in competitive softball
and volleyball, but running always provided the conditioning foundation.
An entirely different corporate event, the JP
Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge drew Dave back into the competitive
aspects of the sport just after his 40th birthday. This
helped formulate the foundation for Dave’s coaching philosophy.
Recognizing the pitfalls of a return to the sport as a Masters (over 40)
runner, Dave consciously embraced a conservative approach to avoid
injury and burnout. Qualifying as the fifth place team in a local
Corporate Challenge qualifier, the corporate team found its way to the
championship race on NYC’s Fifth Avenue. This further fueled Dave’s
competitive instincts and desire for more information about intelligent
training.
Dave’s early 40’s also served to intensify his
racing and expanded his background on the scientific aspects of
structured, intelligent training. So much information was available,
and Dave devoted his discretionary reading time to running books and
other publications on the sport. Structured training programs resulted
from such studies, and Dave’s race times gradually improved, approaching
his results from his teen years – if only his early coaches had such
information available!
At age 45, Dave and Coach GP initially became
acquainted. Dave theorized that he needed an additional “boost” to
maximize his racing potential and began to enlist Coach GP’s services in
early 2003. This relationship blossomed, with Dave recording adult PRs
in the 1500 (4:48) and 5K (17:57) at age 48. Dave’s current training
focus is to produce strong results at the top of his current (50 - 54)
age group, with a specialty in events ranging from the 1500 to the 5K.
Dave’s running education during his mid-40’s also
included attainment of coaching certification by the two key governing
bodies in the United States: Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) and
USA Track & Field (USATF). Such period also initiated his involvement
on the club and corporate levels as a running coach, serving in such
capacity for the largest running club in New Jersey (Jersey Shore
Running Club, a/k/a “JSRC) and for his Fortune 500 employer (K Hovnanian
Homes).
Similar to
his personal racing preferences, Dave feels most confident of training
athletes for middle distance on the track and for the popular road
racing distances ranging from the 5K to the 10K.
His training
philosophy embraces a conservative, gradual approach to running,
particularly those new to the sport or those returning to it after a long
hiatus. Lifelong enjoyment is the objective for all, whether at the top of
one’s age group or in the middle of the pack – everyone’s goals are
different!
