Book Private Track-and-field Lessons with Coach Desmond
I coach runners of any ability level for any distance, and offer services as a certified personal trainer.
I coach runners of any ability level for any distance, and offer services as a certified personal trainer.
I am a USATF Level 1 certified track coach. I have experience as a collegiate distance runner, and I have coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels for track and cross country. I’ve coached sprints, hurdles, distance, and steeplechase. I can coach track, cross country, road, or trail racing athletes. I still train as a competitive distance runner, specializing in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. I am a student of the sport and am constantly looking for new ways to train runners in various distances. I believe that one of the advantages of private coaching is that training can be individualized. I can cater training specifically to an athlete’s needs and what works best for them. If something needs to be changed I believe in making adjustments gradually to best prevent injuries and burnout, which is a top priority. Avoiding mental and physical burnout keeps athletes healthy and engaged in the sport, allowing them to progress. Running is a sport where people should peak in their mid-twenties or later, especially if they start serious training at a later age, I keep this in mind when training young athletes to set them up for long-term success instead of just short-term.
Philadelphia, PA
Available: Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
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Try Coach Desmond risk free. If you don't love your first lesson, we'll switch you to another coach or give you a full refund.
Weekly Availability
Monday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
10:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Don't see your preferred date/time? This is only general availability - alternative times may be possible.
Get to know Coach Desmond
About Me:
High school-Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia, PA: Second team All-Philadelphia Public League cross country 2013. First team All-Philadelphia Public League cross country 2014, 2015. PIAA Cross Country State Championship qualifier 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. PIAA Track & Field State Championship qualifier 2015, 2016. School record holder in 1600m and 3200m.
College-Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA: Second team all Landmark Conference cross country 2016. First team all Landmark Conference cross country 2017. Second team all Landmark Conference Indoor Track & Field 2018. Fifth fastest 5,000 meter time in school history.
Post-collegiate: 2023 Wissahickon Trail Classic winner
Personal bests
1500m- 4:14.27
3000m- 8:59.96
5,000m- 15:16.29
10km (road)- 32:53
How I can help you improve your game:
I can teach the fundamentals of good form and running technique. I can devise training plans that help with runner’s conditioning, both for running and strength work outside of our sessions. The workouts I create will build fitness and teach runners to push themselves to improve. I can help with race strategy and the mental aspects of running and racing.
What a typical training session looks like with me:
We would start with dynamic stretches, a short warmup jog, and then drills. For distance runners we would do a second longer warmup jog, for sprinters we would go right into warmup strides and maybe some additional technical drills. The workout itself would depend on the distance(s) the runner is training for, and what type of fitness we are trying to work on that day. For sprinters, we could work on top-end speed, acceleration & technique, speed endurance, or aerobic endurance. Distance runners would do workouts such as aerobic threshold or tempo runs, race-pace intervals, faster intervals, and hill repeats. Workouts would be followed by a cool down jog, stagnant stretches, and maybe some core.
Career summary and accomplishments:
I have worked as an assistant coach for track and cross country at Juniata College, and Abington Friends School, working with sprinters and distance runners. While I was at Juniata, I helped coach multiple athletes to earn medals and podium finishes and the Landmark Conference Track Championships. At Abington Friends, I helped coach cross country and track athletes to break school records, earn medals, and win races at the Friends School League Championships and Pennsylvania Independent School Championships. I trained two of our cross country athletes on my own to prepare them for the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regional meet.
Best coach I ever had:
My best coach was my coach at Juniata College, Jon Cutright. Training under him, and training with better athletes in college took my running career to the next level. Coach Cutright believed in me and his other athletes when we did not believe in ourselves. He set ambitious goals for me that I thought were impossible, but by challenging me in workouts he helped me to achieve them. I was an assistant coach for Coach Cutright at Juniata after I graduated, and he continued to advise me on and support my running career, as well as help me pursue my coaching career.
What athletes and parents should know about me:
I’m a competitive distance runner born and raised in Philadelphia. I love challenging myself through running and encouraging others to do the same. My goal as a coach is to help runners improve in, learn about, and enjoy the sport as I have.
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