Zachary A.

Elementary school track coach with Catalina Foothills School district in AZ in 2016, wheelchair track coach for athletes currently ranging age 10-22 with World Wheelchair Sports in OR since July 2016, USATF Level 1 Certified coach

Junior National Record holder 100m
Multiple Junior National Championships from 2003-2009
2008 Junior World Champion 100m, 200m, 4 by 400m relay
2008 Junior World Silver Medalist 400m and 800m
2011 Parapan American Games Silver Medalist T53 800m
2011 Parapan American Games Bronze Medalist T53 100m
2011 Parapan American Games Bronze Medalist T53 200m
2011 Parapan American Games Bronze Medalist T53 400m
2012 Paralympic 8th Place T53 100m
2012 World #5 in T53 100m
2012 US Paralympian in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and alternate for the 4 by 400m relay
Trained at University of Arizona from August 2009-April 2017
Personal Records:

100m - 15.01
200m - 27.37
400m - 52.58
800m - 1:45.95
1500m - 3:27.12

My sessions vary widely depending on the athletes I'm working with based on age, physical ability, and event focus/specialization. My experience with elementary school aged able bodied kids was at a weekly after school program, and as such, it could not be as structured to build toward anything. The primary goal would be for the kids to have fun, so my co-coaches and I would set up activities that contained skills of the sport but were more like games for the kids. My approach, while still wanting to make sure the kids had fun, would be much more structured and guided were I to have access to a younger kid to coach full time. In contrast, my experience with kids in wheelchairs looks more like this:

10 year old girl with high interest and drive in the sport w/her final meet of the year and doing events ranging from 100m to 800m for the first time -
Monday/Tuesday: 3 mile run at 70% on either day. Take the other day off.

Wednesday: 2 lap warmup, 3 (cut out one set if needed) sets of sprint ladders (100, 150, 200, 200, 150, 100) with 5-10 minute breaks between each set and take it easy on push between sprints, cooldown of 1-2 laps.

Thursday: 2 lap warmup, 5x10m starts on straight, 2 laps of sprinting straights and "jogging" curves, 2x400m at 100% effort with 5 minutes rest in between them, 2 lap cooldown.

Friday: 2-3 miles at 70% effort.

Saturday: 2 lap warmup, 5x10m starts on straight, 2x100m at 100% effort with 5 minutes rest in between, 2x600m at 85% effort with 5 minutes rest in between, 2 lap cooldown.

Sunday: Rest day.
(This particular week, she had worked out the Sunday immediately prior and requested a Saturday workout when I gave her a choice.)

17 year old boy with high drive that wants to ramp up his performance dramatically in the next year and is competing in the 100m-1500m at Junior Nationals in a month, his last hard week as I begin to taper -
Monday: 1 mile warmup, 5 x 10m starts, 1 set of ladders (100, 200, 300, 400, 400, 300, 200, 100), 2 laps of jog curves/sprint straights, 2 laps of jog straights/sprint curves, 3 sets of 4 x 400 (1.5 minutes rest between 400's, 5 minutes rest between sets), 1 set of ladders (same as before), 1 mile cooldown focusing on technique.

Tuesday: 45 minute run at 75% effort.

Wednesday: 1 mile warmup, 5 x 10m starts, 2 laps sprint curves/jog straights, 2 laps sprint straights/jog curves, 5 sets of 1000m-600m-400m (1.5 minutes rest between each distance, 5 minutes rest between sets), 3 x 150m accelerations (rest is the distance between finish line and start of 150, rolling starts), 1 mile cooldown with focus on technique.

Thursday: 45 minute run at 75% effort.

Friday: 1 mile warmup, 5 x 10m starts, 2 x 100m at 100% effort (3 minutes rest between each), 5 laps jog straights/sprint curves, 5 laps jog curves/sprint straights, 4 x 800m (5 minutes rest between each), 1 mile cooldown with focus on technique.

Saturday: optional 6 mile run at race pace.

Sunday: Rest day.