Coach PK

Last week I took part in USATF’s XC specialist course and after passing all the required readings, workshops, and projects I passed my final exam today and earned a new accreditation. Great Fall XC seasons begin in the Summer!

Been forever since I updated. Started a new chapter today…First official day as new head XC coach, which also marks 12 years of coaching XC and track & field at the High School level.

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Just keep showing up...
From Bloom

Versatile distance runner and HOKA professional, Ahmed Muhumed, joins the show today to discuss his humble beginnings and his ambitions for the future.  Ahmed was born and raised in Ethiopia, before coming to the U.S. with his family in 2011. He started running in middle school, and then became a cross country and track star at West Salem High School in Oregon. (Ahmed won back to back cross country titles in high school.) At Boise State, Ahmed was the Mountain West freshman of the year in cross country in 2017. He was also the 2020 champion in the indoor mile in the Mountain West conference. Ahmed then went on to grad school at Florida state, where he similarly thrived on the running scene. Ahmed parlayed his college success into a professional contract, and in his rookie year as a professional for HOKA in 2022-23 he set PRs in the 3k, 5k and 10k. His list of PRs include a sizzling 13:08.73 in the 5k; 3:37.36 in the 1,500m; and 3:57.32 in the mile.  Ahmed had a successful 2024 campaign, as he started it with a third place finish at the USATF Cross Country championships, and then closed it out in the fall of 2024 with a second national title–this time at the USATF 5k Championships in New York City. His impressive range was on display as he won the Philadelphia Half Marathon in late November with a time of 1:03.15. In today’s conversation, Ahmed takes me through his humble beginnings, how he transitioned into the states and went from soccer player to runner, how his upbringing shaped him, how he has built up and maintained self-belief throughout the years, his ambitions as a professional runner, and much more. It’s hard not to listen to Ahmed and love the guy. I hope you all are inspired by this conversation.  Tap into the Ahmed Muhumed Special.   If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.  Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!

Putting in those Winter miles! 7 miles at half marathon down to 10 mile pace.

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Ashenfelter 8k. What can I say? It’s been 18 years since I started this tradition every thanksgiving morning…No that’s not a mistake. Every year (except for the pandemic of 2020) that I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving by racing 8k on the streets of Glen ridge, NJ. This was by far the worst weather I’ve ever encountered here. I trained smart and hard, but no one can control Mother Nature! So in the end I got another mug. I was the 3rd scoring member of the state championship men’s 40’s team. And somehow the 4th scoring member of the state 3rd place “B” open men’s team. Had a hell of a great time with my athletes and friends,a great season of coaching some dark weekday night workouts, some bright Saturday mornings, and happy to have some of my athletes win their AG in this uber competitive race...And that’s that! Another season over and a new one just begun! #gstc #gardenstatetrackclub #ashenfelter8k #glenridgenj #usatfnj photo credit: @jasontimochko @gardenstatetrackclub

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8xMRW3Rcdy/?igsh=MTdxZTY4ZGRqanNwNw==

Sunset Classic 5M 2024 is officially in the books. 10th OA and 1st place AG. 🏅 🥇. Finally back to my old racing times after a lot of ups and downs with training and racing. My son, and also now my daughter (doing a cartwheel) cheering me on at the finish, along with the mandatory family photo post race. #family #sunsetclassic #tomfleming #sunsetclassic5mile #usatf #coachpk

I rarely use this page anymore but please take a moment to read about this much needed change for our student athletes and sign the petition!

Change the venue. Changing the venue of the state championships to Ocean Breeze is important to all stakeholders: 1- It's best for runners. The faster, banked track will result in much faster times. 2- It's best for parents. Spectators have unobstructed views of all events and all times. 3- It's best for teams. Team....

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNNnG8QDDQf/?igshid=dt3ncg1djses

Happy Easter! Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych! #powerbarsport #coachPK #easter #easterbasket #endurancetraining #polska #wesolychswiat #pisanki