Coaching Spotlight- Charlene and Tony
Maybe you’re on the fence about signing up for Speedwork Training, or you’re new to the club and/or to running, so thus far, no one’s sung the praises of speedwork training with Coaches Tony and Charlene (my downstairs neighbors. How lucky am I?).
So allow me and several other PPTCers to burst into songs of praise.
PPTC has been the long-time club home for Coaches Anthony “Tony” Watson and Charlene Kohler-Britton, a couple who met at a race more than two decades ago and have been running and coaching together ever since. They started formally offering the Speedwork Training series about 18 years ago.
Charlene and Tony
I wanted this blog post to feel like a casual conversation between the Coaches and several of us who’ve benefited so much from their training, but we couldn’t all be in the same place: COVID, and scheduling, and all the usual obstacles arose. So, use your imagination, try to picture us all in the same room together – or more likely, standing on the Center Drive triangle: everyone loud and laughing and talking over each other, except Tony, who’s typically a bit taciturn with his wry, sweet smile. But when he speaks - listen. There will always be a gem.
Donna: When did you start this training? Why should people do it?
Tony: People in the Club approached me about it. I had a “track” record.
Charlene: We believe that anybody, at any stage of their running life, can be faster if they want to be. This training will get them there.
The training has evolved over time. After the first couple of years, it became clear we needed two separate groups for people running at faster and slower paces. Both trainings are essentially the same framework: Warmup; drills; speedwork and cool down. We also provide a weekly written training program to follow during the week, via email.
Tony: No two runners are the same.
“We believe that anybody, at any stage of their running life, can be faster if they want to be. This training will get them there. ”
Charlene: We give each person the respect and attention they need, and we want runners to respect & pay attention to their bodies. We ask all participants to fill out a form so we understand each runner’s specific goals and challenges.
Donna: I’ve done the training twice, and I definitely got faster! (I’m in the slower group.)
Harsha: I have done it twice, once in the faster group, and then the slower. Both experiences were excellent: challenging, knowledge-expanding, and fun - and I definitely got faster. For example, last year I ran the Berlin and NYC marathons faster than I had run these same races 9-10 years ago (when I was much younger, by 9-10 years!). And last year was also the first time I did speed training. Coincidence? I think not!
Jennifer: I’ve done every Speedwork training they've conducted since July 2021, and I’ve gotten a lot faster.
Ola: I’ve done three? Maybe four. I PRed at the Gaza 5K just last week!
Murray: I've been doing these trainings pretty consistently for several years. I’ve gotten a little faster recently, although that isn’t always the case.
Donna: There’s a lot of emphasis on warmup, cool down, and agility drills.
Tony: We want people to run injury-free. Proper prep and recovery is important.
Charlene: People often come to us in the aftermath of an injury, when they’re trying to get back to a former pace. Sometimes the injury is from overtraining, or improper gear. Warming up is really important if you’re asking your body to go faster.
Ola: I’m one of the people who came to this training because of injury/overtraining for Ultra distances. I stopped running completely for almost three months. I wasn’t into speed at first.
Thursday night’s speedwork crew
Tony: The agility drills work differently to strengthen areas that tend to be neglected, but that you need for speed - ankles, calves, hip flexors.
Harsha: The ladder drills are like a non-embarrassing dancing alternative for non-dancers. :)
Jennifer: My least favorite part is the ladder drills! I completely understand why we do them and I don't want them to go away. However, I don’t feel like the most agile person so doing fancy footwork in front of a group was uncomfortable at first.
Murray: I dreaded the drills initially but now appreciate them as a means to get warmed up, and they help with my general mobility.
Donna: I love the drills. I’m not that great at them but they seem to make a big difference in getting me ready to run, starting at the feet.
Charlene: When you’re training for speed, efficiency of movement, consistency of pace, and muscle memory in the body are a big focus. That’s what this training is designed for. The cool down – at a pace even slower than the warmup – eases you into rest/recovery. And stretching is so necessary! Don’t skip the stretching - long, static stretches afterwards, dynamic stretches for shorter holds before running.
Ola: Coach Tony told me I wasn’t using my arms enough and gave me some exercises to do at home.
Harsha: In the middle of one training session, I had some sharp knee pain. Coach Charlene sent me information on what it could be, details on how to rest/ice/elevate, recipes for non-inflammatory foods, general advice on what to look out for, etc. And she constantly checked in to see how I was doing.
Charlene: We really love helping people meet their goals.
Donna: Let’s talk about fun, inspiration, and our favorite aspects of Speedwork.
Jennifer: I think the absolute best part of the whole evening though is the encouragement and cheering from not just the coaches but from the other members of the group.
Murray: It's nice to exchange greetings and encouragements as we pass each other. In the sessions themselves, I aspire not to be the last person in. If I can't achieve that, I take some small satisfaction in reminding my co-trainees that I am at least twice as old as they are and I'm still not that far behind them!
Jennifer: I love the moment when I'm close enough to the "finish line" of the run repeat that I can hear Coach Tony calling out the time - especially in longer repeats like the mile - “6:35... 6:36... 6:37.... “ And I think, ”Oh I'm so close!” and push myself to the end. I visualize this in hard races too: I think about how much I have pushed through pain on Tuesday nights and I imagine that the coaches are just round the bend waiting for me to finish. It's very motivating!
Ola: I also love hearing their voices! I hear so much spirit and motivation in it. It’s really encouraging. I can’t wait to tell them when I’ve run a good race.
Donna: They’re always so happy for me even if I’m only a couple of seconds better than the last time.
Tuesday Night’s speed work crew
Harsha: I’ve never had a running coach before. But I think one thing is generally true in any field: there are folks who genuinely love what they do, and there are those who do what they do because it’s a “job.” It’s obvious that Tony and Charlene deeply love running, and want to share their love along with their knowledge and experience.
Jennifer: The coaches really are focused on each of us. At the end of my first Speedwork, the coaches pulled me aside and said they thought I should be in the faster Tuesday group. I was surprised and perhaps a little intimidated. They re-iterated exactly what I was thinking, that I'd probably be in the back of the Tuesday pack. But - we don't get better by staying comfortable so I made my peace with that, and signed up for the Tuesday group.
“ It’s obvious that Tony and Charlene deeply love running, and want to share their love along with their knowledge and experience. ”
Murray: I really appreciate that Charlene and Tony are about the same age as I am.
Donna: Me too! And I like that the age range of the runners is so diverse.
Charlene: Anybody, at any age or stage of their running life, can be faster if they train for it.
Murray: Yes, and it’s good for my spirit to have "peers" as my most consistent trainers.
Jennifer: I had a secret goal for the Hartford, CT Marathon in 2021. Coach Tony told me I should get a negative split. In the race, as the miles kept piling up, I still felt pretty good. I picked up my speed, even in those last few miles and I finished with a negative split. I couldn't wait to tell the coaches! At the next session, Coach Tony put out his hand for a fist bump. Oh! I felt so proud! A month later, as I was running the NYC Marathon with a hope of getting a Sub-4—something I had never done on the tough NYC course—I told myself "I'm going to get another negative split, and I'm going to get another Coach Tony fist bump!"
They emailed me shortly after I finished to congratulate me. I emailed them back saying I kept thinking about how badly I had wanted another Coach Tony fist bump. When I showed up to the next Speed Series evening, Coach had his fist bump ready to go. It was a great moment and filled me with pride.
“Running feeds you. Setting goals is important, and achieving them, even incrementally, deserves celebrating. ”
Tony: Running feeds you. Setting goals is important, and achieving them, even incrementally, deserves celebrating.
Charlene: We really feel we’re part of a team. We love to see people smile and hear all their stories. And we love to run.
Tony and Charlene
OK! The next cycle of Speedwork with Coach Tony and Assistant Coach begins on March 29/31, and here’s a little more about it from PPTC’s Wild Apricot site:
“Speed work is highly recommended to enhance any training program to help you meet your race goals. A weekly training program, as well as ways to improve your speed, efficiency, and running form, injury prevention and stretching/strengthening drills will also be addressed. Workouts are offered for experienced/faster runners (Tuesdays) and beginner/slower runners (Thursdays).”
Get off the fence and sign up! The very least you will come away with is a boatload of new friends, boundless inspiration, and the ability to run a little (or a lot) faster.
(Thanks to Ola Galal, Murray Rosenblith, Harsha Misra, Jennifer Piazza, and Charlene & Tony!)
Text by: Donna Newton (she/her)
Contributions by: Ola Galal, Murray Rosenblith, Harsha Misra, Jennifer Piazza, Charlene Kohler-Britton, and Tony Watson
Photos provided by: Charlene and Tony
Produced by: Rachael DePalma (she/her)
PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.