13. Youth Running Development | Simon Escorcia

“There's a need and an interest for youth running programs,” says Simon Escorcia, Running Coach. At age 27, Simon jumped right into running the Denver Marathon, despite never running one before and having shin pain. Although he may have done too much at once, this experience motivated Simon to keep running, eventually leading him to start a youth running club: The Colorado Coyotes.   Simon has noticed that it’s not the school’s top runners who train year-round who get injured. The kids who get hurt are the ones who stop running during the winter months or take other cross-country hiatuses. Through youth running clubs, runners can take on more challenging physical workloads that better prepare them for high school and beyond. Although Simon recognizes that natural ability can earn you a spot on the team, it truly takes consistency to excel.   Tune into this week’s episode of The Code for a stimulating conversation on youth running clubs. Learn more about what motivated Simon to start the Colorado Coyotes, how organized sports support developmental growth, and why teenage athletes are better now than ever.   Quotes • “There's a need and an interest for youth running programs.” (12:21 - 12:25) • “One of our objectives is to prepare kids who want to run high school cross country. We want to get them there to compete for a varsity spot their freshman year so that they can handle the workloads, and it's not a big shock to them.” (12:54 - 13:10) • “If you have the natural ability, you can still excel at running, but whether or not it puts you in an optimal position, that's up for debate.” (16:48 - 16:57) • “The information is out there. If you want to be a better coach, you just have to go out there and consume it because most people are very open.” (30:15 - 30:22) • “Colorado produces an insane amount of cross country talent. We have a great endurance community here. So, for Colorado not being a popular state, we produce a lot of talent.” (43:06 - 43:22)   Links Connect with Simon Escorcia: Website | https://coloradocoyotes.com/ Simon Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/senorescorcia Colorado Coyotes Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/coloradocoyotes Colorado Coyotes Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/coloradocoyotesxc/ Connect with Physio Room:  Website | ​​https://physioroomco.com/  Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/physioroomco/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/physioroomco Andrew’s Personal Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dr.andrewfix/  Andrew’s Personal Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/andrew.fix.9/   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm