Recruiting Ep 20: How to Have a Real Conversation with a Coach

Ep 73: How Much Is Too Much? Weekly Mileage, Volume and Progression

How many miles should a distance runner actually run? In this episode of Relaxed and Fast, Coach Joe Eby and Coach Josh Fiorentino of Baldwin Wallace University Track & Field and Cross Country break down weekly mileage, training volume, and safe progression for high school and college distance runners. There’s no magic mileage number—the goal is optimal mileage, not maximum mileage. Joe and Josh explain what running volume does for aerobic development, durability, and recovery, how coaches determine the right mileage for each athlete, and why consistency matters more than occasional big weeks. In this episode:  • Why mileage is one of the most debated topics in distance running  • What adaptations easy miles and aerobic volume actually create  • How coaches set mileage based on training age, injury history, sleep, nutrition, and life stress  • The signs an athlete is ready for more—and the signs they’re doing too much  • Common high school mileage mistakes and the Strava comparison trap  • What healthy progression looks like from freshman year of high school through college  • Why the transition to college training is so hard  • Rapid-fire mileage myths: junk miles, running the same as your teammates, and getting faster by running less Whether you’re a recruit building your training, a parent supporting a young runner, or a coach refining your philosophy, this conversation will help you train smarter for the long haul. Think in years, not weeks. Relaxed and Fast is the podcast from Baldwin Wallace Track & Field and Cross Country, covering distance running training, racing, and the college recruiting process for recruits, parents, and coaches at the D3 level. — Follow along: 📸 Program: @bw_tf_xc 📸 Coach Joe Eby: @Run800met #DistanceRunning #CrossCountry #TrackAndField #RunningPodcast #WeeklyMileage #TrainingVolume #CollegeRecruiting #D3Running #BaldwinWallace #RelaxedAndFast

Ep 72: TFP: More Than a Motto

Lots of teams have slogans. The best teams have standards. In this episode we dig into what “Team Family Pride” actually means—and why it’s more than something we put on a shirt or shout before a race. We break down all three words: what separates a real team from just a group of runners, why we call ourselves a family (and whether that happens naturally or has to be built), and what healthy pride looks like when it comes from the process instead of the result. We get into celebrating each other’s wins, showing up for teammates through injuries and hard seasons, and being proud of how you handled a race even when nobody was watching. We also talk about why TFP doesn’t end at graduation—how Team, Family, and Pride show up in careers, relationships, and life long after the spikes come off. Plus a rapid-fire round and a closing challenge for any recruit or new athlete trying to understand what this is all about. Because the strongest teams aren’t built on talent alone. They’re built on Team, Family, and Pride. — 🎧 Relaxed and Fast 📲 Instagram: @bw_tf_xc and @Run800met 🐝 Baldwin Wallace Cross Country & Track and Field

Recruiting ep 23: The State Meet Recruiting Circus - Are We Doing This Right?

What is recruiting supposed to look like?   In this episode of the Relaxed and Fast Podcast, Joe and Josh share their experiences from four days at the Ohio High School State Track & Field Championships at Jesse Owens Stadium. For Josh, it was his first time recruiting at a state meet. For both coaches, it sparked some important questions.   As athletes walked out of the clerking area after some of the biggest races of their lives, college coaches lined up to introduce themselves, hand out business cards, and gather contact information. It is a common scene at championship meets across the country, but it left Joe wondering: Are we helping create a positive memory for athletes, or are we getting in the way of one?   The conversation explores the realities of college recruiting, the pressure coaches feel to connect with athletes before another school does, and the balance between being proactive and being respectful. Joe and Josh discuss what athletes might actually want in those moments, what young recruiters should know, and how relationship based recruiting can still exist in an increasingly competitive environment.   Topics include:   • Recruiting at championship meets • The athlete experience after competition • Building authentic relationships • Recruiting ethics and etiquette • Lessons learned from a first recruiting trip • What great recruiters do differently   Whether you’re a coach, athlete, parent, or recruiting coordinator, this episode offers an honest look at the intersection of competition, opportunity, and human connection.

Ep 71: Confidence in Distance Running — How it’s built and how it’s lost

Why do two runners with identical splits show up to the same start line — one believing, one already beaten? That’s confidence, and it might be the most underrated weapon in distance running. In this episode of Relaxed and Fast, Coach Joe Eby and Coach Fiorentino of Baldwin Wallace Cross Country and Track and Field dig into how confidence actually works: how it’s built one honest workout at a time, and how quickly it slips away after a bad race, an injury, or one too many glances at the competition. You’ll hear the “deposits” model of belief, why a single rough workout can haunt a runner for weeks, how to escape the comparison trap, and the concrete first moves for rebuilding confidence when it’s gone — plus what parents should (and shouldn’t) say after a tough race. For recruits, athletes, parents, and coaches. Relaxed and Fast — let’s get after it.

Recruiting Ep 22: Texting vs. Emailing vs. Calling — What Coaches Actually Prefer and Why

You found the coach’s email. Maybe you have their cell number. But do you actually know the right way to reach out — and what happens on the other end when you do? In this episode, Coach Joe Eby and Coach Josh Fiorentino of Baldwin Wallace University Track and Field and Cross Country pull back the curtain on one of the most overlooked parts of the recruiting process: communication. Not what to say — but how and where to say it. They break down what coaches actually think when a recruit texts out of nowhere, why some emails get opened immediately while others sit unread for weeks, and the moments when picking up the phone can make or break your chances. Whether you’re a recruit just starting to reach out, a parent trying to help your athlete navigate the process, or a coach looking to understand what the other side of the inbox looks like — this episode is for you. You’ll hear:  • What coaches really think when a recruit calls their cell cold  • How to write a first email that actually gets a response  • The follow-up cadence that works — and the one that gets you ignored  • The most common communication mistakes recruits make every single year  • Why how you communicate during recruiting might say more about you than your times Relaxed and Fast is produced by Coach Joe Eby. New episodes drop regularly covering everything from race prep to the recruiting process — straight from the coaches who live it. Follow, subscribe, and share with a recruit who needs to hear this.