Randy Sturgeon has been coaching for nearly 40 years. He comes from a coaching family of three brothers who were also coaches. Randy began as an assistant at Solano Community College when he was just twenty years old. From there, he took the position of head track and cross country coach with the first girls track and cross country teams at El Camino High School in 1976. After two years at El Camino, Randy coached the girls track and cross country teams at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks.
Following five years of coaching at Del Campo, Randy went into the private training sector and began coaching adults, starting with individuals and later for club teams. Which brings Randy to his current Head Coach position with Golden West Athletics Club. Randy also coaches the distance track and field athletes at Granite Bay High School.
In Randy's words:
I am very excited about coaching both adults and high school athletes. While my basic philosophies for these two groups are similar, my applications are different. Coaching adults is much different. Unlike school programs, we don't have strict seasons that revolve around the school year. For adults, especially distance runners, we are pretty much training and racing all year. This presents a unique challenge for building bases and peaking at particular times while accommodating the desire for different events though out the year.
To achieve this I first have a basic system that is based on the leading coaching of the past few decades. The hard/easy and date pace/goal training concept that comes from Bill Bowerman of Oregon fame. The basic training components of aerobic runs, tempo running, maximum oxygen uptake intervals, repetitions and sprint work come from Jack Daniels and the peaking concept of Arthur Lydiard.
First off, the distance runners follow what I call the basic three all year round. That is, aerobic runs, maximum oxygen uptake intervals and tempo runs most of the year except for the 400/800 types. Then we try to pick out specific races in the fall, winter, spring and summer that we peak for. I encourage variety in training by having people focus on longer events in the fall and winter and shorter ones in the spring and summer.
We also do some race specific work. We have a short distance group who mainly focus on the 400 and 800. They will do cross country and road races in the fall and focus mainly on track in the winter, spring and summer. This group will do some road work all year round. Then there is the middle distance group. They will do cross country and road events in the fall, road and or track in the winter and spring, and road or track in the summer.
Our third group is the long distance group. This group does road and cross country in the fall, and road events with maybe some track the rest of the year. Also, this group can also include ultra runners who pretty much follow the basic three workouts though out the year including some shorter races for speed work.
I would say variety is the key to the program. Not only do I try to get people to vary what they run, but I try to make each workout different (as best I can) so that they don't get bored and unchallenged through out the year. I also try to vary location not just during the week, but with each season. We go through periods where we are mainly on the track and periods where we are in a park of trail. The key is to be challenged and stimulated while having fun and being satisfied.
Keep running and stay healthy,
Randy Sturgeon
Head Coach Golden West Athletic Club
