Jake Cameron
Coach
Coach Jake grew up in Green Valley, Ontario.
He first got into running because his elementary school hosted an iconic local cross country meet. Though he never even won at that level, it planted the seed that would grow into a lifelong relationship with running.
My experience with competitive distancing running was always one of love-hate, until recent years. When the love was there travelling to race and daily training was amazing. It was awesome to have been able to race all over the country and train with a lot of my closest friends. When things weren’t going well, either struggling with injuries or putting pressure on myself in workouts, I was left feeling frustrated. It wasn’t until the past few years that I really started to enjoy the sport again and that was due in large part to putting less pressure on training.
Coaching Philosophy?
Circling back to my experience with competitive running the mental aspect for me is really important. “ITS JUST RUNNING” – as iconic NCAA DI coach Mick Byrne would say. If you aren’t having fun why are you doing it.? From a training standpoint, I’ve definitely come to believe just stacking good weeks trumps hitting home runs every workout.
Most memorable coaching moment?
My most Memorable coaching experience was when I started my first “Learn To Run” program. Getting to see people making such big “strides” in a short period of time and surprising themselves weekly was an unmatched rewarding feeling. Watching new athletes be so happy with their progress was a very fulfilling moment.
Favourite running podcast, website, books, videos, or blog?
Without a doubt favourite Podcast is “The Coffee Club” podcast put on by OAC. OAC is coached by Dathan Ritzthein, one of the all time American greats in the sport and his team of athletes incredible in their own right. The podcast covers their weekly experiences training and competing on the pro circuit and interviews with other pros in the sport. It offers a very interesting and laid back insight into the sport.