Since taking over as the Head Cross Country Coach in 2000 and as the
Track and Field Distance Coach in 2006 at Holy Trinity Episcopal
Academy in Melbourne, Florida, Coach Butler is in the midst of a great
run that many truly consider a dynasty. His Boys teams have won the
last 3 State Cross Country Championships with a runner-up spot in 2003
and his Girls teams have won 4 State Championships and was runner-up
in 2005. To top it off the Girls Track and Field team are the
defending 1A State Track and Field Champions. Quite unbelievable
really, seeing these championships were all won in the last 5 years.
To top it off he's been named the Brevard County Coach of the Year 3
times and was the first Brevard Coach to win both the Boys and Girls
Cross Country Championships in the same year, a feat he has
accomplished 2 out of the last 3 years. Coach Butler has also been
the 1A Coach of the Year 4 out of the last 6 years. He's coached
Footlocker finalist Kayla Hale since she was in the 6th grade and is a
frequent contributor to the message boards on Flrunners. He's coached
numerous all-state runners with 3 earning All-American honors. I
recently had a chance to ask Coach Butler his opinion on several
topics in the midst of a busy week as Holy Trinity prepares to host
the District Championships and the Middle School Regional Meet.
On his Coaching Philosophy:
My kids are what some would say, talent overcoming coaching! , First
and foremost, I want them to have fun! If it's not fun, why do it?
Life is too short to do things you do not enjoy. Running is not for
everyone. There are always easier sports like football and soccer !
Secondly, if your going to do it, do it right. Put your heart into and
see how good you can be. Thirdly, hard work beats talent nearly every
time, but talent that works hard, wins every time. And as my good
friend Bob Deak used to say, "Train Hard, Race Easy".
On Periodization:
I like to use 4 phases; Base Building, Pre-competition, Competition,
and Peaking. We aim to peak two times a year, November and late
April/early May.
On Long Term Development:
I think the best thing a high school coach can do is prepare his
athlete to compete in college and beyond. I enjoy seeing my kids go
on to the next level. This is a greater joy than winning state
titles. I think they need to be prepared for the higher mileage the
collegiate level will bestow upon them, yet keep the mileage at a
reasonable level.
On Racing Strategy:
I preach over and over again about running even splits. It is a pet
peeve to see kids run out of the world the first 25% of the race and
then struggle to hang on. All races should and will hurt if you push
yourself to the limit, but if you train hard, the race will be easy :)
On his favorite past times:
My most enjoyment comes from riding my 2005 Heritage Softail, Harley
Davidson. My wife, Rhonda and I road to Sturgis, South Dakota, last
August. Over 5000 miles round trip. I've also been a racing fan since
birth. I grew up on the dirt tracks in Ohio, so Nascar is a family
sport we all enjoy. I was a big Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan, and I was in
the infield at Daytona when he died, so I lost a little interest after
that though. I'm still somewhat of a big fan though and like to follow
Jr.
On the later Cross Country Season start:
I don't like it at all. I enjoy having the non-racing week between
State and Footlocker South. On the new Cross Country Championships
to contend with Footlocker/NTN's:
This new schedule will make it hard if you have a talented individual
and a very good team. I like the regional qualifier, but don't like
that they will be on the same days.
On Road Racing or multiple Races at the High School level:
A very big NO at our place. It's no problem to jump in a couple of
races during the summer or winter, but from August - November and
February - April, no way. TOO many kids are over raced.
On running in college:
I wish more kids would take the opportunity to compete in college and
see how good they can be. Many small colleges are looking for
competitive kids, and they don't even give these colleges a look. I
only ran JUCO, so I wish I could go back and run for a college or
university. On his Coaching influences:
Wow, I have many here. I like to say I am a student of the game, and
encourage my kids to be students of the game as well. Bill Bowerman
style. I have read any and all good running books out. I have taken
some from all the gurus. Vigil, Mann, Ray and Benson, Braman, Tyson
and many of the top high school guys I have heard speak like Newton,
Green and others. I steal a little from everyone! On the toughest
runner he ever competed against:
Now your tapping the memory banks. I haven't been competitive for a
long time so I would have to go back to the mid 90's and the Track
Shack series. We had some great runners over there. Chris Daniels,
Dave Smith, Ed Juba, Robin Rogers, Dave Picciano, Steve Gallagher,
Gary Cohen, and a couple others all could run under 15:00. All were
great, but Picciano was the hardest to beat with his 3:56 mile speed.
He was a sit and kick guy, and I had the kick of a turtle. On his
favorite quotes:
Use your head for something besides a hat rack! (my mom)
The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare (Juma Ikangaa)
A goal is nothing but a dream without the will to prepare. (?) On the
Best Running camps ever attended:
I enjoy Appalachian State, Florida State, and the Nike Camp in
Asheville, North Carolina. All three have their own great little
traits that the others don't have. Appalachian State has some of the
best trails I have ever run; Virginia Creeper trail, Fire Tower and
more make it a really great place. Florida State has the best trails
in the state and lets you know why Chiles, and Maclay are soooo good
every year. Best bang for your buck as well. The kids love Nike Camp
because of all the planned activities and the million kids they get to
meet and hang out with. On the importance of summer running:
Well, this is the deciding factor on who wins in November and who
doesn't. It's that simple. You can talk about being good all you
want, but if you can't put in the work between June and August, you
will be watching them crown the kids that did. On the importance of
days off when training:
As Pat Tyson said, "why do you need a day off? Are you hurt?" I think
you can benefit more from an easy 30 minute run, than you can from
just taking a day off. Don't get me wrong, if you are feeling run
down, or hurting, by all means take the day. But, to take a scheduled
day off every week just because it is scheduled is not in my game
plan. We take every 3 rd week as low mileage recovery weeks, and will
usually throw in a day off then.
On Cyber Coaching:
I coach adults as well through the camps I do, and a lot of it is
online. Some can not make it to the group training runs on Tuesdays
and Thursdays so we do the coaching aspect through emails. I also work
with a few high school girls and that is done through emailing them
workouts. Great invention, these here computers! On influential
Flrunners posters :
Negative or Positive? Oh, I don't know. My mom used to say, "if your
not going to say something nice, don't say anything at all." So I try
to help keep only the positive on the forum. There is too much
negative in the world anyway. So why spread more. Especially with
high school kids. It is far to easy for them to get down on
themselves without a bunch of adults doing it to them on here. I'm not
saying we have to praise a mediocre performance or make it look like
he was a world class guy or anything. I just believe you get more
from honey than you do from vinegar. On peaking :
I would say my boys team this year at state in cross country had a
great peak. I tapered about a week too soon last year and we did not
run our best at state. This year all my guys ran their best race of
the year at the state meet. And if they hadn't they would not have
won, so I guess that would be the best. My best advice is the more
mileage you put in, the higher and longer your peak will be. It is
like a triangle, and the bigger the base, the higher and wider the
peak.
On what makes Kayla Hale so special?
Well, I could go on with this one for awhile. I think her top
attributes are these:
1) She is 100% coachable. In 5 years she has never questioned me on
anything. Not once has she asked why is she doing this workout,
running this race, pacing this person or whatever. Total belief in
your coach and the system is vital. If I say run 6.35 miles, she will
run exactly 6.35 miles and tell the other girls they need to do the
same.
2) She will not be outworked by anyone. In school, in church, in
practice, she gives 100% every time. Hard to beat that!
3) But, I think her best trait is her personality. She is a total
team player, she loves the sport of running, she has a great sense of
humor, she loves to laugh, and she can tolerate running with Butler
and Cooke every morning teasing her about something or another.
On what makes so many runners (as a percentage of school population)
participate at Holy Trinity?
I would like to say my magnetic personality, but that wouldn't be it.
: ) I think that is pretty easy to answer. We found success pretty
early. The school is only 7 years old. So a lot of kids want to be a
part of that success. I was blessed with having talented kids right
from the gun to work with. The Joiners , Hales, Millers, Putnams,
Cookes, Zuhlke and many others. So winning came early and a lot of
kids want to be a part of that. I also make it fun by doing the fun
meets like Great American, Carrollton GA, FSU, UF, Flrunners and
others. On what he would change about Cross Country or Track :
Wow, you want to get me in trouble here. Most know how well the powers
in Gainesville like me, so I will skip this one. On dynasties--are
they sustainable?
Dynasty? Personally, I find it hard to think of Holy Trinity as a
dynasty. Now Leto was a dynasty; Bishop Kenny was a dynasty, Maclay
is a dynasty. We are a good program with hard working kids. I think
Holy Trinity can continue that as long as the kids are willing to do
their summer homework. I'm not sure who will carry the torch when my
old legs leave, but if they have a love for the sport and the kids,
the program will continue to do well. On the best race he ever
witnessed in person?
Hmmm, that's a good one. I think Ryan Deak vs Rolf Steier were all
great races to me. Deak vs Leary at Flrunners in 2002 was a great one
as well. In recent times I think the 1A state track meet in 2005 was
really up there. Justin Taylor vs Steve Curley in the 1600 and then
Justin battling back against John Roberts in the 800 for the win,
followed by the battle with Austin Joiner in the 3200 was an
incredible triple for Justin.
Thanks Coach for taking the time out of your busy schedule this week
and best of luck during the State Series and beyond.
Coach Butler provides coaching for all age groups. His Camp, "Set
Goals, Not Limits" http://www.setgoalsnotlimits.com is in its 7th
year. The camp meets 3 times yearly and had 225 runners during his
last summer camp.
Age: 44
5k: 14:52
10k: 30:54
1/2 marathon: 1:06:57
Marathon : 2:25:57