Newbury Park High School Coach Sean Brosnan On Building The Greatest HS Cross Country Team Of All-Time, Getting A Boy Under 4 Minutes For The Mile
"I jokingly told my wife, 'I bet if just had a decent bunch of kids, I bet I could win a state meet and be a national-caliber team.' She was like, 'Yeah...yeah...' I emailed all the coaches in the area. I decided to go back to school to get my credentials and maybe I'd teach in high school. Nobody got back to me but Newbury Park. The coach was like, 'Hey, I'm retiring in a couple of years. We need someone to take over the program.' That's kind of how it happened. I just walked into the program, sat down with the guys and we were not very good at the time. I just started setting the standards high. It made some people mad at first. I might have lost one or two kids mentally wanting to put that work in. It turned around pretty quickly. We won a state championship in three years. We won a couple more and then a national championship. My girls won the state championship. It's just been snowballing since. The biggest thing I say is that we don't set boundaries. We really don't. We just go after what we want."
I got to meet Newbury Park High School coach Sean Brosnan earlier this month when three members of his boys team came into NYC for the Dr. Sander Invitational and ran the second and fourth fastest times in history for the high school indoor 3K and then Colin Sahlman became the 13th US high school boy to break four minutes for the mile when he ran 3:58 and beat a field of collegiate and pro runners. During the cross country season, this team established itself as arguably the greatest of all time. At the RunningLane Cross Country Championships in December, they scored 28 points as they went 1-2-3 with Colin Sahlman, Leo Young and Lex Young running the three fastest times by US High Schoolers on a 5K cross country course. Sahlman led the way with a 14:03. As you’ll hear in this episode, this group gets swarmed by fans at meets. They have a YouTube vlog. They’re rising stars right now. So how did Sean Brosnan stumble upon this program after years of running post-collegiately and as a professional just trying to break 4 minutes for the mile into his 30s? And then how did he take it over and make them so good. Consider this a little bit of an insight into his training philosophy mixed with a How I Built This around the program.
SUPPORT THE SPONSORS
FINAL SURGE: No matter if you are an athlete or a coach, Final Surge helps plan and attain both short, and long-term training success. Their free online training log is compatible with Garmin, Strava, Polar, Stryd, COROS and a slew of other apps and devices. If you are a coach, Final Surge makes planning and analyzing workouts simple and helps streamline communication with your athletes. If you’re an athlete out there hammering miles and tempo runs solo with no guidance or direction, Final Surge is also here to offer up some world-class training programs. Check out their offerings today: FINALSURGE.COM
HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST
Interested in sponsoring the show? Reach out to Chris at chris@citiusmag.com for advertising, sponsorship and partnership offerings.
💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG
Available Results
Generated results are saved to your library for reuse and search.
Choose Template
Pick the result you want. You can review provider and model before generating.
A concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.
Quick Summary
Output: Overview, Key takeaways, Chapter outline
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA comprehensive, source-grounded extraction of the reusable knowledge in an episode.
Deep Knowledge Extract
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inTechnologies, AI models, technical methods, capabilities, limitations, and adoption implications.
Technology & AI Insights
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inRepeatable methods, frameworks, mental models, processes, and systems.
Methods & Frameworks
Output: Methods, Frameworks, Processes
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA dedicated analysis of warnings, limitations, trade-offs, weak evidence, and uncertainty.
Risks and Caveats
Output: Warnings, Limitations, Trade-offs
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA dedicated inventory of concrete resources named in the episode.
Resources Mentioned
Output: Books, Tools and apps, Websites and research
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.
Quick Summary
Output: Overview, Key takeaways, Chapter outline
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA detailed readable summary organized by chapter or topic.
Deep Summary
Output: Compact overview, Core narrative, Detailed walkthrough
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA navigable map of subjects, topic flow, and suggested chapters.
Topic Map
Output: Main topics, Topic flow, Suggested chapters
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA comprehensive, source-grounded extraction of the reusable knowledge in an episode.
Deep Knowledge Extract
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inReusable atomic knowledge units extracted from the episode.
Knowledge Blocks
Output: Concept, Explanation, Why it matters
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA comprehensive extraction focused on health practices, protocols, claims, and safety caveats.
Health Tips
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA comprehensive extraction focused on opportunities, strategy, markets, and company building.
Business Ideas
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inExplicit actions, next steps, habits, recommendations, and things to avoid.
Action Items
Output: Explicit actions, Suggested next steps, Habits
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA dedicated inventory of concrete resources named in the episode.
Resources Mentioned
Output: Books, Tools and apps, Websites and research
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA dedicated analysis of warnings, limitations, trade-offs, weak evidence, and uncertainty.
Risks and Caveats
Output: Warnings, Limitations, Trade-offs
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.
Quick Summary
Output: Overview, Key takeaways, Chapter outline
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA detailed readable summary organized by chapter or topic.
Deep Summary
Output: Compact overview, Core narrative, Detailed walkthrough
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA navigable map of subjects, topic flow, and suggested chapters.
Topic Map
Output: Main topics, Topic flow, Suggested chapters
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA comprehensive, source-grounded extraction of the reusable knowledge in an episode.
Deep Knowledge Extract
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inReusable atomic knowledge units extracted from the episode.
Knowledge Blocks
Output: Concept, Explanation, Why it matters
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA comprehensive extraction focused on health practices, protocols, claims, and safety caveats.
Health Tips
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA comprehensive extraction focused on opportunities, strategy, markets, and company building.
Business Ideas
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inScientific findings, mechanisms, studies, hypotheses, and the limits of the evidence discussed.
Science & Research Findings
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inTechnologies, AI models, technical methods, capabilities, limitations, and adoption implications.
Technology & AI Insights
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inInvestment theses, assets, catalysts, valuation reasoning, time horizons, and risks.
Investing Insights
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inChronologies, actors, causes, consequences, turning points, and competing historical interpretations.
History & Events
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inPolicies, proposals, stakeholders, arguments, implementation constraints, and predicted effects.
Politics & Policy
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inCareer paths, skills, hiring signals, workplace decisions, transitions, and limitations of the advice.
Career Advice
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inBehavioral mechanisms, biases, motivation, habits, emotions, interventions, and evidence limitations.
Psychology & Behavior
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inEconomic mechanisms, incentives, indicators, market structure, forecasts, and uncertainty.
Economics & Markets
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inLeadership principles, team systems, organizational design, culture, feedback, and failure modes.
Leadership & Management
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inAudience, positioning, messaging, acquisition, retention, experiments, metrics, and failed approaches.
Marketing & Growth
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inTeaching methods, learning strategies, practice, feedback, assessment, and effectiveness evidence.
Education & Learning
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inTheses, premises, arguments, objections, values, thought experiments, and unresolved questions.
Philosophy & Ethics
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inCommunication patterns, conflict, boundaries, expectations, repair methods, and contextual limitations.
Relationships & Communication
Output: Big ideas, Methods and protocols, Resources
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inBooks, papers, authors, courses, and other learning resources mentioned in the episode.
Book Recommendations
Output: Books and papers, Authors, Reading themes
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inRepeatable methods, frameworks, mental models, processes, and systems.
Methods & Frameworks
Output: Methods, Frameworks, Processes
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inExplicit actions, next steps, habits, recommendations, and things to avoid.
Action Items
Output: Explicit actions, Suggested next steps, Habits
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inMemorable statements and important claims with attribution and source context.
Quotes and Claims
Output: Memorable statements, Important claims, Attribution and context
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA dedicated inventory of concrete resources named in the episode.
Resources Mentioned
Output: Books, Tools and apps, Websites and research
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign inA dedicated analysis of warnings, limitations, trade-offs, weak evidence, and uncertainty.
Risks and Caveats
Output: Warnings, Limitations, Trade-offs
Sign in, connect a provider, then generate the selected result.
Sign in