Jackson Johannes

After a year of working with Brendan he’s taken me from a 50.8 runner who was ranked 61st in the state. Now today a 47.67 runner who is ranked 2nd in the state and a Drake Relays champion and a time that is 10th all time in Iowa.

At the beginning of the summer Brendan’s primary focus was to work on my form. The first couple of weeks were rough but over time and lots of reps things started to click. But a defining moment was when I met with Brendan in person just after one hour long session something major had changed. Brendan had showed me what I was doing right and wrong. After just a few reps I started to pick things up and felt better than I had ever before. There were also multiple other times when I had met Brendan in person and felt completely changed and refined after.

Brendan has a training concept that is EXTREMELY thought out and particular to the runner. Brendan is always thinking multiple days, weeks, and even months away. Which is good because most times runners don’t like to think about the future and always think about the now. Over the course of working with Brendan I learned that working hard on the HARD days is where you find your gold. And taking those low easy intensity days at the correct paces makes a huge difference. “Spending your money in the right places”.

While all of those things are great and have immensely impacted the outcome of my season. There were many other things that make Brendan stand out from any other coach. Firstly before working with Brendan my mental approach before races were awful, I had zero confidence in myself and always felt insanely anxious. This winter over the course of my first couple meets Brendan was there texting me and walking me through how to mentally stay tough and focused as well as how to correctly attack the race and to not let the nerves affect my performance. Without that type of support this indoor season I don’t know if I would’ve been able to have had the breakthrough that I did.

Secondly, having a coach who can bring you back from a hamstring injury FASTER is unheard of. After my first hamstring injury I went from 49.23 to a 48.90 my first meet back. My second hamstring injury, Drake was my first meet back and I ran 47.67 (Champion) and split 47.1 (3rd) in the 4x4. My third hamstring injury we had very little time to work with, only about 10-12 days to take a serious strain and try to make it around the track three times. At times it looked very doubtful and I almost even had my mind set on not running, even then Brendan was there for me lifting me up telling me I had already accomplished so much and this hamstring injury does not define me. I did end up running, I was able to coast through 4x4 prelims with a 50.0, anchor a sprint medley in a 48.9, as well as anchor the 4x4 to a third place finish in a 48.1.

Next, Brendan’s IQ on track and many other things is insane. He is one of the smartest people within the sport of track. After looking at my races there was one thing that was sticking out that was holding me back. My race strategy. Brendan created a workout plan that would better support the new race strategy we had come up with. Being the stubborn and scared runner I was the first two indoor meets I had reverted back to my old ways. But after talking with Brendan we were able to fix it and the next meet I dropped a full second off of my 400 time in just one week. The most important race strategy that was created was the Drake relays. We decided to use lane 1 to our advantage and it ended up working out.

I could talk forever about everything that Brendan has done for me. Anyone that has ever asked me about my success I instantly credit it to him. Because truthfully without him there is no way I am a Drake champion and living my dream of running track at Iowa next year. Brendan is the best coach, mentor, and even a friend I could’ve asked for. I would 1000% recommend him to anyone that is looking to take that next step to becoming great.