Mike Scannell on the Philosophy Behind Coaching Champions, Why He Turns Down D1 Coaching Every Year, & Inside The 6-Week Training Block of Grant Fisher's Half Marathon Debut
THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST
Dominic Schlueter
4.9 ⢠821 Ratings
đď¸ 14 March 2026
âąď¸ 62 minutes
đď¸ Recording | iTunes | RSS
đ§žď¸ Download transcript
Summary
Mike Scannell is back on The Running Effect Podcast.
The last time he joined the show, we talked about the long-term vision behind coaching one of Americaâs most talented distance runners. Since then, that vision has turned into one of the most remarkable stretches in American distance running history.
His athlete, Grant Fisher, has won two Olympic bronze medals in Paris, broken indoor world records in both the 3,000m and 5,000m, and firmly established himself as one of the most dominant distance runners on the planet.
And now, the next chapter is about to begin.
On March 15th at the United Airlines NYC Half, Fisher will make his professional half-marathon debut.
Coach Scannellâs coaching record speaks for itself: Footlocker and Dream Mile national titles, multiple state records in the 1600, Olympic Trials qualifiers, and Olympians. He was an incredible runner himself, but in many ways heâs an even better coach.
That is continuing to evolve with some of the best runners on the planet, and we canât wait for you to hear our latest chat with one of the best minds in the sport.
Tap into the Coach Mike Scannell Special.Â
If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.
Comment the word âPODCASTâ below and Iâll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!
Comment the word âPODCASTâ below and Iâll DM you a link to listen.Â
If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Today, ladies and gentlemen, back on the podcast is the man who coached Grant Fisher in high school and who's coaching him now. |
| 0:06.7 | And the training program looks almost identical, which tells you everything about Mike Scannell, which tells you everything about what Mike Scannell actually believes. |
| 0:14.0 | Today, Mike gets into the philosophy behind one of the most consistent development systems in American distance running. |
| 0:19.6 | Why he doesn't raise his athletes in the shape, which I thought was fascinating. |
| 0:22.7 | What separates Grant Fisher from every high schooler Mike's ever coached and what he's |
| 0:26.2 | watching for this Sunday at the half marathon debut of Grant Fisher and an inside look at |
| 0:31.1 | the training in six week block that went into Grant's first ever half marathon where I'm |
| 0:36.5 | sure he will crush it in New York City this |
| 0:38.4 | Sunday. This conversation is an absolute masterclass. We break down the coaching, the principles, |
| 0:43.2 | the mindset, Mike's own running and why he's still out there ripping 610 pace for tempos. |
| 0:48.2 | And yeah, I love this one. It's both deep, philosophical, a lot of training theory as well as |
| 0:53.0 | just like fun and funny. I love my conversations with Mike Scannell. He's a true gem in the sport of running. And I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did having it. And if you do, the easiest thing you can do, hit the subscribe button so you don't miss more world-class conversations like this in the future. Give us a five-star review. It takes next to no time and share the podcast with a friend, as that the easiest way in which we can go i appreciate you all drop a comment below on youtube and spotify as well |
| 1:15.3 | why not share your thoughts share a question i try to reply to every single comment i see on there |
| 1:20.0 | so yeah let me know your thoughts on this episode and future guests you want to see on and without |
| 1:23.5 | for their deal enjoy this conversation with the absolute legend of the sport, coach Mike Scannell. |
| 1:33.5 | Santa Cross for me is the best dressed, |
| 1:35.8 | best looking track coach in America. |
| 1:38.6 | Mike, kick us off here. |
| 1:40.4 | We'll cop right into it. |
| 1:42.3 | What is the number one way that a kid listening today can |
| 1:45.9 | ruin their track season? Doing too much speed work too early in the season. Speedwork is anything |
| 1:52.4 | 60 seconds are shorter, very aggressive. So if you're doing that and you get about four weeks, |
... |
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