#trinityprep

Coach Kenneth Vinal is the head boys coach at Trinity Prep in Florida.  He has coached one of the few small schools to ever qualify for Nike Cross Nationals.

High School Harrier: Florida isn't mentioned with the likes of California, Texas, etc., when it comes to talking about the best cross country states.  Do you think it is just the climate, or does the culture of the state towards distance running have a factor?

Kenneth Vinal: In the late 1970's and early 1980's Florida had some of the best teams in the US in Largo and Astronaut. I don't know what changed though I suspect it was the state culture towards distance running. Florida is a football state, but so is Texas, and in track it is a sprinter state. I know there are talented distance runners who never step foot on a cross country or track because it is not cool, or they are in other sports. I think it was Dr Jack Daniels who said the reason most kids become distance runners is they are cut from another sport or to get in shape for another sport. The climate is a factor in training but not to a great extent.

HSH: Trinity Prep is one of the few small schools to ever qualify for NXN.  What part of your program do you think is most responsible for helping get the team there?

KV: We stress team goals over individual goals and we have high expectations of team members. They understand that reaching high goals is a matter of putting in the work every day and doing that over a period of years. Getting teenage boys to make a long term commitment to running long distances in miserable conditions is only possible when they know they have the support of their team members.

In 2008 Griffin Jaworski, then a sophomore who went on to run at Auburn, talked about the team and the future driving back to Florida from Footlocker regionals. We agreed that in 2010 we could be the best team in Florida and be good enough to win Nike Southeast. It was quite a goal considering we were 2nd that year in the smallest classification in Florida. In 2010 we won Great American and we thought our dream season was coming true, but we had a bad start at NXN regional and never recovered. But the goal of making to NXN stayed in the minds of every team afterward. I think the weather in 2015 turned to our advantage because it was a warm day more like Florida than North Carolina.

HSH: How big are your teams and do you have a tryout process?

KV: We vary between 15 and 20 runners. The tryout process is to show up and you are on the team.

HSH: Do you have any runners who you feel are ready to have a breakout season this year?

KV: Trent Turbyfill is looking very strong and I expect he will join the ranks of the best TPS runners.

HSH: Trinity Prep also has a middle school.  Do you have access to the middle school program and if so how similar is their training to the older runners?

KV: The middle school has their own coach and the program emphasizes the fundamentals of distance running. Most of the kids are new to the sport so we keep it low key and fun. I pay close attention to the program as most of the current team started on the middle school team.

HSH: What is a typical training week for your varsity males and females?

KV: I only coach the boys but the girls follow a similar week. Our training follows a 9 day cycle that includes a VO2max workout, one or two anaerobic/speed workouts, a tempo run, a long run, and aerobic runs the rest of the days. The mileage varies from 85 to 55 miles over the nine days.

HSH: How much does your training vary from summer to cross to track?

KV: Over the summer the focus is on building an aerobic base but we do alternate a weekly VO2max workout and tempo run. Track for the primarily 3200 runners is very similar to cross, but the 1600/800 runners follow a 12 cycle that has more anaerobic and speed workouts.

HSH: Do the boys and girls train together?

KV: No, I think we last trained together in 2001!

HSH: What do you do in the summer to beat the Florida heat and get your training volume up?

KV: There is no way to beat the heat and humidity so we acclimate to it. The max mileage for the top guys in the summer is 70 mpw.. Most of the JRs and SRs hit 60-65 mpw and the new runners slowly work up to 45 mpw.

HSH: Is there any regular season meets your team is looking forward to going to this year?

KV: There are two this year, Katie Caples in Jacksonville and the Pre-State meet in Tallahassee.

HSH: For those not from Florida, what is the qualifying process for the state meet?

KV: Florida has a two stage qualifying system starting with a district meet. Depending on the number of schools in the district 3 to 5 teams advance to the regional meet. In all 4 regions the top 6 teams advance to the state meet. Florida has 4 classifications in Cross Country.

HSH: Would you be interested a small schools national cross country championship if one was proposed?

KV: I very much would like to see a small school national championship like NXN. Nike could easily add a small school race to its regional and national meet.

HSH: Does your team have any unique traditions?

KV: At running camp we hold a 5k time trial that is 100% uphill. The night before I tell the team the story of how Henry V and his small English army defeated a much larger French army at Agincourt on October 25, 1415.

HSH: Who is your biggest coaching inspiration?

KV: That would be my dad who was a high school coach in Jacksonville, FL. He primarily coached basketball but over his career, he coached golf, tennis, football, and even cross country. Sadly, he passed away before I began to coach.

HSH: Do you have any rags to riches stories about an athlete who progressed tremendously?

KV: The one who comes to mind is Griffin Jaworski. He was #8 as a freshman and started off the year with 20:00 5k. By the time he was senior he was the team leader with a 15:31 PR, and he was the state 3200m champion. He went on to run for Auburn.