In this episode of Relaxed and Fast, Coach Joe Eby and Coach Fiorentino of Baldwin Wallace University Cross Country and Track and Field pull back the curtain on preseason camp — and why running is actually the smallest part of it.

Topics covered in this episode:

•What preseason camp is really designed to accomplish beyond fitness

•Why coaches teach the “why” behind training, mental fitness, and goal setting instead of just handing out workouts

•How intentional discomfort is used to build growth, and where the line is between productive challenge and difficulty for its own sake

•Where team culture actually gets built — vans, meals, shoe trips, bonfires, and the moments between scheduled activities

•What freshmen should get out of camp, and the role returners play in creating that experience

•Why team goals are set after time together, not before — and the difference between team-owned goals and coach-imposed ones

•What separates a “successful” camp from one that just completed the workouts

Whether you’re a high school recruit trying to understand what life on a college cross country or track team really looks like, a parent navigating the recruiting process, or a coach building your own preseason program, this episode offers an honest look inside a D3 program’s culture-building process.

Follow Baldwin Wallace Track and Field & Cross Country: @bw_tf_xc

Follow Coach Eby: @Run800met

#crosscountry #trackandfield #D3recruiting #collegerecruiting #preseasontraining #teamculture #studentathlete #distancerunning #collegecoaching