We are very excited to announce the workshop lineup for our upcoming virtual running program, Fall Training Group. In addition to personal training plans, individual coaching sessions, and team meetings, participants will take part in a monthly workshop. These workshops will be interactive and informative, and a great opportunity to dive deeper into different aspects of running training. We’ll use these workshops to come together as a larger community, dig into our sport, and share in our collective knowledge and experience. 

Our September workshop will be led by two experts on sports psychology from Smith College, Professor Erica Tibbetts and Kelsey Parks Smith. Erica and Kelsey will share about the work they do with athletes around sport performance, exercise enjoyment, and activisim in sport, and then provide a framework for the mental strategies they see as fundamental to mental training. From there, the workshop will build into discussing the thought patterns that we as runners want to shift, with the intention of leaving the workshop with tangible, practical tools to apply. See below for more on the amazing work these two women do!

For our October workshop, we are thrilled to have Olympic bronze medalist, World Cross Country Champion, and former Craftsbury Running Director Lynn Jennings stop by for a visit. With no shortage of uplifting racing and training tales, Lynn is ready to share a wealth of motivational wisdom, tips, and tricks with us. An evening with Lynn is sure to leave you jazzed to focus up, train hard, and not take your running body for granted! 

For the third and final workshop in November, we plan on asking program participants what they are most interested in learning about, and then bringing in an expert to share on that topic. 

Registration for the fall program closes tomorrow, Thursday. We still have spots left - join us!

More on our guest speakers: 

Erica Tibbetts is a lecturer at Smith College in the Exercise and Sport Studies department, with a PhD in the Psychology of Human Movement an M.S. in Sport Psychology. In the courses she teaches, Tibbetts explores how activism, social justice, oppression, and resistance have all been parts of sport historically and currently. She also teaches courses that cover the psychological aspects of sport performance and enjoyment. Tibbetts’ research examines how sport can be used as a tool for social change and how current sport practices can be altered to make sports more accessible and beneficial for all participants.

Kelsey Parks Smith is the Coordinator of Programs for Student Athlete Development and Enhancement at Smith College. In this role, Kelsey helps student athletes, Head Coaches, and Graduate Assistants develop their personal and group leadership skills in areas including mental wellness, equity and inclusion, and Sport Psychology. Prior to working at Smith, Kelsey received a M.S. of Science in Sport and Exercise Psychology and a B.S. in Psychology with a Minor in Exercise and Sport Studies. 

Lynn Jennings is a nine-time U.S. and three-time World Cross-Country champion, a bronze medalist for 10,000 meters at the 1992 Olympics, and a former American and World record-holder. Lynn is known for the intensity and grit she brought to her training and racing, and the passion she continues to bring to the sport through coaching and mentorship. Lynn is without a doubt a true legend of the sport. Close to our hearts here in Craftsbury is Lynn’s time as Running Director. Under her leadership, the running camps at the Outdoor Center thrived and developed a strong contingent of loyal, enthusiastic Craftsbury campers.