“I just fell in love with being able to work with athletes that are pursuing their goals and dreams,” says Lara Rogers, coach of the Under Armour Mission Run women’s team. In this episode, Lara shares her journey from coaching at the University of Cincinnati and Shippensburg University to her influential role at Under Armour.   Lara discusses the importance of trust and strong relationships in fostering athletic growth, reflecting on the team’s evolution from two to five athletes. She highlights recent achievements, including Ellie Leather’s personal best in the 3K and Lauren Ryan’s national record for Australia in the 5K. She attributes these achievements to the athletes’ relentless dedication and a nurturing team dynamic.   Listeners gain insights into transitioning from collegiate to professional coaching, with a focus on 5K training and the absence of a cross-country season for professionals. Lara explains how they integrate tools like the Lever Movement System, which alleviates physical stress while preserving training intensity. This episode emphasizes the significance of consistency, health, and mutual support within a high-performance sports environment, offering a compelling look at the complexities of coaching a top-tier women’s running team.   Quotes “The biggest part for me is just the reward that you get from seeing athletes achieve the best out of themselves or get the best out of themselves. And that’s why I do it. And it’s something I don’t think I’ll ever want to stop doing.” (03:37 | Lara Rogers)  “At the end of the day, it’s just hard work over a long period of time and consistency that’s kind of leading to those breakthroughs that everybody’s seeing.” (09:25 | Lara Rogers) “We have athletes on the lever and Ellie Leather specifically uses that every week for doubles for recovery runs, making sure that we’re taking a little bit of weight off but we’re still getting in the volume. And I think that’s also been super crucial for her and staying healthy. She is one of the athletes that’s taken some of the biggest steps this year. I attribute that a lot to being able to train and stay healthy and that consistency piece is key.” (13:19 | Lara Rogers) “I think a big staple for any 5K runner is doing stuff at race pace.” (22:30 | Lara Rogers)   Links Connect with Lara Rogers: https://www.instagram.com/laralu12/ https://www.instagram.com/missionrun_baltdistance/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/levermovement/  https://www.instagram.com/bradmiles/ https://levermovement.com/ Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm