I (Dan) have been a literacy teacher and endurance coach (cross country, nordic skiing, and track and field) for over a decade, and a lifelong student and endurance athlete most of my life. Teaching and coaching, beyond raising my family, has been one of the absolute highlights of my life. From inspiring kids to read and developing their confidence as writers, to helping people become lifelong runners, skiers, and active people fills me with a sense of pride.

In the early part of my career, I viewed these roles as separate entities in which knowledge would be gained by studying my craft in these specific areas. In fact, these professional roles have informed my philosophy of teaching and coaching in ways that are truly remarkable and supported by what I would describe as parallel research. Over the years I have observed that the following realities apply to both my teaching of literacy and coaching of endurance athletes:

• Teach/Coach the Person First
• Our Purpose Has to Be Deeper Than Winning/Grades
• Our Words Matter
• Practice Matters
• We Need to Be Responsive to The Topic of Anxiety
• This Work Is a Marathon and Not a Sprint