Jeremy Esatto

Athlete of the Month

Jeremy Esatto

Coach: Self-Coached

Training Plans Used:

1600m Base Plan with Strength/Mobility

Sub 5:00 Mile

Event: Mile

The Berry That Boosts Performance and Increases Recovery

“Since using 2before, I’ve noticed an increase in energy throughout my workouts. It’s also been great in terms of recovery… it aids in my muscle recovery and gives me extra energy in the morning which has been really beneficial.”

- Drew Hunter talking about 2before in Training and Conditioning Magazine

Interview with Jeremy Esatto

Hey, Jeremy! Thanks for joining The Axe as our Athlete of the Month. How are you doing today?

I am doing well. I am a bit sore from my running and lifting workout yesterday but overall, all is well. I am excited to share a little bit about my life and running.

What’s your running story, and how does running fit into your life these days?

I started running at 13 years old, coincidentally on a club team coached by Marc and Joan Hunter. To start, running was a social outlet for me. In high school, I ran for a small private school which gave me the opportunity to train with a team where I got to participate in many relays. Some of my favorite track memories from the 4 x 400m races at the end of a long meet. I was by no means the best on my high school team with marks in the 800 and mile of 2:12 and 4:59. Yet I am so grateful to the coaches I had in both high school and the coach from a small NAIA school who gave me an opportunity to run collegiately. During my brief stint as a walk-on in an NAIA program I completely snapped my ATLF and partially tore other ligaments in my ankle. After this, I took a step back from trying to run in college, transferred universities, and began my “hobby jogger” phase. Initially, I found great success, but my motivation dropped off and my fitness suffered.

Towards the end of 2020, I had a few of my running Instagram videos go viral leading to me gaining several thousand followers. This led to an opportunity to be part of a running shoe launch for Mizuno Running. I participated in a running shoe video commercial and was able to promote different shoe launches from the company. This has been such a blessing as the cost of running shoes is expensive. Having a partner that provided running shoes in exchange for exposure and reviews over the past year enabled me to continue training without needing to set aside paycheck money for new shoes.

During this time, I got the opportunity to assist in coaching a high school track & XC team. For the past 3 years, I have been able to coach and cheer for so many talented and hard-working athletes striving to be their best. Most recently, in December of 2022, I set a new goal of re-breaking five minutes in the mile and have been training for this since January. In April and May, I got to race the 1500 meters twice at Gallaudet University and the mile once in the Loudoun Street mile. My initial mark in the mile this year was 5:22. By using the HAX training plan, I have worked my time down to a 5:11 mile. I am close to my goal of a sub five-minute mile but there is more work to be done. My wife, friends, and family support me as I continue to pursue my running journey.

Currently, while running is still important and something I enjoy, I have found myself challenged to find enough time to train. With my job and an internship, I am working 40 hours a week and am taking 12 credit hours this summer making training inconsistent. Fortunately, I have still been able to run in my gaps when I am not doing homework. After graduation, I hope to have a regular running schedule built into my daily routine.

How did you find Hammer & Axe?

Since I started out being coached by Marc and Joan, I have followed Drew Hunter’s running for years and after watching his high school performances, continued to follow him through the formation of Tinman Elite and through his professional career so far. After leaving my first university, I spoke to him about the potential for coaching. Hammer and Axe launched shortly afterward, and I have been following Hammer and Axe on social media since.

What made you decide to use one of our training plans? Why not coach yourself or use another service?

I posted a video talking about my goals for running a fast mile and at the time had been looking at different online coaches to give me a sense of accountability. Drew reached out and told me that Hammer and Axe had been working on a variety of new training plans and that I should try them when working on my goals. He recommended I start with the Base Training Plan written by Drew Hunter. After this, I went on to a 5-minute mile racing plan from Connor Winter.

I know your training plan just finished up… how was the process, and what can people expect from it?

The process was straightforward. Each week had relatively the same weekly structure as far as what days workouts, lifts, long runs, and easy runs were scheduled. This made it easy for me to plan my runs around my regular life. Each gym workout came provided with a video and written instructions on how to complete each exercise. I could look ahead and see the workouts in the upcoming weeks. Most workouts had detailed descriptions and intensity prescriptions making it easy to know how to complete each workout correctly.

What was your favorite workout from the plan?

My favorite workout was 4 x 1 mile at threshold. This was the first workout where I noticed how much my aerobic fitness had improved. I ran this workout solo, and it was so late at night that the track stadium lights shut off at the end of the 4^th rep. I felt in control the entire time and that I could have run 5 or 6 reps at this effort.

Here is a link to the workout (you’ll have to follow him to see it)

What races are you currently training for, and what are your goals for them?

Currently, I am going to take one last stab at a sub-5-minute mile. I am going to run a time trial with some fast friends of mine to simulate a race. After the time trial, I am hoping to hop into a local 4^th of July 5k and run hard. Later this summer, I am potentially going back up in distance to either work towards a new 5k or half marathon PR but have not decided which race yet. I ran an unofficial sub 17-minute 5k time trial (net downhill) in early 2020 and would love to officially run a time I can call my PR.

Follow Jeremy and keep up with his training!

Jeremy’s Strava

Jeremy’s Instagram

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