Steven Durr

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Athlete of The Month

Steven Durr

Event: XC and 5k

Coach: Connor Winter

The Interview

Q: Welcome Steven! We'd love it if you could give everyone a brief introduction to yourself and what your running journey has looked like so far.

A: I currently reside in Portland, Oregon where I’m enrolled at the University of Portland and compete on the Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field Teams. I am from Fernandina Beach, Florida. I quickly fell in love with running as a child as my dad was a long-time cross-country coach at Fernandina Beach High School. I always gravitated towards running because I loved the process of getting better through hard work.

Q for Connor: What was your first interaction with Steven? What was he looking for?

A: When we first began talking, Steven shared with me his love for running since the 7th grade and his desire to reach his full potential in running. He was a high school senior and wanted to fulfill his dream of running in college. During his career, he had dealt with injuries and was inspired by my comeback from injury to run 28 minutes in the 10k. I was excited to work with Steven and I knew he would be a great athlete that would be fully committed to the training and see great results.

Q: How’d you hear about Hammer & Axe? Why’d you make the decision to work with Connor?

A: I have always been a huge fan of Tinman Elite and their Youtube series. The hard work and dedication from all the guys, while still keeping a light-hearted sense of community/family was very intriguing to me. I was tired of always being not where I wanted to be during track and was just looking to get my confidence back after a year of bad performances and the pandemic. I was especially drawn to Connor due to his resilience in coming back from numerous setbacks and always rising to the occasion at the big meets, especially his Portland Track Fest 10K and his 6th place finish at USA’s.

Q for Connor: What were you bringing to the table? Had you coached anyone like Steven before?

A: Steven and I had a couple of things in common, the dream of running in college and dealing with injuries throughout our careers. Running in college is a huge challenge. Steven was my first athlete that had the goal to do that, so I was really excited about helping him. I had dealt with injuries during my running career and knew how hard it is to come back and train at a high level. With both of the goals of running fast and staying healthy, we were able to get him to the next level, and it was an amazing feeling to see his dreams come true.

Q: Can you tell us a little more about your high school to college experience?

A: High school was a ton of solo running and definitely not as structured as running in a university setting. Now, I feel like I become 1% better every day due to the constant grind of 10-mile days, workouts, mobility, strength sessions, and eating a healthy diet. I love the aspect of getting absolutely crushed every Tuesday and Friday workout day because I know I’m getting better just trying to hold on to the rest of the guys. The talent of the guys on the team really inspires me to improve myself every day to hopefully contribute to the Portland Pilot running dynasty in the future.

Q for Connor: What were the long-term goals for Steven?

A: My long-term goal for Steven was to give him insight into what running in college is like and how to stay healthy for an entire season. He had been injury prone, so I needed to get him training consistently. I knew the results would come if I could get him to do that. Once he was able to handle the training then I tried to give him workouts that would best prepare him to run in college. He responded well in training and his race performances showed he was ready for the next level. I was so excited to be a part of his growth and send him off to the University of Portland.

Q: What were some of your fondest memories of being a Hammer & Axe athlete?

A: My fondest memories include every Sunday Zoom meeting with Connor where we would catch up on everything training-wise to make modifications and additions when needed. It was also fun to just talk about general everyday life with Connor as well because he’s a really smart and funny guy!

As far as training, I really liked how the workouts always ended at faster speeds to simulate kicking at the end of races.

My favorite race has to be my last race at the State meet where I was in the lead pack with only 600m to go on goal pace before I, unfortunately, turned my ankle on the inside railing and faded back. Even though that was disappointing, the thrill of being with the top guys in the state was extremely gratifying after years of hard work.

Q for Connor: How’s it felt to see Steven progress so much?

A: It was amazing to see Steven’s progress throughout the time that we worked together. He is fully committed to being the best runner and that is all you can ask for as a coach. He believed in himself and put in so much work with his running, recovery, and all the other small things needed to be successful. I was so proud to watch his confidence grow and see his race performance match his training level. Once he chose to run at the University of Portland, I was the culmination of all of his hard work and I was so excited that he had reached his goal!

Q: How did you grow as an athlete and person while in Hammer & Axe?

A: I grew significantly as both an athlete and a person through Hammer & Axe because Connor gave me the much-needed encouragement and constant reinforcement that, “something great is going to happen.” This boost in confidence helped me be more mentally free every day in both training and racing. I grew as a person because I chose to avoid valuing my self-worth and identity based on my times and comparing myself to others. I remember being told to just focus on what I can do every day to be the best runner I can be and not worry about what anyone is running.

Q for Connor: What did you learn from working with Steven?

A: I learned that you must be flexible as a coach when working with your athlete. Steven had dealt with many different injuries and so we had to find ways to keep him healthy. Whether it was cross-training on the bike, aqua-jogging in the pool, or taking a day off — we had to communicate with each other often. I also learned that the mental side of running is crucial to instill in your athlete. As a coach, you have to instill confidence in your athlete to go out and perform at their best.

Q: What are you currently training for, and what are your goals for the next year of running?

A: I’m currently training for the upcoming 2023 Indoor and Outdoor Track seasons where I will finally wear the Portland Singlet. Coming off a down year due to health setbacks, I just look forward to healthy training and racing in 2023. I really want to put an emphasis on competing with the guys in my races instead of worrying so much about what the clock says because I now see that the fast times come from going for the win. I want to get as much experience as I possibly can racing everything from 1500 to 10K.

Q: Any last thoughts, Steven?

I just want to say thank you to Hammer and Axe, especially Connor, for giving me the confidence to pursue even the highest of my dreams in the sport. I would also like to say to any athlete currently going through/coming back from an injury/setback, that you WILL get through this and to just focus on one day at a time, knowing with every second that passes, you are getting closer to that magical race where you breakthrough.

Follow Steven and Connor on Instagram to keep up with their training and racing ⤵️🏃

Steven

Connor

A Few of Our Coaches Have Openings

Hammer & Axe coaching is $200/month and includes unlimited text and email communication, personalized training plans, weekly training calls, and more. Think of it as the ultimate investment in yourself and your running goals. Plus, our coaches are pretty cool and are ~pretty~ good at running, so they know their stuff.

Links to coach profiles: Jordan Gusman, Joey Berriatua, Tori Gerlach, Aaron Templeton, Connor Winter, Jamaine Coleman

Have a Race Coming Up?

We're currently running a Holiday Sale that gives you 30% off all of our training plans!

Thanks to the RunDNA app, our plans are easy to follow, can be plugged into any start date, and are also super affordable (they start at $35). Whether you're running 10k, indoor mile, marathon, or otherwise, we've got you covered. Check them out at the link below.

Act fast! The sale ends on 12/15 at midnight. Use code: HAX22 at checkout.

That marks the end of the issue. We hope you liked hearing about Steven, and we can't wait to share the next story with you. If you liked it, make sure to share using the link below.

From all of us at Hammer & Axe, thank you!

And most importantly, keep the ball rolling! ⚒️⚒️⚒️