COROS NextGen: Record-Breaking Season Finale with Tayvon Kitchen

"End on a good one" is a common saying in sports. Whether it's the last shot in the gym, holding a strong tennis rally, or ripping the last rep in a track workout, every athlete wants to walk away feeling good. Practice is one thing, but finishing your entire season on a high note is often easier said than done.

Tayvon Kitchen, a rising high school senior in Oregon, had a season finale for the ages. With three races headlining his season finale, he made every one of them count.

On June 12th, he ran the National U20 5000m championship. 8 hours later, he competed again in the 5000 at Nike Outdoor Nationals. Then, he and his teammates flew across the country to Philadelphia, PA, where they shattered the national record in the Distance Medley Relay at New Balance Nationals.

Watch: PACE 3

Accessory: COROS POD 2

Analysis: Training Hub

Training Methods & Philosophy

The wild weekend of success didn't come overnight. Tayvon Kitchen and his team trained hard to compete at the highest level, an effort that was strategic both on and off the track.

In workouts, Tayvon isn't afraid to dig deep. "Confidence is is built through workouts and training" he says. On several occasions, when he thought he'd reached his limit, his coach would add just a little more. "Getting to the point of complete exhaustion in workouts, and then doing more, helps prepare you for, when in races or doubles, you have reached your limit and anything past that is just like tossing on another rep."

Tayvon's season-long trends, featuring Base Fitness, Load Impact, and Intensity Trend

While the workouts play a critical role, the work does not end when practice is over.

"Training is big, and having the right training is definitely a key to running fast." Tayvon said. "But one thing that helps you get to the next level is the rest of the day. You might run for 2 hours, but the other 22 hours, you gotta be doing the right stuff as well. Like getting good recovery, like sleep, getting good nutrition, and all that kind of stuff."

The focus on recovery outside practice proved to be a defining factor in the team's success. Tayvon needed a full day of laser-focused recovery during the 8-hour gap between the championship 5K's. Then, the entire relay team needed it in the quick turnaround to New Balance Nationals.

Using COROS Data

A key difference in Tayvon's training this season was the use of COROS data. "I really like a lot of the features of the watch, honestly," he says.

One metric he looks at is efficiency. "It's fun when you see a workout and it's a 105% or that kind of thing. It's interesting to see the the effect on your your running fitness." Below is an image of his running efficiency compared to his fitness and threshold improvements during the season.

Chart showing season-long progression of Running Fitness, Efficiency, and Threshold metrics

Another thing Tayvon focuses on is cadence. "When I'm doing sprints, I like to focus on bringing my knees up and keeping the strides a little shorter and quicker." This image shows his cadence and stride length during three quick strides before an easy run.

Cadence, stride length, and pace compared in strides vs easy running

Notice how the cadence is higher (around 200) during the strides, and his stride lengthens as he accelerates. During the easy run (right), he has a cadence around 170 and a steady stride length. Tayvon says the strides are helpful in improving his cadence. "After doing those, I'll look at my cadence and I can see the difference, especially over time."

He often likes to compare the data to how he feels on his runs. "I can definitely see correlations when I'll have a rough long run or where I'm feeling particularly bad on a run. I'll look at the data and my heart rate is usually higher than usual."

Tayvon's COROS watch also tracked his sleep patterns and recovery times, ensuring he was getting the rest he needed to perform at his best. This data-driven approach was helpful in managing the stress of back-to-back races and the cross-country travel that followed.

The Double 5K

Competing in two 5000m races within the span of eight hours is no small feat. The original idea was to run a postseason 10K, but when that fell through, the challenge of the double 5K came to be.

Both U20 and Nike Nationals were in Eugene, Oregon, so travel wasn't a factor. However, the 8-hour time gap was. The typical rest of an hour or two isn't enough time for soreness to set in. Waiting all day, Tayvon slowly started feeling it.

As one could imagine, it wasn't easy. "You're so far into that pain that you could run super slow or super fast and it hurt the same. So you just go super fast."

Super fast is right, as came away with impressive marks of 14:24 and 14:31, placing 2nd and 4th, respectively.

Tayvon frequently checks data on his watch

Record-Breakers

Tayvon Kitchen's weekend wasn't over, though. In fact, it had just started. Josiah Tostenson, Caleb Doddington, and Nick Kube joined him on the trip to New Balance for the distance medley relay.

"We really had to all show up and have our best race in order to get that record and get that win" Tayvon said.  Tayvon led off with a personal-best 1200. Kube then broke 50 for the first time in the 400, and Doddington knocked nearly 2 seconds off his 800 PR. Tostenson then carried it home, closing in 4:02.

"I got to finish my leg and then watch every single one of my teammates PR at their best distance," Tayvon recalls. "It was awesome."

The race was close the entire way, with a team from Connecticut just 0.14 behind at the finish. "Having those people around you to just pull you through, I think that's why the record got beaten by as much as it did, which was incredible."

The Oregonians finished in 9:44.3, breaking the national record of 9:49.78 that was set by the South Lanes, Virginia over 20 years ago.

Tayvon is a member of COROS NextGen, a program which aims to work with elite high school athletes as they push their boundaries as the next generation of distance runners in the U.S.

Collectively, the program has won over 25 state championship titles in 2024 as athletes across the country gain better insights into their training, and ensure their fitness is where it needs to be at the right time. For  any high school athlete chasing their best, go to www.coros.com to learn more on products, training tips, and insights from athletes of all levels.