Hey everyone! My name is Calvin Morris, and I’m a 22-year-old runner, former cross country coach, NASM Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT), NASM Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), and founder of Morris Training Co.
My journey in running began in seventh grade, and since then, I’ve experienced just about every side of the sport. I’ve gone from finishing last in races to qualifying for the Ohio High School Cross Country State Championships. I’ve dealt with injuries, undergone multiple surgeries, competed at the collegiate level, coached younger athletes, and explored new challenges in endurance sports and other areas of fitness.
Running has played a major role in shaping who I am today. It has taught me discipline, patience, perseverance, and the importance of consistency. More importantly, it has given me experiences and knowledge that I can now share with others.
But my journey certainly didn’t begin with success.
Where It All Started
I started running cross country and track in seventh grade. To put it simply, I was terrible at running.
My seventh-grade cross country season was anything but enjoyable. I didn’t know many people on the team, I wasn’t particularly fast, and I didn’t have much motivation to improve. My best two-mile time was somewhere in the 18-minute range, which consistently placed me near the back of the pack. I even finished dead last at one meet.
I honestly hated cross country that year.
Fortunately, I decided to give it another chance.
During my eighth-grade season, we had a new coach who was more involved with the team. I started improving, eventually running a personal best of 13:34 in the two-mile race. I became our team’s fifth runner, and we won our league championship after breaking a tie using our sixth and seventh runners.
For the first time, I started to understand how rewarding running could be.
However, that progress didn’t immediately carry over into high school.
Finding My Motivation
When I entered high school, I was once again the slowest runner on the cross country team.
My first 5K was somewhere around 24 minutes, and an injury involving my hip made an already difficult season even more frustrating.
At that point, I wasn’t particularly interested in running competitively. That changed during a conversation with one of the seniors on my team.
He told me that if I worked hard enough, I could potentially run a varsity time and earn a varsity letter.
For a freshman who had spent most of his running career near the back of the pack, the idea of earning a varsity letter was pretty exciting.
So, I decided to take training seriously.
I started paying closer attention to my pacing, learning race courses, setting specific goals, and holding myself accountable for my performance.
By the end of my freshman season, I ran a 19:49 5K and earned my varsity letter.
I had gone from nearly 24 minutes to under 20 minutes in a single season.
That experience completely changed my outlook on running. I realized that just because I wasn’t naturally one of the fastest athletes didn’t mean I couldn’t become competitive through consistent effort.
Unfortunately, my freshman track season was canceled because of COVID-19, but I continued working toward bigger goals.
Becoming a Competitive Runner
My sophomore year brought more improvement. I lowered my 5K time into the high 18-minute range and competed at varsity track invitationals.
My best track performances that season included:
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800 meters: 2:17
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1600 meters: 5:25
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3200 meters: 10:53
During my junior cross country season, I took another significant step forward.
I ran a personal best of 17:31 in the 5K and became the second-fastest runner on my team.
In approximately two years, I had gone from being the slowest runner on a team of 13 athletes to being the second fastest.
However, my progress wasn’t without setbacks.
I tore the labrum in my shoulder and underwent surgery in February 2022. As a result, I missed my entire junior track season and couldn’t return to running until May.
Rather than abandoning my training completely, I focused on what I could safely work on during recovery. Once I was cleared to return to exercise, I spent considerable time strengthening my legs and rebuilding my fitness.
I was determined to make my senior season my best.
Qualifying for the State Championships
Going into my senior year, I had two major goals: qualify for the Ohio High School Cross Country State Championships and earn the opportunity to compete collegiately.
I had a specific time in mind: 16:37 for the 5K.
I believed that reaching that time would put me in a position to accomplish both goals.
At the beginning of the season, our longtime high school coach resigned, leaving us with a new coach. As one of the team’s experienced runners, I found myself helping guide teammates and assisting with aspects of training.
It was during this season that I discovered how much I enjoyed coaching.
As the season progressed, my performances improved. I finished 12th in the Western Buckeye League (WBL), earning First Team All-League honors.
My teammate and I advanced through the postseason, eventually qualifying for the state championships.
The time I ran to qualify?
16:37.
Exactly the time I had set as my goal before the season began.
We became the first male runners from our school to qualify for the state meet in approximately 20 years. I also earned Academic All-Ohio recognition.
The experience was something I had spent years working toward. Going from the slowest runner on the team to competing at the state level remains one of my proudest athletic accomplishments.
I also received opportunities to run at the collegiate level, accomplishing my other major goal.
However, my running career was about to take another unexpected turn.
Injuries, Surgery, and a Change in Direction
After graduating from high school, I began pursuing collegiate running.
Unfortunately, my time competing in college was cut short by a serious sports hernia injury.
In December 2023, I underwent surgery to address the injury. Days later, I experienced a life-threatening postoperative hemorrhage that required emergency medical attention.
The entire experience changed my perspective on athletics, recovery, and life in general.
For someone who had spent years consistently training and competing, suddenly being unable to exercise normally was incredibly frustrating.
Recovery wasn’t as straightforward as I had hoped, and the injury interrupted my ability to train consistently for an extended period.
Ultimately, I decided to step away from collegiate athletics and return home.
Although I wasn’t able to finish my collegiate running career the way I originally envisioned, that decision opened the door to something I had developed a passion for years earlier: coaching.
From Athlete to Coach
I returned to my hometown and became the head middle school cross country coach, working with athletes in the same program where my own running journey began.
It was an opportunity to experience the sport from an entirely different perspective.
Rather than focusing solely on my own race times and accomplishments, I was responsible for helping others improve.
Some athletes were naturally talented, while others reminded me of myself in seventh grade. They were inexperienced, unsure of their abilities, or simply trying to find a reason to enjoy running.
I especially enjoyed working with those athletes because I understood what it felt like to struggle.
My approach to coaching emphasized consistency, realistic goals, encouragement, and developing a genuine appreciation for the sport.
I wanted athletes to understand why we trained the way we did rather than simply telling them to run a certain number of miles.
Beyond coaching cross country, I’ve also been involved with Special Olympics since 2021. Over the years, I’ve volunteered with different sports and participated in Unified Sports track and swimming events alongside Special Olympics athletes.
Unified Sports brings together athletes with and without developmental disabilities to train and compete together. Participating in these events has been a rewarding experience and has given me the opportunity to work with individuals of different athletic abilities and backgrounds.
It has also reinforced something I believe is important in coaching: success looks different for everyone. Not every athlete is working toward a championship or personal record. Sometimes, accomplishing a goal, building confidence, or simply enjoying physical activity is just as meaningful.
Coaching and my involvement with Special Olympics helped me realize that I wanted to expand my knowledge beyond what I had learned through personal experience.
Becoming a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach
In May 2025, I earned my Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
I also earned my NASM Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) credential, allowing me to expand my knowledge of nutrition science, healthy eating habits, and the relationship between nutrition and physical performance.
Although years of running and coaching had taught me a great deal, these credentials helped me build on that experience through formal education in exercise science, program design, fitness assessment, and evidence-based nutrition principles.
I believe that exercise and nutrition should complement each other. Training is an important part of improving fitness, but proper nutrition also plays a significant role in supporting performance, recovery, and long-term health.
With this background, I founded Morris Training Co., an online personal training business focused on helping individuals prepare for physical challenges and improve their fitness.
One of my primary areas of focus is law enforcement physical fitness preparation, particularly helping aspiring Ohio law enforcement officers prepare for the physical fitness requirements associated with their careers.
My services include structured training programs, personalized workouts, and ongoing online coaching. My nutrition coaching education also allows me to help clients better understand how their everyday eating habits can support their fitness goals.
While my business has expanded beyond running, endurance training remains an important part of my background and interests.
Continuing to Challenge Myself
Stepping away from competitive collegiate running didn’t mean I stopped being an athlete.
I’ve continued to explore new challenges, participate in races, and expand my understanding of physical fitness beyond distance running.
In August 2026, I completed my first triathlon, finishing in 1:32:00, placing 21st overall and third in my age group.
Balancing swimming, cycling, and running introduced new challenges and helped me develop a greater appreciation for different approaches to endurance training.
I’ve also spent more than seven months training in various martial arts disciplines, including judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), and traditional jujutsu.
These experiences introduced me to different aspects of strength, mobility, coordination, and physical conditioning that I hadn’t explored extensively through distance running.
While I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an expert in martial arts, I enjoyed the challenge of being a beginner again and learning skills that were completely different from those I had spent years developing as a runner.
Experiences like these remind me that there is always something new to learn, regardless of how long you’ve been involved in fitness.
I’ve also continued pursuing my education outside of athletics, earning my bachelor’s degree in finance from Southern New Hampshire University in 2026.
Although finance and fitness are very different fields, both have reinforced the importance of planning, consistency, and working toward long-term goals.
Why I Created This Website
I originally started writing articles because I wanted to share what I had learned through years of running.
When I was younger, I frequently had questions about training, injuries, running shoes, recovery, and improving race times.
Many of those questions came from personal experiences, and I wanted to create a place where other runners could find helpful information.
That purpose hasn’t changed, but my perspective has expanded.
Today, my goal is to share information that helps people become more knowledgeable, confident, and consistent with their fitness.
Some articles cover running techniques, training strategies, or recovery. Others address common questions about exercise, physical fitness preparation, and developing effective training habits.
I believe there is tremendous value in combining personal experience with evidence-based training principles.
At the same time, I recognize the limits of my expertise. Being a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach does not make me a physician, registered dietitian, physical therapist, or other licensed healthcare professional. My personal experiences with injuries and recovery are not substitutes for individualized medical advice.
I also don’t believe there is one training strategy that works perfectly for everyone.
People have different goals, abilities, schedules, and limitations. What helped me succeed might not be the best approach for someone else.
That’s why I encourage readers to think critically, learn about their bodies, and find approaches that work for their individual circumstances.
What’s Next?
If there’s one thing my experience has taught me, it’s that progress is rarely a straight line.
I’ve experienced finishing last, winning championships, achieving personal records, and qualifying for state. I’ve also dealt with surgeries, setbacks, and having to completely rethink my athletic goals.
Every experience has taught me something valuable.
Through Morris Training Co. and the articles I publish, I hope to use that knowledge to help others pursue their own goals, whether that’s completing their first 5K, improving their running performance, passing a law enforcement fitness test, or simply becoming healthier and more active.
I certainly don’t know everything, and I’m always looking for opportunities to learn and improve.
But I do know what it’s like to start from the bottom, work toward something that once seemed impossible, and eventually accomplish it.
And I know firsthand that improvement takes time.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story. I hope you find something here that helps you along your own fitness journey.
— Calvin Morris
Last updated: October 12, 2026