WHY EVERY RUNNER NEEDS A RUNNING COACH
About a month ago, I was stuck in a plateau. I could tell my training was starting to stall out and I knew something needed to change quickly if I wanted to continue to progress in my running, since I am already running my FASTEST ever. I have BIG goals this year and I was not willing to get stuck and miss out on some PRs I know that I can achieve.So, I started to look at my training. Was I doing anything different? Did I need to change anything up? What had worked in the past? I was all ready to dive into a new training plan, when I started losing motivation. I was continuously hitting the snooze button every morning. I was talking myself out of doing certain runs. And I was content with doing just the bare minimum on my runs.That’s when I knew I needed more than just a new plan. I needed someone to keep me accountable. I needed a little birdie in my ear encouraging me and pushing me out of my comfort zone. While I am not afraid to get uncomfortable in my training, the lack of accountability was not helping me actually do things I knew I NEEDED to do in order to actually progress in my training.Sound familiar? Maybe you’re struggling with knowing what to do, when to do it, or simply just getting out of bed in the morning to get your run in, without slacking off on your training plan.It might be time for you to start thinking about hiring a running coach to help you achieve your goals. I know it seems silly - I know how to run, I’ve trained by myself, why the heck do I need someone to tell me what to do?! I can tell you, it has made a HUGE difference in my training, and I’ve only been working with a coach for one month now. Here are the reasons why ANYONE needs a running coach:
A Plan + Guidance.
For a lot of my runners, this is the BIG thing that they need in their training. Sure, you can go get a free plan from Hal Higdon (shoot, I did that for YEARS), but it is not going to be personalized to YOU. What if you’re an intermediate to advanced runner, but you don’t have the time to train 5-6 days per week? What if you’re not ready to start at a certain point in that training plan? What if you get injured and have to take a few weeks off in the middle of your training? How are you able to jump back into training without worrying about getting injured again?There’s a lot more that goes into running than just having a plan, especially if you have big goals in mind. You need that extra guidance to help support you in your training. Having the ability to ask questions + bounce ideas off someone makes one heck of a difference. Plus, a running coach will be able to help you analyze what you need to do if you’re experiencing aches + pains, or dealing with stomach pains or mental toughness issues on your runs.
Motivation + Accountability.
Who or what is holding you accountable in your training? Even the most disciplined + self-motivated people (myself included) can struggle with motivation and accountability. I see this all the time with people I write a plan for - I will write them a custom training plan, hand it over, and then they are on their own. They have to hold themselves accountable for their training and have to be disciplined and self-motivated to actually follow-through with that custom training plan.Guess what happens? They do great the first few weeks, then they start to lose their motivation, they start skipping runs, they cut their runs short, and then the week before their race, they realize they are completely unprepared. They had EVERYTHING they needed to go from point A to point Z in their training - except they didn’t have the accountability factor that a coach can give you.I know for me personally, this has made the BIGGEST difference in my training. Just this past weekend, I most likely would have skipped my Saturday morning speed workout because I had a track meet. But, knowing that my coach was counting on me to get my workout in as planned, I got up early and did 4 miles at tempo pace. And let me tell you, I so badly want to slack on that tempo pace, but knowing I would hear it from my coach if I didn’t hit those splits, I worked my butt of to hit them. It is AMAZING what having someone - even 500+ miles - hold you accountable can do for your training.Later this week, I will be sharing my own personal experience of working with MY running coach, but if you are thinking a coach is what you need in order to take your training to the next level, let’s schedule a FREE, no-obligation goal setting consult! We will chat about your current training, where you are feeling resistance, and what you need to do in order to get to the next step in your training. I can even do a training plan audit and help you determine the things that you might need to do differently in your training to make your plan work for YOU!