WHAT I’VE LEARNED FROM WORKING WITH A RUNNING COACH

So, why does a running coach need a running coach?Well, just like an elite runner needs a coach, every runner needs a coach.  An elite athlete knows PLENTY about the science behind running and have all the credibility in the world as any other coach on how to train people to achieve their goals, but they still NEED a coach.I really didn’t even realize I needed a coach until I had another running coach ask me why I didn’t have one.  And I couldn’t answer that.  How do I keep myself accountable?  How to I stay motivated?  How to I push myself out of my comfort zone?When I hit that plateau last month, I knew something needed to change.  And it wasn’t necessarily my training.

I needed someone to motivate me, to keep my accountable, and to PUSH me to get uncomfortable in my training.

So, what has happened in the one month since I started working with my own running coach?I took 1 minute off my 7K time - in ONE month!  This was something I didn’t expect to happen right away.  I had such a horrible race back in March and had only been working with my coach for TWO WEEKS before my next 7K.  I didn’t have a lot of expectations, just that I wanted to hit my goal time of 28:30 - which would be my PR.  I ended up SMASHING that time, and actually running a sub-28 7K (the race was about 0.20 miles short, but given my pace, I would’ve definitely PRed).I haven’t missed a single workout.  When I was self-coached, I would come up with excuses to miss my workouts, especially on a weekend like last weekend when I had an early morning to prep for a track meet.  Typically, I would have just skipped that run because I wanted to sleep, knowing I would have a day on my feet.  But, knowing that I had my coach “looking forward” to me finishing that workout, I KNEW I had to get it in.  And I did.  I’m definitely NOT slacking off at all - I’m making sure I’m doing every single workout and…I’m hitting my splits.  Without accountability when I was coaching myself, I honestly was only looking at my splits on SOME of my runs.  If it was a 200 or 400, I wouldn’t worry about my splits, but I would track them on my 800s + 1000s.  I would always try to hit my splits on those longer intervals and most of the time I would, but I wasn’t realizing just how much I was struggling on my 400s until I actually started tracking those splits.  I’m working my BUTT off trying to hit those splits with every single run, and for the most part, I’m hitting them, but I learned that I am STRUGGLING on those 400s.  Like, by A LOT.  I’m about 10-seconds off on my 400s, and I truly believe it’s because I wasn’t paying enough attention to them.  Now, I’m having to relearn what that pace feels like.  But, the accountability has been HUGE when actually successfully finishing those hard speed workouts.I’ve become a better coach to MY runners.  This is definitely an added bonus to having a coach.  While I know that I am a good coach and my runners are seeing great success with my 1-on-1 program and Elite Running Academy, I am learning NEW things to start including in my athlete’s workouts.  I’m adapting how I train my runners to better suit their needs because I see how I am able to interact with my own coach.  I am seeing what my runners need MOST because I know what has been helping ME on my runs with my own coach.  Do I think that I am a better or worse coach than my own running coach?  No - we definitely coach differently, but the same principles are there.  And I think my runners will definitely reap the benefits of everything I am learning from my coach!Need some motivation, guidance, and accountability in your training?  Ready to hit those PRs this year?  Let’s chat about your running goals and how to go from where you are now, to your DREAM pace!  Let me audit your training plan and help you determine the next step you need in your training to help you start hitting those PRs!