Are You in Need of a Coach?
As MCRRC's coach for the past two years, I have some observations to share with you. More than 75 runners have been in the program at one time or another. Some of those who joined at the beginning are still participating, while others found that they were not ready for a coach or in some cases achieved their goal and were not interested in continuing. Many of those no longer in the program continue to follow the effort-based principles that I espouse. I would like to describe the kind of runners who have gained the most from having a coach. If you find yourself among them, you may want to sign up for the MCRRC coaching program.
The first thing they have in common is that they are motivated runners with defined goals. In some cases, the goal was to qualify for the 100th Boston Marathon. In others, it was to achieve a fast time or to avoid injuries. Some simply wanted to learn how to train smart.
The second characteristic of those who gained most from the program relates to the first: they stuck to the program that I devised for them. I sat down with each runner and together we worked out an individualized training plan based on his/her goals, abilities, and family/work responsibilities. The training plan and workouts were designed to help the runner meet the agreed-upon goal. It was up to the runner to follow the plan, meet the mileage goals, and run the workout schedules.
The third characteristic of the group is that they wore their heart monitors for all workouts, both hard and easy. Consequently they not only gained confidence in the heart monitor but, more important, by using the monitor they followed the principles of effort-based training. It is my belief that the number one reason why adult runners fail to achieve their goals is that they overtrain by running too hard on easy days and long runs.
A fourth characteristic is that they kept in touch with their coach. Often, it took me only a couple of minutes on the phone or at the track or at Ken-Gar to answer a question or address a concern. In other cases, it required a more in-depth conversa- tion, perhaps about an injury and the need to back off a little or to seek medical treatment. We also talked about things such as race strategy or the need to adjust workouts or training plans. The danger in not talking regularly with the coach is that runners may not be following their programs correctly or may try to adjust them on their own, with disastrous results. One of the main reasons for having a coach is that the coach can be much more objective about runners' training and can keep them from getting into trouble and/or injuring themselves.
If you have set yourself defined goals and are willing to follow a plan, perhaps it is time for you to sign up for the coaching program, which is open to runners of all abilities.
Coach West is a licensed coach, affiliated with MCRRC, and available to coach motivated adult runners. A portion of his coaching fees for MCRRC members is returned to MCRRC. For further information about personal coaching opportunities, contact Coach West at kirtwest@comcast.net.