Coaching Philosophy
If you’ve stumbled upon this page, I believe that some part of you, deep inside, is willing to run a very long way *without* being chased by a bear, *without* being paid to do so… and I’ll take a wild guess that your name isn’t Pheidippides and you don’t live in Ancient Greece, either. Whether you are striving to accomplish something new, improve your health, run your best Marathon or attain a greater sense of happiness, something is giving you that “spark” to run and to seek out a running coach.
As a RRCA Level II certified coach, a filmmaker and a runner myself, I understand how exciting it can be to take on a new longterm goal, and how challenging it can be to chart your own path to success. Especially in the internet age, there are so many differing opinions, workouts, debates, studies, articles and sources ranging from professional to “bro-science” that it can be hard to tell good advice apart from advertising or purely anecdotal experiences. Even among helpful nuggets of advice, how do you know it’s good for YOU and your individual needs?
My goal as a coach is to take that noise away, stay within my scope of practice, and focus on doing what I do best so that you can focus on the running (which is hard enough if you ask me!):
– Creating personalized training plans based on YOUR needs and goals
– Providing a support system that will help you navigate the ups and downs of your running journey
– Helping you understand how and why what we do together is helpful for you as an individual
– Listening and working around your limitations and responsibilities outside of running
– Making tough decisions when necessary to help you avoid overtraining and burnout
– Keeping your “spark” burning brightly by making your training as fun as possible
In the same vein, there are some things I will never do as a coach:
– I will never place emphasis on bodyweight, body shape, compare, shame or make negative comments about a runner's bodyweight or shape
– I will never tell you to follow a specific diet (but I am happy to make general recommendations and share tasty recipes!)
– I will never diagnose an injury or prescribe treatment for one – I will leave that to the medical professionals
– I will never allow you to waste a good failure and will always help you “find the win” in your training and racing, no matter what happens
When I create a training plan, I prefer to focus on the quality of the mileage that we run rather than the quantity– in my opinion, the “more miles make champions” mentality isn’t a blanket solution for everyone. By following proven principles like “specificity of training” and “progressive overload” I design plans that focus on developing skills and maximizing physiological adaptations that are helpful for your specific goals, while minimizing the risk of training-related setbacks such as overtraining and injuries. I also strive to keep the training fun and emotionally rewarding–even if running isn’t a “lifestyle” for you at the start, don’t be surprised if it becomes one by the time you reach the finish!
Whether you are a first-timer or highly competitive, trying to master the walk/run method or finally achieve that Boston Qualifying time, I would look forward to supporting you as you take the next important step on your running journey and I encourage you to reach out!