Why you need a running coach

I used to just run. I didn’t run to a plan or schedule it was only when the moment felt right did I lace up and hit the pavement. Then I started to become competitive. Not with those around me but with myself. I wanted to train smarter, harder and I wanted to train working towards my unachievable goals. I wanted to be prepared, remain injury free and I wanted to see gains both in training and in races.

At the age of 39 for the first time in my life I enlisted the help of a running coach. A coach is not someone reserved only for the professional and elite runners, they are for the everyday runner too which is a comforting and less intimidating thought.

I realised I couldn’t achieve my objectives alone, I needed support. I needed someone who could see my training different to how I was seeing it. I needed someone who could bring out the best in me. It then dawned on me, in order to achieve greatness whether that be in our personal or professional lives we all need a mentor or a coach at some point – we all need some sort of guidance outside of ourselves.

Here are 10 reasons why you need a running coach

1. They do the hard part by writing the plan, all you have to do is the running part
2. Your weekly run plan assists you to optimise your performance
3. They minimise the risk of injury by helping your train more consistently and help stop you from overdoing it and getting burnt out
4. They help you avoid common training errors such as not including enough rest and recovery time in your training schedule
5. They provide motivation and support by believing you can push yourself further than you ever thought you could
6. They help you figure out your weaknesses and create a workout plan that will turn those weaknesses into strengths
7. A plan helps your performance by systematically building your training towards you achieving your goal which includes strength training, injury prevention, running drills and tailored preparation
8. A coach will adapt your training plan after an injury suggesting exercise strategies to get you back up and running without delay
9. A coach schedules in drills, stretching, strength training and foam rolling some of the things us as runners tend to skip
10. And lastly a coach helps you train smarter, bust through running plateaus and helps keep you accountable

Find a coaching style that suits you

There are many different coaching services available from a more face-to-face personal approach to correspondence coaching via email, phone, text or Skype. Whatever the coaching style, a coach can help you train harder and smarter and who doesn’t love not having to plan your training? You can just turn your brain off and just do the work.

Sorry the training is still going to be hard but its good to know someone has your back when it comes to your weekly training schedule. After all, we don’t do easy (but it is made a little easier when someone does the planning for you.)

So is enlisting the help of a coach right for you? The right coach will improve your training experience, enable you to become fitter than you’ve ever been, and teach you important lessons about your next planned race whatever the distance.