The Importance of Having a Coach
This past weekend one of my running clients, Cori, had her first race since we started working together. As soon as I finished my long run I couldn’t wait to hear how the 5K race had gone so I texted her immediately. I almost couldn’t believe what I read when her text popped up on my phone! She PR’d by a whole minute and ran a 21:20 5K. I couldn’t have been a more proud coach!
Thinking about her accomplishment and my own this winter since I started working with a coach for the first time since college I was struck by what an important part of your training a coach can be. Here are just a few of the reasons why having a running coach is such a great idea…
Having a coach takes the thinking out of training.
How much time do you spend planning your workouts for the week or figuring out the perfect training plan for your next race? When you have a coach all of that planning is lifted off your shoulders and you don’t have to think. All you have to do is run!
When your motivation is low your coach will be there to motivate you.
I’ll admit it. During the 12+ years that I have been running I have gone through many periods of time when the motivation to run and race. Having a coach to be accountable to can motivate you to you through the toughest times during training!
A coach can help you realize your potential!
I was a mediocre runner in high school but when I joined my college team my coach sat me down and told me that if I put in the work I had the ability to be great. Over the next four years and I dropped 3 MINUTES off of my 5K PR and broke five school records! There was so much power in that one pep-talk and I am forever grateful to my coach for that.
The right coach will help you avoid injuries.
As runners we can be very driven to achieve our goals but also very stubborn in our training. We can see it as a sign of weakness to take a day off from training even if that would be the best thing for our body in the long term. Having a coach to bounce ideas off of concerning extra rest days, switching around the workouts on my schedule, and possibly even skipping workouts makes me feel less guilty about any changes to my planned training.
All in all, a running coach is someone that is there for you in whatever way you might need them. Your goals are their goals and they will do everything in their power to help you reach your full potential! 🙂
Do you have a running coach or do you mainly train yourself?
What other reasons can you think of about why coaches are so important?
**Time for a little shameless self-promotion** If you are in the market for a running coach please check out my Online Coaching Page and fill out the form to receive more information about my coaching services! I would love to help you reach your goals!