Last night I ran 3 easy miles and today I have a 5-mile progression run on the calendar. The first 3 miles will be at an easy pace, the fourth mile at a moderate pace and the final mile at my 5K goal pace.
(I still need to find a 5K to sign up for ASAP before the season ends!!)
Some of you will probably have noticed over the last month and a half that I’ve talked about speedwork a lot more than I used to. While I’m not embarrassed to be a back-of-the-packer when it comes to the half marathon distance, I do want to strive for improvement. To help me achieve my goals I’ve recently begun working with a new running coach!
I had worked with my previous coach since last June. I selected her because she was an accomplished ultrarunner and becoming an ultrarunner is my long-term goal.
Working with her was amazing because she really understood my needs as a beginning runner. She helped me work on form, mental strength and most importantly she helped me prepare for my first half marathon (and second) without any injuries.
However, I think it’s possible that she never stopped thinking about me as a new runner. Beginning in December I asked to start incorporating speedwork into my schedule, but my training plan continued to look relatively the same week after week (with no speedwork incorporated).
I did a little speedwork here and there on my own, but I didn’t want to do too much too fast and get injured; I prefer to have a coach providing guidance (especially when I’m already paying for one).
This all lead me to reaching out to a new coach who was well recommended by a friend. While my new coach and I haven’t been working together very long, I am super excited about the future!
I love that, based on my goals, my training schedule now includes a target pace to aim for on certain speedwork days. That’s so helpful to me as someone new to speedwork. Before, I felt like I was feeling around in the dark wondering if I was doing too much or not enough and now I know exactly what to aim for.
I feel like I should wait a little while before saying who she is, but some of you may already know her. Here’s a hint: she’s writes a blog and is gonna kick butt at Boston this year!
More on that soon…
Have you ever worked with a running coach?
Are you always looking to improve your pace, or are you happy with where you are at and focusing on other things?
That’s awesome that you have a new coach! Sometimes you just gotta move on. Maybe it was hard for your old coach to see you as something other than a “new” runner because you were “new” when you started with her. Obviously that is not going to fly anymore! I hope your new coach is awesome… and I can’t wait to find out who it is! I never worked with a coach but I have a few accomplished runner friends who I can always bounce ideas off of. I did work with a personal trainer before when I needed to learn to weight train. Best health money I ever spent!
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I really think that was the case … she just kept treating me exactly the same and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I’ve been running almost the same exact easy/hard pace for over a year! >:(
That’s awesome that you have accomplished runner friends to bounce ideas off of. I don’t have any friends who take running very seriously, but thankfully I do have you and other experienced blogger friends!
Hm, I have an IDEA of who your new coach may be! I’m glad you decided to branch out and find a coach who fits who you are NOW, not who you were months ago.
I’m happy with my pace, but I also know that if I can be faster, running long distances will seem less daunting. A 6 hour marathon sounds a lot scarier than a 4.5 hour marathon, you know?
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YES exactly! I think I probably would have stuck with the same coach, but the idea of running a 6+ hour marathon sounded very scary. I may still take that long, but at least I will be able to hold out hope that I may finish a little faster 🙂
PS: We start marathon training SOON!
6 hours… you could almost walk one in 6 hours. That was her plan for you??? Psh. Seriously.
Great News On The New Coach. Fact That Your Excited To Work With Her Is A Good Sign Of Things To Come.
Never Worked WithA Coach Before But Have Been Considering It Lately.
I Am Always Trying To Improve My Time And Pace.
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Working with a coach has been so great for me. It really takes the thinking out of training and let’s me focus on the running part which is so much better … plus whenever I have any little ache or pain I Google it and think I am coming down with the plague. Having a coach reassure me that I’m not dying is helpful in those situations : )
I am excited for you. I could also sense the new excitement from you about running when you changed coaches! I have never worked with a coach before, but I am thinking about taking the plunge with some new running goals too.
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It really has renewed my sense of excitement and passion for running. Seeing real progress for the first time in a long time has excited about every single run!
Good for you for making the change – you have to find the coach who is the perfect fit for you and your goals! I hope that your new coach listens to you and really pushes you!!!
And – very cool that you hope to eventually transition to ultras.
I’m running a 50 in May.
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I am so excited for you to run a 50!! So so awesome! Can’t wait to read all about it! 🙂
Very exciting re: the new coach. Sounds like you’ve made the right decision and the new coach sounds very promising!
I have never used a running coach, not yet anyhow. Is it all online/via the internet, or do they meet you in person? Maybe I will look into it soon. Rather than just scouring the internet and finding a training plan that I like the look of, haha. (At the moment I’m doing the following: https://www.digitalrunning.com/advanced-half-marathon-training-plan/). Are they expensive??
Thanks Kristina!
How exciting you are going to have a new coach! I am excited to see how your marathng training goes.
I have never worked with a coach. I have ran with a coach that I work with and read a few training books lol I enjoyed my recent push to increase my pace, but I can’t reasonably maintain through summer. I guess I will see how I am feeling when I start really training for my half in Nov.
I am so glad you found a coach that is a better fit for you!
Once my kids get a bit older, I want to focus on running longer distances faster and I’m thinking a coach may help me get there, so I can’t wait to read about yours!