Benefits of a Running Coach

Have you ever wondered if you needed a running coach? Many runners feel they don't need a running
coach because they don't view themselves as "real" runners. Others may feel that they can get enough from online articles, posts, or training plans or from their fellow runners. Others may think running coaches are too expensive. While others feel they just don't have time.

First of all, if you are putting on running shoes and heading out for a run on a regular basis, please most definitely consider yourself a runner. Second, periodical and online articles are great and online plans are fine, but the one thing to keep in mind, is that these plan are written for the masses, not you. Third, like any service, prices will vary. Shop around and find a running coach that's within your budget that provides what you need. Fourth, most running coaches have a variety of ways to interact to meet your busy schedule.

So, what's the answer? Do you need a running coach? Well, no, a runner doesn't have to have a running coach, but having been one for over 13 years, I can share with you some of the awesome benefits you may not have thought of.

Below are some great reasons a running coach can help you with successful training:

1. Keeping Your Accountable: Knowing that someone has crafted a plan for you and will be checking in with you ups your accountability greatly. Many running coaches also incorporate group runs into their training which ups accountability as well as build relationships with other runners. 
2. Prevent Overtraining and Possible Injury: A common mistake of self-trained runners is overtraining. When a runner starts to make progress, they'll often get excited and begin to push themselves harder. Nothing wrong with pushing yourself, but a coach can help determine when too much of a push may be detrimental to your running mojo and/or your body. A running coach is a great first line of defense in preventing running injury. Runners are notorious for letting an ache or pain go too long before seeking treatment. I always encourage my runners to share with me when they are experiencing something beyond regular delayed onset muscle soreness, especially they if it's something they've had for more than a couple days and it's not getting better. I'm not a doctor or physical therapist, but I'm often that needed push to get a runner to seek professional medical help.
3. Keep Better Perspective and Prevent Self-Doubt: When training for any race, but particularly a distance race such as a half  or full marathon, self-doubt can creep in pulling a runner down. There's a saying that running is often 90% mental and 10% physical, and in many cases that is true. We can be our own worst enemy. A coach can help put things in perspective. If you 've had a bad run, a coach, can help you evaluate that run and determine if the lackluster performance was due to improper fueling or hydration, over training, poor sleep, stress, or some other factor.
4. A Real-Time/Catered-to-You Sounding Board: When I'm in a training cycle with runners, I get emails, messages, phone calls and in-person chats all the time regarding anything and everything about my runners' training. Instead of wondering if you're on the right track, you have someone well versed in your training as a sounding board in real-time.
5. Create a Plan for You and Your Goals Not the Masses: A running coach will craft a plan geared specifically for you. Factors such as your running history, your current running, the race you've selected, your personal goals, and more will all be taken into account when crafting your plan. Often runners will use the same plan year-after-year. Most runners don't stay the same, they may have made great gains or had a set-back from the previous year. A running coach will create a plan based on your current running.
6. Adjust Your Plan During Training: As a running coach, one of the first things I tell a runner when I meet with them to talk about their training and goals, is that the plan I create is fluid. What I mean by that is, it's not set in stone. Changes can and will be made along the way. Sometimes life gets in the way and a plan needs to be revised. Sometimes a runner will make great gains during training and training paces need to be made. A runner needs to have structure and guidance with a plan, but not feel that they are completely locked in.
7. Explain Your Workouts and Why You're Doing Them: Many online plans will have a variety of runs, but with very little explanation for why you're running these different types of runs. If a runner was not involved in track or cross-country in high school or college, they may not be familiar with some types of run workouts. Many runners will avoid speed work because they think they need access to a track. A running coach will thoroughly explain everything in your plan. They'll also explain how workouts can be accomplished without access to a track. (None of my speed workouts need a track.)
8. Help Fit in Cross-Training to Support Your Running/Training: Many runners know that adding in cross-training can benefit their running, but don't know what to incorporate or how to incorporate it. While other runners are unaware of the benefits of incorporating other types of fitness. A running coach can help safely add in appropriate types and amounts of cross-training to your training regimen. 
9. Explain and Help Support You With Your Fueling and Hydration Needs: Just as important as the weekly runs, proper fueling and hydration is vital to successful training. A running coach can provide proper guidelines for fueling and hydration to support your runs.
10. Motivate and Inspire: A running coach is your biggest cheerleader. Ongoing motivation and encouragement can often be the difference in successful race training.

In the Greensboro, NC area and looking for a running coach, click here.

Eating Does a Runner Good

Just read an article about how exercising before breakfast burns more fat. Article makes it sound like it's new news. Heard this for a long time. Problem is that people will just read the headlines and then start running on an empty stomach. It's true that when you run on an empty stomach, your body will use up any remaining glycogen (carb) stores and then begin to burning fat. Nothing wrong with that. However, what a runner has to ask himself/herself is...."What is my goal?"

If your main goal is weight loss, then great idea to get up early and go for that 3-5 mile run before breakfast and possibly burn more fat than if you had eaten first. But, if your goal is training for a half or full marathon, then your main focus should be on achieving a quality run. Running 10-20 miles on an empty stomach is not going to provide a quality run. When a runner comes to me to talk with me about a recent lackluster run, 90% of the time it boils down to improper fueling.

Yes, you can burn fat as a fuel source. When all the fat is gone, you can even burn protein (muscle), which is not good. But the thing to keep in mind is that the body's main fuel source and most efficient fuel source is glycogen (what carbs are turned into and stored as in the muscle). Fat can be an energy source, but it's not as efficient as glycogen.

Sometimes weight loss will happen when half marathon or full marathon training, but I don't encourage runners in the thinking that running long is going to cause weight loss. If you are training properly, your appetite will increase and as long as you're appropriately fueling based on your activity level, then you'll be fine. Most of the time, however, runners will over estimate their calorie burn and they'll eat a lot more than they need. My other concern with this article is there will be people who think.... "I'm going to run on an empty stomach and then I'm not going to refuel afterward either. That way I'll really get a good burn." Problem with that thinking is that when you drastically decrease your caloric intake and drastically increase your activity level, the brain will go into protective mode and actually latch on to and protect your body fat and burn muscle instead. Decreased muscle means less caloric burn, which can mean weight gain or a weight plateau. Not good.

So, long story not so short...if your goal is weight loss, then try running shorter distances before breakfast as a part of your weight loss goal, but if you're goal is a marathon....eat.

Article Link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/18/health/exercise-breakfast-fat-burn-wellness/index.html

What Type of Race Trainee Are You?

Life can get crazy when you're training for a half or full marathon, and sometimes life and throw things at you the can affect your training. If you are working with a running coach, remember he has created a plan for you. Also remember that your training plan is a guide, a guide created specifically for you and your goals.

As a running coach for going on 10 years, I've come to realize there tends to be four types of race trainees—the "Sporadic", the "Checker-Offer", the "Ignorer" and the "Communicator."

The Sporadic trainee tends to use the plan as a suggestion. He'll keep his normal run routine and then decide to throw in some of the workouts in their plan. Or they use the plan for a few weeks, then go rogue for a while and then maybe get back to following the plan. This runner often wonders why they are not seeing the progress they expected.

The Checker-offer trainee is that runner that has to do every workout in the plan regardless of circumstances that might dictate otherwise. For example, if the runner can't get in his/her long run on Saturday and moves it to Sunday (which is fine) he/she will still do the speed workout scheduled for Monday (which isn't good), just because it's on the plan. The desire to check off every workout overrides common sense or what they're body might be telling them. This runner feels like a failure if every workout is not checked off as completed.

The Ignorer trainee is the runner that ignores the signs of injury. The Ignorer tends to use the not-so-useful sayings, "run through the pain" or "no pain no gain." This runner has trouble distinguishing the difference between regular delayed onset muscle soreness or discomfort and pain. And... sometimes they know the difference, but keep on running because of fear if they take time off, they'll lose everything they've gained. Often this runner will keep running through pain until a serious injury occurs.

The Communicator trainee is the runner that uses his/her plan as a guide. This person communicates with his/her coach when she has to miss a run and not sure if or how she should make it up. This runner will communicate with her coach when she's been sick, when she's experiencing pain that's affecting his running. This runner will ask questions about fueling and hydration. This runner will text, call, instant message, and talk in person with her coach.

Can you guess which of these four types have a higher risk of injury?

To the Sporadic trainee: Your plan has been crafted by your coach just for you and your goals. The plan is created with consistency as it's foundation. Doing the runs and workouts as prescribed on a consistent basis will help you safely reach your goals. Running hot and cold isn't going to help your reach your goals.

To the Checker-offer trainee: Your plan is a guide. Yes, it's important to get in as many of your prescribed runs as you can, but that doesn't mean doing every single run just for the sake of having a check mark on each workout. If you miss a run, sometimes it can safely be made up, but other times it's better to miss the run completely rather than squeeze it in just for the sake of completing it. For example, putting two hard runs back-to-back is not recommended. Keep in mind that long-and-slow is "hard" and short-and-fast is "hard." So, if you miss a long run, don't try to make it up by putting it the day before your speed workout. Maybe instead, you do the make-up long run, and then either rest or run easy on the speed workout day. When in doubt, consult your coach. He/she can help you figure out how/if you should make up the run.

To the Ignorer: Communicate with your coach when you're experiencing pain. He/she may have some initial suggestions for how do deal with your issue. Or he may say you need to check in with the doc. Better to be safe than sorry. Instead of putting off seeing the sports doc or physical therapist, schedule that appointment. Much better to find out it's nothing than let things linger until you have a full blown injury and you're off running for several months. You'd be surprised how many times, I'm not aware one of my runners has had in issue until I see them in a boot. Listen to our body. Taking a rest day is much better the plugging through a workout just to get it done. Use the following pain scale to help you decide what to do when feeling discomfort or pain.

1-10 Pain Scale for Runners

Mild Pain: Rating 1-3, is the type of pain you feel when you start to exercise but it usually goes away as you start to warm up and continue running. The pain may be inconsistent and moves around the body, or you feel it bilaterally (in both knees, for example). Mild pain or discomfort is common and considered safe to run through. Apply ice at any areas of concern after your run. A bag of frozen peas works really well.   

Moderate Pain: Rating 4-6, pain that doesn't cause you to limp or alter your stride, will probably respond well to a couple days of rest, pain-free cross-training, and icing as needed. If it doesn't, go see the doc.

Severe Pain: Rating 7 to 10, requires immediate doctor attention. This kind of pain you feel before, during, and after the run. It usually starts at the beginning of a run and increases until your stride altered or you stop. Don't let it get that far. 

It's not that the Communicator trainee will never get hurt, but because they are keeping in constant communication with his/her coach, they are more likely to head off possible injury. Be proactive when training. If you're in a group training program, your coach may be working with dozens of runners. Never think he/she is too busy for your questions. Also, don't assume he knows exactly what you're going through. Communicate with him. That's what he's there for.

Yea Taper Time! Boo Taper Time!

During a past training cycle, I overheard one of my runners telling another runner (who sometimes
runs with us but isn't one of my race trainees), that he was in his marathon taper time. The other runner proceeded to tell my runner, "I never tapered before a race. It's a waist of time. You lose too much of what you've gained." My runner proceeded to say, "I don't know, I really think there is something to this taper thing. I'm going to follow what my coach has planned out for me. I mean I paid for it. Might as well, follow the plan. But, it makes sense what he's telling me."

That was a proud moment as a coach. This particular runner did not follow the plan with his previous race. Every run was a hard run. He put in extra runs on his own and didn't taper. Result? He got injured a few weeks prior to race day. He still tried to race on race day and injured himself more. This training cycle, he decided to follow the plan and he was doing great! The other runner is a fast runner. But like my race trainee's former self, he runs every run hard and never tapers. As a result he's often injured. I often kid this runner (but not really) that he's not allowed to talk to my runners trying to lure them to the dark side.

More is not better. Never a better example than with marathon taper. The marathon taper is probably THE most important part of race training. So, what is taper time? There are different approaches, but the standard taper for marathon training begins three weeks prior to race day.Typically the last long run (which is often your longest run) is three weeks from race day. The following long run is 75% of the longest run, and then the long run before race day is 50% the distance of the longest run. So, if you're longest run is 20 miles, then the following weekend the long run will be 15 miles, then the next long run will be 10 miles with the following weekend being race day. The mileage of the other weekly runs during this time can begin to decrease as well. My runners usually have a speed workout on Mondays, a tempo/progression run on Wednesdays, and easy run on Thursday or Friday and then their long run on Saturday. During Taper time, the distance of the Wednesday runs begins to decrease and usually I have them run an easy 4 miler the Wednesday the week of race day.

So what makes doing less the last three weeks help you on race day? High mileage week after week depletes a runner's glycogen levels. It also decreases levels of enzymes, hormones and antioxidants. Research has shown that these levels return to normal during taper. Even more important is the repair of muscle damage that takes place during taper. Runners that push their training up to race day also run the risk of compromising their immune system increasing the chances of catching a bug before race day. Taper allows the body time to bolster the immune system. Research has also shown that runners that heed the taper tend to have times 5 to 10 minutes faster on race day than those that do not taper in their training.

The main problem with marathon taper is what I call the Stir-Crazy Complex. You've been running, running, running, for so many months then all of the sudden, just before race day, you're not running nearly the mileage. It can play with your mind. Doubt begins to creep in. You become insecure that you've done enough. This is normal. This is where you have to Trust in your Training. Believe in Yourself. And Conquer your Goal on race day. Doing more may occupy your brain and your body, but it will only hurt you on race day.

Use taper time to relax, recover, and focus on nutrition. Also use this time to think through mental strategies for race day as well as make your race day check list. A check list is particularly important if your running a destination race involving travel.

Also use this time to reflect on and appreciate all the hard work you've put in the past several months.

Spring Race Training Meeting!

Hard to Believe, But Training for Spring Half and Full Marathons is Just Around the Corner!

Training for spring races starts at RunnerDude's Fitness as early as November for some of the early spring marathons! Whether you definitely have a 5K, 10K, 10Miler, Half or Full Marathon selelcted for the spring or you're just contemplating the possibility of racing in the spring, come to our free info session to learn more about the RunnerDude's Fitness Race Training Program. 

No obligation to register. However, there will be special savings for those who do register for race training during the meeting on Nov. 6th.

What: RunnerDude's Fitness Spring Race Training Info Meeting

When: Sunday, November 6th

Time: 6:30-7:30pm

Location: 2309 W. Cone Blvd. Ste. 120 (Directions)

Cost: Free!

No need to RSVP, but if you'd like to let us know you're coming, click here.

Note: No obligation to register for training at the meeting, but those that do will recieve a special savings of $25 off Full, $15 off Half and $10 off 5K/10K/10-Mile Training.

Avoid the Taper Tantrums

If you're training for a spring marathon, then many of you are about to head into your Taper Time or as I call it sometimes... Taper Tantrum time. Of all the many weeks of training, these last three weeks can often be the most difficult.

A non-runner looking in might think, "Cool! Now you get to run less. Rest. Recover." But a runner's mind is often thinking, "I'm losing my mojo. I'll get weaker if I don't keep running 20-milers up to race day."

The last three weeks are extremely mental for runners. Lots of head games and self-doubt can creep in. Many can find themselves in trouble when instead of heeding to the taper, they try to make up for all the "lost runs" from their training.

Family members of endurance runners know exactly when their loved ones are in their taper. They're grumpy, grouchy, talking to themselves, doubting, irritable, and on edge. Just ask your significant other or your kids. They'll tell you, you act like a trapped animal.

Typically a full-marathon taper begins 3 weeks from race day. The first week is usually about 75% of your longest mileage a week (which is usually the week right before the taper). Most of the decreased mileage comes out of the long run. So if your last long run before the taper was a 20-miler, then your first taper week long run would be 15 miles. The second week into taper is about 50% of your longest mileage week. So, your long run for that week would be 10 miles. The last week is the week of the race. Your long run for that week is your race. You run that week, but very little and while you can have a speed workout early or mid week, it should be more around race pace instead of blowing out your usually tempo or interval pace.

Rest for many runners means weakness. This is a HUGE misnomer. Rest is Strength. Rest is Stamina. Rest is endurance. Rest is rebuilding. Rest is improvement. Rest is growth. Rest is repair. In reality, a runner could probably do no running those last three weeks and end up having an awesome race on race day, but many would end up in the mental ward with no running for 3 weeks.

It's kind of funny how runners all during their training will moan and groan about all the running, the aches and pains, the fatigue (myself included), but then when they're given the gift of a taper they freak out. Research has shown that runners that don't heed the taper hit the "wall" sooner in a race than those that took advantage of the taper. These non-taper runners also have a tendency to peek a week or so early. The taper is a time for rebuilding your body. Giving it time to repair from the weeks of hard training. It's also a time of preparing mentally for the race. Use this time to think strategy. Look over the race course. Learn where the hills are, where the long flat stretches are. Think about the weather conditions. Are you prepared gear and clothes wise for any weather condition that possibly take place on race day? Are all your trip arrangements in place.

Embrace the taper. You'll be glad you did on race day.