Anyone can run. Really. Unless there is a medical reason, anyone can run. Not everyone likes to run. I know that too being someone who used to say she hated running. Although in retrospect it isn’t that I hated running. It was more that I had never given running a chance. So I unequivocally state again that anyone can run. That being said, there is a difference between just running and running well. This is the crossroads that I am at now. I’ve been running for a while now and I’ve gotten to the point that I might just want to run well.
Now I am not saying that I want to move to the top of the Pack or become a leading Master runner. I am saying that I think it might be time to take my running up a notch. Take it the the next level. Right now, I’ve been following generic training plans for specific events. I will say these have been amazingly helpful and I’ve learned from them. I know that without my Runner’s World Hat Trick Specific Training Plan that I would not have been able to run those events as well as I did. Online training plans are wonderful and will get you where you need to go. My problem that I am encountering and is starting to freak me out a bit is that I need to form my plan to start training for the Marine Corps Marathon while being prepared for other events. I seem to be going a few different directions at once.
Case in Point….
- Running many events of different distances for the 9 plus 1 plan
- Training for the Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon
- Training for the Marine Corps Marathon and the final hill at the end of it.
Now I would have no problem following a plan on my own to train for one of these events, but I’m really having a problem wrapping my head around training for all of them at once. Probably because I don’t know what I’m doing and have no background in this field. Yes, I read my Runner’s World, Running Times and such but I’ve really been only running since I finished my first Tri in September of 2013. I’m in a bit of a quandary. I know I need to train. I know that both the Tri and the marathon will require serious training with the marathon only being a month after the Tri, I will need to train for them at the same time. That being said, I need to figure out how to train without over training, without causing injury, and without causing burnout. That is where a running coach might just be what I need.
I used to think that a Running Coach would be reserved for the “serious athlete.” The top of the Pack athlete. The career athlete. I used to think that a Stay-at-Home Mom wouldn’t need a Running Coach. What would the point be? Then I realized what the point would be? The point would be that they know what they are doing. The point would be that they can help me reach my goals. The point would be that they can help generate a plan just for me. Just like I’ve hired a Personal Trainer at the gym in the past, a Running Coach can help put me on the right path for running smartly. To help me run well. A Running Coach can help me reach my potential while at the same time giving me the skills that I will need to get to the end of the road all in one piece.
This is where I am now. I’ve started process. I have not hired a coach yet, but have contacted one to see her thoughts. Surprisingly, the cost is not as high as I thought it would be. To be honest, the monthly cost is cheaper than hiring a Personal Trainer for two sessions. Plus the coach that I am looking at has different packages depending upon my need. I don’t pay a gym membership right now and can justify the cost too. Although the biggest justification of the cost will be the peace of mind it will bring me.
Even though I have not hired a coach yet and am still investigating, just the thought of it is easing the stress. I am days away from turning 46. I am a Stay-at-Home Mom. I am a middle of the Pack runner. I have much to learn about the art of running and training. Bottom line is that I was wrong. A Running Coach is for an athlete at any level and I am worth it.
Do you have a Running Coach??
Have you ever had one?
The Accidentally Running Mama 