Give The Gift Of A Running Coach!

We’ve seen all the holiday gift guides for runners and fitness buffs…and probably added a lot to our own wish lists, or at least I have

Well, I have another great idea you can add to your wish lists or gifting lists - a running coach.

Hire A Running Coach

As you all know, Coach Marc helped me train for the Philly Half, as well as train to get faster in general and work towards a 5K PR. It was great having someone who would write a specific training plan for me, and also provide accountability and support. Because really…if you know someone will be checking your training log to see if you ran that day, you’ll be less likely to skip that run.

I think giving the runner in your life, whether beginner or advanced, a running coach, even for just a month, will greatly benefit them as a runner. Here’s why:

  • As I mentioned above, provides accountability and support. This is especially important for someone who may be just starting out and doesn’t know much about training specifics.
  • A coach provides you with a personalized training plan tailored to you. Marc asks you how many days you want to run, cross train, have off, etc. If you have conflicts or injuries, he will change up the training plan for you to suit your needs.
  • Access to a knowledgeable source. Marc recently was inducted into his high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame! He won three individual Group 4 titles in track and the cross country and a Meet of Champions title in cross country. He then went on to run at Villanova University. This guy knows his stuff. Have questions about cross training? tempo runs? track workout paces? Recovery? He can certainly help!
  • Someone to go back to the drawing board with. Have you ever had a bad race and have no clue why? Having a coach means having someone to go back and look at your training to see what was lacking. Your coach will be able to create a new plan for the following training season based on previous races, improvements you’ve had, workouts, etc. You always want to be progressing your workouts, whether it’s running or lifting. Following the same training plan every year will lead to the same results.

I have progressed as a runner since I started in 2010. I know much more about running in general, and my body can handle different things now versus when I was first starting out. Having a running coach helped me navigate that time in between. It’s awesome having someone tell you exactly what pace to run track workouts or tempo runs in.

So definitely check out Coach Marc if you need a gift idea this holiday season! If you know someone whose resolution will be to start running in 2015, this could be perfect for them. And if not, then take a look at Marc’s training logs – that is a great gift in and of itself! I gave a detailed look into the log here.

Continue reading here: Full Body Vs. Body Part Split Routines

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