How You Can Benefit From a Running Coach

Check out our community partner Hannah Breedlove as she shares why a running coach could benefit you. Learn more about her business, Overlap Running, on her Instagram & her website.

Running is amazing to me because you choose how much you want to put into it, and if the stars align, that’s what you’ll get out of it. It can be as simple as lacing up your shoes and heading out the door, or you can add in layers to improve your performance and chase after goals. Full disclosure, I’m writing to you as a running coach who also works with a running coach. I very much believe in coaching as a concept and in how it can benefit runners of all levels, at all points in their running journey, no matter what your goals or reasons for being on the run. I also recognize that some people want to keep running simple and aren’t interested in a coach. That’s okay! Do you have to have a running coach? No way. Can you have a running coach? Is it for you? Yes!! Emphatically yes! If you’ve been thinking about it, wondering about it, curious about who has a running coach and why, let’s talk about what a running coach can offer
you.

#1: A Partner In Your Running Journey

A running coach is a person in your corner. It is someone who you can rely on to provide ongoing support, encouragement, and who can be a sounding board for questions and concerns. More than that, I’ve found that a lot of the athletes I coach aren’t a part of a large running community. Maybe their spouse just doesn’t get it, or their friends are tired of hearing about their long runs. Your running coach wants to talk about running with you! Sometimes that’s all my athletes are looking for — knowing that there is someone who wants to hear about their running and talk about it with them. 

Having a partner in your running also means having someone to help with the day-to-day troubleshooting. Is it slippery out there from a recent ice storm and you’re curious about safety or advice on running in those conditions? Are you feeling more fatigued than expected and wondering if you should run at all? Do you have too many running shoes and can’t choose which ones to race in? (Guilty.) Text your running coach and talk it through! They can help you address aspects like pacing, recovery, motivation, race-day strategy, and the little things that come up in real time

#2: Expertise and Personalized Guidance

Many of us (myself included) started training for our first race by googling something along the
lines of “10k training plan pdf beginner” and following along. A lot of those plans are great,
they’re based in science, and they make sense! What they don’t offer, unfortunately, is being written for you as an individual. The reality of training is that we all do it a little differently. A running coach will tailor your plans to your goals, lifestyle, fitness, and personality. The goal is to understand your needs, who you are, and how your training can meet you where you are. Many running coaches also have running coaches themselves! No matter how much you know and can implement on your own about training, it’s really nice to have that outside perspective and knowledge.

#3: Accountability and Motivation

It’s so common to get motivated by feeling like you are showing up for someone. Having a running coach can give you that extra motivation boost when you’re having a hard time producing it yourself, and it can help you stay consistent. I have more than once texted my coach “I can run today, but I don’t want to run today. Help!” and she’s there to talk it through with me. Sometimes, the answer is that I should get out and run anyways. Other times, she can recognize the signs of burnout, or can sense when running starts to teeter on not being fun, and will tell me to sit one out for the sake of my sanity. This is also good for my husband’s sanity, because he can only answer my “what if I skip my run today” cries for help so many times.

#4: Holistic Support Beyond Running

This, in my opinion, is a big one, my friends. Having a running coach can help you to know when to seek additional experts, like a nutritionist, physical therapist, doctor, etc. A good running coach should be able to answer questions for you, and know when not to answer questions.
It is great if your coach has a basic understanding of a lot of those extra topics, but it is vital that they know when a situation exceeds their knowledge and that they can refer you to an expert. For example, a running coach can help advise you on your fueling, but should also know when it’s time to consult a nutritionist for things like recovery challenges, race-day fueling troubleshooting, or GI problems that keep coming up.

Another common thing that tends to come up for runners and interfere with their running is…life. We all get busy, we try to do it all, we want to chase our dreams and be in the moment. A running coach can help you integrate your running into a busy lifestyle without burnout. They can also help you build the mental strength and confidence that will help you thrive in both
areas.

#5: Setting and Achieving Goals

Sometimes, the big picture planning can feel like a lot. Whether you tend toward not knowing
which races or goals to go after, or whether you’re guilty of overloading a training schedule and
making everything a goal race, or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle — having a running
coach can help you break it all down and make sense of it with you. They can help you set
realistic, long-term goals and work with you on how to get there. Just as importantly, they’re
there to plan for and celebrate the short-term wins with you. Whether you’re chasing times,
pushing distances, or enjoying the process, a coach will align the training with what is important
to you.

#6: Injury Prevention and Recovery

Nobody wants to be sidelined. Nobody wants to be hurt. Some people joke that runners are
always injured, that it’s normal for things to hurt, that it’s a reality. Debunked! It’s just not true!
Running shouldn’t be painful! What is true is that injuries happen. A running coach can help you
navigate this complicated world of staying healthy on the run, keeping you pain-free and healthy
as much as possible. They can guide you, and also teach you how to train smart. They should
be watching your mileage, intensity, and recovery to help you avoid injury and overtraining.
They are also there to help rehabilitate you and get you back on the run (safely) when injuries
do happen

#7: Adapting to the Unexpected

Like we talked about earlier, life happens. Things come up. Sometimes you get sick, or work
gets crazy, or you need to take some rest unexpectedly. Sometimes you travel! A coach can
help you adjust for these things, planned or unplanned, and keep you on track. Sometimes, as a
coach, it isn’t even the pivoting that is the most helpful thing I can offer. Sometimes, you just
need to hear “go on your vacation, don’t bring your running shoes, take a few days off, this
won’t derail you.” Whichever way the chips fall, having a running coach can help you navigate
when life isn’t following the training plan to the tee.

#8: Building Confidence and Enjoyment

I feel pretty strongly about this one on multiple fronts. It’s really easy to get bogged down with
running, and sometimes a coach can help you to rediscover the joy in it. They can help it to feel
less overwhelming and more rewarding. They can help take some of the pressure off and help
you to stop for a second and celebrate the amazing work you’ve done. A running coach can
help you build your own belief in what you’re capable of. You can celebrate milestones together
and dream big together. My favorite feeling in the world is giving someone a hard workout that
they don’t think they can do, but I promise them that I’d never give them something that I don’t
believe they can do. I’m not setting you up for failure, here! When that athlete finishes the
workout and does the thing that they thought was scary, that they didn’t think they were capable
of, and starts to ask the question “what else can I do?”, I feel like I’ve done my job.

At the end of the day, you don’t need a running coach. There are so many resources out there,
and my goal is never to over-complicate this sport that can be so beautiful in its simplicity. With
that said, though, you can still benefit from a coach if it interests you, no matter who you are!
They offer more than just training advice — they are your partner, your guide, and ultimately, your biggest cheerleader.

If you are looking for a running coach, remember that it is a relationship that should work for both of you! Feel free to be picky, find someone you click with, and ask questions. Ask them
about their willingness to work with other experts as needed (like a nutritionist, physical
therapist, etc.). Ask them about their coaching style and what they prioritize. You want to choose
a coach who you feel like you can trust in order to get the most out of it, so don’t be afraid to talk
to a few and trust your gut! Whether your goals are scary or exciting, long shots or already in
your grasp, maybe a running coach can help you meet them while helping you to love the sport
of running even more.

Connect with a running coach


Schedule with a sports dietitian