This week: The humbling, yet gratifying, experience of working with a coach. Plus: Snow zen and what to look for when looking for a race.
One year ago, my running journey took a dramatic turn when I hired Avery Collins as my coach. Up to that point, I had either followed online training plans like Hal Higdon, or come up with them myself. That approach guided me through multiple half and full marathons on road and trail, along with a few 50Ks.
I learned a lot from those experiences, but I was pretty sure my knowledge base was maxed out by the time I hired Avery. While I had a general understanding of training principles, I didn’t know how to apply them with any degree of depth or specificity.
Avery unlocked those mysteries and helped me achieve a long-standing ambition to complete a 50-mile race. More than that, he opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Instead of dismissing big goals out of hand as unreachable or beyond my scope, I had someone on my side who knew what it took, and how to get me there.
My assumption going into this arrangement was there were a lot of things I didn’t actually know about running, which was proven correct almost immediately. I didn’t know anything about heart rate training or targeted workouts. Nor did I really understand how to differentiate between hard and easy efforts.
That’s just the big stuff. Working with Avery gave me a greater understanding of pacing and fueling during my runs, as well as an appreciation for rest and recovery days. One year later, I’m a completely different runner than I was last March. I’m stronger, tougher, smarter, and faster.
That’s not to say there haven’t been a few bumps along the road. After running one way – my way – for the previous eight years, I had to adjust to a completely different approach. There was also a frustrating stretch of minor injuries brought on in part by the new routine we were establishing.
Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about working with a coach.