There are nearly as many programs as there are coaches that
exist in this present day and age. Each coach, with his/her personal
values, beliefs, and knowledge of running, designs a training
program to the best of his or her ability. In addition, there
are numerous individual runners who design their own programs
to the best of their abilities. And you know what? Many of them
succeed using their system. Good! That's how it should be. Just
as there are many routes one can take to scale a mountain, the
same goes for running. However, there are a few essential common
factors most successful programs have. Therefore, I will share
my system along with these common factors.
My system is largely based on common sense, a general working
knowledge of numerous high profile programs, and personal experience.
Quite simply, I believe it is my role to meet a runner where
they're at and do whatever it takes to help them achieve their
personal goals. To achieve this, I have developed different daily
training schedules for several target races. These programs are
based on where you're coming from (your weekly mileage for the
last 4 weeks coming into the program, injury history, time you'll
be able to commit to training) and where you want to go (your
goals and target race). Your job is to choose the program that
most closely picks up where you've left off. First of all, I
want to share my guiding philosophy as a runner and coach as
well as explain the basic components included in each program.
Running should be meaningful for you. Too often, many
of us go through life getting caught up in doing what everyone
else tells us to do, and we forget to make the time to ask ourselves
what things are truly meaningful to us. If running is meaningful
to you, then you will naturally stick to it. If not, then it
will be an uphill battle all the way. Be honest and really ask
yourself if running provides pure enjoyment in your life.
Have a meaningful goal. Simply put, a goal is a dream
with a deadline. A meaningful goal inspires you to rise above
average and really see what you're made of. It provides a sense
of direction for all the time and effort you put into running.
Enjoy the process. Who you become on your way towards
achieving your meaningful goal is as important, if not more important
as the goal itself. Think about how much you will change in all
facets of your life as you strive to achieve your goal, and
you'll see what I mean. Have some fun and watch what happens
as you work towards your goal!
Listen to your body. I will have done my job if you
rely on me less and less as the program continues. I truly believe
that your body constantly gives you signals as to how it's adapting
to the training. But, it's up to you to make the time to listen.
How do you do this? Just quiet your mind and listen by becoming
aware of how your body is feeling while you slowly warm-up in
the first 15 minutes of every run. This awareness can better
help you make the necessary changes in your training to stay
on course towards accomplishing your goal. No matter what program
you choose to work with, you will make changes based on what
your body tells you. If your training is a bit too much, then
you are wise to back off. Conversely, if you feet you're not
being challenged enough, then you are wise to step it up. In
either case, give yourself at least 2-3 runs of feeling this
way before making a decision.
The long way is the short cut. In the social world,
you can B.S. your way through a lot of things even if you're
not prepared, at least in the short run. Remember how you did
after cramming for a test in school? However, in the natural
world, there are no shortcuts. Can you imagine cramming for a
marathon? Running keeps us honest and forces us to make daily
deposits towards overall fitness and health. I firmly believe
that deep down, we prefer an honest effort over a quick-fix attempt.
There is something very noble and spiritual in this process.
That's why you're choosing to do this!
It's the hard part that makes running great! If running
were that easy, everyone would do it. I truly believe it's because
we have to work at running from beginning to end that causes
us to appreciate it so much. And over time, you'll have those
moments where you feel effortless despite putting 3 times your
body weight on each foot with each stride - that's what makes
you feel on top of the world!
Believe in yourself. You can love running all you want,
but your body will only listen to what you think it is capable
of. You must trust in your body's great adaptive capacities as
well as your enduring spirit, yet respect its physical limitations.
It's a nice balance to strive for. I share this especially for
those of you who have decided on a challenging goal.
Surround yourself with winners. Even the strongest-willed
people need support along the way to help them through the tough
spots. The crux of this program is that you will have people
who share your dream. That along will carry you through many
of the tough times that you'll experience during the long runs.
There is something magical about running with a group that you
cannot get by yourself - the miles seem to fly by faster and
easier. If necessary, I encourage you to hook up with people
for a mid-week run to help you stay on track.
There you have it! These are my beliefs which will shine through
everything we do in this program. Now, in the next section, I
will share the essential components of each program.