Today is an exciting day: I have officially launched my e-coaching business, Go Run It Well Coaching!
I want to share with you today a bit about my journey to becoming a RRCA certified running coach as an introduction to my coaching services; be sure to return next week for a post on why you should a running coach plus a special limited-time coaching giveaway! (RRCA stands for Road Runners Club of America – they certify coaches and organize running clubs across the United States.)
As I’ve mentioned frequently on here, my original career path was in academia. Throughout all of college and graduate school, I wanted to be a college professor and spend my life researching and teaching. Teaching has always been a gift of mine: in high school, I tutored younger students in math and Latin and would spend after-school study sessions helping friends with chemistry. Even though I am quite an introvert, I break out of that shell when I have the opportunity to teach others about a topic I find fascinating.
I worked as a writing consultant and a teaching assistant in both college and graduate school. Even though there were times when these jobs were utterly exhausting (grading hundreds of freshman midterms right before spring break was awful), I overall savored the time spent teaching others, especially in the one-on-one settings as a writing tutor.
When I left academia, I briefly considered teaching high school. I did not have a teaching license, but with the way Catholic schools worked, I could have used my master’s degree to teach religion to high school students. However, there were no job openings in the diocese near where we lived; as it was, the teaching field is flooded with more applicants than it can handle, and certainly ones who were more qualified than I. There’s also the fact that, unlike college students, high schoolers mildly terrify me (and I give major props to anyone who teaches high school!).
My desire to teach came from a deep-rooted calling to help other people in some way. In the months after grad school, as I settled into married life, interviewed for jobs in alumni relations, editing, and writing, and contemplated more of what I wanted to do with my life now that a Ph.D. was out of the question, it became more and more apparent to me that the specific manner in which I wished to helped others was through helping others lead more active lives for the sake of physical health, mental well-being, and personal fulfillment. I wanted to teach in a very specific manner: I wanted to teach people in running, that is, work as a running coach.
Even though I did not race until 2014, running played a significant role in the duration of college and graduate school. I taught Pilates as a source of income in college, but running served as my form of stress relief and confidence-building. I ran up to 13 miles before class in graduate school just to be mentally prepared to deal with the intellectual and emotional demands of life in the boy’s club of academia. Running always provided that sense of accomplishment, that emotional boost, that relief of stress, and that gift of health during some of the most stressful years of my life. I realized I wanted to focus my career, or at least a portion of it, on providing others with the tools they needed to reap the rewards of running.
I began this blog in September 2014 with the intention of becoming a certified coach and using This Runner’s Recipes as a platform for my coaching business. Unfortunately, all of the Midwest RRCA seminars were booked for the remainder of 2014. When we moved out to the Pacific Northwest, I eagerly checked the RRCA website every day until they finally posted seminars within driving distance.
After a took the class, I passed my test with 97% and giddily ran around our apartment celebrating. It’s a small thing, I know, but after feeling afloat career-wise for so long, I am exhilarated to finally have a certification to my name and do the type of work I feel called to do.
Meanwhile, I read everything on running that I could get my hands on. In order to teach well, you must be constantly learning yourself. Running Times is one of my most frequently visited websites. I read Tim Noakes’ Lore of Running, Brad Hudson’s Run Faster from the 5K to Marathon, several books by Matt Fitzgerald, and Jack Daniel’s Running Formula. As frequent readers will know, I love to share what I learn through informative blog posts, such as my Marathon Monday series.
The more I learned about running and physiology and the experience I gained in running blogs, my particular vision of coaching clarified. Some running coaches love to work with stores or large training groups, but as an introvert, I thrive when I work one-on-one with people. Forgive me if I lack humility here, but one of my gifts is to be able to recognize people’s potential and encourage them. That’s what made me such a successful writing tutor; I not only worked with the written words on the page and objectively improved someone’s writing, but I also helped students become more confident in their ability to articulate their thoughts and support their arguments.
The same is what I will strive to do as a running coach: work with clients one-on-one, uncover the strengths and abilities, and not only improve their racing and PRs, but also help them grow as runners and as people. The individual focus on my coaching seeks to help runners find their best selves, physically, mentally, and emotionally, through running. No matter how any runner defines what their best is, I want to help them find it, set goals to pursue it, and provide them with the training needed to achieve it. While a focal point of my coaching services are to help runners train for goal races and run PRs, my coaching will also emphasize sustainable, lifelong running. Since my services are all online, I can literally work with runners across the country, of all ages, and of all abilities.
There’s a little maxim I first read in graduate school that has guided my career-formation and personal goals since then. Saint Francis de Sales, a 16th century author, wrote, “Be who you are and be that well.” This quote inspired the name of my coaching business, since I seek to help runners be their best running selves: Go Run It Well.
You can visit the Go Run It Well site here and like it on Facebook! I want to graciously thank everyone for their support!
Questions of the Day:
Other running coaches: how did you get into the field of coaching?
Do you work with a running coach?
How would you define running your personal best?
Do you have any questions about the RRCA coaching certification process?
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Super excited for you! You will be a great coach–you have so much knowledge. I was hoping to be up and after it by now as well, but vacation really got the best of me! I might be getting in touch with you to see how you set things up . Yup, I’m a mooch 😀
Thank you so much, Susie! Shoot me an email if you have any questions! 🙂
I am not a running coach. I did coach youth track/xc for a few seasons and loved it. If the RRCA class came nearby, I would probably attend and get the certification in case I ever decide to coach youth again, and to learn more for my personal satisfaction. I don’t work with a coach because it’s a bit pricey and I have a big group of training partners who keep me accountable. I would consider a coach if I had a big-time goal though- like BQing, but I run for fun and social interaction :). I do love reading running books and just read the Pfitz Faster Road Racing book!
To me, a personal best is not just the time on the clock. I didn’t run a PR in my half on Saturday but I negative split and ran a very good race, strategy wise. Races and runs build on each other and should have a point- and sometimes the point isn’t to run the fastest but to learn how to pace better, get a long run in, etc.
Track/xc coaching sounds fun! You should get the RRCA certification if it comes in your area – they do cover quite a bit on youth coaching, and I learned so much just about how to train myself from that course that it definitely has a personal benefit. Pfitz is next on my list to read, both Advanced Marathoning and Faster Road Racing. Also, I love your definition of personal best – it’s so much more than just the clock!
So exciting!!! I always look to find this certification offered in my area but it never is (at least not so far). I think you will be an amazing coach. I saw right away when I read your blog just how knowledgeable you are and how clear you are able to explain the ins and outs of running.
Thank you so much, Meredith! You should definitely take the course. I know that they take requests for courses in areas, since usually they offer where there’s a big RRCA presence. I found out at the Portland one that they’re were filling a request for Seattle!
Congrats on becoming a certified running coach and on launching your coaching platform! You’re going to be a great coach and I love what you said about helping others discover and reach their potential. I haven’t worked with a running coach before but would definitely consider it when I train for my first marathon when that time comes. Very exciting, Laura!
Thank you so much, Angie! Your words are so kind and encouraging! 🙂
Congratulations on such an accomplishment ! I am thinking about potentially using a running coach in the near future to help me structure my workouts more towards speed work and cross training as I am pretty good at running all the miles 🙂
Thank you so much, Jamie! I know you will crush your next marathon, and having a coach will only make you more amazing at it! 🙂
Congratulations! What an accomplishment to move toward doing something you love and do well. Not many people can say they love what they do. Now that I know how smart you are though, I’m going to be extra vigilant with my grammar and sentence structure! Ha ha ha! Okay, maybe not. But your smartness is still extremely impressive. <3
Thank you so much, Suzy! Your grammar and structure is already amazing – you’re a far far more gifted writer than I! I’m also the worst proofreader on my own work.
Congrats! I think I might look into rrca certification! When you said, ” Some running coaches love to work with stores or large training groups, but as an introvert, I thrive when I work one-on-one with people…” I literally thought in my head – OMG ME TOO! I’m a school counselor so I love working one-on-one with people and I’d love to be able to do that with running as well!
Thank you so much, Lizzy! The RRCA certification was a great experience and I recommend it to anyone looking to coach or just wanting to learn more about running. That’s so cool that you’re a school counselor!
Congrats!! I am a coach and also have a coach:) Although I can’t spend as much time as I would like coaching because of my full time job…but its nice to be able to have a few clients to work with because I really enjoy it!
Thank you so much, Lisa! That’s so great to hear that you enjoy coaching! I’m so excited to get clients- it will be such a fun and fulfilling job!
I’m so excited for you, Laura! It’s defnitely fun, fulfilling work… it doesn’t even feel like work for me honestly. 🙂 I love getting to know more about you and your background, too.
Thank you so much, Laura! I’m very excited to get work with it – the work does sound so fulfilling and I’m so happy to hear that you’ve had a great experience with it. 🙂
Congrats Laura, very exciting!!!!!
Thank you so much, Lauren! Hope your midterms are going well!
I’m so happy for you and I know you’ll be an incredible coach! I also have an RRCA certification and although I don’t coach full time or anything, I love coaching online and hope to continue with it long term. At some point I also hope to work with a coach to mix up my workouts.
Thank you so much, Michele! That’s so good to hear that you enjoy coaching!
You are going to do such great things! Congrats!
I’m still at the beginning of my running journey, but I do have aspirations to become a coach and immerse myself more in this world. I think you’re definitely going to be an inspiration for it.
Looking forward to hearing more!
Thank you so much! If you have any questions on coaching please email me, I would love to help you.