hobby jogger coaching?

Pappy wrote:

I just wonder what an online coach can do for someone when they are running bad and the workout should be changed.

I coach three people online and we keep in touch daily. Obviously I can't be there at the time of the workout but if they tell me beforehand that they are not feeling well, or that they have some pain, or are too tired, then I adjust the plan.

I also get almost daily feedback from the three. Always after the long runs and faster sessions.

I will usually take a week or two of easy distance as recovery after a non-marathon training cycle. That serves as a recovery period, but also allows me to go back to workouts without a designated base period. Depending on how long my next training cycle is, I might add a couple of more weeks of easy distance with some progression runs, tempo runs or steady state runs. So it might be 4 weeks or it might be 2..

Marathon cycles mean at least a week of no running, sometimes more. They also mean a slower build back. My first marathon training cycle had a designated 6 week base period. My third was run after missing 4 months of running due to surgery, so the base was even longer. And I ran 3 marathons from age 42 to age 45, so that has consumed most of my time as a masters runner.

So there is a base phase, but what that looks like depends on my training leading in to that phase.

Sorry for the multiple posts. I was trying to figure out what innocuous word in my original single post was being prohibited so I had to break it up into chunks to see what word was problematic.

It seems the word pronounced "sir" "come" "stances" was the culprit.

I love most of the changes made to Letsrun to verify posts, but some things like these are ridiculous. I was told earlier that I couldn't post my initial reply to Texas Runner because the subject line was re: hobby jogger coaching, and it wasn't "constructive."

On another hand, thanks for responding Smoove! Interesting outlook. I like a lot of experimentation in my training workouts I suppose but the bread and butter does come back to standard Daniels work, or at least the physiological goal stays the same as a customary workout. Interesting to see how its helped you!

One thing I do like that is atypical of Daniels and more in line with Canova is in-and-out quarters where you average tempo pace for a continuous run during which you run 400 at about 5k pace,

400 at about marathon pace, 400 at about 5k pace . . .

It has the end result of a tempo effort, but also gives some exposure to 5k race pace

I will approach this from the other side as someone who has coached the more recreational runner.

I would say my training program overall is not that unique from what people can find online and in books. What I bring is individualize it by doing regular field tests or races and adjusting the training accordingly. They should progress and run the hard workouts at faster paces. I do my best to dial those in.

Another part is adjusting the training plan to their real life. The plans you buy or get for free off the internet seem to assume that no one will ever miss a day or want to do other things. For instance here in CO people like to do trail runs or hike the incline with friends (or just on their own). People go skiing. That program out of a book does not tell the person how to adjust for those activities. Or when the person gets sick or has to go on a last minute work trip.

I also hold people accountable. I had one woman (80% of my individual clients have been women, in large groups it is also pretty high) tell me that she tried following plans but that without having to answer to someone or know that someone was watching she would skip runs and then not do well. So just knowing that I would be checking helped her stay on task.

Figuring out how to keep the training from being a grind or boring.

Knowing when the runner may need extra rest.

I work with race strategy and also tips especially for the newbies. They seem basic to those of us who have been doing this for decades, but I challenge you to take up a new activity just to remember what it is like to be new.

This is might be just me, but I am an amateur psychologist and counselor at times. (I really should have charged some people A LOT more).

Live to run wrote:

Fed-Up With Coaches wrote:

Yep....sounds like some of the HS coaches I know.

As an athlete who's had coaches, I disagree that a coach who's 100% confident is preferable. To me, a coach who realizes that they have 1 or 2 things to work on is similar to any professional at the top of their game in any industry.

The best approach life with a growth mentality. As soon as you think that you know it all you stop learning and growing. When hiring my coaches I've needed them to possess this personal growth quality.

I just read an article from a Navy SEAL commander who talks about the four most important words a leader can say are "I screwed that up". I take that mean acknowledging errors openly, but I also think saying "I do not know" is another good one for leaders and coaches. Of course followed up by "Let's find out".

Shade77 wrote:

@Texas runner

A coach-athlete relationship depends not only on how good a coach might be but how well they tailor their systems to the athlete and how well an athlete responds to it.

This is why most people go with the Daniels system, because Daniels quite comprehensively lays out the why for every workout, instead of telling you to do it and saying "it worked for this other athlete I coached." Which is effectively what Coach JS has done whenever he posts on here.

Now listen carefully. My DANCAN-system use the paces from Daniels VDOT. Nothing more than that. No specific base-training and phases.With around 100 runners in 2,5 years now, ALL of them have improved. They are runners with ability to run world class down to hobby joggers. They all follow the same basic system . I have shown that its not necessary to train every individual runner different.

Even if you're training for a 5K, a 4-6 week base period is best practice.

I'm reluctant to assign any universal truths to these things. I prefer to view it a bit more philosophically. I want to enter every training cycle healthy, with relatively fresh legs, and with enough of a base to support a good 12-18 week training cycle such that I don't have to build volume while also increasing intensity.

For you, that may mean a minimum of 4 weeks. It may mean 4-6 weeks for me under certain conditions. But under other conditions, it may mean a week or two.

The key isn't a specific number of weeks, the key is coming into the next training cycle healthy, fresh and ready to work.

You're better off doing a base phase of 4-6 weeks even in a 5K training cycle.

Smoove wrote:

One thing I do like that is atypical of Daniels and more in line with Canova is in-and-out quarters where you average tempo pace for a continuous run during which you run 400 at about 5k pace,

400 at about marathon pace, 400 at about 5k pace . . .

It has the end result of a tempo effort, but also gives some exposure to 5k race pace

jjtupper would be the first to encourage not being dogmatic about being a "Daniels guy".

The very best training system seems to be the one that takes the best from the great coaches and mix it into a new program.