In my last post I discussed a few of the beginning thought processes on how to choose a coach. I asked you to figure out what you wanted out of running, analyze whether or not running at a level where you need a coach will fit into your life, ask a ton of questions to any potential coach, talk to EVERYONE you possibly can regarding your potential coach, and try to do some research to verify the things you're being told. So now you've done that and you're looking at me saying ok, WHAT NEXT? Well, in my opinion the next thing is to level set your expectations. The first step being what you expect out of your coach should you decide to move forward with them. I'm a big fan of checklists and bullet points, if you can't tell by now. I'll give you a few things to think about before you are asked to make any decisions. You need to be in charge of your decision, after all, if you're willing to invest your time or money into this running gig, you need to make an informed decision after having considered all the relevant facts and circumstances.
I'll go through this process as if I myself were at the same point that I am recommending you to be at, what do I expect from MY coach if I were to have one (sneak peak, based on my expectations I'd go with Gary Brimmer as my coach, if he were local and I could beer it up with him during my sob sessions after bad races) AND a combination of what I would demand of myself if I were to actually be someone else's "coach":
A coach knows a certain amount of basic information when they start out. They are by no means an expert. They should be continuing their education and submersing themselves in any/all opportunities to learn MORE. This in itself is a debatable topic that could take hundreds of hours to hash out without any agreement. My recommendation to you is to ask yourself do you want someone who takes one weekend course and is suddenly qualified, or someone who is constantly inquisitive and seeking out new information, someone who strives to learn more, someone who is willing to read an article you just read online and respond to how it fits into your big picture without coming off as sounding insulted/defensive? IF I WERE a coach, I want more input from my athlete, I want to know what they are thinking, I need to understand where they are coming from and how they perceive things. I'm not always right, and neither are the articles out there...but sometimes they are when I am not....how can I communicate that we will try something new in order to test out if this new idea works with this particular athlete? Also, I want my athletes to know that I am never going to stop learning. The more I learn, the more I realize that I do not yet know. I never want to stop learning, and that includes learning from my athletes.
A coach knows how to communicate in a way that evokes confidence in their process. They don't come off as sounding unsure of what they are talking about. Not only do they believe in their process, they have actual facts and evidence to back it up. If you hear ANYTHING that makes you think that the coach is feeling backed into a corner, and even attacking you for questioning them, you need to consider that maybe they aren't the coach for you. A good coach believes in their process and has the answers to ANY question you have..it really is that simple. IF I WERE a coach, I can tell you everything that I believe in, how I intend to get you there based on your preferred style of running, based on what evidence I see that backs up your preferred style of running, and I want you to challenge me with questions. I want you to talk to me. The more you talk to me, the more I know you care. The more you care the more I care. The more we talk, the better we know each other. In the end if there is free flowing communication you and I can dial in that road map to get you to your goal.
A coach knows that no matter how much time and effort that they spend coming up with the best workout, that it might have a wide range of effects on their athletes. Not all athletes are going to respond in the same way to the same workouts. Runners aren't all built the same, put that cookie cutter approach away and realize that you have people from all walks of life, with different abilities and developmental approaches. Your 5k athlete needs something that stimulates speed endurance. Your marathon athlete needs something that reinforces endurance and consistency. These two athletes shouldn't have the same workouts week after week. IF I WERE a coach I understand my job is to realize that I have a number of individuals that deserve my time and attention as if they were the only person I am coaching. I am creating a plan for THEM, and for them only. It is only at the point in time when I see that there are overlaps in their training that I can combine some workouts and allow people to team up together to find extra motivations. Even IF I did have cookie cutter programs, I'd at least spend an extra five minutes coming up with different programs based on different races (whether it be for time of year, distance of event chosen, etc etc).
A coach knows that LIFE gets in the way of running. Athlete A has three children all in school with sports and other extra curricular activities. Athlete B has no children and is a stay at home spouse. Athlete C is an empty-nester who works part time. Even if these athletes have the same base ability, their training is going to be different, because they come to the table with different challenges. Extrapolate out to Athlete ZZZ, everyone has different challenges and the good coach needs to be ready to adjust. A coach that isn't flexible isn't the right coach for everyone. They might be the right coach for a limited number of individuals, but if you're not willing to adjust your life to fit their idea of the right program, you might find yourself falling short of your goals. IF I WERE a coach, I am interviewing my athletes, trying to get to know each and every challenge that they are presented with on a daily basis. I'm empathetic where I can be, I'm sympathetic in all other situations. We adjust, we modify, we reconsider goals when forced to do so. We set goals and we focus on them, but we don't ignore the reality of life. Reality has a way of slapping everyone in the face when we do that!
A coach knows that one singular approach to training is NOT the way to fit everyone into a training program. There are so many different approaches to running. None of them are right for everyone. Some of them are probably somewhat right for a majority of runners. Some of them are probably right for just a few people. A good coach is going to try to learn what a runner responds well to, and what seems to be holding them back. A great coach is going to be able to listen to feedback from dialed in workouts, adjust based on factors tangible and otherwise, and work WITH the athlete to get to a place where workouts create an environment of consistency, control, and confidence. IF I WERE a coach, I'm researching ALL programs, all theories, all approaches to the increase of speed, endurance, and efficiency in running. I'm studying human anatomy, physiology, psychology, sociology, anything that I can get my hands on. I'm asking a million questions all in a quest to apply the right approach for that particular individual.
A coach knows that all the other coaches know the same basic concepts when it comes to running. There is NO SECRET SAUCE, NO SECRET RECIPE. It's called hard work. You convince your runner to put in the hard work, and stay healthy. They stay healthy and they run well if you give them the basic constructs. Taking a runner from a lack of consistency and providing them with a cookie cutter program will make them improve, marginally. Taking a runner and telling them to run the same basic paces repeatedly (control), if it doesn't exceed their abilities, will make them improve, marginally. Taking a runner who runs with consistency and control and creating improvements beyond the basic margins will instill confidence. That takes the skill set of a good coach.. Delivery of all three and you have the markings of a great coach. IF I WERE a coach, I'm meeting with my athletes, learning what makes them drive, what pushes them, what makes them feel good. I'm rewarding consistency over performance. I'm looking for opportunities where "too fast" comes in spades, but rather where my athlete sticks with the plan, believes in the process...stays in control... I'm rewarding them with appropriate praise and admiration, be it a slug to the shoulder or a much needed hug for finally mustering up the courage to dig deep and find the confidence they need to push themselves past self-imposed thresholds. My job is to create an environment where all three factors come together at the right time at the right place.
A coach knows how to listen. They aren't just listening with their ears. Get in front of your athlete and be mindful of how they are conveying their thought process. Are they listening to the things being said between the lines? You can't respond to Topic A when your athlete is really talking about Topic B, but isn't willing to open up. A good coach knows what I'm talking about. IF I WERE a coach I'm analyzing all the nonverbals, all the gestures, all the pauses, all of the small chit chat to figure out what makes my athlete tick. Not to get too detailed, but in a previous life (high school sprint coach) I was assigned an athlete with special skills. I listened to the counselors at first and applied all of the recommendations they presented to me. I quickly realized that NONE of what they provided to me was working with him. He wanted, no....he DEMANDED (without ever expressing it) that he be treated as an equal on the sprint team and I gave him exactly what he wanted, even if he couldn't physically express to me that that was what he wanted. I ribbed my top guys in jest, I showed up randomly at their classes to see if they were participating completely... I made them do push ups randomly in the hallways if they wanted to stay on the sprint squad...so this athlete got the same treatment. I purposely spent my lunch hour driving to see him, to make him do push ups in front of other people in the halls... to carry a baton all day during school if he dropped it the day before...to challenge him with random facts (he had such a high IQ it was hard to find things I could "be better at")... I let him pull the card on 52 card draw days (52 different workouts for my squad)...in the end his motivation was seeded in equality. To this day he is my favorite athlete by far and still brings tears to my eyes as I reflect on how he developed exponentially as an athlete, a student, and a young man in general. It wasn't because of how well he did in running with his challenges, rather because of how much he improved my life and opened my eyes to new ways of thinking. This one young man woke me up. From that experience I learned that everyone is different, and I need to dig deeper inside myself to find the way to help them improve their walk in life.
Consider this the first post on this topic of many more to come. I hope you've enjoyed reading this if you've made it this far. I'll leave you with a quote I feel is somewhat apropos:
"The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself." Edward Bulwer-Lytton
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out! The best of luck to all of you in your endeavors!
