I have always enjoyed trail running. Over the years I have ran further and faster than I once thought possible, and I love every minute of it. The adventure, the progression and the feeling of pushing my limits make trail running an incredible sport, which I enjoy being a part of. I did not find my real love for the sport until I started working with other athletes of all abilities, as a coach. Helping people to improve their performance and reach their goals is a true passion of mine, and I put everything I’ve got into making sure my athletes succeed. I recently decided to take the plunge and become an E3Coach supported full time endurance running coach, as opposed to part time, and am looking for runners of different abilities who want to improve their performance. Whether you are a beginner who wants to improve, or an elite who wants to outperform the competition, I can help you achieve your goals.
During this Over The Fells Blog, I am going to give you some information on how coaching works and how it may be able to help you. If you think coaching may be useful to you, feel free to fill out the Is Coaching For You form on my website.
How Does Coaching Work?
Athletes usually work with me on a one to one monthly basis. They will provide me with information such as their experience, goals and history which I will analyse before creating an annual training plan using an application called Training Peaks. This plan shows a preparation for training period, and details when the athlete should be training at base, building fitness, peaking and racing. This is always scheduled around the athletes yearly schedule of events.
Every week I carefully analyse the training my athletes are completing, and prescribe the following weeks training. Athletes receive a weekly detailed training plan on their own Training Peaks account with exciting sessions, lung burning sessions and recovery sessions tailored to their goals and current fitness levels. I always balance training correctly and learn how my athletes physics operate so you will not need to question how much aerobic or anaerobic sessions you should be doing, nor will you need to worry about how much rest and recovery you should be taking. It will all be programmed and tailored to you.
Training styles change and adapt over time as the athlete improves, which keeps the sessions interesting and exciting. My athletes always have their questions answered and we keep in regular contact with training support, race support and nutrition and hydration planning. Supporting sports scientists from my sponsor, Precision Hydration, are always on hand to help my athletes perfect their hydration.
Is Coaching Only For Elites?
Many people think that only elite athletes hire coaches, but that is not true. Hiring a coach is beneficial for any runner, whether they are trying to complete their first 10k or competing in a world class ultramarathon like the UTMB. If you’re new to running, your goals will be different compared with an elite runner looking to qualify for the world championships. Athletes who work with me learn about different training loads, styles and methods. This helps beginners and experienced runners avoid common training errors, such as running too much too soon, not including enough rest and recovery time and pacing in a race.
Drop us an email at contact@e3coach.com and we will connect you to Joe.
