We started new Leaf Endurance in 2015 as a passion project. We had been runners for years through high school and university. Then we started running more frequently and couldn’t find a local running coach to work with. Rick was looking for a coach, he had got bit by the running bug hard and went from running a half marathon to full to a 50k in about a year. The road was tough to get to the finish lines of those second two goals though. Time commitment to training plans, injuries, bonking for the afternoon after a big workout to name a few struggles. There is lots of information out there about running. There are books, podcasts, blogs, magazines, running groups and buddies to train with that will share tips and tricks. But you know what we found? Not all the tips work for everyone. And there are lots of training plans available, but just because they are out there doesn’t mean they are optimized for you and your situation and abilities. 

So what happened when Rick hired a coach? "The single biggest change for me since I started working with my coach is that it makes things less stressful. I have removed the daily questions. I set a goal and developed a plan with my coach, and she is the one who makes sure I’m staying on track. Life happens, I get injured and I have to modify my schedule when I get busy at work. But I leave all the decisions around that to my coach. She makes sure I stay on track. She pushes me back from injuries in a safe and effective way where I come out the other end stronger." 

"I came into becoming a running coach at a time when I was looking for a change in my life. I had seen the benefits of coaching from my experience, and I had seen the pitfalls of just downloading a marathon plan and going for it. And I wanted to share those experiences and help guide people through an easier experience than I had.” says Rick.

I am always so touched when I hear people open up about their personal journey. Not only are they sharing for themselves, but they are sharing of whoever is listening. There is often a little nugget that I can either relate to or that can shed some insight on my own journey.

Somewhere in the last four years of running New Leaf it has become about so much more than running and coaching running. This journey has been an integral part of defining our own values and goals. And you know what, we see these same changes in the athletes we work with now. 

One really great piece of advice from Stephen Covey is to “begin with the end in mind”. When we started New Leaf in 2015 we started with the start in mind only. Over the last 4 years we have grown and learned so much. And now we are ready to begin again, and with the end in mind this time. We now understand that there is a lot of power in the coaching relationship that goes beyond a running program alone, in working with someone to help them achieve a goal. Helping them define the process, and build the habits to get to that goal has deeper impacts than just running. 

We have found through a bit of luck and a lot of persistence that we are not only in the business of running. We are in the business of passion, and positivity, and empowerment, and motivation, and overcoming, and betterment, and community and happiness. For all of us.