new runner vs. running coach: what do they have in common?

Who do you know that is an expert at running?

I'm going to tell you a secret, if you run, you are a running expert to someone. 

You may be a running expert to your neighbor who hikes every weekend. Your neighbor sees you do your first 5k and asks you how you did it, and they want to train for a 5k. Well, you are an expert to your neighbor because you run, and they don't.

The challenge is, when you want to become a runner, or become a better runner, who are the experts you want to learn from? Many people will just go to the expert down the street and say it doesn't matter. They will say, you don't need "that" kind of expert, you don't need a coach. You just want to go out and run a 5k, or a half marathon; you don't need an expert to help you get there.

There is a broad spectrum of experience, from the new runner to the coach. And there is a common characteristic of the genuine expert and the new runner. What they have in common is, they are both always learning. 

But be careful. Somewhere in the middle, between the beginner and the expert, there is the "know it all." The runner (or even the coach) who has been running for a while, and seems to be fast or can go far and knows everything. Somewhere in the middle, you get the runners who know what works for them and are pretty successful, and they have stopped learning. Sure, they are an expert too; after all, I already said everyone who runs is an expert. 

But what is the challenge with this kind of expert? The challenge of having someone in the new runner to "know it all" stage explain running to you, is the amount of time it will take you.  

And by the amount of time it will take you, I talk about time in two ways. 

The 2 ways runners waste time

The first way to look at time is how much time you put into training every week. I have talked to many people who think that to run a marathon, you need to include a 32k long run in your training. And that's not true. 

Depending on your situation, a 32k training run might be helpful, but probably not if it's your first marathon. How much time will it take you to run 32k, and then recover from it? And how much time would you get back to spend with your family, friends, and on other hobbies if you didn't have to run that much? If you are training like this week after week, the time adds up.

The other way runners waste time is by doing the wrong workouts. By doing workouts that aren't specific to your situation. An example of this I like to use is hill training. Does your plan have hill repeats on it? If it does, do you know why they are there, what adaptation that workout is causing in your body, and why do you need to do it? 

Here is an example for you. What if I told you you need to go out and move the woodpile in my backyard from one side of the garage to the other, and then when you finish with that, I want you to move it right back to its original location. That's a lot of time to spend moving wood to have no real outcome, other than being pretty sore afterward.

Why would you do the same with running? Why would you run for hours, doing something that gets you no real outcome?

Save time training

If you have an expert in your corner, you will save a lot of time. You will be able to be specific in your training, cutting down on actual time spent training, and you will get to your goals in a much shorter amount of time.

When you are looking for an expert, be very selective about who you are going to. Don't just choose someone based on convenience, like the clinic your local shoe place is putting on or the fast guy in your local running group. Go to someone who clearly understands and has demonstrated both through their own expertise as a runner and their students' results. Remember, a true expert is always learning, just like the new runner is. They are learning based on emerging science, their own experience, and the results of their students.

Who do you want in your corner when you are putting so much time into your sport? Considering the amount of time a semi-serious runner will spend running, you owe it to yourself to be executing the workouts that drive the right results.