Why I Got a Coach

I have actually been laughed at for getting a coach.  Most recently I saw an associate who thought I was crazy for spending money.  Typically when I tell someone I have a coach they say, “All you need to do is run”, “You can learn all that from books”, or (my favorite) “What a waste of money.”  To be fair to all who doubt getting a good coach, you really DON’T NEED A COACH.  I knew I didn’t need one, but if I was going to get any better I WANTED someone who could see something I wasn’t seeing.

Here’s how I went about getting a coach and what he’s done for me.

MEETING COACH KEVIN LEATHERS & CAN’T STOP ENDURANCE (CSE)

I started the endeavor of hunting down a Boston Marathon Qualifier (BQ) since 1996.  However, doing it required training, proper nutrition and learning more about myself and capabilities.  I had always been a runner who died out especially at the mid to later stages of the Marathon.  I constantly read, sought advice and trained the best I knew how.  But I continually failed in almost every marathon by  bonking or giving up during crucial moments of the marathon.  I longed for the success I had in high school sprinting with my Track Coach, Mr. Danforth.  He knew what made me tick, how far he could push me and believed in me mostly because I did the work he asked.  With hard work and belief, we almost pulled off a state championship.

I heard of a running forms class by CSE.  I researched CSE and Coach Leathers.  I looked at his credentials as a Road Running Club of America certified Coach and his work with St Jude Heroes program.  I even called a local running store (Breakaway) about him and his work.  I ended up taking the class which improved my form and helped me gain a rhythm (180 beats to be exact).  Within a few runs over the next few days, I noticed that I was running more efficiently and not wasting so much energy.  I also noticed some aches going away, specifically plantar fasciitis.  The shooting pain from the fasciitis went away and I was going faster, much faster all because I changed my form by just a bit.

I contacted him again for a consultation if he could help me get a BQ.  He sent me a questionnaire about my goals, previous results and running/endurance sports experience.  Even though I was trying to hire him, I felt more like I was being interviewed.  But that was just part of the process.  We sat down for our first meeting and looked at where I was both physically and mentally to get to that BQ goal.  We also went through expectations on both sides which included fees, work, Seattle Seahawk football games and future meetings.  Although nothing could be assured in getting a BQ, with work and my current capabilities, it was more than possible.    

I got very excited by the BQ possibility and the pending workouts he proposed.  I hadn’t been in a structured running plan since high school.  But, I took them on with vivacity and determination.  They were neither easy or beyond my capabilities.  The idea was to start with speed and increase lung capacity then increase mileage.  He’d say start with low miles and build to big miles.    

TRAIN HARD - RACE FAST

My first race under the program was a 10K in my Road Racing Series (RRS).  My previous PR (personal record) was 43:17 (6:59Pace) and had run this course in 46:02 in 2014.  Once I hit the course, something was very different.  My lungs were much stronger, my legs turned over much faster (in cadence) and I cruised up hills like they were flat.  I finished the 10K in 40:35 (6:33Pace).  That’s a 2min40sec improvement from my 2001 PR  and the crazy thing was I could have gone faster. 

I’d hit my training even harder under his supervision and found speed where I never had it before.  I showed up to my next road race series event even more charged up.  I had a 10mile PR in April earlier in the year in which garnered a 1:12:09 (7:13Pace) on a fairly flat course.  I ran this same RRS course the previous year (2014) in 1:16:18.  The course was in Shelby Forest National Park over some serious hills and a upward switchback.  There was no way I should PR this course… Until, I did.  I took every hill in cadence (like a Jeep Willy) and crested the tops, when the road got flat or sloped down, I went even faster.  I was floating and flying.  I ran the course exactly like Coach Kevin told me.  I finished looking at the clock laughing.  I PR’d with a 1:06:31 (6:39Pace) on one of the hardest 10mile courses in the area. 

After the race, Coach Kevin gave me another sheet which included longer runs.  Distance miles in the teens and 20s while not sacrificing speed-work during the mid-week.  The concern now was body stress.  Aches started coming in the form of arches, Achilles, calf, and groin pains.  Kevin would continuously remind me of taking care of them and would monitor how they would be affected by the workout.  I kept plugging away knowing the last event in the series would be the Half-Marathon. 

I never broke the 1h30min thresh-hold. But Kevin calculated the work I had put into my running as well as current racing.  He estimated that I should be able to get below 1:28.  My best Half was 1:31:32 (6:59Pace) in May earlier in the year.  But, he believed in me and my training effort.  With that confidence, I took off on a cold windy Sunday morning and blasted the course, never once letting up.  When I came to the finish, I surpassed his expectations and came up with a 1:26:45 (6:37Pace).  Almost 5-minutes faster than my May PR and over 6minutes from the 2014 run on the same course.   

I had a great Road Race Series.  I had PR’d in 3 events.  I was in great shape and my confidence was at an all-time high.  But a good Road Race Series wasn’t the goal.  The BQ was the goal and Kevin refocused me with more miles at distance speeds I’ve never imagined I could meet.  It wasn’t necessarily that I needed to go fast, I needed to be patient and use pace.  That’s what long miles and adding “MP” (Marathon Pace) at the end was teaching me.  It was also teaching important lessons in endurance running.  Long Distance training means being on the road experiencing different trials and tribulations.  Whether it be weather, stomach pains, or a malfunctioning GPS watch.  Things will go wrong.  But, in training we learn from them so when the real thing (race) comes, we can handle it.  We put the “Gut Check” in “Check”. 

During my last meeting before my BQ Race (the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL), Coach Kevin and I sat down.  It was not so much technical as much as mental.  It was reaffirming that the work would get “US” (and I mean US) through and onto a BQ.  On paper I should crush this, but the course conditions (weather), my mind, and time have something to say about that.  Because when all else fails, it is the training, form, breathing and mentality that will get you to the end. 

I finished the Rocket City Marathon and earned the BQ.  But it was painful and took every ounce of my training to get me to the end.  If you want to know about it, please read this: Rocket City Marathon – Race Report.

TAKEAWAYS

Family are supportive but sometimes oblivious to the work, technical or mental aspects of running (unless of course they run with you).  Non-running Friends are just as supportive.  Other runners are great references, but they are running their own runs.  A Coach guides you to your best potential and design success defined by what you want.  That's what Coach Kevin did for me.  He listened to what I wanted to attain, devised a strategy and monitored my path to that success.  All I had to do was run it and do the work.  
 
That is the biggest key, WORK.  Kevin believed in me because of the work.  No magic pill or spell can make you go faster.  Running a 300 miles/month may not even make you faster.  It's the belief that you can go faster because you prepared under the guidance of someone who knew what they were doing.  Someone who combined sports science, physical fitness and threw in a mental game to build a person strong enough to race.  That's what my coach brought out in me.   



Lastly, I might talk up my Coach but that's because of the success I've had with him.  To me he's the best.  The Memphis Running community has a lot of great coaches for every level.  Find a coach in your budget sensitive to your goals.  Remember this is recreation, but it's also your chance to rev-up the engine and let it roar.  Let that coach bring it out of you.  

I'll see you on the Road!