By Ryan Shea, PT, FCAMPT, CAFCI, CGIMS
In the day and age of AI and the ease of access to information through the internet, many aspects of our lives are becoming automated.
There are thoughts that AI can one day replace many jobs that are currently performed by humans, including that of the running coach.
Let’s discuss why the online plan that you found, or using AI might not be as beneficial to you as a runner as using a “real live” running coach. Here are my top 10 reasons to hire a knowledgeable running coach to help you reach your running goals:
1. Accountability: it is human nature not to want to let someone down. Now when you are training for a big run, that can sometimes be negative (ie. Through overtraining and pushing through an injury that you shouldn’t push through) but for many being held accountable by their coach, who is not only writing their plan, but also analyzing their statistics post-run can be quite motivating. Getting up early to get your run in, running in bad weather, running when you’d rather be doing something else, can leave runners looking for an excuse to skip a run. Having a running coach can help motivate the runner and allow them to capitalize on one of the most important fundamentals of building a successful running plan; consistency.
2. Someone to answer your questions: I personally started out using some free online running plans and they served their purpose at the time. One thing that was problematic however, was that it was not always clear what the goal of a particular workout was. There is often no way to seek clarification with these types of plans, making the actual workout itself less useful. If you have questions about a nagging injury, your coach will likely have some experience with these injuries (especially if they are also a Physiotherapist!) and adjust your plan accordingly. I bounce questions off of my running coach all of the time. Anything from which races I should consider, the spacing of my races, running shoes and gear, race day nutrition and more. Google searches and AI can never replace the experience that a good running coach has!
3. You can just run (not have to think about it): As a runner with a goal race coming up, you often have a lot on your mind. Being able to just focus on completing the runs that are set out for you and not having to worry about scheduling your runs on top of that. Having a clear focus can help remove some of the stress leading up to a big race. Afterall, it’s all about simplification!
4. Safe progressions: an experienced running coach can build a running plan custom tailored to your specific needs and abilities. A running coach will be constantly evaluating both the objective (heart rate, pace, etc) and subjective data (how you’re feeling) and ensure that they are writing a plan that is challenging enough for you to reach your goals, while also not beyond your capabilities putting you at greater risk for injury.
5. Objectivity in your progress: depending on the personality type and the experience of the runner they might have a tendency to either overestimate or underestimate their current abilities and capabilities. An experienced coach will be able to consolidate the data that they are collecting and ensure that your progress is linear ensuring a safe and effective plan. They should also be able to suggest a realistic goal pace for race day based on the information that they have tabulated instead of just “guessing”.
6. Adjust the plan appropriately: When something like an illness or a vacation comes up, you can ask your running coach to move some runs around in a safe manner, not risking injury. An example of how a running coach can help you avoid catastrophe comes to mind from one of my own personal clients: I had an athlete that had missed a few runs as we approached the taper for his race day. When he and I did our regular check-in, I made it clear to him that we were not going to try to make up for those missed runs as at this point it would do nothing to help him on race day. He was exceptionally grateful for this perspective and said that had he been following his usual online plan, he most definitely would’ve tried to make up those runs and reduce his taper significantly.
7. Receiving real time feedback on workouts: It is always nice to have a real human send you a quick text or a message to let you know that they looked at your workout and it was great or if there was something that can be improved upon. A running coach can also take into consideration things like how the weather might have affected a workout performance, cumulative fatigue from other workouts, work and life stress and more.
8. Drawing from a running coach’s experience: there’s nothing quite like drawing from someone’s personal experience. Information on workouts, running gear, race day logistics, race day meals and in-race nutrition are all topics that I have run past many experienced runners. Your coach might even be familiar with the course itself and be able to help pace you throughout the race and bring to your attention aspects of the course that you should be aware of.
9. Bust through a plateau in your training: our bodies are very adaptive and sometimes using an online plan can allow our bodies to adapt in such a way that we hit a plateau in our performance. Drawing on the expertise of a good coach can help to reduce these plateaus. Using their knowledge and expertise, a running coach can alter the nature of the plan, progressing the runner and allowing them to break through any plateau in performance.
10. Address specific weaknesses: the final benefit of using a running coach, which is closely linked to the point above, is that a running coach can help to identify specific weaknesses in the runner and cater the plan to address these weaknesses. For instance, a runner that struggles on hills might have a plan with more of a hill focus, or for instance if they are running the Boston Marathon they might need to focus on downhill work. Again, there is no substitute for a custom plan that is uniquely designed to address the weaknesses in your skillset.
As the information age is well upon us, and the progress of AI continues, we certainly have to embrace technology for all that it does. Using something like a smart watch while we run is second nature for most of us now, and the majority of data that we get from them is invaluable. Having the ability to pull running plans off of the internet at no cost certainly has it’s place. The benefits of hiring a running coach cannot be denied however.
There are many professions that will never be replaced by AI (though perhaps will be improved) and a running coach is one of them. Having a custom tailored and adaptive plan to suit a runner’s needs will always serve to maximize a runner’s performance, allow them to reach their goals, minimize the risk of injury, and allow them to focus on nothing but running.
Making this small investment financially can make all of the difference in the world. Most runners have no problem spending hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes, so why would you hesitate to spend a fraction of that on a monthly subscription to a running coach.
If you are interested in hiring a running coach, reach out to Ryan at South Simcoe Physiotherapy. Ryan has the benefit of not only being an experienced distance runner whom has used running coaches himself for years, but he is also a physiotherapist with almost 20 years of experience. In addition to these qualifications, he also teaches a course in running related injuries to other physiotherapists called the Real Running Course. All appointments can easily be done virtually, so Ryan can coach people from all over the globe!