Okay, maybe not an actual love affair, but she is pretty awesome. Let me tell you why I am a better, stronger, faster runner...
On April 1st 2011 I started the Couch to 5K program, worked through Bridge to 10K and by early 2012 I was training for my first half marathon in May and had registered for my first full marathon (the Marine Corps Marathon) in October. I'd done this all on my own, logging the miles recommended by the apps and later Hal Higdon for the half marathon training. I slimmed down from a 14 to a size 6 and was proud of my progress.
Then that whole Half incident happened. It was hot, it was hilly, it was a longer run than I'd ever attempted. I'd registered to have my splits posted on Facebook automatically, and my friends watched my splits get longer and looonger. I do not even remember miles 7-12, I must've been walking and running after the crowd like a skirted zombie runner. It was awful and my finish time was 2:42:55.
I was at a low point, intimidated by the marathon distance I had in front of me, and had lost all forward momentum. I hired Katie at Off Da Couch Training the next week. She asked me a gazillion questions about my running history & goals. She formulated a plan made just for me, taking into consideration my current capabilities. But most of all she believed I could do it. No question was stupid to her, and she answered every single one of them. I'm pretty crazy and OCD about running, so it couldn't have been easy either.
I did complete my marathon, and yes, it was hard. Yes, it was a long way to run. But I never once doubted that I'd finish, because Katie had given me all the training, confidence and support I needed to succeed. And I came out of it eager to sign up for my next marathon. Richmond Marathon 2013, woo-hoo!
Oh, and I also came out of it a LOT faster. In December I completed a half marathon on a course in the same city as my first and encompassing many of the same major hills (if not a few more). I completed it in 2:11:31, over thirty minutes faster than the one 7 months prior. To me, that's huge.
If you've been considering a coach to help you with your running goals, whether it's to just finish a certain distance from 5K-Ultra or to improve your PR, you should really look farther into it. And I'd be remiss if I didn't plug my own personal coach, because she's totally killer. Katie at www.offdacouchtraining.com, thank you for all you've done to help me achieve my goals. Oh, and do you think you could coach me all the way to Boston? Kthxbye.
For the Janathon challenge: this morning I logged a happy, sunny, fun 11 miles.
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