Coffee with Coach Jenn

Friday, August 05, 2016 · Mike Davis

Good morning runners! My name is Jenn I am one of the wonderful RRCA certified coaches over at NFLR. I wanted to join in on the fun of chatting with a coach over some virtual coffee and maybe bring a new perspective to the blog. I am 27 years old, I live in Newmarket with my husband and love anything that has to do with coffee. By day I am a pediatric occupational therapist, which to someone watching looks like I just play all day, but it entails a lot more work! I also write a blog and have been building a photography business on the side. I absolutely love working with runners and coaching, but with so many things on my plate it means I have to be very productive and cognoscente with my time! My favorite part of being a coach is coaching 1:1 with someone, don't get me wrong I love running groups, but it is nice and challenging to be able to work with someone who has a specific goal, needs me to help them get there, and is a little more personalized then leading a group. Today I wanted to share with you 5 things that I realized are so important to running and more specifically to continue to improve my running. I have been running for years and it wasn't until recently that I realized how important some of these were to my running success. 1. Strength train, strength train, strength train. You're core helps you SO much with running and is a key component in helping you master those long runs. I never strengthen trained consistently until a few months ago and I was shocked about how I felt as a runner before as compared to after a few months of strength training. Do it! If you don't know where to start or think you don't have time to fit it in, reach out to one of our coaches we can help! I squeeze it in, in as little as 7 minutes sometimes! 2. Set reachable, attainable goals. I set a goal on running a marathon last year, did it happen? No. Was I devastated? Yes. It didn't happen because if I had looked at my life in that moment that I decided to run it I would have realized that it was not attainable for me at the time. I had a good mileage base when I set a plan to train, but I didn't not have the time in my schedule to build up all those miles in an appropriate way. I could have rushed it and then probably would have injured myself, which thankfully I was smart enough to not do. I was also weak, due to lack of strength training. I was too busy with work to make it a priority and I knew that deep down, but I set the goal with out looking at the big picture and was so mad at myself when it didn't happen, I was also so unmotivated to keep training when I knew the race wasn't going to happen. So set goals that are attainable for you, look at the big picture- you will stay motivated to train year round if you do! 3. Run those hills. I can't say I like them, but they build my endurance like no other. If I miss a training (or 6) run this is where I go. I run up and down up and down. By the end I feel exhausted but in a good way! 4. Drink water or something hydrating after. No that beer doesn't count. I did hills yesterday with a friend and we went out after, it was a blast. However, I realized that we drank zero water and instead had a beer. Terrible mistake! It was hot yesterday, I wasn't hydrating during the day because work was busy and then I had nothing after, this all led to a wonderful headache half way through the night. I know the beer at the end of the race is your goal sometimes, but grab a water while you grab your beer, your body will thank you! 5. Eat substance before long runs. I never used to eat well before runs, sometimes I wouldn't eat at all because I was in such a rush to get out the door. Well I have learned that my body does not run well on no fuel. If I run anything that is 35 plus minutes I have to have something in me for it to be a good run. Anything that I run that is an hour or more, I need actual substance in order to not feel terrible half way through. Nutrition plays a key role in your bodies ability to stay energized and strong, as well as muscle recovery! Even if you think you are fine without eating, compare a 40 minute run with good nutrition and one with poor nutrition- see how you're body feels and how you mentally feel after the run. Eat eat eat! Well that's all I have for you today. I hope you are enjoying your coffee, your Friday and cheers to the weekend! Jenn