Why a Consultation?

Wednesday, July 12, 2017 · Mike Davis

Good morning!

Hope you week is going well!

I enjoy many aspects of being a coach and when asked, which I enjoy most, I struggle to come up with what I like doing the best. Writing a personal training plan is really challenging, yet rewarding, doing a gait analysis is amazing, because of the education the individual is getting about themselves and actual coaching itself is so enjoyable because of the interaction. However, surprisingly to many, I enjoy the free consultation more than any other part of coaching. It is not to diminish all the cool aspects of coaching, because I really enjoy everything about helping a runner, but that initial consultation is an amazing time for both the coach and the runner (or runner to be)!

A typical free consultation includes the following:

• -Discussion of the persons background, family, injuries, and other information that helps us to get to know them physically and just as important personally. Being able to learn about their families, job and other personal stuff, helps us to understand the challenges that they may have to maintain a regular training schedule. We all want to believe that we can dedicate a certain number of days to working out, but the reality is, other parts of our life need to be considered and factored into training. Jobs and family are important and knowing about them helps the coach. Also, it is great to hear about those we may be helping!
• -Goals are always at the top of the list during a consultation, as we have yet to have someone reach out to us, that did not have a goal. Goals range from wanting to become a runner, all the way to running a marathon and various ones in between. This is always a great conversation and can even be a little eye opening for the runner. We understand quite well what it takes to become a runner or prepare for a marathon and often must educate people on the challenges. This is challenging, as people are often determined to get to a certain race and we want to make sure they understand getting there successfully.
• -Discussion always turns into an understanding of our coaching philosophy and how to best help a runner successfully achieve their goals. When we discuss our online training plan and log and how it will keep them accountable, we always get big nods of agreement on the value of that. We chat about why functional strength training matters to their overall running (and health) and how it CAN fit in their busy life. Many great running tips are passed on during this part of the consultation and it is fun to see the persons understanding raised.

Whether you want to improve your overall running, target a race, or just become a runner, a consultation is great for both the prospective runner and the coach, because they help both to determine if a partnership would work. We certainly want to help every runner, but we also want it to be a comfortable partnership, that will develop trust. I cannot recall a consultation that has not been enjoyable or that has stayed within an hour! I tell people that a consultation may not lead you to becoming an NFLR client, but they will come away with some greater knowledge of how to train. I am okay with giving away free knowledge, because helping runners, is what we do.

If you have given thought to some type of personal coaching, we offer single session coaching up to in depth personal coaching. However, it all starts with a free consultation that is a great way to figure out what the runner wants. Go to www.nofinishlinerunning.com and click on the “Free Consultation” and let us know how we can help? I promise you, you will find great value in chatting with us and it is a lot of fun.

Have a great finish to your week!

God Bless!