Coaching

• I was privileged to have my coach Jonathan Cane ask me to be one of his coaches for the JackRabbit UWS NYC Marathon Training Program over the summer. Throughout the16 week program, I was tasked with guiding a group of athletes through regular Tuesday evening speed sessions in Central Park and Saturday morning long runs in the park or along the West Side Greenway. I had never coached before and remember feeling quite nervous on the first run. Would I be able to pace appropriately? Would I run too fast? Or too slow? Would I be able to give them good advice? Would they like me as a coach? It was almost like your first day in school, except I wasn't the student, but the teacher.

• As I primarily ran with the same group of athletes, I got to know them quite well. I knew the running habits of each individual; who ran too fast, who needed work on proper nutrition, who was working with an injury, etc. Until this moment I never really thought about my ability to share the knowledge I have gained from my own training and experiences with others. I felt that I was still a green runner, still learning from my mistakes and evolving as an athlete. However, I quickly learned that one of the greatest gifts I could share with these athletes was my infectious joy of running and my unwavering perseverence. We discussed training, race strategy, nutrition, hydration, rest, and post-marathon recovery. They were sponges for any advice I had to offer. 
• One of my favorite moments of running the NYC marathon, besides running as an Achilles guide for the amazing Amelia Dickerson, was at the start of the Verrazano bridge. As we started across the bridge, I spotted a couple of my athletes, ran up to them and wished them luck. Their hard work and dedication paid off. The majority of the runners I worked with met or exceeded their goal time for the marathon. I couldn't have been more proud and excited.
• A few days post-marathon, I was touched to receive the following message:  "I wanted to say THANK YOU soooo much for all your help and guidance over the past 16 weeks to make one of the most memorable days of my life so far possible! Truly. What an epic experience and I could not have done it without your knowledge, wisdom, encouragement and inspiration. Thank you for all of your coaching and mentorship - it meant the world to me and always gave me the extra pep in my step I needed."
• In the end, I'm not sure if the program was more rewarding for myself or for the athletes I worked with.
• You might ask why I'm writing more about the NYC marathon almost two months later. Well, just a couple weekends ago, I went to the USA Track and Field Level 1 coaching certification course. It was a very long weekend of sitting in class for hours upon hours, but I learned lots of useful information on track events and endurance running. In the end, I took my culminating exam over this past weekend, passing with flying colors. I am officially a COACH. I'm not completely sure what's next on the horizon when it comes to coaching, but I anxiously anticipate the next opportunity. 
• Run Happy