By: Maddelynn Horn

Running can be a very solitary sport. Even if you have friends to train with, your training schedules don’t always line up. Having a solid training plan will ensure that you perform your best. Unfortunately, this can be challenging on your own.

On the fence about whether a running coach is right for you? Here are five ways having a coach can help you.

1. You’ll have a custom plan designed for you

Sure there are generic plans online, but that doesn’t mean they’re right for you. Every runner is different: we each thrive off different training plans. Coaches can help design a plan that accounts for all of your needs. Whether it’s creating a plan that works with your schedule or accounting for injury prevention, a coach can work with you to design and adjust your plan. Whether your race is months away or not until next year, a coach works with your timeframe to ensure you are prepared. Coaching can go beyond a single race and extend to year-round training. This will also help hold you accountable to keep up with your training plan.

2. Coaches’ experiences can provide helpful insights

Running your first ultra? Great, a running coach will bring plenty of experience that will help guide you through your training, prep you for your race, and answer any questions you have along the way. Even if this isn’t your first ultra, the additional experience can only help. Coaches can also offer up plenty of race day tips from their own experiences and their athletes.

3. A coach offers a new perspective

Coaches also have experience working with different types of runners which means they might have strategies that you haven’t tried. If you’ve been deciding your own plans all along, a coach might be able to identify a particular area for growth. After all, Thomas Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb by trying the same technique over and over. A new perspective will help you learn and grow as an athlete.

4. They’ll help boost your motivation

Thinking about your forgotten gym membership? Don’t worry, your ultra coach won’t let you forget about them. One of the biggest challenges of running is maintaining motivation. Coaches can monitor your training so you’ll have someone to cheer you on when you’re doing well and to motivate you if you’re losing focus. Motivation from coaches can actually boost your self-confidence. We all know that a large portion of ultrarunning is mental. This alone can make coaches a game-changer.

5. “All people are different people” -Ted Lasso

Even if you’ve had a bad experience with a coach in the past, “all people are different people”. Every coach is going to be different, it’s just a matter of finding the right match for you. You can read a bit about the coaches at OMR to see who you think might be a good fit. From there, the Coach Connector can help you find the right coach. This is true when it comes to training plans as well. That’s why OMR offers several coaching plans to ensure that you receive the coaching you’re looking for.

5 Reasons to Consider Getting a Running Coach