Positive Results by Sabrina

There has been a lot of noise around training with free apps and tech, and while I will admit everything has a value and a use, (I used free apps before I became a coach), the value of 1:1 Coaching is unduplicatable. 

One of the biggest values of 1:1 Coaching is the CONVERSATION that you can have with a real human being. As a coach, I require feedback from my athletes after their workouts and I value the ability to run beside them. Life happens and the things that pop up before, during and after a workout are important and deserve attention. It is in these moments that I learn that an athlete may be struggling with sleep issues, pelvic floor discomfort, or chafing. They may be struggling to take in fuel or hydration or realizing that they’re a saltier sweater than others. These are important factors that influence your training. Many of these issues I have conquered myself as a curvy, masters runner. When athletes don’t think to mention their struggles to me, I’m in a unique position to ask the important questions because I’ve been there and I don’t want you to suffer unnecessarily. 

Real life doesn’t stop so that we can train for big goals. We still have to work, care for our families, homes, relationships and overall health. As much as we’d like to pretend that we’re all professional athletes, the majority of us aren’t. As a coach, I help my athletes move past decision fatigue to clarity and focus. I help athletes build workouts that honor their schedules, health and environment so that they can get things done realistically. Parents especially deal with Shame and Guilt as they try to navigate the planning that goes with fitting 40 hours worth of responsibility into 16 hours of available time. 

As an athlete, a training plan is a training plan. You see a calendar full of workouts that you need to conquer in order to reach your main goals. In reality, a training plan can be a road map to success or one more huge obstacle for you to traverse. On Sunday night, you open your plan for the week, plug in the other responsibilities ahead of you and feel the burn of fear and doubt deep in your gut when you wonder where you’re going to fit your workouts in. Monday and Tuesday look doable but Wednesday, whoa. You know you have a family appointment and it’s your night for dinner and if traffic is as bad as it’s been lately, you’ll be working out right before you shower and head to bed. And you know from past experience that working out right before bed means you don’t actually sleep, despite being exhausted, because your mind and body are stimulated from the positive endorphins and that’s when you feel most inspired to be creative. So maybe Wednesday becomes your rest day and you’ll make Thursday non-negotiable. But Thursday rolls around and you’re exhausted from Wednesday. What do you do?

When you work with a human coach, you have a partner to help you strategize. I help my athletes see that training is not all or nothing. I remind you that the walk you took between meetings counts and should be celebrated. We prioritize the workouts that are going to move you closer to your goals. We prioritize the workouts that are going to refill your emotional bucket by reminding you of your progress, strength and power. I have some athletes that honestly look forward to their strength workouts while others crave the outdoor experience of running beside the lake. Every athlete is different and as such, every training plan has to be unique.

Athletes that I work with break down their SMART Goals (Specific – Measurable – Attainable – Realistic/Relevant – Time Based) and know where life fits into their plan. We are forward focused, knowing that no one has a time machine so there’s no ‘getting back’ to who we were in the past. For athletes that are training for races, for example, we make sure that their time goals are based on their current abilities and complex life circumstances, not something that a friend thinks they should aim for. For athletes that are training for vacations, we look at the calendar in front of us to map out where we are and where we’re headed. “It doesn’t matter how fast you’re going, if you’re going in the wrong direction.” 

My athletes are dedicated to their growth and hopeful for what we can achieve tomorrow. We know that community and family are assets, not roadblocks. We know that heavy loads are often easier to move when we work with many hands. Yes, you can achieve your goals on your own. But more often than not, it takes a village. More importantly, you deserve a village. You deserve to feel the support, capability and power that comes from working with others to achieve your goals. You are not alone. Your community is out there waiting to help you become the woman of your dreams. Are you open to having the conversations?