Helping Youth and Adult Runners Achieve Success In:
Track & Field
800 to 10,000 Meters
Cross Country
1 Mile to 12K
Road Races
5K to ½-Marathon
Physical Fitness Tests
1 to 3 Mile, and 300 Meters
Unlock Your Full Potential
Even if you’re lucky enough to have an excellent team or club coach, it’s usually not practical for him/her to provide individualized attention. As such, you are more likely to achieve your goals with complimentary individualized attention from a dedicated and knowledgeable private coach with the appropriate expertise and credentials. Sometimes achieving your goal is as simple as changing your pacing, thinking or race strategy. And, sometimes it requires major changes and a lot of work.
Experience and data-based logical goal setting
Science-based custom plans and workouts to help meet your goals
A la carte assessments, workouts, reviews and analysis
Ongoing or ad-hoc consults to guide you along the way
Custom-tailored to complement, supplement or replace your current coaching or training plan
Or simply a qualified second opinion to confirm you are on the right track
Goal Setting
Wishfull thinking, wild ass guess or data-driven?
Training Plans
No plan, generic plan, custom plan or individualized plan?
Assessments & Workouts
Training volume, intensity and sequencing aligned with plan?
Race Strategies & Tactics
Event, you, competitors and conditions all accounted for?
Who Needs Personal Individualized Coaching?
All runners, irrespective of experience, age, accomplishments or goals can benefit greatly from individualized coaching from a personal running coach. The size of the benfit being dependent on the quality of the coach, the quality of your relationship/partnership with the coach and YOU!
I'm not achieving my goals with free online training plans or running apps
Free plans are much better than winging it and are great for basic qualitative goals, like run a 5K or run for 20 minutes. However, they are incapable of incorporating the wide range of factors that prepare you to maximize your performance in the safest and most efficient way to achieve more quantitative goals.
A good running coach will apply current science-based event-specific training principles, while taking your uniqueness into account to build a comprehensive individualized training program that goes above and beyond generic training plans or apps. Generic plans do not account for individualization, your unique fitness and injury profile and history, your nutrition, work and sleep habits, or address strength training that can help with injury prevention and performance, etc.
I'm not achieving my goals with my current running coach
Once you’ve ruled yourself out as the cause, take time to review your coach’s credentials, experience and track-record. Oftentimes, especially at youth levels in schools, “running coaches” are neither qualified nor experienced. They’re just good people volunteering their time or earning a stipend.
Even if you’re lucky enough to have an excellent team or club coach, it’s usually not practical for him/her to provide individualized attention. As such, you are more likely to achieve your goals with complimentary individualized attention from a dedicated and knowledgeable private coach with the appropriate experience and credentials. Sometimes achieving your goal is as simple as changing your pacing, thinking or race strategy. And, sometimes it requires a lot more work.
My race or physical fitness test is coming up soon and I'm not ready
Sometimes you really are ready and just need a coach to help tweak your confidence level or race strategy. However, oftentimes you really aren’t ready due to a poor training plan, poor implementation, procrastination, or injury, etc.
A private running coach can help you evaluate the likelihood of success based on your preparation to date, current state and the remaining time available.
I'm overwhelmed with all the available running information out there
You’re not alone! Even running coaches not grounded in current science-based event-specific training principles can become overwhelmed.
To make matters even more confusing, the nomenclature and terminologies used from book to book, app to app and article to article are often inconsistent and a glossary of terms lacking.
A good private running coach can help you process and sort through it all and more importantly, keep you focused on your goals and how best to achieve them.
I need help with my form, pacing, race strategy, speed, injuries, times, endurance, training, and nutrition, etc.
A great private coach can help you improve as a runner in many ways but can only provide basic guidance in areas outside of their expertise like nutrition, or injury treatment. So make sure to rely on your healthcare providers for healthcare matters.
About Me
I am a passionate, experienced and extensively certified running coach with over 14 years of experience working with recreational and competitive runners from elementary school to the Masters divisions competing in track and field, cross country or road racing, and others simply trying to pass a physical fitness test.
Elite Coaching Certifications:
- International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) – Level V/Academy
- USA Track & Field (USATF) – Level 3
- U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) – Specialist
Testimonials
Personal Running Coach
“Coach Mark is extremely knowledgeable and has great insight in long distance running. My daughter has had one session with Coach Mark and is already feeling more confident in her off season preparation for the upcoming cross country season.”
“Coach Mark was great during our first session. He was extremely professional and insightful. I saw a glimpse of hope after discussing a plan with him… Since our first meeting he has followed up and provided instruction that is keeping me on track to reach my goal.”
“Coach Robinson takes into account the abilities of each athlete and helps to determine the best route for enjoyment and success with the sport. He provides you with an honest account of positive feedback on what you did well on and how you can improve.”