Why Work With A Running Coach?

Ad: this post is in collaboration with Coopah Running and I am a Coopah Ambassador

Thanks to recent changes to London Marathon’s deferral policy I’m lucky enough to be able to have another stab at my home town race in 2023. Long story short, I got injured just before London Marathon in October 2022. My injury was because I’d rushed back to training too quickly after pregnancy and a c-section. The reason I’d pushed forward was because I thought I could only defer for 1 year after getting a ballot place for 2021. I wasn’t fully healed and the injury I sustained was because I was overcompensating for the weaknesses that are inevitable when you’ve grown a human and had your abdomen cut open to get them out. I knew this was a risk from the outset, but I didn’t think I had a choice because of the deferral policy - after all, a London ballot place is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So I pushed forward and I crashed out.

Thankfully, at around the same time I was chatting to the team at SheRACES and they me know London had changed allowing deferal for up to 3 years to allow for full postpartum recovery. I got in touch with London and they agreed I qualified and could run in 2023 (I'd been worried as my original entry pre-dated the 2022 policy change).

Woman running against a backdrop of skyscrapers

I feel extremely lucky London responded so positively to my request and have given me the chance to run, and I absolutely want to take full advantage of this amazing opportunity and make sure I’m on the start line come April! To help me get there I’m working with Coopah, a virtual run coach app that was built to help runners easily access the right training for them. It’s been awhile since I’ve been accountable to anyone other than myself when it comes to training and to be honest it’s pretty nice having someone else do the leg work, plus I love knowing there are expert coaches behind the app who I can turn to whenever I need advice or support.

Whether you’re new to running or an experienced racer, there is benefit to working with a running coach, and I caught up with one of Coopah’s founders Pete, to find out why!

What difference can a coach make when it comes to training for a big event like London Marathon?

A coach can make all the difference between trying to plan training yourself or using a free PDF plan. Firstly, all Coopah plans are written by qualified coaches who understand there are a range of different levels of runners so ensure they provide the right mix of training along with the right distances to not get you injured. A coach can also bring accountability too as you need to report to someone or an app on how you are getting on with your training and the best way to become a better runner is consistency.

I'm not looking to get super fast and I really don't want training to take over my life, will a coach really understand that?

Yes, 99.9% of runners are never going to make the Olympics or win the event they are participating in. That’s why all plans are built based on your goals. Everyone has different life’s and goals from working shift patterns and having a family to look after to being a full time runner. These plans will look different but it’s likely the goals are al different too

What are the psychological benefits of training with a coach?

Firstly, accountability - having a plan written for you means that you are held accountable for completing your sessions. Coopah streaks help people to grow their running streak and we see lots of people motivated to get out the door because of this. Secondly, it takes the pressure off having to think about what to do. Each day you can open the app and see what training you need to do today.

How can a coach help when training gets derailed or life gets in the way?

A coach can help provide assurance - they're experts in their field and can provide you with the assurance you can still achieve your goals and a little blip isn’t going to get in the way. They can also edit your plan, suggesting different training sessions to help you get back on track, without overdoing things!

What sets Coopah apart from other training platforms? What do you do differently?

Adaptability - Our plans are constantly adapting to your pace based on how you are performing which ensures you get the right session at the right pace every time
Flexibility - the plans give you the chance to start training today. No waiting around for the 16 weeks to start
Care - we truly care about every runner on the app and want them all to succeed
Social impact - We give 1% of our profits to a mental health charity plus provide a refugee run club every quarter to help those who can’t afford to run or are too worried about running to access the amazing sport.

What can I expect a Coopah training plan to look like? Will I be able to make it fit around my life?

The very first thing we will ask you is what days you want to train. We ask things like what days do you want to push yourself, do you have the most time for a long run, have the least time and then we build this plan around your lifestyle but we get plans change so each week you can edit your plan to fit your lifestyle that week.

You can expect your training plan to feel personalised and the right fit for you, a range of runs from short easy run, interval sessions to longer runs all at different paces to ensure you don’t get bored and finally you can expect coaching support every step of the way!