⚡️ Q. and A. with Amy Yoder Begley, Atlanta Track Club coach and a 2008 Olympian
What advice do you give to new runners?
I tell people to try to get rid of all of the barriers that would keep you from running.
Make sure you have shoes that are fitted: You don’t want old shoes that are going to cause sore knees, a sore back or blisters that would keep you from running.
Learn to fuel and hydrate to make sure you don’t bonk on a shorter run.
And start slow. There’s walking, there’s run-walking and there’s running. It can be easier to start with 30 seconds running and 30 seconds walking instead of three miles.
What do you tell runners who are trying to level up their performance?
People who have just been running who haven’t added anything like hill repeats will see huge improvements as long as they progress slowly.
Make three days a week important workouts. Add a speed workout a week, a threshold a week and a longer run a week. Start slow and low with the intervals and add to it.
Any advice for runners coming back from an injury?
Coming back from injury is the same for everybody: You need to start slower than you think.
I say the same thing with elite athletes and everyone else coming back. They say, “I’m ready to start!” and I say, “Yeah … wait one or two more days.” It’s a progression.
When do you tell runners to consider working with a coach?
People come to me when they have done one or two races and they want to hit a certain goal. So if you’ve been running for a while, or done a couch-to-5K program, or done three or four 5K races but are not getting any faster, that’s a good time to find a coach.
Also, if you are getting injured while running, it can be helpful to find a coach.
What should runners look for in a coach?
Look for someone who has training plans but also has flexibility in those plans to be able to fit your life. Can you move things around? If it’s a team, do they meet as a group, and are there times and places that work for you?
It can be hard to fit it in, so it’s important to find something that’s going to work in your life. Once you’re addicted to it, yes, you’ll get up at 4:30 a.m. to get it in. But not at first. At first, make it accessible so you don’t find yourself racing across town to make it to a workout.
Any words of wisdom on goal-setting?
Finding flexibility in your plans is huge, and be OK to pivot and find a different race if needed. You may spend a lot of time and energy and money on training, and you don’t want the disappointment to keep you from finding another opportunity. Or if an injury happens, you don’t want to push through and hurt yourself.
Have multiple goals for the year and have process goals too. You could get terrible weather for your half-marathon or your marathon. And you might not hit your time goal or age goal.
But if you have a progress goal — I’m going to try and run four days a week, or I’m going to try and go to all the speed sessions this season, or I’m going to try and stretch every day — have that process goal just in case you don’t hit that time goal.
Source: The New York Times
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