About Journey Run Coaching

Hello and welcome to Journey Run Coaching. Founded in 2021 by Stefan Schuster, the mission of Journey Running is to empower athletes to run farther, fuel smarter, and develop character through running. This is accomplished through personalized coaching, evidence-based nutrition guidance, and fostering an environment where athletes can hone their values.

With this said, below are the top values Journey Running was created to embody, and principles that allow these values to permeate into my coaching services.

What is a Journey Run?

A Journey Run is generally a long-distance run one goes on to test their mental and/or physical toughness with an emphasis on the journey itself rather than time or placement.

Journey Running Values & Principles

Values are subjective qualities that an individual or organization holds in high regard while Principles are objective rules that guide an organization. They are practical guidelines that help us live out our values.

Journey Running Values:

• Honesty

• Greatness

• Accountability

• Justice

• Passion

• Toughness

• Sharing

• Empathy

It is important to remember that values are subjective in nature. Each of us has the ability and opportunity to decide what values are most important to us, and define them as well. There is not one right answer.

Principle #1: Development of Character

Character is technically defined as the “mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual,” but I believe it is more than that. I believe character is who we are and how we act when times get tough. Why? Because it is easy to be a nice, loving person when life is comfortable, and things are going well. Conversely, it is difficult to be our best self when adversity is in front of us, when life deals us a bad hand, or when things just don’t go our way. This is why toughness is a core value of mine and Journey Running – in order to test our character, doing hard things like running ultramarathons helps expose who we truly are and what we need to improve on. Additionally, we must be honest with ourselves when examining our actions. Nobody is perfect so it is important we remain empathetic to ourselves and others when we mess up, because mistakes happen. If we are accountable for our actions, we can continue to practice becoming the person we want to be.

Principle #2: Advancement of Justice

Dikaia Upotheke, in Greek translates to Justice Our Foundation. This was the motto of my fraternity in college – Delta Upsilon. While in college, a good friend of mine introduced me to the topic of philosophy and I became fascinated by the idea of justice and what it truly means. Justice, I believe, means treating individuals fairly and with respect. This is of the utmost importance; however, justice also means treating oneself fairly and with respect too. Sometimes the line between right and wrong is not always black and white, but being just involves doing your best to make the fairest decision possible.

Principle #3: Healthy Living

Healthy living encompasses a lot more than just running or having a great VO2 Max. There are many components to living a healthy lifestyle. Running and exercise are surely part of this. However, mental health, nutrition, sleep and relationships also play a role in allowing us to live life to the fullest. This is important because we owe it to ourselves and to our loved ones to feel good, be happy, and live a long life that we can be proud of.

Principle #4: Pursuit of Greatness

I believe greatness is your ability to be passionate about something, fully dedicated to it and consistent with it over a long period of time. In other words, greatness is your ability to become the best at whatever it is you love. It requires hard work and accountability but the potential to achieve it is within all of us. My job as a coach is to help you achieve your athletic goals by sharing my knowledge and experiences to help you achieve your version of greatness, however it is you define it.