Coaching Philosophy & Curriculum

The mission of Journey Running is to empower athletes to run farther, fuel smarter, and develop character through running. The key word here is empower. In order to do this, my goal as a coach is to teach athletes how to become self-sufficient. This is why the coaching curriculum focuses on both running AND holistic subjects such as nutrition, mindset, and stress management. Below is a copy of the training curriculum you may review with Stefan. Keep in mind, we do not need to follow the curriculum in any exact order (as wants and needs vary by individual). Additionally, depending on your experience, some runners may only want or need to review only specific subjects mentioned below.

Curriculum

I. Training

There are many facets to training. In our first session, we will likely review how your training plan was created along with the Training Form & Nutrition Form you submit. I believe athletes deserve to understand how their training plan is constructed so that they believe in it. Additionally, I want athletes to know how to make their own training plans in the future. This is a vital part of becoming a self-sufficient athlete. On top of this, we will discuss subjects like sustainability, and strength training as well.

1. How to Create a Training Plan

a)        Mileage & Time-on-Feet

b)        Speed Workouts/Intensity

c)        Long Runs

d)        Recovery Runs

e)        Creating a Training Plan

2. Sustainability & Injury Prevention

a)        Review of common running injuries & causes

b)        Hip Exercises

c)        Ankle/Shin Exercises

d)        Hamstrings/Quads/Glutes

e)        Lower Back Exercises

f)      Creating a stretching routine

3. Strength Training

a)        Runner vs. Athlete

b)        Review anatomy of major muscle groups

c)        Review exercises to strengthen major muscle groups

d)        How to fit strength and conditioning days into a training plan

e)        Cross Training

4. Altitude & Heat Training

a)        Defining altitude

b)        How to train for altitude

c)        Nutrition in these environments

II. Nutrition

As a Registered Dietitian, teaching athletes about nutrition is my forte. Nutrition is a vital part of being a healthy human being, training, racing, and recovering. In these lessons, I will break down the complex subject of nutrition for you into easily digestible pieces of information that you can utilize throughout your training cycle to become a stronger athlete and healthier person.

1. Daily Nutrition

a)        Macronutrients & Micronutrients

b)        How to create a daily diet

c)        Fiber, Antioxidants, Bioactive Compounds, Types of Fat

2. Race Day Nutrition

a)        Pre-Race Nutrition

b)        Carbohydrates & Fat Overview

c)        Fuel Utilization During Exercise

d)        Protein & Micronutrients

e)        How to Fuel During Races

3. Nutrition for Recovery

a)        Protein Recommendations

b)        The Leucine Threshold

c)        Energy

d)        Sleep

e)        Rest

f)         Hot & cold therapy

4. Hydration & Electrolytes

a)        How much water should we consume on a daily basis?

b)        How much water should we consume during a race?

c)        Electrolytes Review

d)        Sodium Supplementation Recommendations

III. Racing

Racing is arguably the most enjoyable part of running. But ultramarathons, as opposed to road races take much more time and effort to prepare for. In part because the races are naturally longer, but also because most ultramarathons take place in remote parts of the country. In this section of training, we discuss gear required for ultras along with important topics such as how to navigate, safety in the wilderness, and of course, planning for a race as well as decompressing from one.

 1. Race Planning

a)        Creating a Racing Plan

b)        Aid Station Efficiency

c)        Visualization

d)        Crews/Pacers

e)        Weather & Gear

f)          Foot Care

g)         Toughness & Maturity

2. Gear

a)        Review gear for racing/training

b)        Gear requirements for different races

c)        The importance of pack weight

d)        How to pack efficiently

3. Navigation

a)        Step by step directions on how to use GPX files

b)        How to use Gaia, Caltopo, AllTrails, and Trailrunproject

c)        How to create your own routes

d)        FKT’s

4. Safety

a)        The Runner’s Responsibility

b)        Medical treatment (ie: blisters, trench foot, falls, wounds, dehydration, etc.) review

c)        Mountain Racing: Lightning and Required Gear

5. Post-Race

a)        Race Recap

b)        How to manage post-race emotions

c)        Life Lessons

d)        Recovery

e)        When to return to Running

IV. Holistic Running Topics

Running is about more than just challenging ourselves and being tough. It is about learning who we are, what our values are, and creating a mental toolkit that can help us get through life’s challenges not only successfully, but as good and just human beings. These topics range from mindset to prepare for a race, to discussing the different ways running impacts our life to giving back to our community and more.

1. Mindset

a)        What is your Why?

b)        Visualization

c)        Confidence vs. Humility

d)        Gratitude

e)        Heathy Habits

2. Different Ways Running Impacts Your Life

a)        The Meaning of Life

b)        Accountability

c)        Justice

d)        Greatness

e)        Relationships

f)         Mental Health

g)        Defining Health

h)        Money, winning and purpose

i)          Values

3. Inspiring those around you/Giving back to the community

a)          Volunteer Work

b)          Trail Work

c)          Content Creation (podcasts, books, articles, etc.) – The importance of Sharing

d)          Leaders vs. Managers

4. Stress Management

a)        Understanding the physiology of stress

b)        Presence & Mindfulness

c)        Positivity, People & Perspective

d)        Nutrition for Mental Health

e)        Breathing Exercises

f)         Sleep

V. Becoming Self-Reliant

The average ultramarathon runner is only a participant in the sport for about 3 – 5 years. As your coach, it would be naive of me to think you will be my athlete “forever.” I also do not expect you to want or need to redo these lessons over and over again. Instead, my hope is that if you get this far into the training curriculum, that you will have developed the confidence and knowledge to feel like a self-sufficient runner who can train themselves. The topics mentioned in this section relate to planning for the future; from building your next training plan to picking your next race and prioritizing your goals in the sport. If you still desire accountability, support and customized training plans, I would recommend my Training Essentials Package for you from here on out. Additionally, I offer more advanced Nutrition Consulting (at a discounted rate for Journey Running athletes who have received coaching from me) in the future as well.

1. Planning for the Future

a)        How to build a training plan for different types of races

b)        How to pick races

c)        Running Races on a Budget

d)        Dreams vs. Goals

e)        Staying healthy for the long run

f)          Different Types of Consistency

g)         Coaching in the Future