There are many reasons why you would be considering hiring a Running Coach. These range from striving for a personal best over a given distance, enhancing your performance to take it to a new level, such as running your first ultra marathon, or you simply want guidance to complete a certain distance safely.

Deciding if it is worth hiring a running Coach is a question of the value you believe it is going to bring to your training. A running coach is not as expensive as you may think, but you will need to assess the value it provides you as an individual to attain your running goals.

What should you expect from a running coach?

As a minimum, a running coach should provide you with a bespoke training schedule and regular monitoring to gauge progress and establish if it is working or if any changes are required.

In addition, your coach may create a strength training program, help with the mental aspects of running, provide nutrition advice and act as a guide to help you through the entire process.

This will vary from coach to coach and partly depend on what package you choose from them.

What do running coaches do?

Some of the benefits of using a running coach are measurable and some are not. Specifically, one quantifiable and measurable metric is the stopwatch. Unquantifiable benefits are aspects such as accountability and motivation. Essentially a good relationship with a coach will combine these elements, assess your goals and create a training environment bespoke to you. The value you get from hiring a running coach is dependent on your motives. 

Ultimately if you have the means to hire a coach, trying one out for a period may be a good idea, just to test the benefits out for yourself. A one off package rather than a longer term commitment is a good toe in the water exercise.

Will a running coach make you faster?

If your goal is a PB for a given distance or to make a performance step, then guidance from an experienced coach should provide results. It is however a two way street. You need to commit to the work, a coach alone cannot make you faster

When you are working with someone who has a track record of success with other athletes, trusting the process and following their guidance should deliver results. That is assuming you put in the required work to improve.

What are the unquantifiable benefits of using a running coach?

There are many unmeasurable benefits of hiring a running coach. This is where the value to you and your training are going to outweigh the cost because value is a personal perception.

If you are someone that has difficulty with motivation for running then a running coach will provide the accountability you need to keep on track. This is completely different to only being accountable to yourself of course. 

It is easy to justify to yourself that an intervals session can be an easy run, that a 10k will suffice when the plan asks for 25k or to skip a workout entirely for no valid reason.

A running coach will do their best to keep you focused on the goal and motivate you to keep to the plan, even when your motivation takes a dip, which inevitably it will at some point.

Another unmeasurable benefit of a running coach is to help you stay injury free. With an honest assessment of your current level, the coach will deliver a training plan that helps you make adaptations gradually, not too much too soon which many runners do without supervision. In addition, the running coach that you hire can provide a strength training program, bespoke to you, targeting the areas where you need to improve strength and activation.

Ultimately, whether the benefits can be measured or not, the value of a coach in relation to the cost is one that you will need to decide for yourself.

What certification does a running coach need?

When you are searching for a running coach it is important that their certification is recognised by a national sports body. This will give you the confidence that the person you are entrusting with has been educated to the highest standards. Clearly, these sports bodies vary throughout the world as do the processes for achieving certification.

For example in the USA you should be looking for a coach who has completed a course approved by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and in the UK you should be looking for UK Athletics approved coaches.

In addition to, or in place of these professional qualifications, your coach may have a bachelor’s degree or higher in a sports science subject or a track record of experience and professional development in running.

At the very least, you should ask your prospective coach for their credentials and check them out with the national awarding body of their country. You need to be sure that you are employing a bonafide professional.

How to choose a running coach

When you are hiring a running coach, you want to ensure you find one that respects your needs, understands what you require of them, is competent and connects with you personality wise. Also the cost needs to be one that you are comfortable with.

If cost is your primary driver, then you have a few options you can choose. 

Using a coach at a running club

Your local running club will likely have either qualified coaches or experienced runners who can help you progress. With a relatively inexpensive membership fee you should be able to access this knowledge.  

This will require you to become an active club participant. Do not turn up on day one expecting loads of free advice. Become a member, participate in events and as you get to know other members they will be more than happy to help you out. Running clubs are friendly places where everyone has the same goal. To enjoy the sport.

Search for a coach online

A quick search for running coaches either virtual or running coaches near to you will offer an almost endless choice. 

Delving into the search results will let you filter out the ones which are within your budget. 

To save some money if that’s a concern, some 1 to 1 running coaching near you may be available in groups where there are multiple athletes in a session at a time. You will not get the personal attention of a true 1 to 1 session, but it will be cheaper.

Virtual running coaches offer a number of options and can be a very cost effective method of hiring. The packages they offer will vary based on the access you are getting and the amount of time they spend with you. This is still 1 to 1 running coaching. With technology the coach does not need to be at every session to help you. The great thing about a virtual coach is that great coaches offer a range of packages, so you should be able to find a really good one with the right budget option.

Hiring an online running coach

If you have a larger budget and cost is not the primary driver, you have a much wider choice available. This will inevitably require more work to filter out someone who is the right fit for you.

You can always start out with testimonials and reviews to see how other people rate a coach. If there are some negative comments then it is a good idea to make a note of them. 

Make contact with the coach and see if you connect. If you feel that you do, ask about any negative comments and see what they say. You will likely get a good feel from their responses to see if the bad reviews had merit. 

Also, look at the amount of direct access or communication you will get. A good basic coaching package should provide you with a training review, an assessment of your goals, weekly meetings and bespoke personal training and race plans.

For a little more money you can expect direct coach access via email or WhatsApp at any time, daily review of training sessions and bespoke plans for your lead up races, not just the goal race.

Is it worth hiring a running coach?

It is definitely worth hiring a running coach if you have reached a plateau in your running performances and are trying to break through to the next level. Also if you are new to distance running and have a little trepidation for an event, such as your first half marathon, an outside influence with a professional input can make a huge difference to your race preparation.

It is also worth hiring a running coach if you are someone who benefits from outside motivation and needs to be held accountable. A coach will push you with your training and ask the tough questions if you are not holding up your end of the bargain.

Of course a running coach cannot train for you, perform for you and ultimately can only motivate you to a certain degree. If you are willing to put in the work to make the most of a coach / athlete relationship, hiring a running coach is definitely a good investment.

If you click on a link in this article and buy a product we may receive a small commission. This is at no additional expense to you.