Yes, Coach
My journey from self-coaching to finding the right coach
In high school cross country I had a coach. He was a great guy and in retrospect I learned a lot from him, but at the time it often felt stifling to have someone dictating my schedule each day. Those early years taught me the value of discipline, but they also sparked my desire to explore running on my own terms, a pursuit that has defined much of my journey since. Running, to me, is an expression of freedom. In trail running, I’ve intentionally not found a coach and instead tried to pay attention to how my body felt, experimenting with different types of training and often not even consciously thinking of my running as training, but rather just going outside and doing whatever sounded fun that day and getting fitter as a result.
Increasing volume is the most effective basic way to improve running performance. Especially for newer, less experienced runners (like myself when I was getting into trail running), time on feet is by far the most important factor in seeing progress. Each year that went by I noticed that I could handle longer days, bigger weeks, and saw faster times in my racing. That has held true through today, and volume was really the only variable I was changing in terms of training. I rarely did specific intensity workouts, generally keeping most runs easy and adding in more mileage on long runs, or back-to-back long runs. Off that type of training, I ran a 14:40 Western States 100.
I’m not saying I had no structure or plan at all. I like spreadsheets and I’ve kept training logs, race splits and notes, and overall plans like the example below since 2021. After I got a Golden Ticket at the 2023 Grindstone 100k, I made what could be my last training spreadsheet, which took me through CCC in August 2024.
I strongly believe that right now I could make another one of these spreadsheets and plan out a build to Western States 2025 and, if I had another good day, probably run a few percent faster than 2024. Let’s say 3%. The problem is, everyone is improving. And that’s great, but not great for me if the goal is to place higher in races next year. If everyone is 3% faster next year, I need to find a way to double that. You can only keep increasing weekly mileage for so long before you’re at a reasonable level and it might be counterproductive to continue increasing. I want to understand how to improve fitness by tweaking other variables besides training volume.
The primary drivers of ultramarathon race performance (according to me) are fitness, mentality, nutrition, acclimatization (heat and/or elevation) and logistics. While I’m not perfect in any of these areas, fitness is the one where I see the most room for improvement. I’ve made huge progress in nutrition and acclimatization over the past year. Logistics are fine-tuned through experience and I now have a good template, knowledgeable crew, and communal wisdom from friends. When I set my mind on something, I’m mentally solid. But I don’t know that there’s ever been a start line where I’ve looked around and thought “I’m the fittest guy here.”
Finding a coach who could help me reach my fitness goals was something I decided I wanted after CCC this year, when I started to see a ceiling to what I could accomplish alone. I realized that to compete at the highest level, I needed guidance from someone who could see what I couldn’t. At Lake Sonoma, Grindstone, Ultra Trail Cape Town, and Western States I’ve caught glimpses of what I can do in this sport. Running means a lot to me and I want to see how much I can get out of myself while I’m in a place in life where I have that opportunity. Even if it means giving up some of the freedom to do whatever type of running I want each day, there’s a different kind of freedom in choosing to outsource training decisions to a trusted coach and following a plan that has scientific backing that should make me fitter.
A local running buddy recommended that I check out Evoke Endurance, led by Training for the Uphill Athlete author Scott Johnston. His mountaineering and alpine-focused background immediately appealed to me and I set up a call. I was very impressed and he let me know that while he’d be overseeing my training program at a high level, I’d work more closely and frequently with Jack Kuenzle as my dedicated coach. Jack had been on my radar for years, and I admired his obsessive dedication to iconic objectives like the Denali and Mont Blanc FKTs. His passion, combined with Scott’s expertise and guidance, gave me confidence that I’d be in good hands. Adding to that, Jack is based in the Salt Lake area this winter, which means he’s familiar with the local trails and weather—perfect for adjusting my training plans as conditions change. While Jack is a very talented runner himself, his current focus on shorter mountain races and FKTs doesn’t overlap with my racing goals, which I prefer. For some reason, I don’t love the idea of having a coach who is also interested in being my direct competition.
I’m now on Week Four of the Jack Kuenzle/Evoke Endurance training program. In the past month I’ve set a new 5k PR, learned my lactate threshold heart rate and pace, prioritized strength, and tried a few new types of workouts I hadn’t considered before. Maybe a future post will give some more insight into what that has looked like but for today I’ll just say I’m excited to see how next year’s races will go with this more intentional training structure.
Have you ever made a big change in your approach to running? I’d love to hear about your experiences and what helped you grow as an athlete. Feel free to connect on Instagram or Strava and reach out.