FAQ
Coach, please review the information below for answers to your questions
about coaching under the banner of TEAM26pt2. Perhaps the most important
information contained in this website is called "Walk me through
the process involved in coaching a runner" and is located
at the bottom of this page. Please spend some time reviewing this improtant
information. Again, if you don’t locate the answer to your particular
question please contact me at kwilliams@team26PT2.COM.
WHAT IS TEAM 26pt2?
“An association of marathoners; a network of marathon coaches”.
What you see above is the ‘tag line’ for TEAM 26pt2 which pretty well sums up what we do. TEAM 26pt2 is a growing network of coaches who coach individually, but operate under one banner. These coaches are motivated by the desire to provide knowledge, support and accountability to those wishing help in marathons and half marathons. TEAM 26pt2 offers coaches valuable systems, procedures, forms, direction and back up. TEAM 26pt2 also provides an active and relevant community for their runners.
WHY WAS TEAM 26pt2 FORMED?
TEAM
26pt2 was formed to exponentially increase the number of runners that
can be served with quality coaching. The number of runners that can be
properly coached by one individual is limited. The number of runners that
can be served by an extend group of coaches is infinite.
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF TEAM 26pt2?
The goal of TEAM 26pt2 is to increase the number of people seeking a high level of physical fitness by attempting a marathon or half marathon. This increase in marathoners can be accomplished best by increasing the number of coaches available to assist those runners.
WHY
WOULD I COACH MARATHONERS?
Helping runners achieve their marathon goals is one of the most rewarding,
most appreciated services one can render, period! Many times it results
in deep involvement by a coach in a life-changing event for the runner.
The satisfaction received by the coach often approaches that which the
student receives. Although it may be difficult to comprehend, coaching
runners is often a near-spiritual experience. Your rewards will be massive
even if you coach free.
WHAT
DOES IT COST ME TO COACH UNDER THE BANNER OF
TEAM 26pt2?
Nothing. It’s entirely free as long as you coach free. You will have available systems and procedures developed through decades of running and coaching. If you charge—and what you provide is a valuable service which is well worth charging for--we ask that you pay 5% of your fees to TEAM 26pt2.
WHO WOULD I COACH?
The program is designed for those runners seeking to run half marathons, full marathons and those seeking Boston qualification. While some coaches might be willing to train runners for 5ks or 10ks within their communities, TEAM 26pt2 is primarily directed at marathon and half marathon runners.
The coaching relationship is generally geared toward a specific event which means many students will rotate out after a training period. A training period generally requires a minimum of 13 weeks.
HOW WOULD I GET STUDENTS?
While TEAM 26pt2 will have some students that locate the website and sign up from there, the vast majority of your students you will locate within your own community or from your own associations. A flyer (we provide the templates for many things like flyers) at the local Y, area running clubs and health clubs will generate some takers. However, most of your runners will come via word-of-mouth—people you know passing the word to others. Your place of employment, church, school, and other affiliations likely have runners anxious for guidance.
WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THOSE SEEKING COACHING ASSISTANCE?
Every
shape, size and age. However, if you look around at your next marathon
or half you will see that many of the participants are female. This holds
true in coaching. Likely, more than half of your runners will be females
between the ages of 25 and 50.
DO I CHARGE FOR MY SERVICES?
That decision is entirely up to you. The service is very valuable and certainly thousands of people pay name coaches big money for their advice. However, it may be smart to begin coaching for free while you learn and develop your reputation. Certainly a group of satisfied and appreciative runners would be a boost to your reputation as well as your ability to charge fees for the service.
WALK ME THROUGH THE PROCESS INVOLVED IN COACHING A RUNNER.
Below is a sample of the process and procedures you can use in your training. The templates for many of the forms listed below are available under the FORMS/TEMPLATES button.
You
are contacted by a runner requesting information and assistance. You should
first determine if she is serious. You inquire about her running experience
as well as the goal she is seeking. If you are satisfied she is serious,
email a Runner’s Questionnaire to her and suggest she carefully fill
it out.
When the form is returned (generally via email) review her questionnaire,
paying particular attention to past running history, recent weekly mileage
and the goals she wishes to accomplish. (What race, when, how fast, etc).
You arrange to have a conference, whether by phone or in person, to discuss
the questionnaire, find out additional information, etc. If you determine
that her goals are unrealistic, (trying to run a race before she has had
time to get her body ready…..thereby increasing injury rate) you
try to get her to adjust her goals.
If you think her goals are realistic and attainable without too great
a risk for injury, then the two of you move forward by filling out a week-by-week
training plan (BLANK RUNNER TRAINING LOG (GOMEZ EXCEL CHART) with mileage
for the number of weeks available before the student’s chosen event.
(helpful training plan examples are available to you from TEAM 26pt2 under
FORMS/TEMPLATES). You would post this information on a copy of the above
mentioned Runner Training Log that you personalize for the runner. This
training log is an Excel spread sheet provided to you by TEAM 26pt2. On
the chart you would record her plan data, which would include the date
of the week (week starts on Monday, ends on Sunday), total weekly mileage,
as well as the long run and the mid-week run for each of the available
weeks. You would ‘save’ her copy under her name to your hard
drive on your computer, carefully noting where the file is saved so that
you may locate it later. Then email the runner a copy of the Excel ‘plan’
(as an attachment).
Every Monday you would expect to receive an email copy of her Training
Plan Chart back from her with her past week’s mileage filled in.
When you receive the report, you review and make a short email response
back to her with comments, perhaps commending her, or extolling her to
work harder.
You then ‘save’ the new copy of her Training Chart in place
of the older one, thereby keeping an updated copy of her progress.
As her training builds and she’s into high levels of training, her
questions will likely increase and you will be corresponding more often.
Every three or four weeks you will want to review with her how she’s
feeling, her fatigue level, her enthusiasm levels, etc and perhaps make
adjustments to her final weeks training schedule.
When her event approaches, you will provide final instructions and encouragement
as well as day-of plans for the marathon.
After the event is completed, you will offer congratulations, then critique
the race with the runner. There are several templates available under
the button FORMS/TEMPLATES to help in this process. These include Congratulatory
Letter and Finisher’s Certificate templates.
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