Holistic Run Coaching: The Power Of Enjoyment For Performance
When I launched James Sieber Run and Strength Coaching, I did so with a very clear vision for the approach I wanted to bring to the road and trail run coaching world. One that truly brings holistic run coaching to life.
This vision was simple:
Create an environment of individualisation, consistency, support, sustainability, communication, community, and enjoyment, all to maximise the chances of success, however you (the athlete) define success.
With a holistic framework to coaching, we concurrently match your goals with your life, interpreting my training knowledge with your context, and create a flexible and effective training programme covering running, strength, nutrition, mindset, and lifestyle.
Coaching People, Not Runners
99.99% of the runners out there, most likely including you, are not a professional athletes. This means you have a lot of factors that make up your reality:
Work
Kids
Partners
Pets
Social
Volunteering
Injuries
Mental health
Other Passions and Hobbies
The list really is endless...
When creating a program that will take you from today to your goals and beyond, all of these factors have to be considered. Any new stressor (physical/psychological/time/energy/financial) that comes into our lives impacts our capacity to run significantly (potentially).
As a coach, if I belligerently take a narrow view of "I have this runner with this running experience and they want to achieve this goal" and write a plan solely on that, well, it's probably all going to go wrong.
Therefore, for every single person I coach the priority is getting to know them, their whole life context, and creating an environment of openness and trust that allows for continual communication.
This communication creates reflection and collaboration that, in turn, develops how best to fit running into that athlete's life so that we maximise their performance and the sustainability of running for them. We learn your context as a runner and as a person to ensure you get the most possible from the commitment you have made to running.
And, honestly, this is why I do not tend to coach people only looking for help getting to the race in 12 weeks or who are not invested in their performance, being open to communication and reflection.
Building relationships, understanding the person and runner in front of me, takes a lot of time and energy and ultimately the reward for both of us is in the long term development of you as a runner and a person.
Communication
As you have already read, a cornerstone to taking a holistic run coaching approach is communication. So much so it is one of three core values for James Sieber Run & Strength Coaching.
Every athlete I coach is asked to update their training logs with comments after each run and strength session. This is so we can keep track of their physical and psychological context and establish a strong rapport of accountability and support.
Established open and genuine communication is also why I let athletes book calls as frequently as they need.
You'll likely find it no surprise that the athletes who have the most fulfilling and exceptional experience and results are the ones who genuinely communicate with me the most!
The better we know each other the more value and success you will get from coaching. It's that simple.
The two other values I founded James Sieber Run & Strength Coaching on are:
Two-Way Accountability
Evolving Personalisation
Partnering With Holistic Practitioners
The other side of offering a holistic coaching approach to road and trail running is exploring as many avenues as possible.
Now, Running and Strength training I have covered with certifications in Fitness and Running with Athletics Australia.
Within my fitness accreditations, I have some license to discuss nutrition. However, there are large limitations to this and I am very aware of how easy it is to royally mess things up within the nutrition world when stepping outside one's scope of practice.
To combat this I have partnered with Anna Fogarty from Pickle & Herb Nutrition. Anna has an endurance sport background and also works as a naturopath which comes in handy when winter brings every cold and flu imaginable!
Injury rehabilitation, specifically of the foot and ankle region, is also one of the key areas that my level of expertise does not fully cover and commonly occurs with runners. Yes, I know a lot here but often the specifics are harder to understand without daily repetition.
So, what did I do? You guessed it!
Partnering with a Foot & Ankle Podiatrist, Tim Pargeter at This Foot & Ankle, has both developed my understanding of the foot & ankle region and created an invaluable resource for coaching clients.
More locally in Albury-Wodonga, Tim has stepped in with my athletes here when needed with wonderful feedback every time.
Both Anna and Tim take a similar holistic view to each individual person which I have found is a rare trait in their related industries.
Coaching is never a linear experience and this is why I do my utmost to find excellent practitioners to collaborate with and provide even more value for all my coaching athletes.
Is Run Coaching For You?
The honest truth is: potentially no.
Nothing is for everyone and it would be negligent to try and force someone into this coaching approach if it doesn't align with their values.
There are plenty of runners who simply want a plan that is low cost that takes a narrow perspective and will accept it being low touch, relatively generic, low accountability, slow responses and potentially have at-cost options for when they need it.
Though this isn't my personal preference I understand if this is better for you.
If that doesn't sound like you then this approach will likely be just what you are looking for.
The most common reasons people come to me are:
Struggling with injury and burnout
Not enjoying the process anymore
Can't stay consistent with their training
Can't find time to run
Feel like they are forcing their life to fit around running
Desire more support
Looking for a consistent coaching approach
Plateauing with their current approach
Looking for more contact with their coach
Need more accountability
Their current plan/coach isn't working
Tried free plans/low cost coaching options and want more value from coaching
Simply don't know what to do
Want to add strength training without paying for two coaches
Love running and ready to invest in themselves
Want to feel seen, heard, and understood
And these are just some of the reasons why people seek out a holistic run coaching approach that seamlessly integrates running into their life to maximise enjoyment and performance.
Finding solutions to all of these problems to help you discover your true potential with running is my passion. Nothing gives me more joy than when an athlete progresses from just surviving with running to thriving with running.
Get In Touch
If by reading this you are becoming curious to know if this approach is for you then get in touch!
If you've followed me on socials for a while you will know I am a big advocate for talking to multiple coaches before you make a decision. As we've gone through, each coach has a different approach, expertise, and personality. Matching these to you is vital.
From my side, to help with this I utilise a discovery call that can be as long as we need to truly understand if coaching is for you and if I am the right coach.
You can book a discovery call directly here!
There's no obligation and if I'm not the right person I'll happily direct you to someone who I think may be.
Not ready for a running coach but want to learn more about how to improve your running?
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Thank you for reading, I appreciate you!
James Sieber
