Coaching Services

As a certified coach (USAT&F Level I, RRCA Level II, UESCA, & Lydiard Foundation Level II) I want to make sure each athlete not only gets the training they need, but to maintain the joy and fun that running should be! I love running, and I want to make sure each runner finds and maintains their love for the sport as well!!!

My Philosophy:

I believe that running is a journey that should be shared and enjoyed along each step of the way. By coaching, I create a partnership with each individual athlete in which we get to know the individuals needs and ways in which we can find the most success in helping the athlete achieve his or her goal(s) through training. We cannot be successful without building trust in one another, and that begins with our daily honest communications as to how the athlete is performing in running and how daily life may be affecting their run for the day, week, or beyond. I believe in a comprehensive approach to training in which we have to consider the athlete’s history with training (successes & failures), strengths & weaknesses in training and how we can capitalize on the strengths and strengthen the weaknesses, and keeping a long term view for the athletes longevity and health in the sport. My goal for each athlete is to keep them healthy and enjoying the sport in route to helping them build stamina & endurance, while getting faster & stronger. 

I coach Middle School Aged to Adults and distances of 5k to Ultramarathon. 

For $125 a month, my coaching provides:

• Online Training Plan Using Training Peaks Premium Edition

• Daily Feedback & Weekly Email and Communications 

• Unlimited text, emails, & calls

• Flexible Schedule Changes

• Private Facebook & Strava Groups

• Weekly Topic covered in a Zoom Conference w/ Q &A Sessions

• Crewing & Pacing at events

• Running Form Analysis

• Footwear and Gear Selection

• Private Events/Races so even if events are cancelled, you'll have something to look forward to!

If you're interested in having a conversation, please don't hesitate to reach out by clicking the button below. I currently have spots available.

Did You Even Acclimate Bro?

The simple answer…NO!!!

Hardrock 100-Miles of Wild & Tough terrain! The course that humbles the body and beautifies the soul! So, when Dale Garland contacted me four weeks from the start of the race to notify me that my spot on the waitlist had turned into a spot on the starters list, I pooped myself a bit! A dream for many of us to receive that call, and a decision not to be made in haste, of course I said yes on the spot without checking with my spouse or coach.

As I write this, I sit at home at 2273’ of elevation in Mills River, NC. Our tallest peak is Mount Mitchell, that (for us) towers at 6684’ above sea level. A far cry from the 14,058’ of Handies Peak of which we would reach on the Hardrock course! Thus, my apprehension and concerns grew for what I had just committed myself to!

Being a father of two and the primary care provider for those misfits, I would not have the capability of flying out early to acclimate. And when I suggested renting an altitude tent to sleep in, my wife looked at me with the concern of having to have a psychiatric evaluation for my already poor (mostly economic) decision making skills. So, fly in the Tuesday prior to the Friday race start it was!

Rich Limacher was slated to speak about his new book, “The How of The Hardrock” on Tuesday in Silverton. It was to be a comical talk on the event and pointers on how to finish. Rich is a native of Illinois and a Hardrock finisher, which gave me some reassurance that what I was doing was feasible until he said it took him three tries. Crap! He spoke about the two climbs (Virginius Pass & Grant Swap Pass) with scree fields and their respective difficulties (especially in snow years). I swallowed hard yet again! I knew of these, but his descriptions of these climbs left me feeling like I needed to go home a reevaluate my life choices.

That talk left me with the understanding that I had three obstacles to overcome in this race. I broke the race up by those challenges. My first would be to summit Handies Peak without my pacers, after which I would pick up my first pacer and great friend, Morgan Elliott. That gave me something to look forward to and the hope that I’d get over my first 14er on foot. The second challenge would be to get up and over Virginius Pass with Morgan, and the third to get up and over Grant Swamp Pass with my other friend/pacer Sam Reed. My wife and Mercedes Siegle-Gaither would be crewing and, in my corner. I had experience and support to do this!

With that hope in my heart, I toed the line with the goal of kissing that rock at the finish! I would stay within myself and enjoy this journey every step of the way. With that mentality I made my way through the course making sure to never overexert myself. Slowing down and even stopping when necessary to keep my heart rate down. I smiled often, if not always as I made my way to Handies Peak. I made my way up Handies and stuck to my plan. Some say that at that elevation it can be like sucking air through a straw. A straw!?! How about a coffee stirring straw! Shew!!! But, upon summiting the peak, I took a video and a selfie to recognize I had just completed challenge number one!

Making my way down to the Grouse Gulch Aid Station, I knew I’d not only see my crew, but pickup Morgan. My smile grew bigger as I descended. Happiness is infectious, even if it’s infecting yourself! On to challenge number two! We had a date with Virginius Pass!

After a rough night and some dirt naps, Morgan and I reached the base of Virginius Pass and I faced my advisory for the first time. Morgan smiled at me as he knows, this is the stuff we’re born to do. Go outside our comfort zone and tackle what most wouldn’t even think of! Onward! We dug our poles in and made our way upward. The struggle was real, but then I caught a glimpse of our destination and there stood a longtime friend, Canyon Woodard! I forgot Canyon and his brother Forest would be there! My heart soared to see those friendly faces. I was going to be just fine, and darn it, I was going to kiss that rock!

We enjoyed our time at Kroger’s Canteen Aid Station with our friends and all too quickly we were getting ourselves together for the 4000’ descent in 4.5 miles down to Telluride where I would pick up Sam.

In Telluride, I gave Morgan a huge hug for his help, positive energy, and abundance of patience for putting up with me through a rough night! It was Sam’s turn!

Off we climbed (and descended and climb and descended) until we reached Grant Swamp Pass. I struggled up this one a bit more. I don’t know if it was steeper or just the fact that I was TIRED!!! Of course, we made it, and we celebrated the climb by soaking in the views for perhaps a bit longer than either of us had planned, but it was well worth it!

Now that all my challenges were behind us, we set our sights on the finish! We were emotional, both Sam and I. Tears were never far from either of our eyes as we just appreciated the moment, our surroundings, and the opportunity we both found ourselves in!

As we passed the last Aid Station at Putnam, Sam said to me, “If we can average 15:00 miles from here to the finish, we’d be done before dark.” That was enough for my wrecked body to be reinvigorated and a renewed pep in my step and move us swiftly to the finish.

I exceeded that 15:00 average and into Silverton we cruised. My fist pumping in the air and words of exuberation resounded as I caught view of The Rock! After a tasteful and respectful kiss of the rock and one more fist pump, I was a Hardrocker. I celebrated with my wife and crew and let the feeling of accomplishment wash over me.

Thank you to Dale Garland and his dedicated team. Thank you to the volunteers for their tireless work and amazing energy! And thank you to my family, crew, pacers, and coach! Without you my journey to the Rock would not have been as remotely joyful or meaningful!!!

One final word…If your goal is to kiss that Rock, maybe you should acclimate!!! ;)

Running Tip of the Month

Putting Yourself Outside Your Comfort Zone

The picture at right is on top of Handies Peak. That's 14,058' at the summit. This is the high point of the Hardrock Course, and the cause of may sleepless nights for me leading up to the race.

So many questions and concerns were raised as I had never tried to hike at that altitude. Handies was the unknown and a giant question mark for me in my quest to finish Hardrock.

I didn't have the time to summit a 14er prior to the race. All I could do was trust my training and my body to get me up and over that summit. I knew I would have to go slow and manage both my breathing and my heart rate. 

The climb up was steep, cold, wet, and windy, but my stoke was high! I was excited by this challenge. I almost looked forward to seeing how I would manage this part of the course. And when I stood atop the summit, I took the time to celebrate this moment.

Most things we do in racing is unknown and will put us outside our comfort zone. So use the following steps to reach your proverbial summit:

1. Formulate your plan to accomplish your goal. Read blogs/race reports of people with finishes similar to your race goals and see how they executed their plan.

2. Visualize feeling strong throughout the duration of the event and your victory pose upon completion.

3. The last 4-6 weeks prior to your taper in training, make everything as specific to the event as possible. If there's a ton of climbing, this is the time to do your high vertical gain per week. If the race is hot, you should find a great heat acclimatization plan to follow (most likely 3 weeks out from the event for 15 days). The same goes for altitude acclimatization (2 weeks out). Train for the event.

4. Change your apprehensions and fears into excitement for a new opportunity and challenge. Look forward to this. Celebrate your journey and training to this point.

5. Speak with those that come from similar environments about what to expect and how they dealt with it on race day.

6. Relax - in my case, it was just a mountain. I just had to get over it.

Racing/Training Tip of the Month

Hallucinations & To Sleep or Not Sleep?

You've heard about them or quite possibly experienced hallucinations in a long ultra. The fatigue and lack of sleep has caught up and all of a sudden the peaceful waterfall and creek has turned into a chaotic bumper car scene (thank you Hardrock for yet another experience!). In this case, I knew it wasn't real, but what happens when you think it's your reality? In this instance, it can be a danger to you! One of my athletes hallucinated a bench. Pretty harmless until the bench appeared in the busy roadway he was running on. When it becomes a danger to you (or those around you), it's time to take a break and get some sleep.

The same goes for when you begin to fall asleep on your feet. Your eyes are closing as you try to progress on the course. During Hardrock, I tried to sleep at an aid station, but due to the lights and sounds surrounding the aid station, I was unable. I knew I needed a nap as my head was too foggy to continue safely (especially on single track). My pacer and I tried again on a road side, but failed again due to cars and other runners. I began to zombie walk. Staggering left and right as I couldn't keep my eyes open. Thankfully we were on a wide road, but I knew it wasn't getting any better, so we found a roadside trailhead and wrapped ourselves in our emergency blankets and took a sound half hour nap. I felt better for sure and was able to move safely again. Comically, I fell asleep at the next aid station (pictured at right), and when I awoke, the dawn was breaking and I felt good to go!

Thankfully I wasn't fighting any cutoffs, but what happens if you are and you need that brief respite? If you have a pacer, have them wake you after a brief (2-5 minute) nap and assess if you're better off or need more. If you need more, determine if that is at that instant or if you can move for a bit then rest again. Repeat the process as necessary or until you risking too much by not making cutoffs. If you don't have a pacer, use your phone or watch alarm to wake you up in that short above mentioned window. As a tip, get yourself off the trail so no one steps on you or disturbs you. If it's chilly, add some layers, head covering, and emergency blanket to help keep you warm and allow you to sleep. Lay your head in the direction of the way you need to continue so when you wake up, you're orientated in the direction you need to go. Use your pack as your pillow and try to get as comfortable as possible by removing any trail debris that could bother you. If it's wet, I like to have a packaged poncho that I can put over me and under me as a tent.

The main point here is consider your safety when determining if it's worth taking a nap. I was feeling the sleepies around midnight, and knew I wouldn't make it to dawn without some sleep. I've had other runs where I fought through and made it without sleep due to the fact I was able to move forward without staggering. 

Part of my problem at Hardrock was I didn't have any nutrition with caffeine or enough caffeine in my fluids to help keep me awake. Keep this in mind when you're planning your in race nutrition strategy!

With the popularity of the 200+ milers, a sleep plan is most likely your best bet. Remember, you can't train for sleep deprivation. You can only train when sleepy to see how your body will react to the situation and any caffeine products you try to aid in keeping you awake. It's hard to know how to plan sleep for an event of that duration, but sleep early on is your best bet, so you don't need more to catch up on later in the event.

Stay safe out there!!!

Trail Maintenance

Carolina Mountain Club has trail that need a trail maintainer to adopt them. You can find out more information on the Club and contact them through the link below.

Quarterly Saturday Work day for 2021 on August 14, going again to beautiful Big Bald on the world famous Appalachian Trail. Information on this can be found on their website!

Shoe Review of the Month

Altra Superior 5 vs Lone Peak 5

Two things up front:

1. Disclaimer - I have no affiliation to Altra.

2. When listening to my review, keep in mind that I have a medium to low arch. A low volume and narrow foot.

Why have I decided to review these two shoes together? I feel the fit has reversed in these two models from how their predecessors were traditionally constructed. Follow me here...

I'll start with the Superior as I have more of a history with this shoe dating back to the original version. When I wasn't pleased with what the market had to offer in other brands, I would usually buy a Altra Superior as it was the more narrow/lower volume shoe in the line. The only version is did not like was 4.5 as the overlays near the forefoot (behind the metatarsal heads) had a seam that flexed into these bones. Then came version 5.

Altra fixed the seams thankfully, but added a tremendous amount of material to the upper, that increased the volume and changed the fit of the shoe. Typically I could tighten the laces of this shoe without having to synch down the laces too much, but in the current version I have to over tighten the aces to make sure my foot feels secure on the platform. The material over the toes puckers due to the tightening. The puckering does not bother or rub my toes due to the amount of space between the footbed and the upper, yet another change to this shoe. I do like the upper material. Its soft fabric, I believe, would not allow for any abrasive rubbing if the pucker did in fact rub my toes. 

Performance wise, I believe the Superior is still on par with it's older versions. Altra has not updated the midsole to the Ego foam like they have in the Lone Peak, and the outsole uses the MaxTrac rubber, which does just fine in wet conditions. As always, the lugs aren't very aggressive, which I believe makes this shoe versatile on various terrains (gravel roads, dirt trails, and even stretches of paved roads). The Superior comes with a removable StoneGuard, which can take up a bit of the volume in the shoe if you, like me, find the shoe too "blousy" for your foot.

In comparison, the Lone Peak 5, which typically, in previous versions, has been too "blousy" for my foot, has a dialed in slimmer fit, and great underfoot feel with the addition of the Ego Foam. I've always wanted to like this shoe as it seems the perfect amount of cushioning for longer runs and races. Were as the Superior I've used for up to 50k, I don't think I'd race beyond with that shoe due to lack of cushioning. With the Lone Peak, just that slight bit of additional foam (Superior has 21mm stank height vs the 25mm of the Lone Peak) seems to make a world of difference.

Even though the Lone Peak has slightly longer lugs, and better chevron patterns for traction, the on trail (and road) feel is very comfortable and a smooth transition through the foot gate (midfoot to toe and heel to toe).

I don't have as much experience (other than holding the previous models in my hand) with the upper materials, but from what I do know, this material and overlay pattern is very similar to versions past. 

So depending on what fit and feel you're looking for, you have to different options from Altra here. I'll be reaching for the Lone Peak in the current version, but if you want more volume and slightly more minimalistic feel, grab yourself a pair of Superiors.

American Trail Running Association 

The American Trail Running Association, ATRA, was formed in mid-1996 as a Colorado not for profit corporation to serve the mountain, ultra & trail (MUT) running community. Our mission is to represent and promote mountain, ultra & trail running.

POW helps passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change. We are a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies that protect our world today and for future generations.

Podcast of the Month

The Adventure Jogger

Episode 71

Aaron Saft: No Acclimation Necessary

Have a listen...

Kogalla Lights 15% Discount

I'm a Brand Ambassador for Kogalla. You can purchase through the link below and receive a 15% discount.