My coaching philosophy is to help runners, especially those 40 and older, build a long-lasting, positive relationship with running. Whether someone wants to enjoy steady miles, improve health, or succeed in races, especially half marathons and marathons, I want to help runners develop good form, make smart training decisions, and actively prevent injury. Running should support both physical and mental health, not constantly break people down. My goal is to help runners find lasting enjoyment, extend their healthy years, and model what lifelong fitness can look like well past retirement age.
Beginner
If you’re just beginning your running journey, we’ll start with a conversation about where you are today and where you’d like to be a few months from now. Maybe your goal is to run your first 5K. Maybe you simply want to improve your health, lose weight, or build a sustainable fitness habit. Whatever brought you here, we’ll build a plan that fits your life rather than expecting your life to revolve around running.
We’ll create a personalized four-month training plan with day-by-day guidance that gradually builds your endurance while giving your body time to adapt. Your plan will include walking and running intervals, rest days, and simple strength and mobility exercises to help reduce injury risk and build a solid foundation for long-term success.
In Person: If you’re in the Mesa, Arizona, area, we’ll meet weekly or every other week at a local track, park, or trail. We’ll work on running form, pacing, technique, and the practical skills that make running more enjoyable and sustainable.
Remote: Through video calls, messaging, and shared training plans, we’ll stay connected with regular check-ins to answer questions, adjust your schedule when life gets in the way, celebrate progress, and make sure you feel supported every step of the way.
Intermediate
If you’ve already completed a few races, can comfortably run several miles, or simply want to take your running to the next level, we’ll focus on training with greater purpose.
This is often where runners begin asking bigger questions. How do I run farther without getting hurt? How do I improve my pace? Should I train for a half marathon? Why have I stopped improving?
Together, we’ll develop a customized training plan that matches your goals, experience, and available time. Depending on what you’re working toward, that may include longer runs, tempo runs, intervals, hill workouts, recovery strategies, strength training, and mobility work. Just as importantly, we’ll talk about pacing, fueling, race strategy, and making smart decisions so you continue improving without burning out.
In Person: We’ll meet regularly for workouts, form analysis, and skill development while adjusting your training based on how your body is responding.
Remote: We’ll review your completed workouts, discuss what’s working (and what isn’t), and continually fine-tune your training so it stays aligned with your goals, your schedule, and your life.
Advanced
Experienced runners don’t usually need someone to tell them to run. They need someone to help them train smarter.
Whether you’re chasing a marathon personal best, preparing for a destination race, qualifying for Boston, tackling an ultramarathon, or simply trying to continue running well into your 50s, 60s, and beyond, we’ll approach your training with purpose and attention to detail.
Advanced coaching goes well beyond weekly mileage. We’ll evaluate training load, recovery, nutrition, race pacing, strength work, injury prevention, travel, weather, and the countless small decisions that can make the difference between simply finishing and performing at your best. We’ll also recognize that life doesn’t stop just because you’re training. Family, work, travel, and unexpected interruptions are part of every runner’s reality, and your training should be flexible enough to accommodate them.
In Person: We’ll schedule focused workouts, race preparation sessions, and performance evaluations while making adjustments based on your progress throughout the training cycle.
Remote: We’ll stay in close communication through shared training platforms, regular coaching calls, and ongoing analysis of your workouts so your plan evolves as your fitness evolves.
No matter how experienced you become, my coaching philosophy remains the same: train consistently, stay healthy, make good decisions, and build a relationship with running that will serve you for decades—not just your next race.