Coaching
Wellington Scottish has an active coaching programme for runners who join the club. Experienced runners and walkers within the club volunteer to help other runners and walkers to train wisely and achieve their goals.
Whatever your age and level of ability, and no matter how often you run, as a runner you are always making decisions. You need to decide whether to sign up for races, what times to aim for, how to train, when to rest, what shoes to buy, whether to push on with today’s run even if you are feeling exhausted, and so on and on. In making these decisions, it is always helpful to have an experienced runner to talk to – and that’s what our Scottish coaches are for.
How can I access a coach?
Coaching is available to all Scottish members, regardless of ability and ambitions. Coaching at Scottish comes in many varieties, some of which can only be loosely described as “coaching”. Here are three of the most common forms of coaching within the club.
If you are new to Scottish, an experienced member of the club can chat with you about the club programme and help you get the most out of your membership. Would you like to run cross country or road races? Would you like to join a relay team? Where can you find other Scottish members to train with? A chat with a club veteran can help you find your way.
If you are new to running or racing, or just want to get a fresh perspective on your running, a coach can have a one-off session with you to chat about your goals and the basics of good training. A coach can talk to you about how to structure your training weeks, how to peak for a race, and how to get the most benefit out of the time you have available for training – among many other things.
If you would like a running guide and mentor, then a coach can work with you over time; long-term coaching relationships are very popular within Scottish, and have developed in many different forms, following the different needs and preferences of the runners and coaches involved.
All coaching at Scottish is done by volunteers. While we do not offer paid coaching, if you would like to find a professional coach, we can make recommendations for coaching outside the club.
Would you like to be a coach?
If you are a Scottish member and would like to try your hand at coaching, we’d like to hear from you.
The club can set you up with a mentoring relationship with a more experienced coach, and we will support you if you would like to get coaching qualifications or turn coaching into a career. You will probably be a better coach than you think; you’d be surprised at how much knowledge you build up over a few years of running. Coaches are always in demand, and their efforts make a huge contribution to our runners and to the club as a whole.