To the runner reading this
From Ben
If you've found your way here, I'd guess you're a runner or an athlete who isn't where you want to be.
Maybe you've plateaued. Maybe a race is coming up and you're not sure you're ready. Maybe you train hard and still feel like you're behind.
You probably want to get better, and you're wondering whether coaching would help.
I'll tell you plainly what I do, so you can decide whether it's right for you.
I work with my clients on the pressure they carry into their sport.
I don't write training plans. You may already have a coach or an app for that, and if it's a decent plan, the plan usually isn't the problem.
What I see, over and over, is athletes who do the work but carry a weight that makes everything harder. They check their watch every few minutes. They compare their pace to people they follow online. They've set a goal (a time, a distance, a list of races) that started as something exciting and turned into something they have to prove.
That weight costs energy. It sucks the joy out of the thing they used to love.
The first thing you and I would do together is look honestly at where you are right now. That sounds simple, and in a way it is.
But most of the athletes I work with have never actually done it. They've been running from where they are toward where they think they need to be. When they stop and accept the starting point, something loosens. That often happens within the first few sessions.
From there, we build.
We look at what you actually want from your sport. What you want. As opposed to what you've absorbed from a trainer, a rival, social media, or an older version of yourself.
Then we set goals that come from you, and we work toward them in a way you can sustain.
Along the way I use conversation, and where it helps, tools from neuro-linguistic programming and hypnotherapy, to work with the fear and self-doubt that often hides underneath the pressure.
I should be honest about what this leads to, because it isn't always what people expect.
This work can make you better at your sport. Pressure is expensive, and athletes who let go of it often perform better. But sometimes, it makes you realize the goal you came in with wasn't really yours to begin with.
I don't decide which of those happens. You do. My job is to help you see clearly enough to choose. One client described it like this:
"You didn't say anything, you just asked some questions, and I made my own decision. I was completely speechless. I didn't understand it. I was like: 'What the hell did he do?'"
Now, if what you want is a training plan, race-day nutrition, or someone to shout at you, I'm not the right person, and I'd rather tell you that now.
If your drive to win is genuinely working for you and you're enjoying it, you probably will not benefit from this either.
I'm most useful to people who sense that the pressure has become a problem, even if they can't quite say why or how.
We meet once a week for an hour on Zoom. We work together for at least three months, and some continue for up to six.
If you'd like to talk, the next step is a free 30-minute call. We'll go through where you are, what you want, and whether I can help. If I don't think I can, I'll tell you.
Click the link below and you'll find a short form: nine questions about you, your sport, and what's been getting in the way. It takes about five minutes. I read every answer before we talk, so we can skip the introductions and use the 30 minutes on what matters to you.
When you submit the form, you'll go straight to my calendar to pick a time that suits you. Once you've booked, you'll get an email confirming the time with the Zoom link.
Either way, thank you for being here.