Coaching Through Experience: What My 2025 Running Year Taught Me as a Coach

Every year I coach athletes through goals, setbacks, breakthroughs, and finish lines. In 2025, I lived all of those moments myself — sometimes in extreme environments, sometimes in local races, and often alongside the very community I coach.

This year deepened my belief that the best coaching comes from experience, not theory alone.

Training for the Unknown Builds Better Athletes

Running the Antarctica Marathon in March required a level of preparation that went far beyond a traditional marathon plan. There were no guarantees — only uncertainty, environmental challenges, and the need to adapt in real time.

As a coach, that experience reinforced something I now emphasize even more:

• Strength and durability matter

• Adaptability is a skill that must be trained

• Confidence comes from preparation, not perfection

This approach carried through the entire year and shaped how I guided athletes preparing for their own unknowns — whether that was a first 5K or an ultra.

Finishing one of the most challenging marathons to date

Racing Often, Racing Smart

From Bear Mountain Half Marathon and Superhero Half Marathon in May to trail racing in Lake Placid and stepping up to a 50K Ultra in November, 2025 was a year of varied racing.

As a coach, racing across distances and terrains reminded me:

• You don’t need to peak for every race

• Strategic effort produces long-term success

• Fitness can be maintained while still enjoying competition

Age-group podiums and strong finishes were a byproduct of smart training, not overreaching — a lesson I bring directly to my athletes.

Strength, Consistency, and Longevity

This year wasn’t about chasing one performance. It was about showing up consistently:

• Incorporating strength and mobility as non-negotiables

• Respecting recovery during high-volume blocks

• Allowing seasons to ebb and flow

Winning my age group at the Lake Placid Trail Half Marathon and finishing 3rd in my age group in the 50K validated what I coach daily: durability is built over time.

The Power of Community

Some of the most meaningful moments of 2025 weren’t podiums:

• Racing Team Championships in Central Park with Amazing Feet Run Club

• Running the Sun Run 10 Miler and Cranford Santa Run 5K with Scott

• Celebrating athletes at local races I also lined up for

As a coach, being part of the community — not just guiding it — matters. It builds trust, relatability, and shared understanding.

Representing AFRC in Central Park

Redefining Success for Athletes

This year reinforced how I define success in my coaching:

• Progress over perfection

• Effort over outcome

• Joy alongside ambition

Not every race went exactly to plan — and that was the point. Learning to adjust, recover, and keep moving forward is the true win.

Carrying These Lessons Forward

2025 shaped me not just as a runner, but as a better coach. It reminded me that coaching is about guiding athletes through both achievement and adversity — because both are inevitable.

As I look toward 2026, I carry these experiences into every program I design, every conversation I have, and every athlete I support.

Because the best coaching doesn’t come from the sidelines — it comes from being in the work.