Coaching Services

Coach Tommy Kauffmann

Do you need some guidance in your training? Are you targeting a specific race for a peak performance? Looking to build the foundation for a successful track or cross country season?

Above all, do you want to get faster?

Then let me help you! Starting this year (2018) I will be offering coaching services to individual athletes.

Sure, you could use a canned plan from a book or some other resource, but if you're really trying to maximize your performance then you need to adopt a more individualized approach. Pre-written training plans are often too general and too rigid to truly create your best race; they lack the individuality that all athletes need and they aren't adaptable to the vicissitudes of daily life.

As a coach, I'll adapt training to your specific situation: we'll fine-tune and play to your strengths while at the same time developing your weaknesses in an effort to maximize your gift.

Every athlete is an experiment of one.

You will always run best when training is adapted to your individual needs. That said, training will always be grounded in three main principles:

1. Mileage: Every mid- and long-distance event from the 800 on up relies primarily on contributions from your aerobic metabolism. That's not to say that the anaerobic and creatine-phosphate energy pathways don't play a role; instead, it means that the primary determinant of distance running success is your aerobic fitness -- and the primary way to develop that is through the application of mileage. There is no one-size-fits-all mileage number you need to hit; everybody will have there own limitations that we must find. What matters is that through the long-term, consistent application of mileage run at a variety of effort levels, you will see improvement at any distance. 
2. Progression: When you first started running, you weren't doing 100 mile weeks. All this means is that from season to season and year to year, your training should gradually build upon itself and gradually progress in volume and intensity. Training is simply the process of applying a stress to the body and then allowing it to adapt, becoming faster, stronger, and more enduring. By improving the volume and intensity of training over the course of seasons, we are always providing a stimulus for improvement. (Incidentally, progression-style workouts are my favorite: running faster as the workout goes on feels good and is a great way to practice running fast while tired.)
3. Periodization: This is nothing new, it's a classic Lydiard principle that's been around for 60+ years of distance training. Simply put, periodization is an in-season progression from general to specific fitness. Early on in training, we are looking to develop your general fitness. As the season progresses, we adopt more strenuous workouts until the end, when we are preparing for work that is most specific to your goal race. This will allow you to peak at a higher level than if you did the same style training year-round.

That's it. At it's core, distance running should be a fairly simple sport. With so many resources out there, sometimes we all (myself included) needed to be reminded of that fact.

Who is this for?

My coaching services are primarily targeted towards the competitive-minded runner. There's no specific time standard for that; it doesn't matter if you're a first-time marathoner or an Olympic Trials hopeful, if you're a State title contender or Junior Varsity role player, all that matters is that you are willing to work to improve yourself.

It's a mindset, not a speed.

As such, I have three plans available for whatever fits your situation the best:

• Option 1: I will write you a custom 12-week training schedule targeting the goal race of your choice. It will take into account your training history and the individuality of your target race; however, this plan does not come with outside communication. Once you receive your plan, you're on your own.
• Option 2: I will fully customize your training for as long as you remain a client. This plan includes unlimited communication with me via email, phone, or in-person meetings. We will start by going over your goals and developing a long-term training outline, and then get into the specific week-by-week training. I will typically send out training schedules in two-week increments, so that we can adjust it based on how you adapt to the workload.
• Option 3: I offer the exact same plan as above but specifically for high school or collegiate athletes. I recognize that you have a different situation than the typical runner, so this plan will be primarily focused around foundational work in the pre-season base-building phase. As such, it comes with a two- to three-month commitment until the reigns are handed back to your team's coach.

For pricing and all other inquiries, please send me an email or contact me.

So if you are interested in becoming a faster, more well-rounded runner; if you want to find out just how far you can go; if you really want to challenge your limits, then let me help you! I mean, if you're going to invest all the time, energy, and money into proper training for a race (not to mention entry fees and other training costs), then you might as well make sure you are getting expert advice along the way.

For more information or for an initial trial, visit my CONTACT page or send me an email: kauffmannt1 [at] gmail.com.    <<<<<< Pay attention and make sure you spell this right!

Let's get fast!