Coaching

Sarah in Joaquin Miller park By working one-on-one and developing a personal training plan, I help runners of all ability levels improve and stay motivated to reach their goals.

My approach to coaching emphasizes individualization, moderation, periodization, injury prevention, and making a training schedule that works with a busy person’s real life. My specialty is coaching runners who want to transition from road racing to trail racing, or who want to graduate to marathon and ultra distances. But I have the experience and knowledge to train runners for any distance from the 5K to 100 miles, and I love to coach beginners as well as experienced runners.

I offer coaching in person to clients close to where I live (near Telluride, Colorado), and coaching via email/videocall/phone to clients outside the region. I use the Training Peaks App to design and monitor individuals’ training plans.

Sarah took the guesswork out of having to create a training plan that would allow me to run stronger and faster. Every step of the way, she gave me personal feedback as to how I was doing and further modified her custom plan to fit my progress. She gave me the confidence I needed to believe I could PR at the race because I had steadily trained. I would highly recommend Sarah as a coach! – Sheila Hollander of Piedmont

See my credentials and experience for my qualifications, services and pricing for how it works, and testimonials from clients.

My approach to coaching:

My coaching is based on the fundamentals of the Road Runners Club of America Coaching Certification Program, which emphasizes periodization (development of training cycles that build progressively from base training to peak performance). I bolster my skills and knowledge to coach mountain/ultra/trail running by reading the books and blogs of many of the sport’s elite athletes and coaches.

I develop highly customized, goal-specific training plans to strengthen a runner’s base and to develop or fine-tune specific skills, such as speed, uphill/downhill running over technical terrain, proper biomechanics, pacing, nighttime running for ultras, refueling/hydration, mental prep for race day and more.

I’m a seasoned competitive runner with a real life outside of running. My job as a coach is to help runners set their goals, strategize and motivate to meet those goals, and achieve progress through consistency and buildup. I develop realistic, flexible weekly plans that work with each client’s time and energy constraints, and I modify them as necessary based on frequent communication with each client.

In mid-2018, REI’s blog recognized me for successfully encouraging trail running among women. Check out the article, “These Six Women Are Getting More Women Into Trail Running.”

What are some of the benefits of having a personal coach?

  • motivation, accountability, consistency, progress
  • long-term planning and structure of training blocks to identify and achieve big goals
  • daily, weekly, monthly feedback and fine-tuning of training
  • assessment of strengths and weaknesses, progress and potential
  • enhanced knowledge of how to train properly, avoid injury and successfully execute on race day
  • greater satisfaction from running and developing athletic potential

Services & Pricing

My Coaching Credentials & Racing Highlights

Client Testimonials

Please contact me if you’re interested in my services.

Racing in the 2016 Lake Sonoma 50-mile Ultra, during which I took nearly 30 minutes off my time from 2013.

Racing in the 2016 Lake Sonoma 50-mile Ultra, during which I took nearly 30 minutes off my time from 2013.


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Racing in the Grand to Grand Ultra 2014, a 170-mile, seven-day self-supported ultra (meaning: we had to carry all our food and sleeping gear for the week in backpacks) through extreme desert terrain. I am the only woman to have finished the Grand to Grand Ultra three times, finishing 3rd female in 2012, 2nd female in 2014, and winning it as 1st female and the only woman in the top 10 overall in 2019 when I was age 50. I welcome clients who seek coaching to prepare for similar stage races.

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