Having a coach in your pocket

Running is a natural movement and (almost) everyone is born with the knowledge of how to do it. It isn?t until later, owing to many years spent sitting in school, then work, facing various problems and putting on extra weight that the starting line becomes different for each of us to reach. That is if, after all, we decide to start running in the first place. What one person finds easy, someone else may struggle with ? even without making any beginner?s mistakes. Then the questions arise: do I train with or without a coach? Do I need a performance tracking tool or can I just go by feeling? Should I count my pulse or not? How many kilometers can I handle?

Although running is a sport for individuals, it simply doesn?t work without other people. Your sparring partner can be a friend with running experience, your husband (provided he will take it easy on you and won?t discourage you from further running) ? or, even better, a coach or a training group. An experienced coach will set up an optimal training program for you to begin with in order to prepare for a particular race or improve your performance (according to your skills), design a personalized training plan and help with supplementary exercises to avoid spinal injuries. For a group, the training program will be designed so that everyone gets what they need regardless of their fitness level. Not everyone however, has the right conditions and people around them. That?s when you may want to reach for a smart tool that will help you avoid beginner?s mistakes in training.

The latest innovation on the market has just been introduced by adidas: miCoach, meaning ?my coach?, can be a great help, especially for beginners and intermediate runners. Although we could say that the market is saturated with this sort of technology, it is not quite so here. Beginners and intermediate runners in particular don?t have to worry about numbers or heart zones ? this smart tool analyzes every step they make based on their body?s reactions and through the speaker it advises them to ?Speed up?, ?Slow down? or ?Keep the speed?- unfortunately, at least for now, only in English. Similar to the GPS car navigation, you can choose between a male and female coach and, what?s more, this coach will also help you set up a training plan. The miCoach is comprised of a chest belt that measures your heart rate, a device similar to a watch, without a display but with a multifunctional brain inside and several control buttons, a footpad (compatible with shoes of all sorts) and headphones, or just the one so that you can hear a passing car or other warning sounds as you run.

The program begins with a 12-minute exercise. Don?t worry, you won?t run at full speed. You walk first, then speed up according to instructions and slow down in the end. This will set your level of fitness on the basis of which you choose from various programs ranging from ?be fit? and ?lose weight? to ?run a race?. Your miniature coach will measure the time you need to achieve your goal (i.e. if you specify that you can practice four times a week). You can check your stats, how successful you were in maintaining your planned training zone and receive coaching feedback online. As a bonus, you get a very accurate pedometer that works far more efficiently than the vast majority of similar devices. The miCoach is able to measure stride rate, distance and pace on treadmill running, cross-country skiing, and orbitrek. You can find more information on www.micoach.com.

You can design your own training plan or use the one from your coach. miCoach is available for only 3300 Kč and is compatible with all sorts of mp3 players. Advanced athletes who also require their heart rate, pace or elevation to be measured usually get devices that are much more expensive.

Perhaps the only disadvantage of all devices, either speaking or non-speaking ones, is that they won?t improve your form, help you find the proper clothes and shoes, or advise on your approach to races. Nothing can ever replace a real coach when it comes to these things. However, your coach may not see your actual fitness level as your heart rate isn?t displayed on your forehead. Through the use of a computer, the smart tool can communicate with your smart coach who then evaluates your exercise (and what you have managed to achieve) and thinks of further training strategy.

MY EXPERIENCE: During my sprint-running career, I obviously ran without a performance tracker, but with a coach on the track, almost every day. That?s pretty much the only way to run sprints. I didn?t worry much at all when switching to long-distance running and when I heard some girls discussing whether they should run based on their heart rate or pace per kilometer, I thought they were speaking Chinese. I eventually made a decent improvement (dropping 40 minutes in the marathon and 15 minutes in the half marathon) even though I?d either run longer distances at a slow pace or shorter distances at a faster pace and had my ?benchmark? circuits at several places where time was the only indicator of fitness level. So I got my first performance tracker much later, when it became clear that I would only improve my times by a few minutes; with each taking liters of sweat and more thoughtful training. On the other hand, as an experienced sprinter I knew that keeping the same level of training would not improve me any further. That?s why I recommend getting a trainer on your arm sooner rather than later. What about a live coach? As a coach who creates training plans and helps others, I could easily set up a plan for myself and stick to it. But unless one is ascetic or self-destructive by nature, people tend to be nice to themselves and give up easily on a workout. That?s why I have my personal coach as well, thanks to whom I have improved my performance in the 10 km by 2 minutes over the last year and achieved faster times in all distances from 1,500 m to the marathon.

Also, thanks to the good advice of my coach to run a race I always tried to avoid, I won a silver medal in the World Championship in Masters, and this year will see me competing in the extra league. It is easier to follow instructions set by a higher authority. I always hang up my training plan on the fridge, and it works just fine.

TRAINING TIP: A training plan will help you achieve your goals, but remember: it is not a dogma and if you don?t accomplish 100% of your goal, it doesn?t matter. Slow down or skip your routine for a few days if you feel you are getting sick, have too much work, the whole family is sick and you have to take care of them, you get injured or are recovering from an illness. You should not skip practice often (never only because you simply don?t feel like running) but if your body needs to rest, be sure it gets it. A body weakened by sickness, tiredness, stress, and beaten down by your effort to adhere to the plan no matter what, will get stuck at the worst possible time. It?s good if you can (at least via email) discuss any changes with your coach. He or she will help you to adjust the plan and get back on track once you are ready.