Tracy recently ran a blistering 10K, which is his best fitness level result by more than 10 points. We asked him about his journey to this break-through race and any secrets to success he'd like to share.
Major milestone: Ran a 10k in 45 minutes. The last mile I ran at a 5:55 pace. I had never run a mile under 7:00 prior to this.
What is the secret to your success? Setting lofty goals and religiously following the plan Runcoach puts in front of me. Choosing a competitor in my age group from an upcoming race that I want to beat and training as hard as I can to accomplish that goal.
What is the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals and how do you get over it? Staying within the training plan. I try to do too much and suffer small injuries.
What is the most rewarding part of training? Seeing the results. Last year I ran half marathons at a 8:55-9:05 pace. This year I'm sure I can run at 7:55.
What advice would you give to other members of the Runcoach community? Follow the plan as closely as you can and don't try to exceed the limits given in the training plan or eventually you'll suffer an injury and ultimately have to completely start over.
Anything else you would like to share? I love the quick responses and encouragement from the coaches when I have questions or issues.
What feedback would you offer on the Runcoach experience? It is a great program. I needed some guidance because I started running 2 years ago and had no idea what I was doing. I didn't necessarily need a personal coach to watch me 24/7, I just needed a good training program, some videos to watch to see how it is done, and someone knowledgeable to answer any questions I might have-all of which Runcoach provides. My heel-to-toe running has transformed to ball of the foot first with push and feels more natural and easy thanks to this program.