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| Tony and I have been spending a lot of time together this year! |
As I have gradually added running back to my routine, I decided that since I am not spending the training season focusing on my pace, doing speedwork and shooting for a PR, that maybe I should give back instead. For years, I've wanted to volunteer to be a Houston Fit or Woodlands Fit coach. However, the Hubs had odd work hours for a long time, then I started grad school and well, it just wasn't in the cards. But this year, that's not the case...
So, I e-mailed Rachel, who coordinates Woodlands Fit, to ask if she was in need of any assistant coaches. She responded with a "yes" and suggested we meet up to discuss this in person. A few weeks ago, I met her and told her a little about my running background. When I walked in, I was only inquiring about an Assistant Coach role. When I walked out, I had the role of Head Coach for the 1/2 marathon Red group! So exciting!
If you're not familiar with the USA Fit groups, the runners are broken down into various pace groups designated by colors. There's blue (really fast), green/yellow (9 min/mile), red (10-12 min/mile), purple (12+ min/mile and walkers), etc. The red group tends to be the largest and usually includes quite a few newbies. Last weekend, we had our first group run - it was a 1 mile time trial to determine who would be in which pace group. I had an opportunity to meet the runners who would be in my group. It was awesome and I can't wait to get to know everyone better!
In other news, I am also looking into getting a certification...although, I haven't decided which one. As in certification, I mean a personal training cert - more than likely either the ACSM or NASM, but I am still researching this because there are so many! There was an weekend-long ACSM course here in Houston a few weeks ago, but I missed it. :-( I am not sure what I am going to do with this certification just yet, but I have a few ideas swimming around in my head. I am also considering either a RRCA or USTAF certification, but there aren't any of these courses nearby for the remainder of the year. Boo! More to come on this...
Have you been a member of a group running program? Do you have a certification?
4 comments:
I've only been in one "official" running program & that was the one I did this past Spring.
I don't have any certifications but you've got me curious about them.
How exciting for you! You'll have a great time coaching others. I absolutely love it!
Sounds like some exciting things happening for you :). I have a AFAA personal training certification. I wouldn't ever do any personal training with it because I felt it was pretty rushed (3 days) but it was intense and passing the test was harder than I though - ha. I also have the RRCA and high school running coach certifications - those I love using :). Good luck with which ever way you go :)!!
Awesome news about coaching! I actually started training with Houston Fit last year, and then backed out of the full and ran the half instead when my shin gave me problems. And I'm excited you got into the Houston half, too!
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