Which group do you coach?
I do a weekly Tuesday evening track session with a great and inspiring pool of Senior/U23 distance guys at Highgate; and I suggest the details of the longer Saturday off-track sessions. Individually as a volunteer I coach a small number of Highgate and others at national/international level; and commercially a further number of runners across a wide range of levels. 3k to marathon.
How did you get into coaching?
Simply, I had 20+ years as a driven though talentless club runner (Shaftesbury and then Muswell Hill Runners), picked up a degenerative injury in mid/late 30s and coaching was an almost inevitable choice to satisfy my wish to stay deeply connected to the sport that was an important part of my life.
What motivates you?
Ultimately however much we dwell on stats and results, it's about working with great people and having memorable experiences. I'm driven to do as good a job as I can - firstly because that's surely a given if runners have put their faith in you for something which forms such a big part of their life; and secondly because that gives better odds of finding the memorable experiences.
What’s your proudest moment as a coach?
Not fair to single out anything - and remember 'pride comes before a fall'!
What’s the piece of advice you most often give to your athletes?
In the big picture, whilst athletes always want more and almost never admit 100% satisfaction with a performance, sometimes they should step back and make sure they enjoy and luxuriate in the best moments, because they won't last forever.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of becoming a coach?
It's a really long game and you won't make linear progress but persevere and find some Key Others. The AI world and the mainly ghastly horde of Instagram and YouTube charlatans have changed the coaching world hugely so be selective with athletes who you assess as 'your sort of person', whatever that might mean individually.
What do you like doing best when you're not coaching?
I got heavily into music even before running so spend vast amounts of time ploughing through Americana, folk, roots, country and rock material and at gigs. Also reading to satisfy my long-held fascination/admiration/revulsion at the USA. I'll let you guess which of those dominates currently.
Tell us a secret…
It's all in my book. Apart from what I'm keeping secret.
Want to read more of David’s views, contacts, heroes and experiences in the sport? His book “A Few More Laps” is available here: https://runcoach1to1.com/a-few-more-laps/
