Coaching Against the Grain

“I try to get to know the person i nside a nd out , find the right buttons to press and the difference between the body, the brain and the heart.” Legendary Saskatchewan track coach John Fitzgerald’s unorthodox methods produced champions and changed lives.

GIVE YOURSELF THEM OTTO OF BEING SLIGHTLY BETTER EACH AND EVERY DAY—IT WILL KEEP YOU EAGER TO RUN.

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It can be helpful

to have some t ype of goal to strive for, whether that’s attempting a new PR in the spring or running a longer distance. Another option is participating in a run streak – running at least one mile every day for a month. (The holidays are a great time to attempt this, when your schedule is packed with parties and dinners, carving out time for yourself has a multitude of benefits). Having ambitions will help get you outside or onto the treadmill when you’re not feeling keen. Your goal might be as simple as trying to improve every day. As Stanton puts it: “Adopt this ‘ best effort today’ attitude. Give yourself the motto of being slightly better each and every day – it will keep you eager to run.” Cunningham likes to have a race on the books to keep her accountable. “I really find that I respond well to goals,” she says. When she first started running several years ago, it was with the help of a learn-to-run program she found online and stuck on her fridge. Once she started, the sense of accomplishment was appealing. “It’s kind of cliché but the first few runs always feel like you’re gonna die, right?” Cunningham says. “Along the way, you start realizing that it’s uncomfortable for a little bit but then at the end, you feel so good and that makes it worthwhile.” Her first race was a fivemiler. Then she worked her way up to the half-marathon distance, completing several, and after the birth of her first son, she ran a marathon – a long-time goal.