Dan Lyne – Portland Running Coach
$90.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee
50% off your first month! RRCA certified coach with 40+ years of running experience. Personalized plans, strength training & nutrition designed for athletes of all ages.
Description
Dan Lyne is a Portland-based running coach who focuses on helping busy, middle-aged athletes improve their running. With over 40 years of experience as a runner himself, Dan knows how difficult it can be to carve out time for running and stay injury free, which is why he is here to help.
*** 50% off First Month for month-to-month Coaching – Coupon Code: 50percentoff ***
LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate
TYPES: Road, Track
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon
TRAINING PLATFORM: Final Surge
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited text, unlimited phone
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: Portland, OR & Southwest WA area
SPECIALTIES
I coach athletes of all ages and specialize in helping busy people set realistic short and long term goals based on their athletic abilities and lifestyle. I’ll work together with you to develop a customized plan with a focus on keeping you injury free, building strength and developing new healthy habits to help you exceed your goals.
My specialties include:
- Coaching busy middle age athletes
- Coaching high school athletes
- Sharing proven strategies to balance work and life demands with running goals
- Post injury comebacks, injury prevention, motivation & mental preparation
- Beginner runners to complete 5k – half marathons & first time marathoners
- Experienced runners who want to improve their time
- Developing strategies to make healthy eating a year round habit
PHILOSOPHY
As a busy professional & life long runner myself, I know what it takes to successfully balance life & competitive running. There’s no “One Size Fits All Program” for runners training for races. I’ve successfully coached numerous athletes who all have their unique challenges, such life demands including work, family/kids, traveling, charity, etc. I develop customized programs based on your specific abilities and I’ll help you set realistic goals & provide a lot of positive reinforcement to keep you motivated. I only coach a limited number of athletes at once so I can provide a very personalized experience where we minimize the risk of injury and help you achieve your goals.
The underlying approach I use with all my athletes is to start by understanding their past athletic & injury experience, current abilities, lifestyle, goals and access they may have to any athletic facilities. With this information, we then take athletes through a proven process to develop a periodized program that’s specific to their unique life situation and goals. I continue to seek additional education and recent research on my craft by engaging in frequent discussion of pertinent topics with peers and athletes. I then share this with athletes whom I coach.
My goal is to exceed my clients’ expectations with an effective training program that includes being responsive to their particular needs, while keeping it fun, helping them stay healthy, motivated and confident. I do this all while being flexible and available to make adjustments to their plans as necessary.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
I’m an RRCA certified coach & High School Cross Country Coach. I am the author of “Crushing26.2 – A Step-By-Step Program to Avoid Injury, Have Fun and Finish the Big Race.” I’ve managed a running blog for 9+ years and contributed content to many online resources. I also lead a 5 day healthy lifestyle challenge. I’ve been coaching, advising and mentoring athletes of all ages and of varying ability and experience levels for 8+ years. I have been a devoted student of running & healthy lifestyle for 30+ years.
ABOUT ME
Based in Camas, WA – I’m a running, fitness and health fanatic. I’ve been running for 40+ years. I grew up in Chicago, spent 7 years as an officer in the US Navy and have lived in Southwest WA for 20+ years. Think of me as the “Crash Test Dummy” for middle age marathoners. I have extensive experience coaching athletes of all ages. With the help of my medical team & coaching influences, along with my never ending study of the sport, I’ve learned what it takes to make it to the starting line of races, healthy, strong and confident. I’m also a busy professional, husband & father. I’m always “on the go” traveling around the country for my employer, so I personally know what it’s like to stay motivated and organized to complete a training plan for long races like marathons. My competitive experience ranges from High School & Division 1 College Cross Country & Track to running so many road races over the years, that I’ve lost count.
BIG INFLUENCES
- Bill Rodgers
- Greg McMillan
- Amby Burfoot
- Jack Daniels
- Steve Magness
- Deena Kastor
RACING HISTORY
I started racing back in the early 1980s. I ran my first marathon in 1986. Due to some injuries and military service, I didn’t race from the mid 1990s until 2010, but I’ve raced consistently over the last 10 years. I’ve raced every road distance from 5k – marathon. Following list includes some of my highlights.
- Boston Marathon
- Marine Corps Marathon
- Las Vegas Marathon
- Chicago Marathon
- Portland (OR) Marathon
- Sauvie Island (Portland, OR) Foot Traffic Flat Marathon
- Many, many 5k – ½ marathons since 1980.
CERTIFICATIONS
- RRCA Certified Adult Distance Running Coach (Road Runner’s Club of America)
- CPR/AED & Basic First Aid Certification
PR’s
- ½ Marathon: 1:17 (Jan 1991) – Salem, OR
- Marathon: 2:40 (Feb 1991) – Las Vegas, NV
CONTACT DAN
Finding a coach who is a great fit for you is really important. We encourage you to email your coach prior to signing up so you can connect, communicate, and ensure a good athlete/coach fit.
PUBLICATIONS
SOCIAL
James Harris –
Dan has been my coach for more than two years, and he’s fantastic. He has helped me structure runs and non-running exercises to minimize injuries and to increase my endurance, speed, and overall confidence in running. He responds quickly to questions and requests, and his responses are thorough without being overly detailed. He’s always happy to meet with me over zoom to discuss how things are going. He even came and cheered me on when I ran a half-marathon (which I ran faster than I have in decades, thanks to his coaching). He also understands that life interferes sometimes. I have two young kids and a job, and he gets it when I miss workouts because of illness or just being busy. I can’t say enough good things about having Dan as a running coach.
Scott Menk –
I have only been working with Dan for a few months, but he has been fantastic to work with. I am extremely stubborn and was afraid that I would be a difficult athlete to coach. I also started working with Dan as I recovering from some health issues. He has adapted my training to work around some of my ongoing struggles. He takes this responsibility very seriously and has added a very solid strength component to my training regimen. He listens and is very encouraging to someone having to start over in the running process. I always enjoy our coaching sessions because they are collaborative and friendly. I had anticipated a high school coach to student athlete relationship. They have been far from that. Dan is truly a cheerleader for his athletes and I look forward to building back better than I was before.
Hannah Radziewicz –
I have been working with Dan for around 6 months. In that short time, Dan got my passion for running back, and has helped me hit PR’s I never thought possible. He remembers you, and knows your goals. He is flexible, and he holds you accountable. He is very responsive and always gets back to me very quickly. He is happy to jump on video calls to chat things through. Dan has helped me shave 1:30+ off my mile time and helped me PR over my half marathons before him by more than 15 minutes. This is amazing to me, because when I started with him I was the slowest I’ve ever been with low motivation. I am 26, and can say that Dan makes an excellent coach for anyone. Dan is very knowledgeable, and I trust him with my running. I cannot recommend Coach Dan more! Dan makes it easier to get better if you are willing to put in the work. He helps guide you to improvements that are realistic and possible for you. He has pushed me, but not to a point that I felt like I was failing or couldn’t complete the exercises he lays out. I got along with Dan quickly, and after you work with him for about a month or two, he gets to know you and your running better and provides more refined and spot on plans for you. I love working with Dan, and hope you move forward with him!
Papagissimo –
Dan is terrific. I’ve been with him for almost 2yrs now. I am a fitness runner, and his advice and guidance have been invaluable. I spend many hours every week training and almost as much time thinking about the training. Without a coach I’d waste so much energy wondering if I am training too little, too much, or not right. Dan relieves me of all that second guessing and he does it so well. He listens to me and makes constant adjustments to the plan to fit my current goals, needs, and interests. And the icing is that he is so damn pleasant. It is a joy working with him.
Ken Weinstein –
dan’s coaching was a gift from my wife. I had run four marathons with various degrees of success and have now trained with Dan for one year. At age 62, with Dan’s help, I PR-d for both the 1/2 marathon and marathon distances. Dan is realistic about your lifestyle and is an ideal coach for people with limited training time. He designed a 6-day program for me that accommodated my schedule and goals. My favorite part is that my Garmin uploads my training to the website, and Dan can see my results and advise me as needed. We Zoom monthly or more often if needed, and he keeps me on track. I recommend that you give Dan a try and I think you will benefit from his advice.
Mandi Magnuson –
I have been working with Dan for almost a year. Dan has encouraged me and supported me for the last year. He has helped me PR on a half and full marathon. Im running faster than I ever thought possible. He is a caring, calm coach that has held me accountable without being pushy. I really appreciate his training plans and advice. He responds quickly to my questions and concerns. I highly recommend Dan, he has helped me become a stronger runner.
Jeannette Sanderson –
Dan is a really good coach. He created a marathon training plan for me that was challenging but doable. Sometimes I worried that I wouldn’t be able complete a workout, but Dan’s belief that I could, combined with some stubbornness on my part, helped me push past my doubts. I ran two really strong half marathons before my big race. Sadly, I was unable to finish my marathon due to an injury that I should have been more vocal about during training. I was especially disappointed because I knew I was in shape to run a great race.
Lisa Tsuchiya –
I worked with Dan for 7 months. Dan is very knowledgable, helpful and responsive. He identified issues preventing me from achieving my goals and gave me strategies. I am in my late 50’s and want to run injury free. With Dan’s coaching I was able to run these past months injury free. His service is a great value. To be honest he had more to offer than I have time to utilize.
Monte Hawkins –
Dan is my first running coach, and to be honest, its been a great experience for me personally. I choose Dan as my coach because his coaching style matched where I am at in my running “Career”. I have a young family and busy work schedule, but also had a lofty running goal. Dan worked with me to develop a plan that worked for me. He communicates and gives insights during the entire process, and quickly adjusts the plan (even weekly) if something comes up. That is the part of Dan’s coaching that impresses me the most. He listen’s, adjusts, and keeps me moving towards my goals. A+ coaching.
Alex Nydahl –
Dan is the first running coach I’ve worked with since high school (25 years ago!), and I’m very glad to partner with him. I’ve struggled with injuries off and on in my running life, and Dan has developed a comprehensive plan to keep me running–injury free–for as long as possible. So far, it’s working out perfectly! His running and conditioning plans are flexible enough to fit into a busy work schedule, and I’ve felt myself getting stronger and faster over the last several months. By the time my fall races roll around, I’m confident Dan will have guided me to meet my goals!
Claudia Jackson –
I have been working with Dan for three months now and it has been a great addition to my training. His training plan is clear and easy to follow (which takes the guess work out of training, which I appreciate), and he readily incorporates feedback based on the regular meetings we have. He is also very quick to respond to emails, which makes communication super easy. He sends over a ton of information related to specific training questions/injuries, which is very helpful. I am looking forward to continuing to work with him.
Andrew Fioramonti –
I’ve been working with Coach Dan for about 3 months and I could not be happier with what he has provided for my training. Dan is an accomplished marathoner and draws from his wealth of personal running experience to augment his extensive coaching knowledge. He sends me tons of resources and always seems to have something to help overcome any obstacle I may be facing. His training plan is easy to follow and he consistently updates and tweaks it to adjust to how my body is responding. He has a genuine interest in driving me to improve and has become a true partner in helping me attain my goals while avoiding injury. Dan’s style is encouraging while being realistic about the effort required to advance. If you are a middle-aged runner like me, I highly recommend that you give Coach Dan a shot to help you grow your fitness in a way that will ensure that you can enjoy our sport for the long term.