Eric Ahern – Somerville Running Coach
$99.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee
Personalized training and feedback across surfaces and distances, including marathons, trails, new to ultras and Mountain Trail Ultras.
Description
Coach Eric Ahern is a Somerville-based running coach with a focus on Mountain Trail Ultras, such as the Vermont 100, as well as experience across multiple surfaces and distances, including the Boston Marathon and high school cross country and track athletes looking for off-season training. Contact Eric if you’d like to learn more – chances are he’s had experience either coaching or running your next goal race!
***5 spots left at this price!!!***
LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
TYPES: Road, Trail, Track
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra
TRAINING PLATFORM: Final Surge
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited text, unlimited phone
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: Currently in Brest, France
SPECIALTIES
- Creative training plans for busy professionals
- Masters athletes managing injuries
- Athletes stepping up in distance or aiming to PR
- Athletes looking to build a running routine after extended time off
PHILOSOPHY
The beauty of running is that we all compete together, against ourselves. The gold standard in running is the PR, the personal record. We participate in endurance challenges to extract lessons that serve us in the rest of life, always striving to be a little better. I want to help you be the best version of yourself.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
I have been coaching middle school and high school cross-country and track since 2015. I’m excited to now be working with adults tackling new challenges who are also also balancing work/life and managing injuries.
ABOUT ME
Growing up on Cape Cod, being outdoors was a way of life. I grew up biking, running, skateboarding, surfing, fishing, boating, etc. Endurance has always been a tool to do the things I loved.
When I discovered Mountain Ultra Trail running, it was the perfect fit for my interests. Currently I’m living in Brittany, France, exploring all the trails, coastline and forests that I can find (be that on foot, MTB, road bike, or surfboard), and geeking out full-time on run training.
BIG INFLUENCES
My background as an educator (French and Spanish teacher) has led me take a holistic view of training. I have a solid foundation in training methodologies (everything from Jack Daniels to Jason Koop, and plenty in between). But there is more to fitness than a training plan. I guide athletes to their best performances by finding the balance of knowledge, skills and routines that works for them. We can get technical if you want, but I will progress at your speed and comfort level, making sure you’re ready before we go to the next level.
RACING HISTORY
I didn’t compete in running until I was almost 30. I started running casually with a friend, and he mentioned that I might be able to qualify for the Boston marathon if I ran a certain time. I qualified for Boston at my first marathon (Vermont City in 2009) and have been hooked on endurance competitions ever since.
I have completed over 15 marathons and dozens of ultras (first one in 2011). I’ve competed at distances up to 100 miles, including many podium finishes in the local New England scene. I have done a handful of Spartan races, and love to mix it up with shorter road or trail races. I am inspired by Sage Canaday’s motto: “Any surface, any distance”!
https://ultrasignup.com/results_participant.aspx?fname=Eric&lname=Ahern
https://www.athlinks.com/athletes/123836434/results
CERTIFICATIONS
- USATF Level 1 Cross Country
- USATF Level 1 Tack and Field
- UESCA Certified Running Coach
PRs
- 100 miles: 19:47:50, Vermont 100, June 2016
- 50 miles: 6:54:02, Pineland Farm, Maine, May 2016
- 50 km: 3:44:53, Cape Cod Trail Race, April 2013
- Marathon: 2:45:30, Boston Marathon, April 2015
- Half marathon: 1:16:40, New Bedford Half Marathon, March 2015
- 5k: 16:42 An Ras Mor 5k, Cambridge, MA, March 2016
- Mile: 4:52, SRR 26×1 relay, June 2016
CONTACT ERIC
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
- Nantes Marathon Race Report
- Running Jargon for Beginner Runners
- Trail du Bout du Monde 57 km Race Report – 7/10/22
- Trail de lAber Wrac’h 52 km Race Report – 4/3/22
- http://coachahern.com/en/
- You Signed up for an Ultramarathon – Now What?
- Trail Running at the end of the World…In France
SOCIAL
Ian Alexander –
Working with Eric is the best decision I have ever made as a runner. I am pretty new to running, and before starting with Eric I managed to make a lot of new runner mistakes that led to injuries and a lot of frustration. Eric has helped me correct those mistakes, stay healthy, and progress more quickly.
Eric has been super attentive, responsive, and insightful as a coach. He has helped me increase my volume and speed consistently and sustainably; he has given me clear and specific advice for strength work and drills that I firmly believe have helped me avoid the knee trouble I had in the past; he has helped me work toward the goals that are most exciting for me; and he has turned me onto aspects of running that I never thought I would be interested in. And as others have said, he is genuinely supportive and encouraging, he is an excellent communicator, and he is very knowledgeable about training and racing.
I strongly recommend working with a coach if you haven’t before, and I especially recommend working with Eric.
Francisco Verdeguer –
I have been an endurance athlete for 25+ years with experience in competitions in multiple sports such as triathlon, cycling, trail running, swimming cross-country skiing. I have also a great interest in the science of exercise physiology and training. Despite this accumulated experience over the years, I absolutely found it essential to have Eric as a coach. I have been fortunate enough not to have any serious injury, but I recently had a bit more struggle with my soleus while running. It was only thanks to Eric that I could go back to normal training and doing consistent long runs and a trail run race (22 Km) last fall.
His approach has been very creative, and flexible. He really helped me to be consistent, logging in miles and miles and avoiding any training mistakes. The amount of training load was exactly right and I kept improving every week.
I strongly suggest Eric as a coach to achieve your goals but most importantly to enjoy the process.
Sebastien Biscans –
Fairly new to running, I decided to work with a coach to be sure I develop healthy training habits moving forward. That’s how I started working with Eric, and I am so glad I did! Eric designed a perfect training plan for me, quickly understanding my capabilities and areas that needed improvement. He is extremely knowledgeable and always available to answer my questions. I feel motivated and encouraged without being pressured. Eric is a constant reminder that running is about commitment, but most importantly it is about having fun! Thanks to his help, I am ready to run my first half marathon of the year in a few weeks… I can’t recommend Eric highly enough to help you in your running journey.
A.H. –
I started working with Eric after giving birth to a baby boy in November. I wasn’t super motivated but knew for my own mental health and the overall happiness of my new son, I needed to get back into an exercise routine. I just couldn’t get myself started, the days would go by quickly and at the end of them, I’d realize I had no ‘me time’ – that felt terrible in many ways. With a push from my husband, I enrolled with Eric.
Right off the bat I knew I’d enjoy working with Eric. We had a Zoom and he was easy going, prepared and understanding. I had filled out some info prior to the call so he knew what he was walking into. Something different about Eric (I’ve worked with some other coaches in the past) is that even though he is an impressive athlete, he’s not at all intimidating. I felt no shame letting him know I missed a day (or more) in the beginning. When a week went by where I didn’t complete any single workout, he’d sent a note that served almost as a check in and look to the next week rather than dwelling on my missed workouts. I really needed that understanding, forward looking, thoughtful and gentle motivation.
A couple weeks ago, I realized that I’ve started to absolutely LOVE running and working out again. I now look forward to each day’s workout and at the end of the day, I feel much more well rounded, confident and happy – not to mention stronger. These workouts help me get my ‘me time’ back – I’m very grateful for that. I feel more confident – not that my main goal was to lose the baby weight but I’ve done that so that’s an added benefit :).
In any case, Eric is a great coach, an awesome person and I’m truly thankful to him for what he’s done for me physically and mentally. He’s helped me remember how it feels to be healthy and take responsibility for my own physical and mental well being.
Jacob Barnett –
Eric has been a true pleasure to work with over the past few months. He has been the accountability partner I needed to stay focused and organized with my training, always providing encouragement and support even as I worked through a few minor injuries. I’ve really appreciated his weekly consult video calls as a chance to talk through workout plans and race strategy. Plus his positivity always left me feeling inspired to get out and train! He was also a big help in getting me to consistently work on a strength/mobility routine. Eric’s broad range of experience made him the perfect coach for the variety of races I completed this season, including the very technical Seven Sisters trail race, a road half marathon, and the Mount Washington Road Race.
Antonello Calamea –
I worked with Eric toward an unconventional goal (run 30 Km in solitary in under 3 hours) and he brought me to reach my goal with his competence, guidance and, above all, kindness. No matter the results during training, he was always present to celebrate, suggest and support. So, if you’re looking for a great coach, look no further, he’s your guy!
Nicolas RAGUENES –
I chose to work with Eric to gain endurance and improve my performance in trail races. I don’t have a lot of time to train, but Eric created a program with a manageable amount of running and complementary strength and drill workouts. He explained why we were doing each workout and each exercise. After a few months I’m seeing big improvements. I feel stronger after my long runs instead of feeling depleted. Eric’s regular communication helped me stay motivated and clear on the goals we set together. He’s now helping me put together a race strategy so I know how to pace myself and get the best results possible for the upcoming racing season. Thanks, Coach!
Sophie Sithamma –
I started working with Eric a few years ago when I was getting into running more seriously. He encouraged me to sign up for my first trail race, a hilly 10k. I had no idea what to expect, but with his guidance I showed up at the start line confident, ran strong, and had a great experience! Since then I’ve done many trail races and one road half marathon. Eric designed training that helped me overcome my fears and set a realistic but challenging target: finish in two hours. I ran 2:01! Now I have to break that next barrier, and I believe Eric will help me get there with his knowledge, positivity and encouragement.
Ben Ligon –
I’ve benefited from working with Eric for several years, most recently on Team RunRun. He is a phenomenal coach and accomplished runner whom I would highly recommend to anyone. Eric possesses all the athletic knowledge one would expect from an experienced professional. More importantly, he radiates a compassion and love of teaching that makes you flourish. Under his guidance, I transformed from a casual 5K runner into a successful marathoner. Eric increased my love of running while expanding my perceptions of what I am capable of. He has guided me not only in exceeding my personal goals but also in savoring the journey. I’d be willing to bet that giving Eric a “test-drive” is one of the best decisions you’ll make today.