Gary Wightman – Ashburn, VA Running Coach
$150.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee
50% off your 1st month! Working with beginners, competitive age groups, and BQ seekers while avoiding injury, 5k to the marathon.
Description
Ashburn, VA running coach Gary Wightman works across the board with runners – from beginners to advanced, and from the 5k up to the marathon. Looking to increase your distance safely while avoiding injury? Gary is your guy, and he also offers in-person sessions for the Auburn, VA area. Reach out below to get started.
*** 50% off First Month for month-to-month Coaching – 50%wightman***
LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
TYPES: Road, Track
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon
TRAINING PLATFORM: Final Surge
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited phone, unlimited text
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: Round Hill, VA
IN-PERSON SESSIONS: Yes, meet in Asburn, VA and options include: warmup, form drills, and cool down guidance, observation of workout for form/strategy, and track/speed workouts.
SPECIALTIES
- All levels of runner- new runners, experienced runners, and age-group competitive runners from high school to masters/seniors (have experienced all age groups)
- Track – 800m, 1600m, and 3200m
- Road races ranging from 5k to the marathon on various types of courses
- Injury avoidance and mitigation – strong proponent for including some strength training, nutrition, and good sleep practices in the training plan
- Finding the right fueling options and strategies for your specific race
PHILOSOPHY
Communicating, customization, and collaboration are central to my coaching philosophy. I tailor plans to your unique running goals and work-life balance needs. I will always be accessible to promptly plan, discuss, and work with you to develop, and, as needed, revise your plan as needed to ensure the plan suits your unique situation. My personable coaching approach is the same for you as it is for me, to work hard but have fun doing it, enjoying the journey during training AND the races.
I take a holistic approach to run coaching. I offer plans that consider the overall fitness of the athlete, i.e., my plans address running, strength training, and recovery. I also provide fueling, pacing, and race strategies that are tailored to your unique needs as a runner and the race in question.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
I have coached individual runners since 2010, including beginners, novices, experienced, and competitive runners looking to qualify for Boston. I have also trained and coached individuals and groups in travel/select soccer (ages 8-18, boys and girls) for ten years at individual and team level. I love helping others develop and achieve their goals.
ABOUT ME
I love being active and outdoors – running, hiking, cycling are some of my favorite activities, especially with family and friends. I am also a huge soccer and football fan.
My family loves “runcations” like Disney races, race in cities we have not seen before, and adventure races such as Ragnar Trail team races.
I am an avid reader and podcast listener on running. I find podcasts are a great way to continuously learn and stay current with latest research, running tech, and trends in running while driving to and from runs.
BIG INFLUENCES
My high school running coach, who followed a lot of Arthur Lydiard’s philosophy, and therefore Lydiard, were my initial influences, especially with periodization and benefits of doing long, slow runs.
Later, Jack Daniels’ VDOT formula and related training paces and his flexible approach of varying the number of quality sessions, allowing for better understanding of proper training paces and volume during the training phases. I also came across the FIRST program, which convinced me to experiment with adding cross training to training plans. I have found great value in using cross training for injury risk mitigation, injury prevention, and post-injury running.
Most recently, Matt Fitzgerald’s 80/20 method and Mark Coogan’s B+ workouts (Personal Best Running book) have really helped others I have coached and myself improve performance and reduce our risk of injuries and burnout, not to mention enjoying running even more!
As I have moved through masters and now to the senior age group, runners like Des Linden, Deena Kastor, Jeannie Rice, and Meb Keflezighi have been major influences and inspirations.
I also listen regularly to several running podcasts that discuss the latest in running research, which has helped me develop more holistic approaches to running plans where I include suggestions for periodized strength training, general nutrition and fueling, good sleep practices, and cross training where warranted.
RACING HISTORY
First cross country race (Invitational race) – had never raced on anything but a small track with 3-5 other runners; the invitational had hundreds of runners, the energy and excitement hooked me into running for life.
First mile race in Spring track – race was over so fast, realized I needed to learn new racing strategies, train differently, approach the race with a different mentality, faster decisions and adjustments.
First marathons- Marine Corp Marathon (1982 & 1983) – one large 13,000 runner corral, no timing chips, wow, what a crowd, somewhat undertrained for race, gained several lessons learned I will never forget, like having race shoes that are not beyond their mileage effectiveness.
Qualified for Boston in first BQ attempt at Baystate Marathon in Lowell, MA (2010) with 3:29:10 at age of 46.
Disney Half and Full Marathon races – “runcations”, where I dial back the pace and run purely to soak in everything around me, the other runners, the incredible Disney staff, the humorous signs along the course, the Disney characters stationed along the course for photo ops. Everyone has a blast!
PRs
- High School – 5k 17:41 (1980) Cross Country Race; mile 4:39 (1981) Track Race
- 10K – 37:16 (1982) Reston 10K
- 10M – 1:03:17 (1983) George Washington Parkway 10 Miler
- 1/2 Marathon – 1:36:42 (11/10/2012) Richmond Half Marathon
- Marathon – 3:29:10 (10/18/2010) Baystate Marathon
CERTIFICATIONS
- RRCA Level 2 Running Coach
- RRCA Youth Coach
CONTACT GARY
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
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