Jacqueline Sommer – St. Louis Running Coach
From: $120.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee
With a focus on a balanced life, I am here to guide you through your journey to make running part of your everyday life!
Description
St. Louis running coach Jacqueline Sommer specializes in distances ranging from 5K to 100 miles on both road and trail. She enjoys working with runners of all abilities, especially busy parent athletes who are trying to get the most out of their training time.
LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
TYPES: Road, Trail, Track
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra
TRAINING PLATFORM: Google Docs
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited text, unlimited phone
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: O’Fallon, IL
IN-PERSON SESSIONS: Yes, meet within 20 miles of the St. Louis/Metro area. Options can include, but are not limited to: Race Strategy discussion and planning, long or easy run, track workouts, motivation and mental strength tips, and Q&A about any topic. Sessions are separate from online training and can be purchased below.
SPECIALTIES
My specialty is creating individual plans tailored just for YOU! No two runners are alike; therefore, every plan will be customized for the individual athlete. One of my strengths is time management skills and I enjoy helping people learn how to work running into an already full schedule. As a busy mom myself, I thrive on chaos! I have experience juggling multiple life obligations and I want to share my tips with others and help people reach their goals regardless of what your schedule looks like! I have experience racing all distances from 5K to 100 miles on both road and trail. I enjoy working with runners of all abilities!
I also have a ton of knowledge about running and racing through pregnancy, post-partum, as well as while breastfeeding based on my own personal experiences!
PHILOSOPHY
Balance, balance, balance! I believe running should complement your life, not take it over! Training plans should be flexible and individualized to seamlessly fit into your already demanding schedule. As your coach, I will be there every step of the way to provide necessary support to keep your mind and body healthy and ready for the demands of your training journey. Mental strength is a key component to success and I believe we can achieve anything with a positive attitude!
As your coach, you can expect:
- Only one week of training at a time to prevent getting overwhelmed by future volume/workouts
- Training plan modifications as often as needed
- Daily communication via text
- Weekly communication via a phone call or Zoom call
- Help choosing a goal race that fits your schedule and expectations
- Unlimited advice on race prep, nutrition, gear, etc.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
I have been coaching with Team Run Run for over a year and I have really enjoyed helping so many people learn to love running and crush some fitness and running goals! In addition to helping fellow runners, I have coached myself to PRs in distances from 5K to ultra! I also have 7 years’ experience as a Group Fitness Instructor and Spin Instructor with prior experience as a Certified Personal Trainer and an additional certification in Sports Nutrition. I also have 10 years’ experience as a middle school cheerleading coach. I love motivating and inspiring people of all ages to do hard things!
ABOUT ME
I grew up in a military family, moving every year or two throughout my childhood, which I believe really helped me learn to be flexible and adapt to new situations. Growing up I was a gymnast, played softball, and was a competitive cheerleader. I started running recreationally in college just to stay fit while attending Colorado State University.
My career choice took me back to the St. Louis area where I spent 5 years teaching elementary school. I earned a Masters Degree in Educational Technology and loved training and inspiring teachers to implement technology in their classrooms. In addition to teaching in the classroom, I coached middle school cheerleading for 10 years. I took a step back from my career when I had my first son in 2012. Since then I have dabbled in personal training, group fitness, substitute teaching, and several volunteer positions while raising two busy boys that keep me quite busy!!!
My most important job is being a mom! I have two boys (ages 11 and 9) who inspire me daily. Both are baseball players and my youngest is a competitive gymnast. Both boys are also active in Scouting and our oldest just crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. It is so rewarding to watch them both learn how to work hard, learn how to fail, and learn to keep moving forward.
My husband, Ryan, and I love adventure and work hard to instill a love of nature in our boys. Our oldest son has set a goal to camp in all 50 states by the time he is 18! That is a goal I’m happy to help him achieve. In our rare kid-free time, we love to run together and have a tradition of spending our anniversaries trail running or mountain biking!
BIG INFLUENCES
My biggest influence is my own coach, Mark Spewak, with Spewak Training. Mark taught me the importance of having a coach and I credit him with both my running growth and personal growth from our time together. I hope I can change lives the same way he changed mine!
I also LOVE the positivity of David and Megan Roche and the intensity and mindfulness of David Goggins. I believe it’s all about balance!
RACING HISTORY
Barkley Fall Classic 50Kish- in 2022 I was “lucky” enough to be chosen to participate in the infamous Barkley Fall Classic (if you haven’t heard of it I recommend Googling it!) This race, directed by none other than Lazarus Lake himself, is designed to test runners both physically and mentally through incredibly tough conditions and near impossible cutoffs. I am proud to say that I was one of 109 finishers (out of 375 starters) and only one of 21 females that finished! This race truly changed my life and made me a better person and runner!
Boston Marathon- in 2022 I was lucky enough to reap the reward of years of effort (and waiting- thanks Covid) and I got to participate in the 125th Boston Marathon!
Hennepin Hundred (Virtual)- in 2020 I spent months training for my first hundred miler. Of course, like everything else that year, it was canceled. With the support of some friends and family I decided to continue my training and run my own race. It was an incredible experience to overcome all the adversity from a pandemic and still meet my running goal. This experience taught me the importance of flexibility and adapting to situations out of your control.
Grand Rapids Marathon- in 2019 I was training to hopefully BQ at the Grand Rapids Marathon. With only 4 weeks left before the race I got very overwhelmed with my busy life and responsibilities as a mom and decided to back out of the race. With the encouragement of my coach and my husband (and I couldn’t let my kids see me quit), I decided to run the marathon after all but drop the stress and pressure of my A goal. I decided to run for FUN and I ended up PRing and BQing!!! I learned a lot about balancing life and training from this experience!
CERTIFICATIONS
RRCA, Group Fitness, ISSA Personal Training/Sports Nutrition
PRs
- 5K- 19:20
- 10K- 45:05
- Half Marathon- 1:37:46
- Marathon- 3:31:33
- 50K- 5:06:31
- 50 Mile- 9:37:48
- 100 Mile- 20:44:21
CONTACT JACQUELINE
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.
SOCIAL
Carrie Albrecht –
I started working with Jacqueline 12 weeks before my 21st half marathon. I hadn’t PR’ed in several years and she really got me out of my running rut! At 47, I wanted to set some goals for myself and she has really been great at teaching me how to train efficiently. She makes customized race plans for me each week and it is one of the highlights of my week to go through and read the race plan every Sunday. She answers my questions with her honest opinion and she’s a busy mom and understands how my time is limited and was really flexible with me each week, depending on what I had on my plate. My training plan started out slow, but man she had me ready for my half marathon when the day came! I surprised myself with a 2+ minute PR… and I hadn’t PR’ed in years (and my last PR was a half marathon I did right after my only full marathon (Chicago). It was great that I didn’t feel completely depleted after the half marathon either, I felt as though she prepared me to run it strong!! I have loved working with her so much that I’m planning to continue training with her in the off season and again for my Spring half marathon. It is hard work, but she makes it a lot more fun!! I highly recommend her, she is just AMAZING!!!
Violet DeLuca –
I started working with Jacqueline a few months ago as I began training for my first marathon. Her plans are thorough and easy to follow, but she makes room for the athlete to adjust it to fit their schedule. She also gives amazing recommendations for nutrition, hydration, and other tips. I feel completely supported by her to provide me with everything I need to run an amazing marathon!
Emily O’Rourke –
Jacqueline is the best! I started working with her just a handful of weeks before the Boston Marathon, with the hopes of establishing a relationship with her before I started training for a 100mi this summer. Now we are in the swing of things with ultra training and I am loving it! I have a crazy travel schedule and Jacqueline is always so flexible and understanding. She helps me feel okay with having to miss a workout and she is always the best hype girl with a workout goes well!
I am really excited to see how the rest of training goes working with her this summer!
Kim Yancey –
I met Jacqueline many years ago through a local running group. She is still as inspiring as she was when I first met her.
After a rough 2023 multisport season, of which my runs were not up to par and signing up for an April 2024 half marathon, I wanted to improve my running, find a different training method, and get back confidence for the numerous events I have in 2024 and into 2025. My nutritionist had recommended Jacqueline as a run coach on the local running club Facebook page and I decided to check it out.
Jacqueline was very receptive to my multisport training and didn’t change anything with the schedule that I have been utilizing for years. She ran with it and built upon what I have been doing. She is very motivating and has no issues when life happens and schedules need to be adjusted on the fly, which I have had good and bad experiences with previous coaches.
I can’t wait to see how her guidance helps me reach my goals for 2024 and beyond.
James McGarry –
Working with Jacqueline has been game changing, and life altering. In the best ways possible!
I started with coach Jacqueline to prep for an upcoming event and have learned so much the past couple months already! My runs are getting better, but I’m keeping my love of running and learning how to make it work with my life.
I wanted to get a coach as I had stalled out on my training, but didn’t want something that wouldn’t work with my busy life with family and work (with lots of travel) and let me just say… Jacqueline not only gets it, but helps me manage and learn how to deal with it all!
Not to mention my recent jobs have been faster than my prior PRs when I was doing things on my own.
Such an incredible coach, athlete, and woman and I’m blessed to learn from her every week!!!
Shane Holmes –
Jacqueline is an awesome coach! I’ve been running for many years, but have some time goals I just haven’t been able to reach. With Jacqueline, I’ve been able to reach my goals and I am in the best shape of my life. The best part of having her as my coach is her understanding that running has to fit within my crazy work schedule. She’s super flexible and always willing to change the schedule around at the last minute to ensure running works for me. Her daily communication is so appreciated and I love that she cheers me on every step of the way. Jacqueline is, by far, the best coach I’ve had! I’m so glad I found her and started running with her.
Kristen Tippit –
Jacqueline is an amazing coach. She is a hyper, a supporter, and realistic about running and life. I was drawn to her because I’ve actually known her since junior high and even though we weren’t close friends, I’ve watched her journey with running and motherhood on Facebook and she seemed the perfect choice when I decided to train for an ultra. I’ve never run more than a half marathon and I knew I needed guidance and planning from an expert. And that’s what she is, an expert! Not just in running long distances but in helping you feel confident, capable, and by breaking up your training into manageable pieces.
I don’t ask when I’ll be running a certain mileage, I just totally trust her to keep me going on the right path, without sacrificing family time or injury.
I know I wouldn’t keep going without a coach and especially Jacqueline. She is the queen of exclamation points and kindness. But she’s also totally badass!
If you even have an inkling you need a coach, you do. And she’s the one you need!!
Heather Kuduk –
Jacqueline is amazing!! She communicates often and is always in tune with where you are at with the program. Takes all factors (especially injuries and scheduling) into consideration when making a running routine. I would highly recommend her as a running coach!!!
Shannon Durio –
I cannot say enough wonderful things about working with Jacqueline. Her weekly training plans and daily check ins keep me motivated, challenged, and most of all, ENCOURAGED. She is thoughtful, honest, and realistic while still pushing me slowly outside of my comfort zone. In the 3 months I have been working with her, I have knocked 45 seconds off my average pace, and I feel empowered to continue growing and improving. She makes this training process feasible for me – a mom who works outside the home and commutes anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours a day. I am training for my first full marathon and Jacqueline has helped me realize that this is possible and that I can do more than I ever thought I could do. I would recommend her to ANYONE regardless of skill/experience level. She’s the best!
David Bereda –
I was able to work with Jacqueline last year to get back into 1/2 Marathon shape. She quickly helped me get back down into the low 1:20s between Feb and and my race in May. She is great at keeping in touch and making adjustments for someone with a frequently changing schedule. I would definitely recommend checking out her services.
Talisa –
Jacqueline is an amazing coach! She just gets it. I have definitely had the mom guilt struggles but she has been there each step of the way offering guidance and encouragement. I’m looking forward to what the future holds with her as my coach.
Faheem Jafri –
She was amazing and easy to work with. I love the weekly schedule she provides. It allows for a sense of progression and is very manageable to get better at running with her. She is a wonderful person to work with.
Shellie Treat –
First I am going to start of by saying I’ve never been a runner. I played sports growing up and soccer in college but, running was never my thing. Fast forward to later in life I now have an amazing career and three children (four) if you count my husband. However I missed being active and having personal challenges in life that make you feel so proud of yourself for an accomplishment you worked hard for. (Outside of work and kids) With that said I decided to sign up for a 1/2 marathon….again not a runner. The farthest I had been before was 3 miles and that was a jog/walk at best :). As my time started getting closer to my run date I knew I couldn’t do it on my own so in comes Jacqueline!!! She is such an inspiration in herself it makes wanting to follow all that she says so easy because she has done it so many times and more including a 100 mile race!!!! She exactly what I needed to get me setup and going so I didn’t quit on myself. Her daily check-ins and weekly plans are great accountability and flexible to my crazy life!!! I am now on week 9 of training with her and never imaged I would be doing some of the runs I am doing today but, with her plan and trusting the process here I am killing it because of her. I have 5 weeks left until my half and an excited to keep working with Jacqueline to crush it. The best part is she makes you feel amazing and as you trust her process and appreciate the accountability it makes you think what else can I do after this?!?! You can’t find a better inspiration and running coach then her whether you are just starting out like me or going for that 100 mile race. She’s what you’ve been looking for I promise.
Matt Cole –
Coach Jacqueline gives daily check ins and weekly training update.
Coach is very empathetic and is able to change your training plan on the fly.
Jacqueline is an experienced runner and experienced in life, she understands if something goes wrong and makes sure to let you know its okay. (Just in my time starting with her she has run a marathon and a 50 mile race)
Coach is always reassuring and supportive.
She communicate and responds to everything and is able to give advise as needed.
She also tells you the things you need to hear, like when to take a day off and when to pull back on your efforts so you don’t get injured.
She has taught me one of the hardest things so far to learn in running, patients and running easy to get faster.
I would definitely recommend Jacqueline to anyone, especially beginners, as she can create a sustainable flexible workout routine based off your preferences and experience to help you stay injured free.
Anna Durkin –
Jacqueline is such a joy to work with! She has been coaching me for the past 2 months and I am loving every minute. Jacqueline has created a specific training plan that effortlessly allows me to fit in all training. It is not easy for a mother of two toddlers to juggle everything, but with her smart planning I have been able to fit in all my runs and reignite my passion for running. As an experienced lifelong distance runner I am thrilled at the results I am already seeing! If you are looking for a coach to quickly and easily communicate with Jacqueline is the coach for you!
Looking forward to all the miles ahead!
Michelle Hartrich –
I can’t say enough good things about our coach Jacqueline…she has been working with me and 3 of my kids in our goal to run our first 5k! She has helped us from everything to gradually getting us conditioned and then knowing when to push us along the way and when to encourage us if life happens and we have a set back, to finding cool family hiking adventure locations to add to our mixed training and to keep everyone engaged while progressing and having fun, to picking out the best 5k to help us achieve our goals. Her passion for running and helping others shines through in her approach as a coach. Coach Jacqueline comes with my highest recommendation.
Michelle Essert –
I have been working with Jacqueline for about 3 months while training for a 1/2 marathon. She has honestly gone above and beyond my expectations. I am not a runner; therefore, I had very little knowledge of everything! Jacqueline has had nothing but patience with my stupid questions and negative attitude towards running! She takes all aspects of my life into account when she plans my next week, which is very obvious when she sends the training plan and comments about the variety of obstacles and new information I gave her the previous week. It is because of Jacqueline that I keep training as without her, I would have given up. She truly cares, not only about the running, but also about the person who is running. No matter what, she makes me feel like I have the strength to accomplish a given goal and gives me grace when I missed a run due to life! She is extremely down to earth, motivating and knowledgeable; I would highly recommend!
Scott Bridgeman –
I have been working with Jacqueline for just a little over two months. I am an experienced competitive runner with several marathons and a handful of ultra distances behind me. I am also recovering from a long term hamstring injury. Jacqueline has been very accommodating with my training schedule, as we have had to make adjustments along the way due to my nagging injury. She has been exceptional at speaking to me on my level and has a real knack for knowing what things to say to motivate, encourage & keep me positive, despite some minor setbacks. She clearly takes both my successes and struggles personally. I find that to be particularly helpful in keeping me accountable. Her background and race experience make her perfect for beginners and advanced runners alike.
Training program effectiveness was only marked down to 4 stars because I have not clearly defined any goals yet to measure by. So this mark down is slightly misleading.
I am very happy with everything to date!