Jan Harris – Lakewood, CO Running Coach

Description

Whether you are starting out with a Coach to 5k program or looking to dip your toe in trail races, or move up in distance, Lakewood running coach Jan Harris has covered it all and is excited to help you personalize your running schedule while fitting it into your busy life. Reach out below to get started!

Contact Jan

LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
TYPES: Road, Trail
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra
TRAINING PLATFORM: VDOT
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited phone, unlimited text
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: Lakewood, CO
IN-PERSON SESSIONS: Yes, meet within 30 mins of Lakewood, CO – Jefferson Co.
Sessions can include: In-person drills on track, road and trail, running warmup/cool down and strength training and mobility workouts, road & trail racing technique and strategy, ultramarathon drop bag prep, crewing & pacing guidance, nutrition guidance, and more!

SPECIALTIES

I have experience working with athletes new to running up to experienced ultrarunners. Whether you are looking for a Couch to 5K plan, looking to begin a consistent running program, or looking to improve your marathon or ultramarathon performance, I want to help!

I’m interested in working with people who are ready to make a commitment to focus on running or training, but who may also need help fitting training into their work/school/life balance.

• If you are a working student, let’s chat!
• If your career involves shift work, let’s chat!
• If you have others who’s schedules depend on you, let’s chat!

PHILOSOPHY

My coaching philosophy is simple… quality over quantity, strength train, proper nutrition (at least 80% of the time), train for the race you are running, and run the race you trained for! I’m a “hard” coach, but my training technique allows runners to tap into their hidden potential and have their best training and racing experience! But at the end of the day, I want my athletes love the sport of running… I want you to say “I get to wake up early to run” vs. “I have to wake up early to run.”

When you work with me, you will receive a personalized training plan.

• Assessment phone call
• Customized schedules in 2-4 week blocks via V.O2
• Weekly/Biweekly feedback – phone/zoom check-ins to evaluate/adjust schedules and discuss progress/scheduling issues
• Unlimited text/emails
• Strength, mobility/flexibility workouts
• Nutrition planning assistance – weekly training, pre-race, and post-race/recovery
• Race planning & logistics

**Let’s discuss races and how they fit into your training. You can’t train if you are always racing!**

COACHING EXPERIENCE

In 2013, I began volunteering as a pace coach for my local running club’s group training programs (5K, half marathon, and marathon).

In Summer 2015, the club helped me get certified and I continued coaching for them as the lead marathon and ultramarathon coach, until I moved out of state in Fall 2016.

I then began coaching runners 1:1, and soon became a Certified Personal Trainer, because I knew that strength training prevented injuries and kept runners running longer. I also worked at a gym and used that experience to program strength and mobility routines for the runners I coached.

ABOUT ME

My running career aligned with a decision to go to Graduate school as an adult and during a significant growth in my career. So I know all too well the challenges of time management when you have a full time career, are a student, and trying to train for a race.

I currently live in Lakewood, CO, home of the Front Range of the southern Rocky Mountains. When I’m not running in the mountains, or on the roads, you can find me snowboarding, snowshoeing, cycling (road and gravel), camping (ok, RV’ing), or spending time w/ my boyfriend and our 3 rescue pups.

I founded a local running club that meets at a different brewery in and around Denver, every week. We’re a small club, but we are like a family! We go on vacations together, house/dog sit for each other, celebrate birthdays and holidays together, and

I volunteer with VCPM, Inc.’s Game Changers program, which raises scholarship money and mentors women of color looking to become RRCA certified run coaches.

BIG INFLUENCES

Matt Fitzgerald’s 80/20 rule has had the biggest influence on my running and training style; even before I knew it! Being a lover of running longer distances, I always felt that the slower my long runs were, the more they helped with endurance (i.e. how do you expect to run a marathon in 4 hours if your longest training run lasts only 3 hours? Where will you get the experience/energy for the remaining hour from?) When I picked up Matt’s Fitzgerald’s book earlier this year, it really resonated with me and I feel it’s helped me structure better training plans, for my athletes and myself!

RACING HISTORY

I ran a little in high school, but suffered some injuries due to a car accident. After years of bad habits and an unhealthy lifestyle, I picked it up again in my late 20s. I ran numerous 5Ks and OCRs. After “relapsing” from my training program and suffering through an awful (undertrained) 10 mile race, in the Spring 2012, I decided to get back on track! I registered for my first marathon; giving myself 7 months to train! 3 months after, in 2013, I ran another marathon… then joined a run club and discovered ultras… running 2 50Ks later that year. I continued to race marathons and ultramarathons simultaneously, hitting the majority of my PRs in 2016-2017. I suffered a lung infection in 2017-2018 and slowed down A LOT. Then I moved from CA to CO and took time to just enjoy the mountains! I now plan my races for fun, in an effort to run a marathon, or longer, in all 50 states + DC (22 done!). Although… I did just accidentally earn a major BQ cushion and now I’m thinking it might be time to break those old PRs from my 30s!!!

• 3x 100 Milers
• 1x 100Ks
• 4x 50 Milers
• 25x 50Ks
• 15 Marathons
• 20+ Half Marathons
• Way too many 5Ks and 10Ks to count!

CERTIFICATIONS

• RRCA Level 1 Run Coach
• ACE Certified Personal Trainer
• ACE Sports Nutrition Specialist
• Red Cross CPR, AED, Basic First Aid (Adult, Child, & Infant)

PRs

• 5K: 21:46 (7/4/2016) Summer 7 Day 7 Long Beach 5K, Long Beach, CA
• 10K: 45:57 (4/8/2017) Seal Beach 10K, Seal Beach, CA
• 13.1: 1:39 (2/5/2017) Surf City Half, Huntington Beach, CA
• 26.2: 3:27 (5/28/2017) Mountains 2 Beach, Ojai CA
• 50K: 5:18 (5/15/2016) Dirty German, Philadelphia, PA
• 50 Mile: 10:19 (1/12/2019) San Diego 50, San Diego, CA
• 100 Mile: 28:40 (11/14/2020) Children of the Cane, Baton Rouge, LA

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

• 5x Boston Qualifier
• 2022 Golden Driller Marathon – 1st Female OA
• 2021 Last Call 50 Miler – 3rd Female OA
• 2020 Children of the Cane 100 Miler – 2nd Female OA
• 2017 Paramount Ranch 50K – 3rd Female OA
• 2017 Chino Hills 50K – 2nd Female OA
• 2017 Run Deo Run Trail Marathon – 2nd Female OA
• 2016 MD Heat Trail Race 50K – 1st Female OA

CONTACT JAN

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.