Matt Bucher – Chicago Running Coach
$35.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee
Coaching for busy individuals. Sustainable, personalized training for runners balancing real life, work, and running goals.
Description
Chicago running coach Matt Bucher specializes in sustainable, personalized training for busy runners by blending science, experience, and individual context. Reach out below to get started!
LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate
TYPES: Road, Track
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon
TRAINING PLATFORM: Final Surge
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited text
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: Lake Zurich, IL
IN-PERSON SESSIONS: No, online coaching only.
SPECIALTIES
I am best for beginner to intermediate runners who want to understand their training and learn to coach themselves. My approach is ideal for those balancing busy lives or returning from burnout, with flexible, efficient plans that emphasize quality over quantity.
PHILOSOPHY
My coaching philosophy is about blending ideas from different training methodologies, real world experiences, and your unique situation in order to build a training plan that works for you. I do not strictly adhere to one coach’s philosophy but pull from a range of approaches to find what fits best for your goals and your life.
I see coaching as a two-way street. It’s not simply me assigning workouts. It’s us working together, checking in, and making adjustments based on how you’re feeling and what’s going on in your life. We all wear a lot of hats. My goal as a coach isn’t to squeeze running in around the edges but to make it a part of your life in a way that feels doable, rewarding, and sustainable.
Let’s chat and see where this may fit with you.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
While I am a new coach, I have experience coaching in other areas of my life, mainly in my career. As an ecologist in the Chicago Region, part of my job includes working alongside and educating new staff and volunteers on a range of topics from complex ecological principles to woodland wildflower identification to running a chainsaw.
ABOUT ME
I began running in high school and continued into college, running mid-distance for St. Louis University. Division I athletics gave me a solid yet passive understanding for the importance of consistency. I kept up with running for a few years post college, although mostly recreational with no real goals in mind. Ultimately, I focused on my career as an ecologist and, regretfully, running was pushed to the side. With long hours and difficult labor, I fell into difficult habits of working too hard and resting too little.
Roughly 5 years ago, I started to acknowledge some health issues that I needed to address and I decided to get serious about running. I tried to fall back into my old routine but with a few injuries, I learned that I have to find a way for my labor to add to my fitness, not detract. A few years ago, just as I once went down the rabbit hole ecology of the Chicago Region, I began researching training methodologies in order to find a way back to better health and habits. The Running Explained Podcast, hosted by Coach Elizabeth Scott, and Running Periodization by Dr. Jason Karp are two key influences in my own training.
I am someone who enjoys learning about complicated topics and I enjoy taking complex information and making it more digestible for others. Running and ecology are topics where the more you learn, the more you realize how much there is to learn, and I expect to be a student of both throughout my life.
I find my schedule allows 5K to 10K training at most. Currently, my goal is simply to improve my 5K times and I’m enjoying my time doing so. This summer, I hope to do some mile races and work on my speed before moving back to the 5K and then 10K.
In my spare time I enjoy volunteering with local restoration groups, birdwatching with my wife, and the occasional video game.
BIG INFLUENCES
- Dr. Jason Karp
- Coach Elizabeth Scott – The Running Explained Team
- Jay Dicharry
RACING HISTORY
Of the many races, some collegiate, some in my adult life, the best were always run with good friends. The Living History Farms Race, later the Road-O-Cross race were cross country trail races outside of Des Moines. My college teammates and I still participate in this event yearly. It’s a muddy, typically freezing, great old time.
Other than that, I enjoy traveling for races. I was able to squeeze in a 5K during our honeymoon in Iceland for a memorable, Midnight Sun Run experience.
PRs
- 800 meter dash: 1:59, 2014.
- 5K: 17:17 as high school runner, 21:31 as a grown man trying to get back into it!
- 10K: 44:53, 2021-10-16, County Sole Race
CONTACT MATT
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
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