Matt Cooper – Madison Running Coach
From: $100.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee
50% off your first month! Midwest-based coach. Offering individualized training plans, gait analyses, and in-person sessions for athletes of ALL ability levels!
Description
Matt Cooper is a Madison, Wisconsin based running coach and a professional health coach competing for the Wisconsin Runner Racing Team (WRRT). With experience racing distances both collegiately and post-collegiately from the 800 meters up to the half marathon, Matt is available for both online coaching only. Reach out to Matt to find out if you’d be a good fit for your running goals.
*** 50% off First Month of month-to-month Coaching – Coupon Code: 50%offmcooper ***
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: Middleton, WI
IN-PERSON SESSIONS: Yes, meet anywhere 10-20 miles within or outside of the Madison, Wisconsin metro area. Options Include: easy runs, running or biking alongside an athlete during a workout, going over race strategy & preparation, nutrition and proper fueling, form cues, strength training cues, etc.
SPECIALTIES
- Passionate about coaching distance events from 800m all the way up to the marathon
- Coaching offered to beginner, intermediate, and advanced training athletes
- Help an athlete find how running aligns with a healthy work-life balance (avoid burnout, find the joy in running, etc.)
- Provide strength training, mobility, stretching, and drill exercise to build a more well-rounded athlete
- Find races in your area, if desired!
PHILOSOPHY
The core of my coaching philosophy centers around two main constructs – happiness & balance. Throughout our work together, I am more than willing to draw upon my work as a health coach to help you find this balance (physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.).
Diving into more specifics, we will focus on gradual, long-term development. By gradually increasing overall volume and intensity, and peaking at the right time, we can help to ensure the long-term health of the athlete. Over time, that consistency will add up in BIG ways. Depending on an individual’s training goals, we will utilize an individualized mix of prescribed paces, thresholds, strength work, mobility work, and cross training (bike, elliptical, etc.). This perfect blend will not be achieved without proper communication! As we continue to communicate, we can collaboratively devise a training program that will best suit your needs.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
I have been involved with the sport of running for over 15 years. After graduating from college, I went back to my high school alma mater in Wisconsin and coached both cross country and track. I had such a positive experience in high school and I wanted to give that same experience to the kids.
Ever since this initial jump into coaching, I have been coaching high school athletes, family, friends, and other interested athletes in both remote and in-person settings.
ABOUT ME
I’m a former collegiate runner, coach, and certified personal trainer competing for the Wisconsin Runner Racing Team (WRRT). On the roads, I race distances from the mile up to the marathon. I’m also beginning a transition into triathlon training, which has been a fun challenge! As an athlete, I love the opportunities to compete, test my limits, and explore new ways to get better! Helping others find this joy in competition and training is one of the main reasons I got into the coaching field.
As an athlete, I’ve experienced the highs and lows of this sport. While I have experienced successes on the track and on the roads, the lows of the sport have actually been the most instrumental in my development as an athlete, coach, and human. Learning from these life experiences, I am confident that I can shed insight and wisdom to a wide array of running and training scenarios.
BIG INFLUENCES
Over the course of my running career, I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing coaches – soaking up a lot of knowledge and teaching lessons along the way. My biggest coaching influences include Tom Schwartz, Jeff Boele, Cal Kromm, and Dan Schwamberger. While my training philosophy is a combination of many different influences, it most strongly aligns with training methods of Tom “Tinman” Schwartz and Jack Daniels.
RACING HISTORY
I have experience racing in a wide variety of environments and atmospheres. Growing up in the Midwest, I know what it’s like to race in adverse weather – rain, snow, sleet, or sunshine. Whether it was in the U.S. Indoor Championships, NCAA Championships, or a local 5K road race, I know the importance of setting race goals and expectations. This doesn’t always have to be running a personal best either. Ultimately, the #1 priority is simply to have fun and enjoy the experience!
CERTIFICATIONS
- USATF Level 1
- NASM CPT & CES
PRs
- Road Mile: 3:56 (7/23/22); Ryan Shay Mile
- 3K: 8:09 (1/26/19); UW Invitational
- 5K: 14:08 (4/22/21); Drake Relays, 5K debut
- 10K: 29:53 (4/11/21); Blazing 10K Invitational, 10K debut
- Half Marathon: 65:28 (1/23/21); Las Vegas Gold Elite Half Marathon, Half marathon debut
- Marathon: 2:27 (10/2/22); Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
- Half Ironman: 4:28:47 (9/9/23); Ironman 70.3 Wisconsin
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
- Member of UW-Eau Claire’s National Championship Cross Country & Track Teams
- NCAA Indoor Track All-American
- WIAC Champion
- USA Championships Qualifier
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.
PUBLICATIONS
Ryan Shay Mile Race Report – 7/23/22
SOCIAL
Davenn Mannix –
I’m going on 3 months now of remote coaching with Matt and can confidently say that he has been one of the better coaches I’ve had.
His communication is consistent, supportive and constructive. Training somewhere between casual and sub-elite can be awkward and clunky but Matt’s knowledge of local groups, races and growth minded workouts has been helpful and refreshing, especially when including strength and cross training. If you’re looking to grow your fitness and lean on someone with helpful, consistent insights, Matt’s your guy.
Jeanne Nicole Saint Laurent –
I have been working with Matt since last year, and it has been a great experience. He is a kind person and coach. He has a great sense of coaching and is an excellent athlete himself. Since working with him, my running times have improved! I am grateful for the experience and recommend him.
jaceylee –
I’ve had a very positive experience with Matt the last few months. The workouts feel very customized to my current abilities and helps keep me consistent in training from week to week. Messaging with him through the platform feels very open and accessible, and I have never had any issues with communication. I find the strength exercises to be very helpful as well and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a running coach.
Trent Evans –
Matt gets my top recommendation as a running coach. He is extremely knowledgeable, responsive, and encouraging. One thing I particularly appreciate is that he has a patient long term vision to help me achieve season goals and beyond, while also being very receptive to my feedback and ideas for things to try. He is an extremely high level runner himself, and I can see it come through in the advice he gives on the many small things one can do to improve every aspect of training and racing and prioritize what matters most. Thank you Matt!
Josh Howard –
Matt has been a great coach since I began working with him over the last two months. He is diligent and thoughtful in planning the training and it is always entered ahead of time, but he is also willing to make changes when necessary. He responds to almost every workout or comment with a positive and helpful message. I am excited to continue to see improvement in my running. I would highly recommend Matt as a coach to anyone!
David Vance –
Matt has been a great running coach. In the few months we’ve been working together, I’ve found him to be engaged, responsive, knowledgeable, adaptable, and pleasant to communicate with. As an older, 50+ runner, I came to him with some preferred training methods, a few goals, and a recent history of injury. He was curious about my previous training approaches, incorporated some of my favorite workouts, and adjusted workouts as disruptions dictated (travel, weather, sickness, injury). In addition to planning daily workouts, he laid out my weekly long run progression well in advance, offered a strength and mobility plan, shared videos on certain exercises, and advice and strategies for racing. I continually felt fitter and faster as the weeks went on under his training plan. After my latest setback a few weeks before my goal race, he adapted my training, helping me to ultimately smash my original half-marathon goal by several minutes. Probably the best thing about working with Matt is the communication. He comments on workouts quickly, notices details like heart rate levels during intervals, passes on various tips, and responds to email in a timely manner. I heartily recommend Matt as a running coach.
Brian Wilcox –
I’ve been working with Matt through Team RunRun for the past few months and can honestly say that his coaching has been the best investment I’ve made in 20 years of training. As a “masters” runner, Matt heard my need for improved mobility and flexibility, as well as a recent history of injuries that limited my training, and has developed a program tailored to these needs. Though I know I’m not his only athlete, Matt is timely in responses, consistent in publishing my workouts each week, and is thoughtful about building intensity and volume gradually which has helped mitigate injury. He’s also provided video links to any exercise that was unfamiliar to me, which has been super helpful. I’m excited to see how this will translate to spring races, but I can already see significant growth with Matt’s guidance. Working with a coach has really upped my excitement for training (after years of a DIY approach), which is saying a lot especially during the dark and cold days of winter! Thanks, Matt!
Rob Cartolano –
Matt is a terrific coach! He has worked with me to create a training program that balances running combined with strength and low-impact exercises, and is constantly reviewing and giving me feedback along the way. He is super responsive, and I like using the Final Surge program as a way to stay in contact for each exercise. As an older runner with a busy schedule, I appreciate his flexibility and sensitivity to adjust the program to meet my needs. Highly recommended!
Jeremiah Hellenbrand –
Matt has been my running coach for a few months now and I am truly impressed with him and the platform. First, he has developed an amazing running program tailored to me and he tracks my progress after each run to ensure the workouts are realistic and pushing me to improve. The communication is above and beyond my expectations. I’ve also found the variety of workouts are a true welcome to my old, mundane way of running. Since working with Matt, I’ve definitely improved my endurance and speed. I highly recommend anyone looking for a running coach, no matter where you are located, to consider working with Matt. You won’t be disappointed.